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WWE Pays Tribute To Hulk Hogan On WWE SmackDown

By Lyle Kilbane • Published Jul 26, 2025 05:08 EDT
Hulk Hogan

WWE has paid its own tribute to Hulk Hogan on the first SmackDown following news of the wrestling icon’s death aged 71.

On July 24th, TMZ Sports reported that WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan had passed away aged 71 after suffering cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida.

Hulk Hogan was the figurehead of the wrestling boom in the 1980s as Rock and Wrestling bore the fruit that turned into WrestleMania. Legions of Hulkamaniacs grew up idolising Hogan, with red and yellow becoming the colours most closely associated with the star.

His time in WWE came to an end in the early nineties under somewhat of a cloud due to the steroid trial brought by the United States Government against WWE owner Vince McMahon. Hulk Hogan soon reemerged in WCW, where in 1996 he helped revolutionise the business again, throwing out red and yellow in favour of black and white as he formed the NWO with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

However, Hogan’s legacy was a complicated one. His reputation was tarnished when extremely racist comments by Hogan came to light, comments many feel Hogan never apologised for. For this reason, the number of public tributes made by fellow wrestlers was a lot fewer than people might have expected for a star as big as Hogan.

WWE Honour The Legacy Of Hulk Hogan

But now WWE has paid tribute to perhaps its biggest ever star on the July 25th edition of SmackDown. The opening of the show saw the roster flanked by legends such as Jimmy Hart, Gerald Brisco, Sgt. Slaughter, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan take to the stage for a ten-bell salute for Hogan.

Following that tribute, a video package aired highlighting Hulk Hogan’s career with Triple H providing the voiceover.

Cody Rhodes acknowledged that feelings around Hogan’s death were “complicated” but noted Hogan’s accomplishments in WWE were “staggering and indisputable. Rhodes rounded off by thanking Hogan for being the very first “WWE Superstar.”