He was once mistakenly the most popular wrestler in the United States, but former WWE star Hulk Hogan has become more known for scandals than anything else. In the latest controversy that emerged, Hogan’s clip resurfaced AEW wrestler Shelton Benjamin online with “Benjamin Shelton”, providing a passionate response with X.
message @hulkhogan. You lost me forever with your “not catch”…or as you call it an “apology.” So instead of ruining my name and pretending to have the kind of friendship we didn’t have. Please pic.twitter.com/4cca4i9qef
– Shelton J. Benjamin (@SheltyB803) May 6, 2025
In the final part of his message, Benjamin chose to use a slightly altered version of the GIF depicting Will Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony.
The apology that Benjamin was referring to was given to the WWE locker room by Hogan in 2018. In 2015, audio recordings containing Hogan using racial slander were released, and the wrestler was quickly removed by many sponsors and business partners, including WWE. However, the company decided to return him to the fold three years later, and Hogan spoke to the roster just before the announcement was made.
Many people (including Benjamin) felt that behind the scenes apologies were not authentic. Wrestlers such as Seth Rollins have been talking negatively about Hogan in recent years, and former fan favorites were heavily booed with the appearance of “WWE RAW” in Los Angeles, California earlier this year.
In all this, Hogan announced that he will launch a new freestyle wrestling promotion with his friend and former WCW executive Eric Bischoff. Additional details are likely to be announced soon, and the promotion is rumored to debut in August this year.
