This year’s card for WrestleMania 33 is one that is still a work in progress, but there is little doubt that there will be some big-time surprises. While injuries and such have taken its toll on the card for the biggest pay-per-view of the year, the rumors swirling around are providing confidence that WWE has some backup plans in place. One of them appears to be happening no matter what, and it will be the return of the immortal Hulk Hogan.
Back in the summer of 2015, WWE suspended Hulk Hogan and then parted ways with him after his sex tape had leaked out for all to see. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he was heard making racist comments on that tape, and they just weren’t going to stand for that.
From that point on, the company was done with him, and while it was expected that he would come back at some point, but no one knew when. Now, it appears as if the Hulkster’s return is right around the corner and could happen in Orlando.
Wrestling Inc. pointed out a tweet aimed at Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, who asked him about the return of Hulk Hogan to WWE. Instead of just a generic response to a question that is likely asked very often, Meltzer actually gave a pretty definitive answer.
Now, that doesn’t let fans know exactly when he will be back in WWE, but it’s a pretty sure bet that he is going to return. WrestleMania 33 is less than two months away at this point, and if he’s going to be involved in a storyline of some kind, he would need to show up very soon.
If he’s just going to make an appearance at the pay-per-view (PPV), the company could keep the news private and just let him show up in Orlando. Sports Keeda is reporting that Vince McMahon has a “huge surprise” in store for WrestleMania 33, and there are a number of guesses as to what it could possibly be.
Once again, Meltzer came through with a response, and most of the times, he is pretty spot on in his reporting. That isn’t to say that it is a sure thing at this point, but the possibility is surely there, and there is still plenty of time to make it happen.
When looking at the official website of WWE, Hulk Hogan is still nowhere to be found in the Hall of Fame or Alumni sections. After the sex tape and racist remarks in 2015, Hogan was essentially scrubbed from the site as much as humanly possible.
In an interesting note, there are often times that even searching for “Hulk Hogan” on WWE’s website brings up an error message. Should they decide to bring him back at any point, some work will have to be done to put him back into the history of the company and wrestling.
Still, Wrestling News Source reported Hulk’s daughter Brooke did say that “people have been calling him…for WrestleMania,” but her dad has yet to confirm that.
If WWE is able to keep Hulk Hogan’s return a complete and total secret, it will be an amazing feat to accomplish. WrestleMania 33 is still a month-and-a-half away, but they could bring him in at the last minute if he’s really meant to be a “surprise.”
Hulk Hogan is currently doing a good bit of work with his different business ventures, but he has never officially retired from wrestling. Sure, he may never wrestle another match again, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still make appearances for WWE and other promotions. Right now, the rumors state that he will be back soon, and fans should be prepared to see him show up at WrestleMania 33 in one form or another.
