WWE News: The New Day Reacts To Hulk Hogan’s HOF Reinstatement, Says It’s ‘Difficult To Simply Forget’ His Past Comments
Although The New Day said that they were “indifferent” to Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into WWE’s Hall of Fame, the popular, long-running faction appears to have mixed feelings regarding the news. In a lengthy statement, the team acknowledged their respect for Hogan and his achievements as a pro wrestler and pop culture icon, yet admitted it’s hard to forget the racially charged remarks he uttered in a leaked video clip three years ago.
According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, the statement was made a few days after Hogan spent time backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view and personally apologized for his use of racial slurs in a video that leaked out in 2015, leading to his banishment from WWE. Speaking on behalf of his stablemates, New Day member Kofi Kingston said that many people had asked the faction about their thoughts on Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into the Hall of Fame and that the statement would be the only one they would make in relation to the topic.
“How do we feel? Indifferent. We are not happy, or sad, angry or resentful,” the statement read, as quoted by Pro Wrestling Sheet.
“Who WWE puts into the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and accolades.”
Despite this acknowledgment of Hulk Hogan’s legacy, The New Day’s statement stressed that the team finds it “difficult to simply forget” the racial slurs he apparently uttered on the video, even if Hogan made the comments several years before they leaked out. The faction explained that instead of responding with hatred, they will simply not associate with Hogan until he’s able to prove that he has made a “genuine effort to change.”
“Through the course of our lives, people have used racist comments towards us and it doesn’t feel good. But if we stopped moving forward every time we were met with prejudicial hatred, then we would have never achieved our current accomplishments.”
New Day Say They Won’t Associate With Hulk Hogan Until “Genuine Effort to Change” is Made: https://t.co/nUKkaZYuZP pic.twitter.com/RmOypDTXs4
— Wrestling Resource – The Sportster (@WrestlingSheet) July 18, 2018
The New Day concluded their statement on Hulk Hogan by saying that his reinstatement into the WWE Hall of Fame will not affect their ability to perform for the company and deliver an “entertaining” product whenever they get to appear on WWE television.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, recent WWE Hall of Fame inductee Mark Henry pointed out that the reaction of African-American wrestlers toward Hogan’s Hall of Fame reinstatement has been split evenly so far, with about half ready to welcome him back, and the other half still upset over his leaked usage of racial slurs. No names were mentioned by Henry, but The New Day’s statement on Hulk Hogan appears to be in line with the recently retired wrestler’s observations of a split in opinion or mixed emotions among WWE’s black wrestlers.
