Real reason for Hulk Hogan's WWE RAW return; future plans revealed following this week's troubles - Reports

Monday's WWE RAW was the official kickoff to the Netflix era for the biggest pro wrestling company in the world. Triple H and his team booked several surprises and swerves for the first RAW of 2025, including the return of Hulk Hogan. Sources are revealing new details on what went wrong, why Hogan was really brought back, how he might be replaced, and what the future holds.

The Hulkster returned to World Wrestling Entertainment with Jimmy Hart on Monday night in Los Angeles, not long before the main event. The legendary Superstar had a rocky relationship with the Stamford-based promotion in recent years, and he's had some recent fan heat for endorsing President Trump. However, a comeback had been rumored in recent weeks, mainly to promote Hulk's new beer brand.

The WWE Universe broke out into boos as the familiar Real American theme filled the Intuit Dome last night. The music stopped, but the LA crowd continued showering the two-time WWE Hall of Famer with heat. Hogan was visibly caught off guard and seemed to be having issues with his legs. The nWo boss praised fans and company, plugged his new Real American Beer company, then declared WWE and Netflix as his greatest tag team partners ever.

Hogan's return ended with the two-time Royal Rumble winner ripping his Real American Beer t-shirt to reveal a Netflix RAW shirt, only to receive more boos. Michael Cole, who earlier credited Hogan for the company being there, wrapped the segment by confirming Real American Beer as an official WWE partner. Backstage sources are now reporting that The Immortal's return did not go as planned. Fightful Select adds that things went awry with this week's appearance, the first of many, due to the crowd reactions.

Rumors on why Hogan was returning ahead of WrestleMania 41 Season have made the rounds, but word is that the main reason for the 71-year-old's comeback is to promote the company's new partnership with Hogan's Real American Beer company.

Hogan and WWE have had more RAW appearances planned after this week's Netflix premiere, but as of this writing, none of those dates have been made official. The future appearances are said to be tied to the beer deal, but there's talk of having another name promote the products. While no specific stars were disclosed, a backstage source indicated that there was a pitch to use a more modern superstar or legend to help endorse Hogan's brand.

WWE officials appear to be very high up on the new on-air brand deal with Hogan's alcoholic beverage company. Sources noted that the new partnership is not expected to end.

WWE RAW preview for Week 2 on Netflix

World Wrestling Entertainment's second RAW on Netflix episode will air live next week from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Below is the current lineup:

• Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser
• Women's Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals: Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai to crown the inaugural champion
• Chad Gable vs. a mystery luchador
• Street Fight: Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Gunther, Rhea Ripley, The New Day, Sami Zayn, R-Truth, Seth Rollins, Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio, and Jey Uso are also advertised for next week's RAW by the RAW and arena websites. John Cena and The Rock are not currently listed.