WWE was reportedly ready to let Hulk Hogan return and win a big match at WrestleMania 36

WrestleMania 36 ended up being quite different from how it was originally planned due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many matches and feuds were either nixed or changed to suit the circumstances, and Hulk Hogan returning and winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was one such plan that was on the table.

WrestlingNews.co's Paul Davis revealed many details regarding the backstage plans to get Hulk Hogan back for a match that eventually couldn't come to fruition.

Davis reported that an idea was pitched to get Hulk Hogan back for the Battle Royal match at WrestleMania 36 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The plan that was floated around was for Hogan to not take many bumps, but to eliminate one or two Superstars at the end and win the match. The fact that Hogan lives in Tampa would have made the win even more special.

A WWE source told the following to Paul Davis:

"The idea was he wouldn’t take any bumps. We would work it so he would only have to eliminate one or two guys at the end and then he would get his big celebration at the end with his music. It would have been perfect because he lives in the Tampa area.”

Vince McMahon was on board to get Hulk Hogan back

Surprisingly enough, Vince McMahon didn't outrightly reject the idea and it was still under consideration as of late February.

The plan couldn't see the light of the day as Hogan and WWE couldn't reach an agreement with regards to the financial aspects of the deal.

It was also noted that even if Hulk Hogan had agreed to make his return at WrestleMania 36, the plan would have been cancelled anyway as the WWE realized much later that they couldn't book the Battle Royal match due to the regulations of the pandemic.

Hulk Hogan was always scheduled to be in Tampa during WrestleMania weekend as he was going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with the nWo. The pandemic forced the company to move the WrestleMania show to the empty Performance Center and the plan was dead in the water.

Hulk Hogan has been quite vocal about his desire to have one last match in the WWE and it was previously believed that the company would never give the 66-year-old veteran the green signal to wrestle again.

WWE, however, may have found a way to get the Hulkster back in the ring without him actually wrestling.

Will WWE revisit the plan in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Follow WWE news and rumours to get to know all the latest happenings around WWE