Jimmy Hart recalls Hulk Hogan’s reaction following WWE Raw on Netflix debut appearance

Jimmy Hart expressed hesitation and Hulk Hogan’s reaction to the backlash on his last WWE appearance at Raw’s Netflix debut in 2025. 

On the latest What Do You Wanna Talk About Podcast episode with Cody Rhodes, Hart reflected on the sentiments going into the segment with Hogan. He was reluctant at first given Hogan’s public statements about his political selection. 

“I said, ‘you know where we’re going? We’re going to California’ And like I said before, I’m not a Democrat or Republican. I’m jabroni.”

“But here’s the deal. I said, ‘I don’t like this’. ‘Jimmy, don’t worry about it.’ I went, ‘Okay’. We get out of the van there, nice town car puts us there. Some fans go ‘Hulk, we loved you, but you love them. We don’t like you anymore.’ You know. I said ‘Hulk, I don’t feel good about this’. ‘Jimmy, don’t worry about it.’ We go in the back. You know what I’m worrying about it.”

“So we’re in the back and Hulk, he goes ‘Jimmy Hart, what do you think?’ He’d always ask before we do something. And I just said, ‘no, everything’s good, you know, everything’s okay’. So, we went out and did the little thing with, rehearse where we were going to stand and help coming out, do his little deal. And I’m waving the flag.”

“So we finish it, then we go in the back. And of course, then Hulk comes up going ‘hey, the radio was good on that segment we did’. And I said, ‘well, I guess they should be because with all the commotion that happened on it, I guess we should have.”

“And I said ‘but you kept telling me, don’t worry about it. Well, I was worried about it’. And he goes, ‘Jimmy, look, sometimes you got to do what you got to do.’ And he said ‘I’ve made my bed and I’ve got to lie in it. That’s who I wanted to vote for. That’s what I wanted to do’. He said ‘I knew in my heart going in there might be a catchy thing’. But he knew it, you know.”

The segment, which was also intended to promote Hogan’s Real American Beer, garnered heavy boos from the audience due to his outspoken political views. After his passing, Vince McMahon expressed anger over the presentation and reaction to Hogan’s appearance on the debut program. 

Stipulation advertised for WWE Raw Netflix premiere title match

A stipulation is being advertised for Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley’s title match on Raw’s Netflix premiere.

During this week’s episode of WWE Main Event, a graphic listed that Morgan vs. Ripley on the January 6 Raw episode will now be a Last Woman Standing match. A further announcement past that has not been made yet. Morgan’s Women’s World Championship will be on the line in the bout.

https://twitter.com/TheGarganoWay/status/1872713776652534183

Long-time rivals Morgan and Ripley have been feuding throughout 2024 with Ripley attempting to reclaim the Women’s World Championship after having to relinquish the belt due to injury this April. Morgan won the title from Becky Lynch (who is rumored to be returning to WWE soon) in May.

At Survivor Series last month, Ripley pinned Morgan to win the women’s WarGames match.

Raw’s Netflix premiere is taking place from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins is set to main event the show. Plus, Roman Reigns faces Solo Sikoa in a Tribal Combat match, John Cena returns, and more.

Possible location for first WWE Raw on Netflix

Los Angeles may be hosting WWE Raw’s first episode on Netflix in January 2025.

WrestleVotes Radio reported this week that Los Angeles appears set to host Raw’s Netflix debut with the Intuit Dome mentioned as the possible venue. Located in Inglewood, the Intuit Dome opened its doors this August and will be home to the NBA’s LA Clippers.

Monday, January 6, 2025 is the date for the first Raw on Netflix. In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer confirmed that there’s been “pretty strong talk” of the show being held in Los Angeles:

  • While not confirmed, there was a lot of talk this week coming off Raw that the first Raw on Netflix on 1/6 would be in Southern California. There were Netflix employees in the first few rows at Raw this week. Netflix is based in both Los Angeles and Los Gatos, CA, which would be the San Jose market. As part of that talk was the idea of doing NXT in the same building the next night. Again, this is just talk although the Raw episode in Los Angeles is pretty strong talk.

Raw will air on USA Network for the remainder of 2024 until its new deal with Netflix begins at the start of 2025. From October 7 through December 30, Raw will move back to being a two-hour show on USA Network. The runtime for Raw on Netflix has not been confirmed, though it’s possible that the show length will be more flexible without the constraints of regular television.

John Cena will be appearing on Raw’s Netflix premiere. He’s set for a retirement tour that will last from January through December 2025.