WWE NXT Star Criticizes Hulk Hogan Tributes Amid Past Controversies

Hampton posted on Instagram his opinion on the matter while Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT aired. The show, like RAW and SmackDown, did a 10-bell salute and aired a memorial package for Hogan. Hampton was part of the first season of WWE LFG and has wrestled in WWE Evolve and NXT. One of his last matches was a loss against Brooks Jensen at an NXT House Show. The now-deleted post, per F4Wonline, read:

“Is this really who we should be celebrating? Do ya research.”

With the caption, the WWE rookie also shared a link to the YouTube video that contained the infamous audio of Hulk’s leaked sex tape. The tape, which was recorded in 2007, revealed Hogan saying that he was “racist, to a point,” while using racial slurs.

Once the video became public in 2015 by Gawker, WWE cut ties with Hogan until 2018, when he returned in November for Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. Just a few months before, in July, WWE had reinstated Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Hogan’s Friends Defend Him From Critics

On the other hand, since his passing last Thursday, it's not that surprising that some of Hulk’s friends in the industry have been critical of those who bring up his past misdeeds now that he has passed on. This was even before Hampton's comment. WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, who has been close with Hogan since WCW, when they were in the NWO, went on a tirade on his Kliq This podcast.

“For the people who want to go after Hogan for doing this or that. You know what? How about f– you, man. He’s dead. How about his kids, man? Can you just lay off the man? Ain’t nothing going to change now. Think about his kids. Think about his friends and his family and if you don’t have anything good to say, shut the f— up.” (H/T: pwmania)

While another Hall of Famer, D-Von Dudley, shared a story on the latest episode of the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, where Hogan apologized to him for using racial slurs. He later added how "there wouldn't be WWE, AEW, or TNA if there were no Hulk Hogan," though even if that's true, it's not always easy to look past the scandals.