Advertisement

Hulk Hogan appears at Phillies camp, says he wants to leg drop Vince McMahon

Hulk Hogan shakes hands with former Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. (Phillies)
Hulk Hogan shakes hands with former Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. (Phillies)

Hulkamania was running wild at Philadelphia Phillies camp Friday as the man himself, Hulk Hogan, made an appearance before and during their Grapefruit League game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

[Batter up: Join a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for free today]

The 64-year-old Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, has been out of the professional wrestling limelight since the summer of 2015 when a racist rant recorded in 2007 cost him his job with World Wrestling Entertainment. He hasn’t made too many notable public appearances since then. Friday was one of his biggest as he spent time mingling with Phillies fans, players and coaches, including former manager Charlie Manuel.

He even found time to take an apparent dig at former boss, WWE CEO Vince McMahon.

Ever the showman, Hogan seems to relish blurring the line between reality and fiction. Any real tension with the WWE figurehead wouldn’t be too surprising though given how their most recent working agreement ended nearly three years ago. Not only was Hogan’s contract terminated, his likeness was removed from the WWE’s Hall of Fame.

Many wonder if the day will ever come where Hogan will be welcomed back into WWE. With WWE’s signature event, Wrestlemania, one month away, now is the time when that speculation reaches overdrive. So far, there’s no inkling his status is changed, but the WWE is often full of surprises.

Apparently, so too is new Phillies manager Gabe Kapler. Hogan’s appearance, while not universally praised by fans, seemed to go over well with Phillies players.

Hogan spent nearly two years embroiled in a legal battle with Gawker Media over the unauthorized release of a sex tape. It was in that video that Hogan’s racist rant was made public. Hogan was rewarded a $31 million settlement in 2016. He’s since apologized for his actions, but faces a tougher battle to rehabilitate his image.

Perhaps more appearances like Friday’s will help.

More from Yahoo Sports:
Why Deandre Ayton is the consensus No. 1 pick in upcoming NBA draft
Tiger Woods led a golf tournament for the first time since 2013
Richard Sherman repotedly will be cut
Kevin Harvick: Social media pressure led to penalty

Mark Townsend is a writer for Yahoo Sports Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!