Vince Russo, a former WWE head writer, was left stunned by the lack of appearance by Hulk Hogan on Saturday Night’s Main Event, which took place at the Nassau Coliseum. According to Russo, WWE pulled out all the stops to bring several wrestling legends to the show, but amazingly left out the 71-year-old Hogan. Instead, the Immortal One was seen walking out to the octagon with Colby Covington at UFC Tampa, an event that seemed to take precedence over his potential appearance on SNME.
Russo was visibly surprised by Hogan’s absence, and on his podcast, “Russo’s The Brand”, he criticized WWE’s decision to omit one of the biggest stars of the 80s and 90s. Hogan’s iconic status as a wrestling legend, not to mention his starring role in Saturday Night’s Main Event during the show’s heyday, made his absence even more jarring. Russo felt that it was a crucial oversight, and that WWE should have done everything in their power to get the Hulkster on the show.
The rest of the event, however, featured a veritable who’s who of WWE legends. Jesse “The Body” Ventura joined Joe Tessitore as part of the broadcast team, while Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Tito Santana, Koko B. Ware, Jimmy Hart, and Rich Hering all made appearances on-screen. The show also featured clips from past Saturday Night’s Main Event matches, an attempt to appeal to fans’ nostalgia and draw them in.
The contrast between Hogan’s absence and the abundance of other legends was not lost on Russo, who felt it was a missed opportunity for WWE to bring back a true icon of the wrestling world. Additionally, CM Punk was seen backstage, taking photos with some of the legends, adding to the sense of occasion and highlighting the disconnect between Hogan’s absence and the presence of other wrestling royalty.
