There were rumors going around Tuesday night that WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan was spotted backstage at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for the WWE's SmackDown tapings, but reports now indicate that those rumors were false, though the WWE is still looking to use "The Hulkster" at WrestleMania XXX in April.
Reports stemming from the WrestleReaction radio show indicated that workers at the Wells Fargo Center spotted Hogan backstage at the arena Tuesday night and that Hogan greeted them but wouldn't take any photos with them.
The report said that an ABC news affiliate reached out to the WWE for comment but they wouldn't answer and speculation was that perhaps Hogan was meeting with WWE officials regarding WrestleMania.
The Wrestling Observer debunked the rumor on Wednesday morning by stating that Hogan was not backstage at SmackDown and that it was just a mere rumor and speculation that Hogan was in attendance.
While he wasn't there on Tuesday, it is still widely expected that Hogan will be at the WrestleMania XXX pay-per-view event at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on April 6 in some capacity. It's unknown if Hogan can pass the necessary medical tests to perform in a match at WrestleMania, but the WWE is planning on using him in some form or another at the event.
The latest rumors surrounding Hogan's role at the event revolve around his involvement with either WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper or John Cena, or possibly both men. The WWE has mulled over pairing Hogan and Cena together in the main event to take on two other heels or have Hogan in Cena's corner.
If that doesn't work out, the WWE was also thinking about pairing Hogan with Piper to take on "The Real Americans" Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro in a tag team match or having Piper take on Hogan one-on-one in a legends match.
One other alternative involved pairing Hogan and Cena against Piper and another heel to play off of the WrestleMania I tag team main event that saw Hogan team with Mr. T to defeat Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff in the inaugural main event in 1985.
Wrestlingheadlines.com reported earlier this week that it was Piper's idea to be involved with Hogan in some capacity, and while there have been rumors that Cena may take on Bray Wyatt at the event, it remains possible that Cena will be involved with the two legends.
Cena spoke about Hogan's involvement in WrestleMania last month with TMZ.
"We operate at a high level of speed in the WWE nowadays," Cena told TMZ last month. "I think you can't have a WrestleMania 30 without Hulk Hogan. I really truly hope he's there in my heart of hearts because as WrestleMania turns 30 I think we need the Hulkster, but we'll see if we can get him there to do whatever he can do."
While Hogan wasn't at Tuesday's SmackDown tapings, it seems as though he'll make his first WrestleMania appearance in some capacity since WrestleMania 21 in 2005.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.