Watch: Hulk Hogan Returns to WWE Raw  for ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund Tribute

While Hulk Hogan returned from WWE banishment during November’s Crown Jewel, Monday marked his domestic homecoming when he led Raw’s tribute to the late ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund.

While no shortage of controversy surrounds Hogan’s comeback, the Raw crowd received him warmly from beginning to end. WWE played footage of some of Okerlund’s finest moments and Hogan sent us home with a spirited promo full of callbacks to all the wrestlers that have passed. Hogan looked to get sincerely choked up when bidding Okerlund goodbye, having to put on his sunglasses to hide the emotion.

Okerlund passed away last week at the age of 76. A few days later, WWE announced that Hogan would make his return to be the master of ceremonies for ‘Mean’ Gene’s televised send-off. That news was met with plenty of resistance from social media as many fans aren’t yet ready to see or forgive Hogan for his racial slur scandal a few years ago. After being tapped using highly inflammatory language, Hogan was essentially excommunicated from WWE. But in the summer of 2018, Hogan was reinstated, and the next move on his retribution tour would be a physical appearance at a WWE show. That happened at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia in November.

But this was Hogan’s first real appearance. Crown Jewel was not a pay-per-view, and it aired during obscure hours. With Hogan showing up on Raw, WWE gave him quite the platform, but with him returning only to say goodbye to Okerlund, it’s not as easy to protest Hulkamania.