Red, White, and Boo: Hulk Hogan and Real American Beer Get Booed Out of Intuit Dome
After three decades on the USA Network, WWE moved the longest running episodic television show in history to Netflix beginning this past Monday night. Raw has arguably never been better from a story-telling perspective and the change presents a massive opportunity to continue growing worldwide viewership. On top of the star-studded crowd, the show started with a bang when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson entered, followed by fellow wrestler turned actor, John Cena later in the show. The matches were pay-per-view quality performances and the night felt like a massive success, with one exception. Earlier that same day, WWE also announced a new partnership with their former icon Hulk Hogan and his newest venture, Real American Beer. When the Hulkster entered for his brief segment to promote his beer, he was booed right out of Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome.
Note: This post was written earlier in the week before learning about the horrible fires in Los Angeles. If anyone in the LA beer community needs assistance of any kind, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at doug@beercrunchers.com.
One of many great ways to help is through donations to World Central Kitchen, founded by chef José Andrés, has mobilized across Southern California, providing sandwiches and water throughout the region. The charity said its volunteer chefs are on standby to give out meals.
Real American Beer debuted 7 months ago and is already in 20 states. That’s a rate of expansion that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. That instant distribution combined with Hogan’s legacy and IP must have been attractive to TKO Holdings, owner of the UFC and parent company of the WWE as of September 2023. The publicly traded company became a minority stakeholder in the contract-brewed beer brand, in a deal that includes:
Ring mat corner branding during every episode of Raw
Social and digital support, including original, short-form content that will be distributed across WWE’s social and digital channels which reach more than 700 million users globally
WWE trademarks and Superstars likeness to be used on in-store point-of-sale materials and promotional in-market displays.
Given the 700 million viewer reach of WWE and the value of these live product integrations, you wonder if this was a non-cash deal, with that equity share being in exchange for the promotional support. You also wonder if the decision-makers are second guessing their commitment to the brand after such a negative reaction in its first appearance:
When Real American Beer debuted in June, all the talking points were around bringing people together and bridging the political divide. That approach shifted in a hurry when just three weeks later, Hogan appeared on the stage at the RNC ripping his shirt off. Such an immediate form of hypocrisy further alienated a what remains of the 12-time champion’s fanbase, with many having lost their allegiance over the litany of past controversies and accusations including:
Backstage stories involving the use of his creative control to the detriment of the business and other wrestlers
Accusation from Jesse Ventura, who went on to be the Governor of Minnesota, that Hogan informed the front office on a unionization attempt
Partnering with Peter Thiel to sue Gawker for releasing a sex tape that included racial slurs, ultimately being awarded $31M.
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TKO Holdings is an unstoppable powerhouse with UFC, WWE, and a market cap exceeding $24 Billion. The near flawless debut on Netflix sent their potential into the next stratosphere, yet was brought down a level by failing to fully account for the intelligence of wrestling fans. I wouldn’t blame them for taking Real American Beer’s sponsorship money, but why they would want a minority share on their balance sheet and live spots on with Hogan on their show is a head scratcher. Will WWE chalk up the negative reaction up to California’s audience and try again in more strategic cities? Will they avoid putting Hogan in front of a live audience going forward, but push ahead otherwise? Or will they drop the leg on this partnership altogether, realize that its time to move on from this era, and keep their eye on the prize?
