Backstage News On Which Stars Were Purposely Removed From WWE Raw Video Package

When an era of sorts ends in professional wrestling, it has become custom to air a video tribute to said era, like when AEW aired one following the end of their year-long stay in Daily's Place. As such, it's no surprise that WWE aired a special video tribute last night during the final episode of "Raw" on the USA Network, which served as the home for "Raw" first from 1993 to 2000, and again from October 2005 till yesterday.

As one would expect, the tribute sprinkled in footage of current and former WWE stars, including some currently in AEW, like Bryan Danielson and Chris Jericho. One person not featured, however, was former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, an expected omission given McMahon, and WWE, continue to face Janel Grant's lawsuit, accusing him of sex trafficking and abuse. When Bryan Alvarez noted McMahon's absence in the video on "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer confirmed the obvious, while also noting another key figure's absence.

"They couldn't [show McMahon]," Meltzer said. "They didn't show [Hulk] Hogan, did they? I don't think they showed Hogan either. Yeah, interesting."

On the one hand, Hogan's absence from a "Raw" tribute video wouldn't be entirely shocking, as the WWE Hall of Famer's heyday largely occurred before "Raw" began airing. However, it does serve as the latest example of Hogan being excluded from WWE history following his absence from Saturday Night's Main Event earlier this month, a move that caused some to speculate that Hogan's political views had ostracized him from the promotion.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription