Former WWE Referee Goes Off On Fans For Blasting Hulk Hogan Right After His Death, Goldberg Responds To Recent Backlash, Lex Luger/Hulk Hogan

Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas has spoken out against the wave of online backlash that followed the passing of Hulk Hogan, criticizing the immediate and harsh tone taken by some within the wrestling community.

In a strongly worded post on Twitter, Korderas expressed disappointment with how quickly certain fans and personalities rushed to highlight Hogan’s controversial history — particularly his past racist remarks — soon after news of his death became public. He wrote,

“The manner in which people could not keep it in their pants for even a few hours with the news of Hulk Hogan’s passing was as REAL a moment as we’ve had in the IWC. The speed with which many wanted to take a Hogan-hate vitriolic victory lap over a man’s death was telling.”

Korderas acknowledged that Hogan had “many flaws” that should not be erased from his legacy, but stressed that timing and tact matter. He stated, “Hogan’s FLAWS should NOT be ignored. It SHOULD be part of his legacy. But there is a time and place for it. There is a level of tact one can have when discussing it.”

Having officiated in WWE for over 20 years, Korderas went on to criticize what he called a “toxic crowd that lives in misery,” accusing many of being more interested in social media attention than offering thoughtful reflection. “It should NOT be that hard to SAY NOTHING if you have nothing good to say in the immediate wake of somebody’s passing. This wasn’t a mass murderer. He wasn’t a convicted felon. He was beloved by more people than hated him.”

He closed by suggesting that much of the criticism came from a place of performative outrage. He concluded, “They didn’t hate the man half as much as they enjoyed showing they hated the man. Again, more full of sh*t than a sewer that wants to leak all over society.”

I will leavd this here for you!: pic.twitter.com/Zfb1nNGoR0

— Jimmy Korderas (@jimmykorderas) July 25, 2025

Lex Luger recently looked back on his 1997 WCW World Heavyweight Championship win over Hulk Hogan during an episode of his “Lex Expressed” podcast. Luger defeated Hogan on the August 4th edition of WCW Monday Nitro, capturing the title for a brief five-day reign before dropping it back. He said,

“I didn’t find out until I was almost ready to go to the ring. They asked Hulk, ‘Who do you want to do this with?’ … He said, ‘100%, I want to do it with Lex.’”

He continued, “That was a huge compliment coming from one of the biggest stars in the history of the business. It felt incredible to come back and be given the chance to reach that level again in WCW.”

Goldberg has seemingly changed his stance on the chop he took from GUNTHER.

During what was billed as his final match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event earlier this month, the WWE Hall of Famer took heat for laughing off a stiff chop from GUNTHER. Initially, Goldberg apologized, saying that he expected it to hurt more and that the moment caught him off guard. However, on the latest episode of his “CarCast” podcast, Goldberg shifted gears — firing back at critics instead of expressing regret. He said,

“I’m Goldberg, I’m sorry but I don’t care how big you are, if you chop me in the f**king chest, it ain’t gonna f**king hurt! It was only a reaction because I, for some reason, was having a really good time!”

He continued, “I hear people complaining about me complaining, and not many have breached the fact that it was the second-longest match I ever did in my life, at 58 years old. I could not have done it without GUNTHER. That kid’s freaking unbelievable. It was a wonderful opportunity to be in the ring with him, and an honor.“