UFC President Dana White and longtime WWE wrestler Hulk Hogan delivered high-octane endorsement speeches for former President Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, underscoring the former president’s decades-old ties with both WWE and UFC.
 |
| American retired professional Wrestler, Hulk Hogan. Photo: @Forbes |
Trump’s relationship with WWE—formerly known as WWF—dates back to 1988, when he got involved in the rise of now-billionaire Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment empire, resulting in Trump Plaza in Atlantic City sponsoring WrestleMania 1988 and 1989 (Trump said in a 2011 documentary he “wanted a piece of” the event).
Trump, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, appointed WWE co-founder and McMahon’s wife, Linda McMahon, as administrator of the Small Business Administration.
Vince McMahon paid $5 million to Trump’s former charity in 2007 and 2009, lining up with Trump’s WWE appearances, though the exact purpose of the payments isn’t clear, The Wall Street Journal reported (the payments came to light when WWE revealed millions in unrelated, previously unrecorded expenses paid by McMahon to sexual misconduct accusers).
Trump’s relationship with UFC and White began more than 20 years ago, when Trump personally invited White to hold events at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
forbes.com
