Velveteen Dream came to the ring dressed as Hollywood Hulk Hogan at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, and apparently WWE is fine with it.
For any of us that watch NXT, there is a constant fear of what Vince McMahon will do with our favorite Superstars when they are eventually called up. The biggest stars in NXT don't tend to continue that trend on Raw and SmackDown Live. Just take a look at Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Bobby Roode if it's examples you're after.
Not every single call-up is doomed, of course. The NXT alumni that are basically running the company right now are all too often overlooked by many fans. Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, and Drew McIntyre all went through NXT. It really is a little bit of a lottery in some respects. Knowing that doesn't put our minds at ease when it comes to NXT's current stars moving on up.
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Take Velveteen Dream, for instance. A young man packed with as much talent and charisma as you could hope to see in a wrestler. It's also evident that he is not afraid to push the envelope. He demonstrated that when he wore tights that read "call me up Vince" across his backside at a recent NXT TakeOver. After that happened, Triple H admitted that Dream's TakeOver ring gear would be monitored going forward.
That's why it came as a pretty big surprise when Dream came to the ring at NXT TakeOver: WarGames dressed as Hollywood Hulk Hogan. He even mimicked some classic Hogan taunts and hit Tomasso Ciampa with The Hulkster's patented leg drop. Brad Shepard of the Oh, You Didn't Know Wrestling Show commented that if Dream wore it to the ring, then WWE must have been okay with it.
What still isn't clear is why exactly Dream chooses to pay homage to Hogan so often. It's the second time his TakeOver attire has been inspired by the WWE Hall Of Famer. He could be a super fan, or it could be Dream's own way of trying to poke fun at Hogan following the racist comments the former WWE Champion made years ago. It should also be noted that the two met when Dream was a contestant on Tough Enough. Hogan admitted he didn't get the soon-to-be NXT Superstar on the show. Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho had very different opinions.