The last 72 hours have been rough for Hulk Hogan.
Do I really В need to reiterate what has gone down?
It’s unfortunate that the mistakes of celebrities get magnified because you live in the public eye. Though the actual audio has yet to be released, according to the National Inquirer website, in footage from his 2006 sex tape with Bubba The Love Sponge’s thenВ wife, Hogan said things about his daughter Brooke and her apparent relationship with an African American like:
I don’t know if Brooke was f***ing the black guy’s son…
I don’t have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, f***ing n***ers, but then when it comes to nice people and s**t, whatever…
…I’d rather if she was going to f*** some n***er, I’d rather her marry an eight foot tall n***er worth a hundred million dollars, like a basketball player. I guess we’re all a little racist, f***ing n***er.
We all make mistakes. In his life, Hulk Hogan has done and said a lot of boneheaded things, particularly in the last decade. If this were another time, perhaps we could chalk it up as another stupid remark from The Hulkster. But if it wasn’t bad enough that he was dropping N-bombs with the hard “r,” he was basically saying, “Hey, if you’re unsure of my stance, let me make it clear by stating and then reiterating that I am, in fact, a racist.” It’s hard to come back from comments like that. In this day and age, racial prejudice is unacceptable.
That being said, the supposed quote from Hogan was recorded from a private В conversation, without his knowledge, from aВ privateВ sex tape, that was recorded without his knowledge. Now I’m not justifying or condoning anything Hulk Hogan has said or done. What I am В saying is that if all of our private conversations and actions were recorded without our consent, I think we all would be a little embarrassed and ashamed of the things that we do and that we say.
Hulk Hogan, the character, is a pop culture icon. The man behind the character, Terry Bollea, despite his social standing, is a human being, just like you and I, that screws up– sometimes more than others. I think we all need to think about that before, during, and after we decide to judge him. He’s already come out to People.com, issuing an apology for his actions.
Should WWE distance themselves from Hulk Hogan? Absolutely, for now at least. WWE is a publicly traded company, and marketing him and keeping him employed with the ongoing situation is just bad business.
WWE.com has erased most traces of Hogan.В Will he be “Benoit’ed”..? I doubt it. Though he said some racially insensitive things, he hasn’t murdered a woman and or a child. Once more,В this doesn’t make what he said justifiable.В Perhaps you believe that all sins are equal, but in my opinion, a couple of killings rank quite a bit higher on the list of unforgivable actions than a few ignorant remarks. Yes, he has negatively contributed to pro wrestling in some ways over the years, but to erase his positive contributions would require carving out a large chunk of the WWE’s historic foundation.
Some of you may be saying, ‘Well, what about Michael Hayes?’ Yes, about a decade ago, he apparently made some racial slurs at Mark Henry. He was not fired, but he was punished, serving a suspension. ‘Since Hulk Hogan was fired, shouldn’t Hayes get fired?’ That’s arguable. Though documented by witnesses that may have seen it, the Hayes/Henry incident wasn’t recorded and released to the public. Furthermore, the incident was dealt with immediately after it occurred.
Yes, Hogan’s quote is from 2006, roughly the same time frame as the Hayes incident. The difference is that the Hogan incident is just now being revealed, while Hulk is a prevalent character and ambassador for the organization. It only made sense to release Hulk Hogan from his WWE duties.
And what about the chairman, Vince McMahon saying “nigga” in a 2005 WWE promo, Or DeGeneration X, which then featured Triple H, a prominent player on screen and behind the scenes for present day WWE, Billy Gunn, a trainer for WWE Tough Enough, and Road Dogg, a backstage agent, painting themselves in blackface and portraying the all black “Nation of Domination” stable? How about the 1997 promo with Shawn Michaels and Triple HВ accusing Bret Hart of being a KKK member ? I know it didn’t happen in WWE, but “Stone Cold” Steve Austin said the “N” word in the 2005 film “The Longest Yard.” Some are saying all of these people currently employed or under WWE Legends deals need to be fired.
This is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.
One of the biggest problems people have when watching wrestling is the ability to distinguish between reality and fiction. Yes, wrestling characters are sometime an extention of ourselves. Other times, however, wrestlers do things that we wouldn’t normally do in real life.
Do you really В think Rikishi goes around trying to commit vehicular homicides for The Rock? Did you believe that The Undertaker was actually having people slice their wrists in order to gain entry into The Ministry of Darkness? Did you really think I was an obsessed pervert that was stalking Veda Scott? Like any movie, wrestling largely incorporates elements of entertainment and acting– sometimes lowbrow and B-level– but acting, none the less. Wrestlers do and say things that you can never possibly do and say in real life, just like actors.
Remember when Bob Barker portrayed himself in Happy Gilmore, insulting and eventually assaulting the character of Happy? Did you actually think that the Price Is Right host was a fouled mouth loose cannon? Real life actions are far different from what occurs in a scripted show or movie.
I’m rambling. It’s time to take this one home.
Hulk Hogan finally put his boot so far down his own throat that he’s struggling to get it out. Will he ever be able to recover? It’s said that time heals old wounds, so we’ll see.
Am I still a Hulkamaniac? I’m kinda on the fence right now. Hulk Hogan, the character, was my childhood hero. Terry Bollea, the man, makes me shake my head a lot as an adult, but I don’t know that I could ever hate him. Maybe I should though. After all, he did block me on Twitter for saying that I wish I was as handsome as he is in this photo:
In all seriousness, I wish the best for Hulk, his family, and the fans that love him. What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment and let me know.
-Greg
