SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following is a republishing of the cover story by editor Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter from ten years ago this week, cover-dated July 30, 2015, with the headline: “The End of Hulkamania.”
Read the full back issue library of nearly 2,000 Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletters, chronicling pro wrestling weekly since the late 1980s, with a PWTorch VIP membership. CLICK HERE for details and sign-up info.
We are also running a series of podcasts dedicate to Hulk Hogan’s career including:
- A two-part 100 minute episode with Wade Keller and AWA historian George Schire looking exclusively at the formation of Hulkamania in the AWA in the head-up to his jump to the WWF.
- Wade Keller and Rich Fann discussing the last ten years of Hogan’s career centered around scandals and his mismanagement of them which defined how many fans ultimately looked at him as a person.
- The Fix with Todd Martin and Wade Keller featuring Todd’s 45+ minute walk through Hogan’s entire career.
And more to come!
Hulk Hogan adopted the adjective “The Immortal One” many years ago. How many times has he said “Hulkamania will live forever”? It ended, for all intents and purposes, last week. Mark the tombstone: July 2015.
Even if Hulk Hogan makes a comeback in some form, some day, in the public eye in a respectable setting, he’ll forever be known as the kids hero from the 1980s who was exposed using the anti-black n-word over and over in a conversation that was outed in 2015, about eight years after it was taped. He threw in the anti-gay f-word, too.
There are few wrestlers with an image so prone to disintegration in the face of a scandal revolving around bigoted comments than Hogan’s. Terry Bollea (Hogan’s birth name) has built the Hogan character around standing for America, standing up for what’s right, and representing all people. As effective as the Hulk Hogan persona was at conveying a charismatic super hero, people were also cheering for the words that he said defined that character.
His theme song is called “Real American.” The lyrics literally begin: “I am a real American, Fight for the rights of every man. I am a real American, fight for what’s right, fight for your life!” Later, it says, “I feel strong about right and wrong. And I don’t take trouble for very long. I got something deep inside of me, and courage is the thing that keeps us free. I am a real American.”
It might seem cheesy to quote pro wrestler’s entrance music as part of a story on a topic this volatile, but those lyrics cut to the heart of why the real-life, uninhibited version of Hogan – the only private conservation most people have ever been privy to where he wasn’t on guard as a public figure – is so incongruent and jarring to fans who bonded with and cheered for the public Hulk Hogan live-action pro wrestling super hero.
Hogan, in a conversation in 2006 during the “sex tape” that he is suing Gawker over releasing portions of, spoke about his daughter Brooke potentially having sex with a black person.
“I don’t know if Brooke was f—ing the black guy’s son,” he said. “I mean, 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 sh–, and whatever.”
He added: “I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f–k some n—er, I’d rather have 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.”
He also used the n-word when describing a situation involving a “billionaire black guy” (whom Radar reports is Cecile Barker) – who funded Brooke’s attempt at a music career – putting Jamie Foxx in one of her videos. “F—ing n—er… he had Jamie Foxx coming in on the 22nd track.”
Radar Online added this note in their published story: “Hulk was equally unperturbed when his friend Bubba unleashed racist slurs of his own.”
The transcript of the conversation, since verified as accurate by Hogan himself, was leaked to the National Enquirer and Radar Online as part of what they call a “joint investigation” into the sex tape controversy which involved Heather Clem, wife of his then-pal and Tampa radio host Bubba the Love Sponge.
Hogan’s attorney has since stated an intent to sue Gawker, alleging someone at that organization leaked the transcript of the tape, which had been sealed under court order in Florida.
WWE announced within an hour of this story getting out that they were severing all ties with Hogan. Thursday night, July 23, WWE issued the following press release to PWTorch:
“WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (a/k/a Hulk Hogan). WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers, and fans worldwide.”
The statement did not provide any details beyond that, but the reasons became obvious in light of the National Enquirer story published the next morning.
There were first indications of an issue between Hogan and WWE on Thursday evening when people began noticing that Hogan was being removed, one article and page at a time, from WWE.com. When his name and picture were taken off the Tough Enough list of judges, it was clear something was going on and he was about to be a goner from WWE. WWE was tipped off ahead of time Hogan’s racist comments were about to published and took measures to distance themselves from him.
Thursday night, Hogan also Tweeted: “In the storm I release control, God and his Universe will sail me where he wants me to be, one love. HH” That also seemed to confirm something was going on and about to break.
Although some have expressed that this seemed rash, especially considering Hogan’s long history with WWE and Vince McMahon, plus taking into consideration the high-profile charity work he has done over the years, WWE really had no prudent choice other than to immediately disassociate from him. They are a publicly traded company that has an obligation to stock holders to preserve the value of the company. Their revenues depend on their relationships with NBC Universal (parent company of USA Network, SyFy, and Hulu Plus), their advertising partners, licensee partners, and retail affiliates. It doesn’t take much to disrupt those relationships if customers think they are associated with a company such as WWE that employees someone who admits to be a racist and made those comments.
Hogan soon issued a statement to People Magazine. “Eight years ago I used offensive language during a that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it,” Hogan said. “This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs, or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.”
Although WWE said in a statement on Friday that they terminated Hogan’s contract. Hogan’s attorney, David Houston, later claimed that Hogan resigned before he was fired. Houston said, “He decided to resign from WWE because he didn’t want to put them or his family through this.”
Days later, on Monday, Hulk Hogan’s verified Twitter account retweeted this comment from a follower. “Bi-racial President Obama uses N word, is applauded and keeps his job. @HulkHogan uses N word, is vilified and loses his job.”
This indicated that although Hogan’s attorney said he resigned from WWE to avoid putting WWE “through this [controversy],” in actuality Hogan felt it was unfair that he didn’t get to use that word and keep his job. Not all retweets are an indication of agreeing with the Tweet, but in this context, that is a fair interpretation given the context of other retweets.
Hogan published a screen capture of “Virgil” (Mike Jones), who played “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s black servant in the late 1980s, defending him. “Don’t be taking Hogan’s words out of text (sic). That man has done more for me than anyone,” he had Tweeted.
Hogan also published a screen capture of Mick Foley coming to his defense. Foley wrote: “My heart truly hurts for [Hulk Hogan]. I firmly believe he is a very good person who made a very bad mistake. Pulling for you, brother.”
Kevin Nash posted on Twitter: “I’ve spent the last 23 years of my life with Hulk. I’ve been in the most diverse of situations and never heard Hulk use a racial slur… In no way dismissing the remarks. Just looking at the situation. Sex tape thats set up. Tapes that are easily edited. Content that was pushed… I’ve watched Hulk do 10,000 make a wish greetings. Religion creed or color. Never changed the love he shared. Judge a man put him with a child.”
Booker T, who slipped up and said the n-word as an improvised add-on to a live promo he did on WCW TV in the 1990s, also reacted publicly: “20 years ago I made a huge mistake by saying something I shouldn’t have on national TV… It’s 2015 and the n-word should be eradicated from the English language, in my opinion… I am shocked by the statements made by Hulk Hogan. It’s unfortunate, but that’s something that he’s going to have to deal with.”
There was definitely a strong indication that many people who have been around Hogan a lot over the years did not see this as being a side of Hogan they had seen before. He was selective around whom he used bigoted terminology.
Nevertheless, specifically because Hogan sole usefulness at age 61 – inactive as a wrestler, and not skilled or utilized as a color commentator or manager, as other retired wrestlers have been – came from his nostalgia warm-fuzzy image as a role model, a “Real American,” if you will.
His reputation was such that he was still featured as a doll by Mattel and a trading card by Topps. Mattel, when contacted by PWTorch Collectibles columnist Michael Moore for comment on the situation, did not respond. When Moore posted his column at PWTorch.com noting that, within an hour Mattel issued a Tweet:
“We are committed to embracing people from all cultures & backgrounds. At this time, we will halt production on Hogan product.”
In addition, major toy retailers including Target, Walmart, and Toys-R-Us, pulled Hogan merchandise from their online stores as of Tuesday.
On Tuesday’s live “Tough Enough” program, Hogan was replaced as a judge by The Miz. No mention was made of Hogan’s absence. Had the season been pre-taped rather than live, this could have been a much more difficult situation for WWE to work around.
Hogan’s racially-driven rant was actually first reported in October 2012 after a collection of tapes were viewed by an insider with knowledge of the contents. It appears the rant came up again in a court hearing on July 2 when the FBI’s investigation created awareness that there were more audio tapes.
WWE told TMZ on Friday that they received a transcript of comments made on the tape and they believe the full text will come out during Hogan’s court trial with Gawker later this year. After investigating the transcript, WWE decided to sever ties with Hogan.
The Washington Post reported in a photo caption in a story on this controversy that Hogan made “racist comments about The Rock and black wrestlers.” The article the photo accompanied did not report anything about Hogan speaking about The Rock, though, and instead focused on Hogan equating his use of the n-word to Obama’s use of it during a discussion on the place it has in culture and the historical context of its use. The Rock reference may have been a mistake.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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WWE also responded to criticism that Vince McMahon used the n-word on Raw ten years ago, a skit where he was acting goofy and over-the-top as he approached John Cena and said, “Keep it up, my n–––,” thinking he sounded hip. McMahon then walked past Booker T and Sharmell, cheerfully addressing them: “Book, Sharmell.” Booker’s character was then scripted to angrily offer his catchphrase: “Tell me he did not just say that.”
TMZ reported that Hogan feels that “Vince is acting self-righteous, condemning him for spontaneously using the epithet in private when the wrestling boss used it in a premeditated way.”
WWE responded and characterized the McMahon comment as “an outlandish and satirical skit involving fictional characters, similar to that of many scripted television shows and movies.” Although a bit confusing, perhaps, to some because Mr. McMahon is based on the real-life Vince McMahon, the use of the world was merely an ill-advised boneheaded failed attempt at comedy.
It’s pretty flimsy to contend that a scripted line presented in an over-the-top comedic tone, as tasteless as it might be, compares to the vile racist nature of Hogan expressing real life feelings about blacks and using the n-word several times while admitting he’s “a racist.” Hogan’s further public complaining, if TMZ’s report is well-sourced, just added to the impression that Hogan felt wronged by WWE disassociating with him so readily and not standing by him.
It should be pointed out Hogan wasn’t particularly well liked within WWE’s top management. Connected sources tell PWTorch that Hogan had a rep for complaining incessantly about his pay, trying to insert himself into a WrestleMania match despite being told that was not going to happen (and it’s never been more clear he’s wrestled his last match inside a WWE ring), and causing unwanted drama in general. The same sources indicate Triple H isn’t especially fond of him. Others have said Vince McMahon himself has never fully re-embraced Hogan because of his work for WCW during the Monday Night Wars. Hogan literally became more trouble than he was worth.
WWE likely was bracing for a steady stream of revelations that are damning to Hulk Hogan’s ability to appear in public and present himself as a legitimate mainstream celebrity or associate himself officially with major organizations and corporations.
Tuesday, RadarOnline reported that Hogan also “unleashed a sickening diatribe against gay people… that will surely destroy the disgraced wrestler’s legacy once and for all.” Their headline read: “A New Low! Hulk Hogan Spits Vile Homophobic Slurs In Latest Rant From Leaked Audiotape – The Last Straw For Fans?”
Radar described the context of the conversation being that Hogan was discussing suggested ideas VH1 presented for his realty show, “Hogan Knows Best.” The article quoted Hogan as follows: “VH1 wanted me to do a big thing and go back to the house I grew up in. So we knock on the door,” he continues, “and a big f-g lives there now! This half-gay was enamored with Linda (his ex-wife).”
The website “DListed” on Wednesday asked, “Hulk has also been re-tweeting pictures of his black Twitter followers to prove that he’s not a racist. Well, he better find pictures of his gay Twitter followers to re-tweet, because he’s about to get a slap down letter from GLAAD… If Hulk is going to say stupid sh–, he should at least make sense. How can the guy be a “big f-g” and “half-gay” at the same time?” The DListed website headline read: “Hulk Hogan’s Sex Tape Is The Offensive Gift That Keeps On Offending.”
This story wasn’t just covered in the “tabloid Hollywood press.” It was a featured story on CNN in the United States and CTV News in Canada (on which I was interviewed on the topic live).
Since Hogan’s comments came to light, Hogan has tried to manage the outrage that has followed with a series of Twitter posts. Hogan replied to Twitter followers with comments like “that’s not who I am,” “I still got love for you, and the black community still does,” “my God is a God of forgiveness,” and “only love for you.” Hogan also replied to Tough Enough cast member Tanner, who said Hogan has “been an idol to me since day one.” Hogan wrote back: “Thank you my brother,keep working hard you have what it takes,I’m rooting for you ,only love. HH.”
Hogan’s next public exhibition could be in the U.K. on their version of “Celebrity Big Brother” due to start filming next month. However, as of Wednesday, the latest rumors moved on from Hogan and switched to Chyna. “Bosses are in advanced talked with American WWE star Chyna,” reports the Daily Star. Earlier in the month, Hogan was in many headlines speculating about the cast.
Hogan is in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit with Gawker, the website that obtained the sex tape of Hogan and Heather Clem. Hogan is suing them for $100 million for invasion of privacy for releasing part of the sex tape in 2012 showing Hogan having sex with Clem and standing while frontally naked next to the bed. Had he settled out of court with them, perhaps the contents of this tape would have never gotten out and his career wouldn’t have been potentially destroyed and his reputation disgraced. It’s also possible he had no idea how severe the reaction would be to the use of these bigoted terms, especially in contrast to his public persona as an American icon and role model to kids, a persona perpetuated by WWE in recent years including featuring Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Steve Austin together at WrestleMania 30.
So let’s take a step back and look at what led to all of this.
-2006: Hogan and Heather engaged in sexual acts at Bubba’s home while Hogan was still married to Linda Bollea. Hogan has said in interviews that he did not know he was being filmed. Bubba has said that he burned a DVD of Hogan and Heather’s acts using security footage and kept the DVD at a desk at his home.
-October 2007: Hogan and Linda went through their public divorce.
-October 2012: Gawker published a roughly 90-second version of a 30-minute video tape featuring Hogan and Heather they say was anonymously mailed to their offices. Included was a play-by-play description of the full video. Bubba has suggested in testimony that he did not release the tape. From BuzzFeed.com: “Bubba panicked after TMZ’s report and went to check his desk drawer for the disk labeled ‘Hogan.’ It was missing.”
-Late 2012: Hogan made various media appearances trying to downplay the tape, saying he was “messed up” at the time because his marriage to Linda was failing and he was at a low point in his life. “Between the divorce from Linda and the time I met [current wife] Jennifer, I had about four-and-a-half months that I really went crazy,” Hogan told TMZ at the time. “I was really out of my mind for a while,” he added.
-Late 2012: Hogan filed the $100 million lawsuit against Gawker alleging invasion of privacy. Hogan said he was unaware that he was being filmed at the time of the sexual acts with Heather.
-2013 until now: Hogan’s legal battle against Gawker has continued for two years. A trial is scheduled for October. The recent delay was due to the FBI’s involvement in producing the full contents of the tapes and attempting to find out who released the tape.
-February 2014: While the legal proceeding was ongoing, WWE re-signed Hogan to a contract and named him the host of WrestleMania 30. Hogan has fulfilled various roles since returning to WWE, including most-recently being one of the judges on Tough Enough.
-July 2015: WWE severed ties with Hogan in advance of Hogan’s racially-driven tirade going.
(PWTorch assistant editor James Caldwell contributed to this report.)
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