It’s a damn shame when you put so much effort into writing an article about all of the positive changes that are occurring in professional wrestling today, only to turn around and have one of the industry’s all-time biggest stars featured in worldwide news for being a pompous, bigoted asshole.
We as WWE fans have been gifted with an ongoing revolution in women’s wrestling, we saw the ever-talented Kevin Owens debut and defeat John Cena in his debut match, Finn Bálor won the NXT Championship in the country of Japan where he really hit his stride as a performer, and we witnessed a shocking return from The Undertaker, which has already given us one of the most highly anticipated SummerSlam match-ups in recent history.
But news and media outlets aren’t focusing on all of the work that the likes of Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and many more including the late Dusty Rhodes did building a future for the WWE down in NXT. They’re not talking about the possibility of Sting returning in August to potentially make his first ever appearance at the biggest party of the summer. They’re talking about Hulk Hogan’s racial comments made in a sex tape that was supposedly made eight years ago.
Hulk Hogan is a legend in the wrestling business. It goes without saying that if he never toppled André the Giant at WrestleMania III and let Hulkamania run wild on you for decades, the entire landscape of World Wrestling Entertainment would be completely different, and may not even exist. And even in the last year and a bit, he’s made his presence felt as the host of WrestleMania XXX and a judge on the popular reality show Tough Enough, a weekly programme that has its flaws, but still entertains me from week to week.
However, one thing I’ve learned over years as a fan of this spectacular business, is that the great things you achieve in your career start to mean nothing when you show your true colours, and apparently, Hulk Hogan’s true colours are white to the bone.
I’ve been quite vocal before saying that I’m not a fan of, as they refer to him on the MFX Podcast, Crazy Grandpa Terry. I appreciate all he’s done, and I’m not too ignorant to realise that the industry I love today was shaped and crafted by the likes of him, but I always felt like he was overrated in the ring and on the mic, with a USA-friendly gimmick that could’ve been pulled off by a lot of people.
He also seemed like a bit of a question mark when it came to life outside of the WWE, including his time in TNA, where he seemed to cling to the spotlight and refuse to let it go, arguably contributing to the turmoil that the once prospective company now finds itself in.
The WWE gets a lot of flak from week to week, be it about the current product, the PG rating, Vince McMahon being “out of touch”, or whatever the cool thing is to give out about any given week, but I was very proud to be a lifelong WWE fan when the company severed its ties with Terry Bollea this past Friday morning.
Just in case you’re out of the loop, and you somehow missed the biggest news story the WWE has seen in several years, here’s what we know so far…
On Friday, WWE removed almost every single article, profile and piece of merchandise regarding the Hulkster from its website and online store, including the WWE Hall of Fame list and the Tough Enough site. Then in the afternoon, after rumours had been running rampant all morning, they issued the following statement after confirming that Hogan’s time in WWE had come to an abrupt halt:
“WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.”
If you don’t know what happened, remember Hulk Hogan’s sextape? The one he’s currently in the middle of a $100 Million lawsuit over? Yeah, well I’m not completely sure of the details, but I believe the tape itself features Hogan bitching about his daughter Brooke’s sexual encounters, and as a result he embarks upon what many people are referring to as a ‘racial tirade’.
It doesn’t matter to me how long ago this conversation took place, whether it was three, eight or twenty-five years ago, I don’t care. The language Hulk Hogan used was unacceptable then and it’s unacceptable now. I’m not going to repeat the phraseology that Hogan used in the transcripts, because while SLTD writers, myself included, have a pretty wide filter with regards to language, the verbiage he used is not what we’re about here.
I was very proud that WWE were able to instantly take control and kick Hogan to the curb, because it may be the company’s biggest star of all time, but as Vince McMahon and several others have reiterated in the past; “No one man is bigger than the WWE.” I am personally disgusted in Hogan’s remarks, and I am overjoyed to know that the company I have devoted so many years of my life as a fan to, was able to take action and eliminate Hogan from the equation, after countless ‘BE A Star’ campaigns that Hogan himself was at the forefront of.
Before I finish up here, I would like to address one thing that people have been trying to do, not exactly in support of Hogan, but really just for the sake of it. People have been pointing out the hypocrisy in WWE’s actions, touting off countless segments and gimmicks from years gone by with racial connotations and cultural appropriation involved. The biggest example of this is Vince McMahon himself referring to John Cena as an ‘N-word’ backstage at a Survivor Series event several years ago with Booker T looking on.
I think that was a ridiculous segment, one that has and will again, come back to bite Mr. McMahon on the ass. But the biggest difference between both of these scenarios is context. And while Vinnie Mac attempted to convey his uttering of the horrific word in a satirical and comical manner, whether or not he succeeded in his efforts, the context in which Hogan used the slang was malicious, vindictive, disrespectful and just plain racist.
Hulk Hogan confessed in his transcript to being racist, shrugging it off as if everyone is, and it makes me sick to see a hero to many people, from all walks of life, might I add, turn around and show such a cold, callous, dark side to himself.
Do I think he’ll ever be back in WWE? Unfortunately yes, I do, but I can only hope he earns his way back in, after several years of absence from its programming. And since it has been a large topic of conversation, do I think Hogan should have his induction into the Hall of Fame revoked?
You may be surprised to hear that no, I don’t think he should. Despite the fact that he is a disgusting human being, he has paved the way for pretty much everybody in the WWE today, and his name should continue to be recognised as a trailblazer in the industry, just not on contemporary broadcasts.
It would be hypocritical of me to still commend and respect another former wrestler for his efforts solely in the squared circle, when the events in which he left this earth were a hell of a lot worse than what Hogan has done. So in the interest of keeping WWE’s rich history alive, I think in due time, Hogan’s name should be placed back in the list of WWE Hall-of-Famers, only to be uttered when it is truly necessary, if at all.
I’m sure a lot of you will be split down the middle on whether you agree with me or not, but I urge you to leave your comments below and let me know your thoughts. You can also do me a solid, and share this post on Facebook and Twitter and other various forms of social media. It helps, really.
Finally, be sure to follow me on Twitter @AdamOB_UTS if you want to speak with me about wrestling, my writing or anything at all. I’ll promise to try and keep my beak shut about Hulk Hogan on there from now on. I think I’ve said all I have to say.
Thanks for reading, folks, be sure to log back on next Sunday for more ‘Under the Spotlight’!
Self-Professed Conversational Wizard.
Admin, Editor and Writer for SLTD Wrestling.
Creator of 'Under the Spotlight'.
Studying Computing in Games Development.
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