The World Wrestling Entertainment has fired the legendary Hulk Hogan after allegedly using racist language during a sexual encounter with his best friend’s wife.
Hulk Hogan, the most famous wrestler in the history of the sport, has been fired by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for allegedly calling a black man a ‘fucking nigger.’
I have to be honest. I was never a lover of Hulk Hogan. He was the king of an industry I loved watching when I grew up as a boy. I knew that it wasn’t real. Deep down I knew. But just like I hoped Santa Claus existed contrary to public opinion, I also hoped that wrestling was real.
“It’s not real, you know,” my Dad used to say when we gathered around the TV screens to watch it.
It was people like Hogan who made it unreal. We were watching people getting to their feet after sustaining 10-head shots with a steel chair, and yet their heart stopped beating when Hogan gave them a leg drop – a most standard of moves, in a most non-standard of industries.
Give me Mr. Perfect any day. But give him his due, the industry would never have grown to the size that it has without his monolithic presence. He also sent my sister a Christmas card, which is more than Santa Claus ever did.
This week Hogan – real name Terry Gene Bollea – was fired by the WWE after a transcript obtained by Radar Online and The National Enquirer stated that Hogan said on audio tape whilst referring to his daughter’s relationship with a black man:
“I mean, I’d rather if she was going to fuck some nigger, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot tall nigger worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player…I guess we’re all a little racist. Fucking nigger.”
Hogan was a little bit distracted at the time of his outburst. He was busy boning his best friend Bubba the Love Sponge’s wife Heather Clem. An incident that was being filmed, and was later released to the general public by the entertainment blog Gawker. Hogan sued the outfit for $100m and the trial will be heard by a Floridian courtroom in October. Gawker deny leaking the audio that formed part of the case evidence.
The audio was recorded in 2007 and after the WWE severed all ties with the Hall of Famer, Hogan released the following statement:
“Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it and I apologize for having done it.
“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.”
Many prominent black celebrities and former wrestlers have come out in support of the Hulkster. NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman said, “I have known him for 25-years and there is not a racist bone in his body.” He went on to tweet:
“Lets lend our support to the Hulkster who is most certainly not a racist.”
He attached the Twitter handles of Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson Shaquille O’Neill and Mike Tyson. Four black guys you do not want to call any name beginning with the word ’N’ – leg drop or no leg drop.
