Recently, the biggest stars of the 80's Generation have taken huge falls from their respective pedestals. Bill Cosby has been revealed as a Serial Rapist as his image has been tarnished and destroyed. Cosby's image of everybody's favorite TV Dad has now been ruined.
Now, the ultimate wrestling Icon from the 80's has become involved in controversy. Hulk Hogan, the biggest wrestling star of not just the 80's but in history itself has been exposed as a racist. In the world 0f 2015, 80's legends are imploding before our very eyes.
What was once wholesome about the 80's is now falling apart. The last thing I need to find out is that the guy from "Reading Rainbow" is a pedophile.
As a wrestling fan, this has been the worst pain that I have felt other than when a wrestler dies. As I read the story, I felt like I seriously wanted to cry. Tears never came out, but I cried internally. This has been very humiliating and serves as a black eye on the world of wrestling because the man who personifies wrestling went on a racial tirade using the N-word multiple times. I am currently writing this with a heavy heart.
As a result, WWE has cut ties with Hulk Hogan completely. Every trace of him has been removed from their website. He was even removed from the Hall of Fame.
It has been said that Hogan's comments caused WWE to lose $50 million in stock. Talk about getting burned financially.
I was born in 1989 during the height of Hulk Hogan's career. By the time I became a fan as a child, Hulkamania was fading as the likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were taking over. When I finally got to witness Hogan for myself, he was making a splash in WCW.
However, I got the chance to keep up with his WWF Career by reading PWI Magazine (Pro Wrestling Illustrated). I was able to make up for some of the time that I had lost. That magazine, along with archive footage helped me appreciate the Megastar that he really was.
The Wrestling Universe was built on Hulk Hogan's shoulders. He was the first wrestler to legitimize the sport in the eyes of the Mainstream Audience. The first 9 WrestleManias have his name written all over them because he was front and center. Hogan was the first wrestler to ever host Saturday Night Live along with Mr. T. They made their appearance the night before WrestleMania I.
The Hulkster is the only wrestler to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated back in 1985. Since then, nobody else has ever done that. During the 80's, Hogan was one of the most recognizable celebrities with the likes of Michael Jackson, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and others.
This man was the foundation of Vince McMahon's vision for what he wanted Wrestling to become as they came together to form an Empire. The Machine became Unstoppable as other promotions fell under the pressure to compete with Vince McMahon and his MVP Hulk Hogan.
Hogan has created many memories for fans who were children during his glory days. Who can forget how The Hulkster found his inner strength to pick up the 500+ pound Andre The Giant and slam him in front of 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome at WrestleMania III? The Irresistible Force conquered the Immovable Object. It was a crowning moment for Hogan, Andre, and the wrestling world itself.
His clash with a former friend "Macho Man" Randy Savage at WrestleMania V was amazing. The battle between The Hulkster and The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI has been a match that has been talked about for years from one generation to the next.
The Hulkster took America on his back to defeat the Evil Iraqi Tyrant Sgt. Slaughter at WrestleMania VII.
The foundation of WrestleMania was built on Hulk Hogan. As Paul Heyman said, Vince McMahon took his blood and built Titan Towers.
Hulk Hogan has to be the most Influential Star in Wrestling History. Besides Vince McMahon himself, Hogan has to be the most important name. When you look at a Mt. Rushmore of Wrestling, the Top Three names for me would be Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock.
PWI ranked Hogan #1 in their list of the Top 500 Wrestlers in History. He was "Mr. PWI". This is how important this man is to the sport of professional wrestling.
Even people that don't know a wristlock from a wristwatch know who Hulk Hogan is. His mustache and Red & Yellow bandana are instantly recognizable. This is why this racial controversy is so devastating.
Roughly 60% of Wrestling history involves Hulk Hogan in some capacity. Many of Hogan's fans throughout the years have been black. Look at the black entertainers, from rappers to athletes. Many of them grew up as fans of Hulk Hogan.
This news about Hogan dropping the N-Bomb serves as a knife to the chest of the wrestling community. WWE is giving Hulk Hogan the Chris Benoit treatment, where they rewrite history to pretend that he never existed.
Hot 97 Radio Host and Wrestling Fan Peter Rosenberg ripped his Hulk Hogan poster from the wall in a video on Periscope.
The Anger is at an all-time high. If it was Michael PS Hayes or some other Hillbilly I would not have taken a second thought. Since this is Hulk Hogan, it automatically generates headlines.
I agree with WWE cutting ties with him to save face because his actions have been disgraceful. However, it is IMPOSSIBLE to erase him from history. Hulk Hogan covers too much history to wipe him from existence. Revising history to get rid of Hogan is an insult to not only the fans but to the history of the business.
For the past 10 years, Hulk Hogan's personal life has gone into a downward spiral. From his Sex Tape to his divorce it seems that Hogan really "Doesn't Know Best".
The Audio that Hogan is in trouble for is not so much the one where he casually throws the N Word out when hanging out with Birdman and Lil Wayne. He is under fire for the disturbing audio where he is angry at his daughter Brooke for dating a black guy.
The things that he says in the transcript are too disgusting for me to even repost.
In the wake of this scandal, a video has surfaced the Internet with a segment where Vince McMahon calls John Cena the "N Word" in front of Booker T. I would later find out that it was a tongue in cheek joke that everybody was in on, including Booker T. So that could not even compare to the gross hatred that Hogan had in his phone call.
Vince has been known to push that Race Button not to claim himself as a racist, but to trigger the audience. McMahon has always been about making headlines no matter what the topic is.
Granted, WWE is notorious for Racial Stereotypes throughout their history so that disqualifies them for having a moral high horse. However, they have moved into the family friendly arena like never before so they have to do everything they can to save face.
I would also like to share a personal story about this scandal. Before this happened, I was going to buy a Hulk Hogan "11x14" Printed Painting from WWE Shop. It was fantastic, as it encapsulated his career with the different logos (WrestleMania, Hulkamania, WWE, WCW, NWO). I had my mind on buying this portrait. Sadly, WWE announced that they would remove all Hulk Hogan merchandise. So, that painting was removed with everything else.
Here is the painting that I was going to buy. Amazing isn't it?
I had plans on drawing some cool Hogan pictures myself involving his WrestleMania Career. Now, those plans have been shot down.
Unfortunately, Hulk Hogan is not the only beloved wrestling star to use racial slurs. Kamala tells everyone the story about Andre The Giant calling him racist names during their time together in the Mid-South Territory. Kamala says that he pulled out a gun in Andre's face. From that point on, Andre The Giant left him alone.
There has also been a story from Theodore Long in a Shoot Interview about Ric Flair calling him a racist name.
The big difference between them and Hulk Hogan is that they were never recorded.
Well, at least we know that Bret Hart is not racist. Have you seen the woman he is married to? Same with Cody Rhodes "Stardust".
I am not one of those black wrestling fans holding a black power fist screaming for black champions left and right. I care about talent regardless of the color of the skin. However, the topic of race will be handled with more awareness considering who made these remarks.
This is not some nameless jabroni in Alabama or Tennsessee that hates black people as they proudly wave their confederate flag. This is HULK FREAKIN' HOGAN!! A global figure that creates attention no matter what he does.
However, there have been many celebrities and fans coming to Hogan's side including black celebrities. Names like Shaq, George Foreman and Dennis Rodman have come to Hogan's defense regardless of the things that he has said.
I believe that this issue will also cause people to examine what they say behind closed doors when it comes to people of other ethnic backgrounds. Even if it is a simple senseless joke, this will cause people to check themselves.
Once again, I am in no way shape, or form justifying Hulk Hogan's comments. However, if we are honest we know of someone in our family or inner circle who has those feelings towards people of other races. They are just not recorded. Those same people do not have the same status as Hulk Hogan.
The best thing for Hulk Hogan to do at this point is to lay low for a while and just do a legitimate apology tour to show how sincere he is. It is going to take some time for The Hulkster to repair his image.
The best thing that I or anyone else can do is simply look at someone like Hulk Hogan in a different light.
This should also be a reminder not to place people on the pedestal. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
As fans, we grew up wanting to paint this imaginary, kayfabe world where these problems don't exist. At the end of the day, they are flawed humans like the rest of us.
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