Hulk Hogan, WWE Moving Apart After Rumored Racist Tirade
Longtime WWE wrestler Terry Bollea, known far better by his public persona Hulk Hogan, may have been slammed by a suplex of his own doing this time. Reports indicate that the pro wrestler launched a discussion during a 2012 interview on DJ Whoo Kid’s radio show Whoolywood Shuffle, which aired on Eminem’s Sirius XM hip-hop channel Shade 45, in which Hulk Hogan uses the n-word several times.
Hulk Hogan, who has been known for decades for his Hulkamania movement that children from all ages adored, has been in the news lately, in part because of a lawsuit he filed against Gawker for a sex tape involving him. However, the beloved wrestler is in trouble for repeatedly using the n-word during an as-yet unreleased tape. He also used it extensively during the October 2012 interview with DJ Whoo Kid.
Hulk Hogan’s use of the n-word then was a part of his explanation to DJ Whoo Kid about the birth of one of his signature expressions, “Brother.” Hulk Hogan explains how first of all, he was greeted by that word, so he saw no problem in using it himself. He mentions that he was told on a few occasions that he could not use the word himself – largely because he was very much in the public eye, particularly by the young children that looked up to him – so he started using the term “brother” instead.
Hulk Hogan also referenced his youth where he spent potentially far more time on the party scene and would not recall the names of those he was hanging out with. Wrestler Booker T was quite popular during this time, though he is now semi-retired, and Hulk Hogan mentions that many of the entertainers he knew and associated with were of African American descent. He specifically referenced rapper The Game, and commented that many of these entertainers would greet him in a friendly way by using the n-word.
Reports indicate, however, that Hulk Hogan’s interview with DJ Whoo Kid, which is widely available on YouTube, is in addition to an as-yet unreleased audio where Hulk Hogan is far less friendly about his use of the n-word. This has led to the WWE distancing itself from the wrestling superstar, though there continues to be several videos of Hulk Hogan in action on the WWE website.
A search for Hulk Hogan on WWE.com under its “Superstars” section, however, results in a message that “You are not authorized to view this page.”
For his part, Hulk Hogan recognized an apparent “storm” of controversy on his Twitter feed.
In the storm I release control,God and his Universe will sail me where he wants me to be,one love. HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) July 24, 2015
Fans, on the other hand, caution against vilifying Hulk Hogan in the wake of these damaging revelations. Several use late former wrestler Chris Benoit as a verb, saying that the WWE is “Benoit”ing Hulk Hogan. Benoit was completely scrubbed from the WWE site when it was revealed that he had, in fact, killed his wife and son before completing suicide himself.
There are those, however, who note that Hulk Hogan’s influence on generations of young children – some of whom are adults now themselves – has left them with a bad taste following revelations of him allegedly launching a racist rant. While the turmoil still rages about Hulk Hogan, however, the official tape of the supposed racist rant has yet to be released.
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
