Say It Ain't So Hulk, Say it ain't so Brother
On Friday morning, WWE announced they terminated the contract of Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea:
"WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka 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."
A few minutes afterward, the National Enquirer and Radar Online released a story that claimed Hogan made racist comments on a sex tape, using the N-word several times in a dialogue about an African-American that was was offering to fund daughter Brooke's music career. Here's an excerpt from their story:
"I don’t know if Brooke was f*cking the black guy’s son," Hulk raved, the sources add.
"I mean, I don’t have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, f*cking n*ggers. But then when it comes to nice people and sh*t, and whatever."
Then, in a tirade to rival the racism embarrassments suffered by Mel Gibson and "Dog The Bounty Hunter," Hulk unloaded even more hatred!
According to sources, he said: "I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f*ck some n*gger, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n*gger worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player!
"I guess we’re all a little racist. Fucking n*gger."
*****
On Friday afternoon, Hogan made a statement to People Magazine:
"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."
*****
The dropping of Hogan was entirely due to the content on the sex tape (believed to be from 2006) with Heather Clem, who, at the time, was the wife of radio host Bubba the Love Sponge.
Although only one sex tape had surfaced in 2012 which led to Hogan's $100 million lawsuit against Gawker Media which showed excerpts from the tape, an FBI investigation showed three additional DVDs of Hogan and Clem.
Those close to the situation indicated that other speculated reasons (including a 2012 radio interview where he dropped the N-word in retelling some stories) over the last day had nothing to do with the decision.
At this point, Hogan has not been removed from historical content on the WWE Network, but he won't be involved in anything current or going forward.
After learning of the content that was going to be released, on Thursday night, the WWE ordered its web site to eliminate all mentions of Hogan, including as an Alumni or as a Hall of Famer, in addition to his merchandise. He was also removed as a judge for Tough Enough and at this point a replacement has not been named. Curtis Axel will be dropping his AxelMania gimmick immediately.
"WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka 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."
A few minutes afterward, the National Enquirer and Radar Online released a story that claimed Hogan made racist comments on a sex tape, using the N-word several times in a dialogue about an African-American that was was offering to fund daughter Brooke's music career. Here's an excerpt from their story:
"I don’t know if Brooke was f*cking the black guy’s son," Hulk raved, the sources add.
"I mean, I don’t have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, f*cking n*ggers. But then when it comes to nice people and sh*t, and whatever."
Then, in a tirade to rival the racism embarrassments suffered by Mel Gibson and "Dog The Bounty Hunter," Hulk unloaded even more hatred!
According to sources, he said: "I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f*ck some n*gger, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n*gger worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player!
"I guess we’re all a little racist. Fucking n*gger."
*****
On Friday afternoon, Hogan made a statement to People Magazine:
"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."
*****
The dropping of Hogan was entirely due to the content on the sex tape (believed to be from 2006) with Heather Clem, who, at the time, was the wife of radio host Bubba the Love Sponge.
Although only one sex tape had surfaced in 2012 which led to Hogan's $100 million lawsuit against Gawker Media which showed excerpts from the tape, an FBI investigation showed three additional DVDs of Hogan and Clem.
Those close to the situation indicated that other speculated reasons (including a 2012 radio interview where he dropped the N-word in retelling some stories) over the last day had nothing to do with the decision.
At this point, Hogan has not been removed from historical content on the WWE Network, but he won't be involved in anything current or going forward.
After learning of the content that was going to be released, on Thursday night, the WWE ordered its web site to eliminate all mentions of Hogan, including as an Alumni or as a Hall of Famer, in addition to his merchandise. He was also removed as a judge for Tough Enough and at this point a replacement has not been named. Curtis Axel will be dropping his AxelMania gimmick immediately.