Rasslin’ Roundtable: Reaction To Hulk Hogan Scandal

Features, Top Story

image

The Hulk Hogan controversy exploded on Friday and the fallout is that he has been basically eliminated from WWE history at the current time.

Over the weekend, the Pulse Wrestling crew put together this roundtable of reactions for the Hogan situation!

CB

Hogan definitely deserves to be fired from his Legends Contract, but I also think he should not be erased from WWE history either.

Also, Vince is a hypocrite:

Darren Paltrowitz

My immediate reaction is that there 4 ways that a person can look at this scenario:

1) Hulkster, you’re an ignorant human being. Those are hateful, despicable, awful things to say, even if life isn’t going your way and you’re at your bottom. And to top that all off, how do those thoughts even come up within hours of filming a sex tape?

2) Hogan, for years it’s been known that you have your tight inner-circle within the business, a small group of guys you’ve kept employed…even though they were mediocre at best. Meanwhile, you refused to do “jobs” for a lot of talented people, and refused to step aside to help cultivate the future of the business. You’ve also lied countless times and told tall tales in nearly every interview you’ve done. Finally, you’re getting grilled for something bad you’ve gone, much like how O.J. was imprisoned due to the Vegas incident (and not for “allegedly” killing two people).

3) Brother, not only are people invasive with their use of technology these days, but they are forced to be overly-P.C. in public. Even if someone has ridiculous views, freedom of speech entitles them to have those opinions. Hulk said those things in his off-time and in a private residence. Isn’t Hulk Hogan supposed to be a character, whereas Terry Bollea is the real person?

4) WWE can be hypocritical when it comes to race. The Rock aside, how many WWE champions have there been with African-American heritage? What about that Triple H storyline when he told Booker T that “people like him” don’t deserve opportunities? Or the allegations of Triple H calling Ricardo Rodriguez a “bumble bee” behind the scenes? Or the lack of action taken when Alberto Del Rio was insulted backstage by a WWE employee about his Mexican heritage in front of others? There’s a fineline between bullying on-screen and off-screen with that company, it seems.

Wherever you stand, Hulk Hogan shouldn’t be totally written out of WWE history. The on-screen character is largely responsible for the long-term success of the wrestling business. But the WWE tends to have a selective memory when it comes to characters and legacies they continually acknowledge — hence the long delays of Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior getting into the Hall Of Fame — and it’d be a shame for Hogan to disappear a la Chris Benoit just because there is a public image to protect.

James Sawyer

Fuck Hulk Hogan, I’ve never seen what the big deal was. Randy Savage, Bret Hart and Ric Flair were far better wrestlers. Roddy Piper was a better talker. Andre The Giant was in better movies. Hogan was the least cool member of the nWo, that dude should be sending Kevin Nash and Scott Hall fruit baskets every day for saving his career. He blew off Punk at their first meeting, despite Punk being one of the most important guys in the modern era, and Hogan not being relevant since the late-90s.

This is a guy with a long list of shitty behavior. Putting the kibosh on a possible union organized by Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Everything that went down with his son and John Graziano. Helped destroy (with Dixie’s naiveté) TNA’s chances at even being the second-biggest company after WWE (that will ultimately go to ROH, probably). And now we can add racist as the shit cherry on the shit sundae.

So, fuck ’em. Didn’t care for him then, didn’t care for him now. Get Austin to take over as Tough Enough judge and salvage that, and be done with it.

JT

Is anyone really surprised that a 105 year old man is racist?

Hogan may be a legend but for me he brings absolutely nothing to WWE in 2015.

Perhaps a bit of a double standard considering how Vince books African American wrestlers – and the fact that senior trainer Bill DeMott is famously racist, sexist and homophobic

One more thought: yet another kick in the teeth for Curtis Axel and Damian Sandow, who might have got over with their ridiculous gimmick if they’d been given some TV time

Penny

My only comment is how is he fired when Micheal Hayes still has a job?

Rabblecast

While I do agree that Hulk Hogan has nothing left to contribute to the modern day wrestling world. The way he has been unceremoniously removed from all things WWE is sad for someone who is known for being the face of pro wrestling for decades. WWE is publicly traded company with shareholders and sponsors. The move to distance themselves from any kind of negative press comes as no surprise.

Hulk Hogan comes from the “old school” of pro wrestling. A time when sex, substance abuse, and outlandish behavior was chalked up to being, one of the boys. The world of pro wrestling and the world at large has changed substantially. If you’re a celebrity of any kind, your privacy is no longer safe. If there is a camera or microphone around you will be held accountable for your behavior, good or bad. Drugs of any kind carry a heavy consequence, unless you can produce a doctor’s prescription. Sensitivity is at an all time high especially with the advent of social media.

Is WWE right to have fired Hulk Hogan? From a business standpoint, yes. From a personal standpoint? That’s where things get murky. This could very well be the end of Hulkamania as we once knew it.

Michael Buckley

Hulk Hogan is a fictional character. Terry Bollea is a (flawed) human being. It’s hard for me to separate the two and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel personally let down by the words of Terry Bollea, a man that I have never met or interacted with. I realize this is isn’t entirely fair and I suppose the confusion arises from the fact that I have a personal relationship with Hulk Hogan.

Hulk Hogan is the man that saved America when he defeated The Iron Shiek, the man that overcame the odds when he bodyslammed the 950 pound, Andre the Giant, in the Pontiac Silverdome in front of 800 million people and the man that defined the better part of my childhood.

Hulk Hogan is still my hero. Brother.

Kevin Cardona

Truthfully, Hulk has always been a guy who was never known to be the best of people, despite my meetings with him being cordial and friendly. He held down the youngsters on their ascension to the top, he screwed over a litany of people on his way to the summit and he never truly knew when to walk away. Adding to his desire to only do the big shows, his penchant for avoiding small towns, and his “method” of booking, Hogan was also a terrible human being outside of the ring.

Let us not forget he slept with his best friend’s wife and was videotaped doing so. While his best friend allowed it, the moral bankruptcy required to even engage in sex with your best friend’s wife is worth commenting on.

Jonathan Widro is the owner and founder of Inside Pulse. Over a decade ago he burst onto the scene with a pro-WCW reporting style that earned him the nickname WCWidro. Check him out on Twitter for mostly inane non sequiturs