Is it still the "in" thing to hate on Hulk?

[relentless1]

Is it?

Everybody seems to be piling on the guy over the past few years and its a JOKE, you all do realize that without him theres a very good chance that all of your favourites, past and present probably wouldn't be around right? He was the greatest Face and arguably the greatest Heel of all time, nobody else can claim that; he was the nucleus of TWO major wrestling booms in North America; nobody else can claim that either.

I get it; he made some racist comments and yeah that rustles many jimmies but it was said in private and by all accounts from his friends and peers the guy doesn't have a racist bone in his body, people say shit in anger or stupidity all the damn time, especially in private so as the old verse goes "he without sin cast the first stone" so anybody out there thats ever muttered to themselves at how bad some asian driver in front of em is doesnt have room to say a damn thing. But of course this was just the right fuel for those who didn't like him in the first place to throw on that particular fire.

Im stoked to have Hulk back in the fold; the Hall of Fame was a sham without him and I hope to see him at WrestleMania this year headlining the ceremony as the nWo gets their well deserved induction!!

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Hogan as been the punching bag of the IWC for years now, even before the whole racist thing happened. One of the problem about this is how the dirt sheet have portrait him for years now. They painted a portrait of the guy that seem to not be 100% accurate and was based on jealous performers who weren't able to get over to the extend he did.

I get it, the whole racist remark think is the new thing that fans and the wrestling media are hanging themselves and that sad. Like you mention, Hogan is one of the reason the business is where it is today but sadly, it's easier to bitch on the card over every little mistake then recognize what he meant to the business.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

I'll stop hating on attention seeking racists when they stop being attention seeking racists. I give absolutrly 0 fucks what the IN thing to do is or what anyone else is doing. I make up my own mind and my own mind is saying fuck Hulk Hogan

My standard for being a decent human being doesn't change because you're famous. If he showed genuine remorse it would be different but the only reason he apologized is because people stopped giving him attention.


Fuck Hogan & his racist ass and anyone who defends his racism is part of the problem.

 

[relentless1]

Oh, so you've never uttered a racial slur in your private life or spoken on a cultural stereotype in a negative way? Even as a joke?? Don't even bother to lie and say you haven't because we all have to one degree or another, the fact that you have this much hatred for a man who paved the road for the industry that you love (you must otherwise why would you be here on these boards) is a sad story of those who forget history. The guys a human being straight up, we all make mistakes, you ask all his friends, including those of colour and they all resoundingly say that Hulk is a sweetheart who doesn't have a racist bone in his body; so if you want to continue your hypocritical tirade against such a man know that you do so in futility because the man is back in the WWE where he belongs and haters like you thankfully cant change that.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Logical fallacy. What we say or think has fuck all to do with a man worth 25 million doing it. It does not make it okay for Hogan.

I don't care if he's on TV or not. Has nothing to do with him being a pervy prejudiced old man. Truth is I hate his shtick. I hate all veterans' shticks. They're reminders that wrestling used to not take itself so seriously and it clashes with everything we see in WWE today. They are reminders that this used to be fun and open to all sorts of suspenseful moments. There are reasons why WWE rely on their old talent to pull them through at Wrestlemania or in big business ventures like Saudi Arabia - the new group can't pull their weight because they aren't given the same outlets that the old guard had. People buy into DX even when the frat boys are the age of many grandfathers out there because DX could go ham back in the 90s without much worry and maybe we will see a spark of that today who knows. Hulk Hogan in WWE is the same, and I don't think that helps the younger talent at all.

Hogan might catch more flack than most who have done or thought as he does but that's par for the course with celebrities. Stars shouldn't be treated any different than if your high school principal said it.

He doesn't deserve hero worship though that's for damn sure.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

So here's my take on the whole hating on Hulk Hogan matter, if you don't care for Hogan because you have a different taste in what you like for pro wrestling performers/characters, that's fine. That I will gladly accept and deem to be a reasonable counter to those who are fans of the performer like I have been, since I was a kid. However, even before the racial epithets got leaked, all these smart marks and faux outragers have come out with this air of unearned moral superiority and high roading that's enough to even make a Smith College professor gag, and trust me that's a tall freakin' order.

So for those who are upset about the Hogan racial epithets, I understand...to a point. But here are some things I want to state, as I feel it's key to address:

• First, I am going to address the typical elephant in the room about Hogan, and that's the backstage politics, of course Hogan's starpower was something that wasn't always in the best interest of many. However, Hogan didn't invent such tactics, and a lot of his "going over" also had to do with following the precedents set with the way the WWF pushed many of their fan favorite talents. As far as his WCW stint goes, at least he would drop the strap in matches, and not pull a Verne Gagne and retire without dropping the title one last time. Again, that's not to say Hogan didn't make questionable decisions that translated into missed opportunities, but the good outweighed the bad, I would dare say.
• And then there was according to Vince McMahon, Hogan kiboshing the idea of a union. Keep in mind, the reason this even got revealed, was because Vince was deposed in a lawsuit, a lawsuit I might add, where he was found guilty of LYING to Jesse Ventura during contract negotiations for performer royalties. Therefore, if Vince would lie about that, what's to make one think he didn't withhold more details about who in the WWF was anti-union. Bottom line, I don't think Hogan acted alone. And considering that Hogan has NOT been a fulltime performer for the WWF/E in over 25 years, it should stand to reason that the vast majority of performers have no desire to protect their OWN best interests by unionizing. Guys like The Rock, Undertaker, John Cena, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels have never publicly gone on record to challenge the WWF/E brass on that one.
• While I don't disagree with relieving Hogan of his ambassador role back in 2015, the fact that he was erased from certain aspects of WWE lore for sometime, and even taken out of the WWE 2K16 video game, that was complete stupidity. Hopefully, that course will be corrected soon enough, because his role in WWE's and much of pro wrestling history shouldn't be overlooked. Wanting to remove him from current plans (at that time), I get it. Maybe it's just today's knee-jerk reaction happy world, but I still stand by this tactic to be bullshit.
• To add to my above point, legends such as Steve Austin, Iron Sheik, and The Ultimate Warrior had their dubious moments, and their likenesses were still used and featured prominently in tie-in merchandise. There's a sad irony that Ultimate Warrior was used in a cancer awareness campaign, when he years ago, publicly and in a grandiose matter celebrated the cancer diagnosis of Bobby Heenan. Then, not too long after, as a guest to the University Of Connecticut, he insults people, going on a homophobic rant. Iron Sheik used the "N" world liberally, not to mention he is a raging anti-semite. I don't think that's all kayfabe either. Then we have Steve Austin who not just assaulted his wife, but also his live in girlfriend not too long after. So if anyone on this forum supports any of these three in an unabashed matter, but then try to go all pseudo-high road, whilst lashing out at Hogan, then I say fuck your saccharine platitudes, for your points have no credibility.

Now with all those bulletpoints, verbose ones I admit, I do want to touch more on the aspect of Hulk Hogan's use of racial epithets, or rather Terry Bollea, the man who is behind the persona of Hulk Hogan. Obviously, I found it unbecoming and infuriatingly disappointing. There is NO argument from me on that. However, I am also going to bring forth my observations on this matter, for all you of faux outraging types that are this upset about the racist language, I'm going to lay out some harsh truths here:

• As someone who knows first hand what racial epithets are like, I can tell you I'm someone that takes a lot of that shit in stride. Especially, in the post-Trump climate, I get told all this nonsense about how I'm not "Murican", and that I need to "go back home". Despite the fact that I'm Latin in ancestry more than I am culturally, I was born here after all. Be that as it may, that doesn't always spare me from certain stereotyping and profiling. Especially with my having lived in the Southwest near the Mexican border. However, I've learned to navigate ignorance and potentially dangerous situations. Therefore, I ask that the white saviors stay in their corner and realize that a lot of us who are deemed "ethnic" don't want your help, nor do we need it, and most importantly a lot of us don't even ask for it in the first place.
• With that said, I apply this same idea to the backlash against Terry Bollea's use of racial epithets, there comes a point that I will even debate with those who are African-American/Black on this topic, especially now that all this time has passed since the audio leak, and the additional fact that the leak was from audio that was almost a decade old at the time. Now make no mistake, I will still have a more open ear to those most affected by these words than I will any other supposed "marginalized" group. But I am frankly quite sick and tired of people thinking they have this moral responsibility to be outraged on matters that DO NOT affect them, and this may make me something of a bigoted racist myself, but if you are white, in most cases you really do need to shut the fuck up. Bottom line.
• Whether you like it or not, there are those in the African-American/Black Community that have shunned Bollea/Hogan, and those in that same community willing to forgive him. Either choice they make, it's the prerogative of individuals within said groups to react how they see fit, not this hive minded bullshit that smug and self-congratulatory (often white people) type spin out. As everyone is allowed to be an individual regardless of what the "morally superior say". If you are white and you choose to maintain animus towards Bollea/Hogan, that's fine. However, if you are indeed part of the faux outraging crowd, realize that you deserve every bit of vitriol and verbal ripping that you receive, for the fact alone that not everyone in the "POC" crowd is obligated to agree on EVERY single matter just because they are "POC". First and foremost, we should all be individuals.

As I near my conclusion of this verbose rant, I have this additional bit to say, if racial stereotyping, racism or any other discriminatory treatment has ever been this upsetting to those chiming in on this topic, then why not speak with your wallets through the years? Yes, much of what was done in WWE storylines were "kayfabe", but the easy way out on a lot of the racially related angles, I feel were a true disservice to some of the great talent they've had over the years. Scenarios such as Booker T and Triple H's WrestleMania showdown is a great example of that. X-Pac going the blackface route in that DX vs Nation skit, I mean I'm all for pushing envelopes, but where was the payoff with any of that? Where did Mark Henry really get to shine in such a storyline. Years later, he would be doing asinine storylines that involved being the father of a rubber hand, and having sex with transvestites under false pretenses.

Again, I'm sure not many will have anything intelligent to say on this matter, but again I dare say that most people only air "outrage" to sound self-important, but hardly ever do they ever back it up with any meaningful action.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I'll stop hating on attention seeking racists when they stop being attention seeking racists. I give absolutrly 0 fucks what the IN thing to do is or what anyone else is doing. I make up my own mind and my own mind is saying fuck Hulk Hogan.

Yes, what a compelling statement, additional kudos on the gravitas. I've never quite read anything that moved me in such a way. Well, not since Jeff Goldblum read the script to the "Steamed Hams" segment in The Simpsons episode, "22 Short Films About Springfield".

I'm not really reading anything new here, pretty much par for the course gullibility from most of my fellow IWC members.

In addition, I'm pretty sure it was WWE's decision to bring Hogan back in the HOF, and not Hogan demanding it. Therefore, maybe you should talk up WWE on the attention being placed on Hogan, as well as any of the news outlets that have given the guy the time of the day over the past three years.

My standard for being a decent human being doesn't change because you're famous. If he showed genuine remorse it would be different but the only reason he apologized is because people stopped giving him attention.

Ok, so what is your standard for what genuine remorse? Are you the authority on this? I mean, Hogan's been working with different charities, and notable groups like the Boys And Girls Club, where he was inducted into their 2018 Hall Of Fame. As you can see in this picture, there is more than ONE non-white person in this lineup. I mean, I can't nor will I speak for them, but in this current climate, all it would have taken was one person to raise a stink from this group, and the decision to honor Hogan likely could have been overturned.

These people in that lineup, likely have a FAR MORE compelling reason to speak about Hogan than you would about what his level of sincerity is.

Again, I'm not saying that Terry Bollea is sincere or he isn't, but it's obvious that others are giving him the benefit of the doubt, and I think that should say something.

Correct me if I am wrong on my suspicion here, but was it because it wasn't the WWE at the front and center of this event that this isn't cutting the mustard for you?

Either way, your standards sound like complete bullshit, and I am curious as to what background you are, because again this is speculation and not certainty, but a lot of your platitude reads like white savior laden bullshit. But again, I could be wrong.

Fuck Hogan & his racist ass and anyone who defends his racism is part of the problem.

Nothing will ever change the fact that Terry Bollea used racial epithets, and chose to be a racist, I mean to me the young man his daughter was dating deserved scrutiny for the mere fact that he was dating his daughter. As a father myself, I'm damn sure going to want to make sure that whomever my child dates is someone who will not mistreat or hurt them. Their race is irrelevant to that, but unfortunately Bollea gave into a rather vicious and misguided mindset, one that cost him dearly and disappointed many people, and for that he deserves to be scrutinized in turn.

However, if we're also supposed to be a forgiving society, and the fact that we have seen and forgiven conduct from other WWE legends that has equaled or exceeding what Terry Bollea did, then bringing attention to such isn't defending him, it's merely calling out bullshit double standards.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

One thing i have to say about the above post is, it'S was a great read and i completely agree with it. The weird thing is that a lot of fans that are outrage about this or any other thing that WWE is doing right now we're fans of WWE during the attitude era and weren't or aren't outrage with all the racial stuff they did during that era and thing it was great. I feel like it's more because of social media being such a big part of wrestling now that it's easier for fans to jump on the bandwagon then ever before. They're some fans that are truly outrage by this and i respect those but a lot of the outrage, is what i like to call ''fake Outrage'', the only reason they are still outrage by this is because some of the most powerful peoples in the wrestling media are outrage by this and it's easier to agree with them then to have their own opinion about the subject.

Racism in wrestling as always existed not just in WWE but with every company since Pro wrestling first became a legit sport or athletic contest. IT's not as bad as it once was but it'S still there to this day. The problem is guys like Hogan who grew up in this environment and were told by follow performers of a different race that they didn't mind those comment tent to think it still o.k to say this. I'm 40 years old and i come from a generation that had a lot of leeway as to what i was able to say or not say and what was acceptable and what wasn't. I still have a tough time adjusting to this new PC society we live in today. So imagine somebody like hogan who'S from another generation and lived in a world that wasn't as PC as it is today, how are at his age it much be to change is way of thinking and adjusting to this new way of thiniking. At less he making a effort to change.

The hardest thing as we get older is to adapt to a new way of thinking, the older you get the harder it is to change, the millennials on this board will get what i'm thinking about in a few years when society will change again but we need to understand where peoples came from instead of judging them bases on today's standard. Hogan say something he shouldn't have. Yeah that's bad, but he trying to make a change and get forgiveness for his past mistake, the less we can do now is give him the chance to prove himself and show us that he has truly change and that he's sorry.

 

[Garak]

I disliked him from before the first Wrestlemania. However, I know exactly what he's done for the business. Hulk Hogan is the most important wrestler in history, by a long shot. Terry Bollea, however, is an insecure, selfish has been. I've said it before that I'm not convinced he's racist. I am convinced, however, that he's in it, and always has been, for himself first, and his family second, and everyone else being a distant afterthought. He's the most shameless self-promoter in the history of the business, too.

He said stupid things about African Americans, and used insensitive language. If African Americans are offended by what he said, that's perfectly understandable. However, you can take every slur he used about them and replace it with any identifiable group, including other wrestlers, because that's how the man is. The real kernel of truth in what he said is that his daughter had better marry well, given her lack of talent.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I defended Hogan for years. So many of the arguments against him seemed somewhere between untrue to petty. I never let backstage politicking, steroids, bad movies, reality shows, or taking money from anyone stupid enough to pay him to do things he is not qualified to do (i.e. run TNA) bother me. I even understood supporting his talentless kids. But over that TNA run my views started to change. He went from being a childhood hero to a guy finding new avenues to stay relevant and get paid to a guy who just seemed to be a man who suffered from serious arrested development. I realized that he couldn't just grow up. Much like our current president he seems to be someone who trying desperately to stay relevant but he's stuck in the 80's. Instead of feeling joy or interest when I saw him I just felt depressed.

At that point the wheels just started to come off. The aftermath of the car accident, the handling of the divorce, dating/marrying someone who looked like his daughter's twin, the fake sounding suicide story, and then the racist rant was just the icing on the cake. His inability to make proper amends this many years later makes the icing taste that much shittier.

No one can take away Hogan's place in pro wrestling history but I have no interest in him being part of the future and I can understand others having no interest in seeing him ever again. Having a requirement of your daughter to date a black man only if he is a wealthy athlete is pretty fuckin' low whether or not you know you are being recorded.

 

[TheHurricane]

I do not think anybody is hating on him as a wrestler or his contributions to wrestling in general. People have a very thin skin when it comes to words; anything offensive warrants an immediate mob attack on whoever said it. Personally, I think that’s ridiculous, words should never be taken that seriously. I’m glad he’s back, I think some time off was the right to decision for everyone involved.

 

[FromGlasgowScotland]

I for one still like Hogan, Your free to feel how you want about the guy but I have been a wrestling fan for over 30 years so I'm not going to have some NPC's with their safe spaces tell me who I can like and dislike. Or watch you try to bully and shame others for liking someone. I believe the majority of wrestling fans will get over Hogan being back it will just always be a small vocal minority who are easily offended about everything.

 

[TheHurricane]

Hogan as been the punching bag of the IWC for years now, even before the whole racist thing happened.

I have been discouraged from coming back to the table precisely because of behavior like this on the part of the IWC. It’s never been very welcoming of new fans or those whose opinions differ for any reason. I’ve never liked the IWC, but I don’t think that term applies to any wrestling fan who’s online.

Hulk Hogan shouldn’t be a very polarizing figure though, I mean a few statements hes made doesn’t really change anything to any great degree. After the statements the “WWE” reprimanded him, and he’s paid the price. I think leaving it at that is fine.

 

[Garak]

Hulk Hogan shouldn’t be a very polarizing figure though, I mean a few statements hes made doesn’t really change anything to any great degree. After the statements the “WWE” reprimanded him, and he’s paid the price. I think leaving it at that is fine.

Of course, while I criticize Hogan's selfishness, it isn't exactly surprising in the world at large, much less the world of wrestling. Yes, he shouldn't be a polarizing figure. Hogan was at his best (and his least worst, if that's a term) when he was under Vince's control. That way, his charisma and talents could shine. Yes, he could have been accused of burying people, but it was much more subtle. It's fairly easy to pinpoint when he started to become a polarizing figure. That began when he was under the control of much weaker bosses and when he started to exercise de facto and then de jure creative control. At that point, it's like he wasn't even trying to appear in public to be a somewhat fair and equitable person. The Fingerpoke of Doom is illustrative of everything that's wrong with him, not to mention the way that promotion was run at the time.

Of course, Hogan himself will deny that, and instead regale us with the constantly further embellished story of body slamming Andre the Giant when he weighed, what, must be 10,000 lbs by his next retelling, and again how he wasn't sure that Andre would play ball.

 

[Razz]

It's not the 'in' thing to hate on Hogan. It is more like polarizing opposites, either you hate him, hope he can change, or forgive him or don't care about his actions, words etc. from the last few years. Many of his own fault and others that were in private. I am not black so I can't judge for those really impacted/affected by the comments. I found the context in which he used the offensive word to be pretty bad from reading and hearing the tirade he made. The hate, prejudice, stereotyping that seemed behind it was much more vile than just using the word. But I hope he is actually willing to change his views, be genuine in making amends and about moving on from his mistakes and prejudice, just like anyone coming from a different time/place and narrow viewpoint.

 

[relentless1]

Of course, while I criticize Hogan's selfishness, it isn't exactly surprising in the world at large, much less the world of wrestling. Yes, he shouldn't be a polarizing figure. Hogan was at his best (and his least worst, if that's a term) when he was under Vince's control. That way, his charisma and talents could shine. Yes, he could have been accused of burying people, but it was much more subtle. It's fairly easy to pinpoint when he started to become a polarizing figure. That began when he was under the control of much weaker bosses and when he started to exercise de facto and then de jure creative control. At that point, it's like he wasn't even trying to appear in public to be a somewhat fair and equitable person. The Fingerpoke of Doom is illustrative of everything that's wrong with him, not to mention the way that promotion was run at the time.

Of course, Hogan himself will deny that, and instead regale us with the constantly further embellished story of body slamming Andre the Giant when he weighed, what, must be 10,000 lbs by his next retelling, and again how he wasn't sure that Andre would play ball.

sounds like youre confusing his Hollywood Hogan character with real life like 99% of people who believe all that stuff about holding people down and playing outrageous backstage political moves during that time period. It just goes to show how absolutely perfectly Hogan played that heel character; the guy put over Giant, Goldberg, DDP, Luger, Flair, tried programs with guys like Kidman and the Wall; not his fault they couldn't get over and its not his fault how Bischoff and company decided to book other wrestlers. To this day people still mark out over the Fingerpoke of Doom showing that it was a great heel move, the direction taken in the months afterwards weren't but thats another story for another time.

 

[TheHurricane]

Of course, while I criticize Hogan's selfishness, it isn't exactly surprising in the world at large, much less the world of wrestling. Yes, he shouldn't be a polarizing figure. Hogan was at his best (and his least worst, if that's a term) when he was under Vince's control. That way, his charisma and talents could shine. Yes, he could have been accused of burying people, but it was much more subtle. It's fairly easy to pinpoint when he started to become a polarizing figure. That began when he was under the control of much weaker bosses and when he started to exercise de facto and then de jure creative control. At that point, it's like he wasn't even trying to appear in public to be a somewhat fair and equitable person. The Fingerpoke of Doom is illustrative of everything that's wrong with him, not to mention the way that promotion was run at the time.

Of course, Hogan himself will deny that, and instead regale us with the constantly further embellished story of body slamming Andre the Giant when he weighed, what, must be 10,000 lbs by his next retelling, and again how he wasn't sure that Andre would play ball.

Criticize his “selfishness” all you want. The truth is everyone is selfish to some degree, you wouldn’t really be human if you werent. Hogan is fine whether he’s under Vince’s “control” or not, I don’t see what that has to do with anything. “Burying people” is a term the IWC has convinced itself exists, but the truth is if the company doesn’t want it it doesn’t happen. Business isn’t fair, and when you’re in charge of creative it becomes really difficult to give everyone what they want. The “Fingerpoke of Doom” and WCW as a whole are always exaggerated in this context. They lost to “WWE” that’s what happened, not because of whatever nonsense people want to cite but because people just liked “WWE” better.

Not just Hogan; anyone would deny that. I don’t think I’ve really heard him harp on the Andre the Giant thing, unless a fan asks him about which they always do inevitably.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

What he said was pretty despicable, whether he's a celebrity or a regular guy from down the street. At the same time, even though I was never a huge fan of Hogan even as a kid, using racial slurs during a phone call shouldn't define his entire life and overshadow his wrestling career. At one point or another, everyone has either used some sort of racial slur, stereotype, made a joke with racial overtones or laughed at one; guess what, it doesn't make you Adolf Goddamn Hitler and it's high time that people stopped trying to act like it does. It doesn't mean racism should be tolerated, but it certainly would be nice to see a little consistency across the racial board when it comes to these situations. I mean...let's be honest, this wouldn't have been such a big deal if it hadn't been a 60+ year old white man who said it; if Hogan had been black, Hispanic or Asian, this would have blown over in a couple of days and it probably wouldn't have even registered as a blip on the radar had he been someone of a skin color or ethnic background if he'd used a slur aimed at white people.

 

[TheHurricane]

Fuck Hogan & his racist ass and anyone who defends his racism is part of the problem.

The only problem I have with your comment is this right here. You attempt to tell other people how they should live their lives and what is okay for them to do and what isn't. In no way is it your place to do that. People who use the phrase "is part of the problem" are only perpetuating whatever the given issue is. You are free to think whatever you want of Hogan and his situation, and others are free to disagree with you. The only "problem" are those who don't accept somebody's position on the issue.

He said some words. I am willing to overlook it because at the end of the day it only hurts people who are looking to be hurt by it. I also do not have to like him as a person to want to see him in the ring or on television, etc. His personal life has no bearing on mine one way or the other.

 

[Garak]

sounds like youre confusing his Hollywood Hogan character with real life like 99% of people who believe all that stuff about holding people down and playing outrageous backstage political moves during that time period.

Actually, I think Hogan was the one who confused things. It's funny how no one wants to take responsibility for the Fingerpoke of Doom. It wasn't good wrestling. It wasn't good TV. It wasn't good booking.

Criticize his “selfishness” all you want. The truth is everyone is selfish to some degree, you wouldn’t really be human if you werent. Hogan is fine whether he’s under Vince’s “control” or not, I don’t see what that has to do with anything. “Burying people” is a term the IWC has convinced itself exists, but the truth is if the company doesn’t want it it doesn’t happen.

Hogan deserved to be in the top spot. I don't dispute that. There are ways to book that correctly (the WWF way) and incorrectly (the WCW way). As for what he says about Andre the Giant, it's the same when he talks about anything. He's there simply to sell himself. He never has a kind word for another person unless he can pat his own back in the same sentence.

Watch some of his interviews on late night TV in the early 1980s. It was totally different.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Hogan deserved to be in the top spot. I don't dispute that. There are ways to book that correctly (the WWF way) and incorrectly (the WCW way). As for what he says about Andre the Giant, it's the same when he talks about anything. He's there simply to sell himself. He never has a kind word for another person unless he can pat his own back in the same sentence.

Watch some of his interviews on late night TV in the early 1980s. It was totally different.

But who in wrestling isn't that way especially from that era. That the product of the era, I've meet Hogan a few years ago at a comiccon and i was able to talk to him about some of the stuff he did and he was one of the nicest guy i ever meet. The guy has so much respect for his fans it's unbelievable. Sure i doesn't remember everything and embellish some stories, Who hasn't done that, but that doesn't make him a bad guy. I never heard anybody in the business say that Hogan was selfish or had anything but kind word to say about them. For god sake, back when he was in WCW, he did a job for Jacques rougeau in Montreal when he didn't have to. He always as nothing but kind word to say about Andre because they were legitimate best friends during his time in the business. Andre respected him so much that he put him over not only at mania 3 but when he was starting in the early 80's as a heel.

I never understood why Hogan had such a bad reputation with the fans and dirt sheet writers. It must be because he became a mega star without being a great technical wrestlers or it's because those in the business that where jealous of him, talked the guys like Meltzer and told crap about the guy, i don't know but he deserved better then getting the reputation he gotten over the year and even after. Sure he made mistakes the last few years, he's human and was dealing what a bad divorce, but he's human, he try in his own way to vent his frustrations toward something bad that was happening with his daughter and it got caught on tape.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Hogan as been the punching bag of the IWC for years now, even before the whole racist thing happened. One of the problem about this is how the dirt sheet have portrait him for years now. They painted a portrait of the guy that seem to not be 100% accurate and was based on jealous performers who weren't able to get over to the extend he did.

I don't see how this is IWC's issue. Remember it was the WWE that removed Hogan in the HOF despite keeping people like Trump in.

And it's not like other WWE Stars Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Warrior all had some negative things to say about Hogan as well.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I don't see how this is IWC's issue. Remember it was the WWE that removed Hogan 9in the HOF despite keeping people like Trump in.

And it's not like other WWE Stars Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Warrior all had some negative things to say about Hogan as well.

With all due respect to theses guys, I always thought that Bret got played by Vince and always thought it was Hogan's doing for not having that title match at summerslam 93 and you know as much as I know that Bret can hold a grudge, heck he's still hating on HHH for the screwjob.

Warrior was really out there when he said those negative thing plus it seem like he made peace with hulk just before he pass on. And Shawn is Shawn. He will say anything to make himself look good.

The thing is the more of a celebrity , the more you have a chance of getting in trouble and Hogan got caught. But it's time to get pass it and move on. WWE made a mistake distancing them from hulk but not Trump. But at the time, they though he would be a PR nightmare because Hogan was still on tv, Trump will never comeback to WWE so nobody cares that he's in the hot. That's the difference.

 

[relentless1]

Actually, I think Hogan was the one who confused things. It's funny how no one wants to take responsibility for the Fingerpoke of Doom. It wasn't good wrestling. It wasn't good TV. It wasn't good booking.


Hogan deserved to be in the top spot. I don't dispute that. There are ways to book that correctly (the WWF way) and incorrectly (the WCW way). As for what he says about Andre the Giant, it's the same when he talks about anything. He's there simply to sell himself. He never has a kind word for another person unless he can pat his own back in the same sentence.

Watch some of his interviews on late night TV in the early 1980s. It was totally different.

LOL WWF is the right way huh, your bias is showing friend, this makes your arguments automatically irrelevant; youre so blind as to say that WCW didn't have good stuff? how bout nWo? how bout the Outsiders, crow sting? malenko/jericho, goldberg, DDP, the Flock, the crusierweights... the list goes on but youre drinking the koolaid so you probably dont acknowledge any of that do ya...FPOD was fantastic booking; reunite a large heel faction and set Goldberg up against them, the problem was the follow through, they never had one.

 

[TheHurricane]

Logical fallacy. What we say or think has fuck all to do with a man worth 25 million doing it. It does not make it okay for Hogan. His worth has nothing to do with it. The situation would be the same regardless of how much the person is worth.

I don't care if he's on TV or not. Has nothing to do with him being a pervy prejudiced old man. Truth is I hate his shtick. I hate all veterans' shticks. They're reminders that wrestling used to not take itself so seriously and it clashes with everything we see in WWE today. They are reminders that this used to be fun and open to all sorts of suspenseful moments. There are reasons why WWE rely on their old talent to pull them through at Wrestlemania or in big business ventures like Saudi Arabia - the new group can't pull their weight because they aren't given the same outlets that the old guard had. People buy into DX even when the frat boys are the age of many grandfathers out there because DX could go ham back in the 90s without much worry and maybe we will see a spark of that today who knows. Hulk Hogan in WWE is the same, and I don't think that helps the younger talent at all. Who cares about helping the “younger talent”? The veterans still have families and people who want to see them. It makes no sense to penalize them because they can’t stop time. Who cares about “shtick” also? What really matters is what happens in the ring. Their gimmick could be working at a box factory for all that really matters.

Hogan might catch more flack than most who have done or thought as he does but that's par for the course with celebrities. Stars shouldn't be treated any different than if your high school principal said it. And yet they are. Even by you in this post. But the consequences are more than just flack. If all he was getting was people talking trash about him, then it would not matter. Instead he loses out on like 3 years of work. That’s an issue.

He doesn't deserve hero worship though that's for damn sure.

I doubt anyone would claim otherwise. Nobody deserves “worship”. He’s a good wrestler, let’s leave it at that.