The Official WWE / NXT Discussion Thread *May Contain Spoilers*

[Atticus]

I have the suspicion that that radio interview isn't the video/tape WWE got upset over, but I could be totally wrong.

 

Considering Warrior's site about and I quote his words, not mine "queer studies" and how "many of those endorsing queers and a Queer Studies program may just end up burning in an eternal hell" is still up where he speaks out against homosexuality, I'm assuming the real tape is really rough to remove all that they can about him.

[K-Nection]

It's more than likely a pre-emptive PR move than anything else.

 

Also, to throw out the "He is getting the Chris Benoit treatment" card is pretty damn ridiculous. All we know is that he's no longer listed on the website as a member of the roster and that he is no longer a judge on Tough Enough. It's not as if they're going to rewrite all the history of the WWE to remove Hogan, all that's happening is that the company is distancing themselves from this to avoid negative press. This way they can go "WWE do not condone racism, this move shows it".

 

They even removed him from the hall of fame...just wait the title history is next

[smurphy1014]

I have the suspicion that that radio interview isn't the video/tape WWE got upset over, but I could be totally wrong.

 

You are correct. The recording in question was discovered during Hogan's lawsuit with Gawker over a sex tape of his they released.

[iruleall15]

Yet WWE allowed sumbags like Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather on their shows and continue to endorse them

[K-Nection]

http://www.people.com/article/hulk-hogan-racist-rant-statement

 

 

Still sounds pretty trivial to me! What father doesn't hate their daughter's boyfriend at least at first. WWE IMO has overreacted to something that has happened 8 years ago when he wasn't even employed by them at the time!

[Big Roguey]

http://www.people.com/article/hulk-hogan-racist-rant-statement

 

 

Still sounds pretty trivial to me! What father doesn't hate their daughter's boyfriend at least at first. WWE IMO has overreacted to something that has happened 8 years ago when he wasn't even employed by them at the time!

 

So the language used and the racist overtones are completely fine?

[K-Nection]

So the language used and the racist overtones are completely fine?

 

I'm not condoning his actions but some over blown comments should not take away from what he has accomplished in "their" ring. Even though that YouTube leak of Booker T calling Hulk Hogan a you know what has millions of views that didn't stop them from putting Booker in the Hall of Fame. I'm just saying they are making themselves look contradictory here.

 

I mean come on....Vince said this little dousy on live tv!

 

 

 

Hogan's comments were made even before that moment was aired so no I don't think Hulk should be fired or the latter because of this.

[Atticus]

I'm not condoning his actions but some over blown comments should not take away from what he has accomplished in "their" ring. Even though that YouTube leak of Booker T calling Hulk Hogan a you know what has millions of views that didn't stop them from putting Booker in the Hall of Fame. I'm just saying they are making themselves look contradictory here.

 

Assuming what everything Hogan said is 100%, which we won't know until the court transcripts show it or it is released, what Booker T said and what Hulk Hogan said are not comparable at all. Booker didn't intend for his to be racist.

 

Dropping the N-word with a hard R as a white guy is not a good look because white guys who drop the N-word with a hard R usually are frowned upon and are associated with some pretty bad groups that I imagine the WWE wouldn't want to be associated with. Especially when you add "f*cking" before it and then say "I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n-word worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player!"

 

That's where what Booker T said and what Hogan said differ.

[Mootinie]

You can't really compare this situation to any other and you can't compare Hogan's status to that of Mike Tyson or Floyd Mayweather. WWE have ties with many different people in many different capacities. Having a 'WWE Ambassador' like Hulk Hogan is totally different to 'WWE Hall of Fame Inductee' Mike Tyson. One is a high-profile employee whose solitary job is to make the WWE look great and seem reputable to sponsors, the other is simply being recognized for his contribution to the wrestling industry. Why would sponsors want to invest in a company that is defending a proven racist? It simply isn't worth it, they have a lot of shareholders to answer to and distancing themselves from Hulk Hogan right now is absolutely the right move. They're saving themselves a lot of potential headaches - having to answer to journalists as to why they employ a racist, having to answer to shareholders, having to defend themselves when their brand gets dragged through the mud alongside Hogan - none of that is worth it for a 'WWE Ambassador' that's getting a lot of deserved bad press.

[K-Nection]

Assuming what everything Hogan said is 100%, which we won't know until the court transcripts show it or it is released, what Booker T said and what Hulk Hogan said are not comparable at all. Booker didn't intend for his to be racist.

 

Dropping the N-word with a hard R as a white guy is not a good look because white guys who drop the N-word with a hard R usually are frowned upon and are associated with some pretty bad groups that I imagine the WWE wouldn't want to be associated with. Especially when you add "f*cking" before it and then say "I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n-word worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player!"

 

That's where what Booker T said and what Hogan said differ.

 

I agree it was wrong but I don't agree with how they are handling it. Should he be fired for what he said 8 years ago not in their employ...no. But Vince using the word live on his show and then fires someone for saying it later is a little contradictory don't you think?

 

http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2015/07/report_hulk_hogan_caught_on_tape_referring_to_black_men_daughter_allegedly.html

 

I found this article actually quoting some of the audio. I think it's a man that is mad at his daughter's choices not how he truly feels about all black people. He said some things 8 years ago out of anger. He was also going through a rough patch in his marriage that led to his divorce and his wife taking 80% of his assets. I'd say karma smacked the guy in the mouth for this statement years before.

[Atticus]

I agree it was wrong but I don't agree with how they are handling it. Should he be fired for what he said 8 years ago not in their employ...no. But Vince using the word live on his show and then fires someone for saying it later is a little contradictory don't you think?

 

He wasn't under contract when he said it, but he is now. That's all that matters. It's about PR and the WWE needs to take care of it before it becomes a problem. Such as Warrior's blog where he talks about how homosexuality is wrong. He wrote that while he wasn't under contract with the WWE and whenever he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, it didn't come into national attention like Hogan's comments are today.

 

I agree that what Vince said is wrong, but we've also got to remember that Vince is crazy and if rumors are to be believed, not a good person either. However, Vince's comment in that video were again, a one-off thing where he was trying to be funny/humorous in poor taste as to where Hogan said it multiple times and used the N word in a variety of ways as a racist and even called himself a racist (again, if the reports of what he said are true)

[K-Nection]

I still think that was out of anger as his daughter was 19 at the time. Me being a father I've been known to become very irrational when situations arise concerning my kids. I know I said some things that I'm not proud of but your children will bring that out of you. My daughter is autistic and I've said some crazy things to people that I feel haven't the best intentions for her.

[crownsy]

http://www.people.com/article/hulk-hogan-racist-rant-statement

 

 

Still sounds pretty trivial to me! What father doesn't hate their daughter's boyfriend at least at first. WWE IMO has overreacted to something that has happened 8 years ago when he wasn't even employed by them at the time!

 

give me a break. WWE is a global company, you really expect them to go:

 

"Nah, we stand by Hulk hating his Daughters BF because he is a black man and expressing that by calling the BF a N-word multiple times. Who doesn't drop a N-bomb once in awhile at home, amiright? remember all, bring your kids to the next show!"

 

It sucks for Hogan, but it is what it is. WWE isn't required to be ok with him being a racist.

 

And no, while many father's "may hate there daughters BF at first" I don't think since about oh....ever, it's been ok to base that initial hate on racism. It might be very common in practice, but it's not ok.

 

Also, if you read the transcript, not sure he was really "hating on Brooke's BF" it looks to me like Hogan is implying he hopes she didn't have to sleep her way into funding on her music career, doubly so because of the race of said contacts. The direct qoute is about a older African american record producer who was at the time thinking of signing Brooke, and who had a son her age. This is the qoute, with blanks where you can figure it out,and also in white.

 

I don’t know if Brooke was________ the black guy’s son,”

 

I mean, I don’t have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, ____________.

 

I mean, I’d rather if she was going to ______ some _______, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall ___________ worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player!

 

Sorry, crying no tears for Hulk here, and not surprised or outraged by WWE not giving that "the benefit of the doubt"

[crownsy]

I still think that was out of anger as his daughter was 19 at the time. Me being a father I've been known to become very irrational when situations arise concerning my kids. I know I said some things that I'm not proud of but your children will bring that out of you. My daughter is autistic and I've said some crazy things to people that I feel haven't the best intentions for her.

 

If your Daughter's choices in boyfriends (which again, is not really what it appears the qoute is talking about, seems more targeted at how BRooke was going about securing a music deal at the time) ever prompts you to go on a long rant against that person based on race, then you are a racist.

 

It's one thing to hate your daughter's choice in men/ decisions on who to sleep with at 19, and be very angry with that. It's quite another to have that anger manifest itself in multiple N-bombs.

[Atticus]

I still think that was out of anger as his daughter was 19 at the time. Me being a father I've been known to become very irrational when situations arise concerning my kids. I know I said some things that I'm not proud of but your children will bring that out of you. My daughter is autistic and I've said some crazy things to people that I feel haven't the best intentions for her.

 

I can understand that and being protective, but Hogan having a problem with his daughter dating a black guy and then dropping the hard R multiple times is a problem. If you're whipping out racist terms in anger, you might be a racist (scratch that, you probably are a racist).

 

And because it was recorded, that's where Hogan really screwed up. It's bad enough that one of WWE's biggest stars is a convicted wife beating ex-alcoholic, but now their other one is a racist? WWE is going to want to get as far away from that as possible.

 

Cause I guarantee you anytime people see Hogan now, they're going to think of this. Maybe it's not their first thought, but they'll remember that time Hulk Hogan dropped the hard R. Just like when people see Kobe Bryant, they're always going to remember that he was tried for rape or that Ben Roethlisberger was tried for sexual assault twice. You want to cut that bad PR as soon as possible, especially if you're a publicly traded stock like the WWE is.

[K-Nection]

If your Daughter's choices in boyfriends (which again, is not really what it appears the qoute is talking about, seems more targeted at how BRooke was going about securing a music deal at the time) ever prompts you to go on a long rant against that person based on race, then you are a racist.

 

It's one thing to hate your daughter's choice in men/ decisions on who to sleep with at 19, and be very angry with that. It's quite another to have that anger manifest itself in multiple N-bombs.

 

Whoa wait a second it's one thing for me to talk about my daughter but I didn't allow you to do so....I'm going to take the high road now before my account gets banned for me going off the handle...let's just say we agree to disagree sir.

[K-Nection]

I can understand that and being protective, but Hogan having a problem with his daughter dating a black guy and then dropping the hard R multiple times is a problem. If you're whipping out racist terms in anger, you might be a racist (scratch that, you probably are a racist).

 

And because it was recorded, that's where Hogan really screwed up. It's bad enough that one of WWE's biggest stars is a convicted wife beating ex-alcoholic, but now their other one is a racist? WWE is going to want to get as far away from that as possible.

 

Cause I guarantee you anytime people see Hogan now, they're going to think of this. Maybe it's not their first thought, but they'll remember that time Hulk Hogan dropped the hard R. Just like when people see Kobe Bryant, they're always going to remember that he was tried for rape or that Ben Roethlisberger was tried for sexual assault twice. You want to cut that bad PR as soon as possible, especially if you're a publicly traded stock like the WWE is.

 

 

Ok but did the NBA fire Kobe? Or did the NFL fire Ben...exactly!

[crownsy]

Whoa wait a second it's one thing for me to talk about my daughter but I didn't allow you to do so....I'm going to take the high road now before my account gets banned for me going off the handle...let's just say we agree to disagree sir.

 

I can't speak about a father's reaction (i.e Hogan's) dislike of his daughter dating someone including multiple N-bombs as being a racist reaction in my opinion?

 

No where did i say it would be your own reaction, I was simply responding to your statement that you could "Understand his (Hogan's) reaction" to his daughters choice in men, which by the transcript included racist remarks.

 

 

I personally can't imagine any situation where I would be so made at my hypothetical daughter's choice in a BF would cause me to start insulting the guys race. I could easily see me thinking he was a loser, or the wrong choice for her, or an (insert swear word here), scumbag, dirtbag, ect. Never in my life would i suddenly go to "The main problem i have is that she's dating outside her race."

[Atticus]

Ok but did the NBA fire Kobe? Or did the NFL fire Ben...exactly!

 

Right, but both those guys were found not guilty. Yet they're still associated with that. Whether they should've been cut or whatever is a different story. Especially since the NBA/NFL cannot "fire" players without getting into legal action with the teams. Not to mention their cases were from a different time before social media hit the platform it's at now.

 

In 2015? Hogan, if this is released and real, you've got actual proof that Hulk Hogan is a racist. It's one thing to be accused and go to court like those other guys I mentioned, but for actual proof to leak out too, not good. When the Ray Rice video went public, cut. And how much flack did the NFL catch for sitting on that video, knowing that the 212 pound professional athlete knocked his wife out right on tape?

 

When Donald Sterling's audio and multiple witness stories came out, banned for life. The NBA was quick and severed themselves from Donald. Now Hogan is going to have a tape where he angrily talks about a black guy and drops the N-word? Cut.

 

Especially in 2015. People need to be progressive and remove themselves from idiots who can't control what they say. I don't care if Hogan went out and saved a building full of orphans on fire, I'm still going to know that he's a racist and does not have any business being associated with something that brings entertainment to millions (including impressionable children).

[crownsy]

Ok but did the NBA fire Kobe? Or did the NFL fire Ben...exactly!

 

The NBA and NFL can't fire players. Take it up with the Steelers and Lakers.

 

However, the NFL did suspend Ben and condem his actions.

 

The NBA never suspended Kobe because it settled with an unspecified payment to the accuser, and they don't have a personal conduct policy like the NFL does to levy suspensions on without criminal convictions. Or at least they didn't at the time, NBA has a new CBA so that may be in the new one.

 

However, during the process Kobe was stripped from all NBA ads, and not promoted. Which is about as far as the NBA could have gone.

[Atticus]

However, the NFL did suspend Ben and condem his actions.

 

Thank you for reminding me about that. I wasn't sure if they punished him or not.

 

I also remember watching the Super Bowl the year the Steelers made it in and the announcers commented on Ben's sexual assault charges. Definitely something you don't want on national TV shown to millions of people.

 

That's not the kind of press the WWE really wants when WrestleMania or whatever rolls around.

[crownsy]

Thank you for reminding me about that. I wasn't sure if they punished him or not.

 

I also remember watching the Super Bowl the year the Steelers made it in and the announcers commented on Ben's sexual assault charges. Definitely something you don't want on national TV shown to millions of people.

 

That's not the kind of press the WWE really wants when WrestleMania or whatever rolls around.

 

Another difference is obviously Kobe and Ben are Union Members, and as such had rights under a CBA with the league and their own teams.

 

If you really feel Hogan got shafted by WWE (I dont), then this is yet another strong argument for Wrestlers to unionize so that the get access to due process under a collective bargaining agreement when these issues occur.

[Atticus]

If you really feel Hogan got shafted by WWE (I dont), then this is yet another strong argument for Wrestlers to unionize so that the get access to due process under a collective bargaining agreement when these issues occur.

 

Yeah, if anything good comes out of Hogan being a racist, a union for wrestlers would be great. As long as they don't try and defend Hogan of course.

[The Final Countdown]

If you really feel Hogan got shafted by WWE (I dont), then this is yet another strong argument for Wrestlers to unionize so that the get access to due process under a collective bargaining agreement when these issues occur.

And the irony here is that it was Hogan who squealed to Vince when Jesse Ventura was trying to organize a union 30+ years ago.

[ThriceP86]

A union for pro wrestlers would be bad for business!