If you were a boy growing up in the 80s, chances are you sat in front of your TV and cheered on Hulk Hogan. My childhood revolved around watching wrestling, Star Wars, and sports. When my friends and I got together during recess, we talked about wrestling as if it were the most important topic going on. And there wasn’t a bigger personality in all of wrestling than Hulk Hogan.
The scene with Hulk Hogan sent me down memory lane. I told him all about growing up idolizing Hogan and his catchphrase of, “Take your vitamins and say your prayers.” In those days, Hogan was a superhero come to life. Even though I knew matches were predetermined, Hogan was otherworldly. He was a walking-talking comic book character. He made you want to cheer for him.
The referee rang the bell, and Macho Man and the Hulkster went at it . They battled back-and-forth, and then Savage cheated, knocking Hogan to the outside of the ring. The villain picked up a chair and crashed it against Hogan’s back, causing him to spiral and shake with pain. Hogan was brutally beaten from one end of the post to the other. Finally, with the referee counting, Savage tossed Hogan into the ring and continued to kick him in the head. When it appeared Hogan could endure the pain no longer, Savage covered him. The crowd was standing and cheering for Hogan, desperately wanting him to get up. Right before the ref’s hand pounded the mat for the 3rd time, Hogan’s shoulders rose off the canvas, as he shook his head. Savage punched and kicked Hogan, but the champion didn’t feel any pain. Then, with the point of a finger, everyone knew Savage’s time was up. Hogan laid into Savage and ultimately dropped his big leg over the Macho Man’s neck, then covered him for the win. The place cheered even louder, and then Hogan gave a flex to each side of the ring. I was in heaven.
As I got older, my attention to wrestling waned. I would go back and watch something every once in a while, but stayed away until I made friends in college with some guys who loved wrestling as a kid. We started watching it together, and wouldn’t you know it, Hogan was still around. He was no longer the good guy; he was a bad guy. Someone who needed to cheat to win. His character was no longer loved, but hated.
That’s the way wrestling goes. People may start out one way, but they always change. Nobody stays a good guy or a bad guy forever. The same goes for our heroes. They don’t always stay heroes.
The problem with remembering what Hulk Hogan meant to me as a kid is that he made a lot of terrible moral mistakes. Hogan was known for burying other wrestlers who threatened his spotlight. He played politics behind the scenes, making sure nobody reached his level. Then, there was his sex tape and racist rant.
During a call to his son in prison, Hogan made comments about his daughter dating black men and used horrible derogatory language. After the comments were leaked, he tried to apologize, but the damage was done. His true feelings about black men were out, and from that moment on, Hogan was labeled a “racist.”
Many of us could forgive the Hulkster for his dealing with his peers, but the racist rant ended all positive feelings about him. He tried to come back several times, but the fans turned on him. Even recently, a few months ago, he appeared in WWE and was booed out of the building.
Still, I always hoped for redemption, even though his words and actions sickened me. I heard many interviews with him, and I wanted him so badly to give an unrehearsed apology. To break down and ask the public for forgiveness. I wish he had donated time and money to causes and had been earnest about changing his behavior. I hoped he would change and give us one last great face turn.
Last week a story popped up on my phone that said Hogan was sick and it wasn’t good. My first thoughts were about his racist rants, his support for Donald Trump, and his horrible behavior and decisions. Then I remembered being a little boy who cheered loudly for his hero. He was a massive part of my childhood, and nobody likes it when their heroes fall in such a drastic fashion.
When I found out he had died, I was saddened about a man that I had never met. I was sad about how he’s going to be remembered, because I’m sad about how he ended up. I would love nothing more than to remember how greatly he made me feel, but there’s baggage with his memory. He’s a cautionary tale for celebrities, to treat their peers with respect and frankly, don’t be a horrible human being. He’s also a cautionary tale for us not to put so much faith in another person, because people will fall and fail you. There’s also a story here for celebrities and for all of us. It’s that if you mess up to such a massive degree, be sincere in your apology and seek ways to mend the fences you’ve burned down. There’s no redemption with words that are not followed by action.