It may have been an incident from eight years ago, but the veil of time has fallen and so has the legend that was Hulk Hogan. Throughout the 80s Hulk Hogan thrilled wrestling fans by becoming the American wrestling hero. He beat the bad guys, defended the masses and became the infamous person behind the word “brother.” His life with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) business has been unstable at best. He and Vince McMahon have a long history of troubled waters, but the wrestler always remained committed to the brand. Hogan’s real name is Terry Bollea, and he has remained a decades long ambassador of WWE.
In the current world of media and someone getting paid, the sordid past of things best forgotten are coming to the surface. Last year news started surfacing that 80s legend, Bill Cosby, gave drugs to aspiring female stars and raped them. The news was so stunning, considering the fact Americans saw Cosby as the father everyone wished they had.
It was not just one woman who stood up and accused Cosby of drugging and raping her, it was dozens. Vulture has a complete list of the women and their stories which can be read here.
Cosby has lost many endorsements and more recently Spelman College, a historic black college for women, separated from Cosby and eliminated the professorship in his name, following a $20 million donation from he and his wife in 1988. The money was used to develop the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Ed.D. Academic Center. The Temple University, who worked with Cosby as a spokesman for the college, also severed ties with the former comedian. Disney has stepped forward and announced they are removing Cosby’s bust from the Florida based Hollywood Studios Hall of Fame Plaza.
Cosby and his attorney continue to fight the lawsuits falling now on him, claiming he did provide the women Quaaludes, but the administration of the drug and sexual acts were consensual.
As far as Hulk Hogan? His name has been scrubbed from the WWE entirely. Radar Online and The National Enquirer worked together to provide the transcripts that Hulk Hogan has not refuted. It displayed disturbing racial prejudice, where Hulk Hogan is dropping the “n bomb” several times in the recording as he talks about his daughter, Brooke Hogan and her possible relationship with a black man.
Following the release of the transcripts and Hulk Hogan’s admittance, WWE went to work to release the name from their company. They are feeling those effects today. WWE’s shares plummeted drastically and they are currently at $16.60 per share. That could amount to a loss of $50 million or more for the entertainment organization.
The icons of the 80s; one a much loved television father, and the other an American wrestling hero, have fallen. The devastating information shared with the public shows that celebrities are brought into a light where skeletons are placed into the darkened closet. Until discovered or brought forward by media investigations or a person who cannot hold the secret any longer.
As a former die-hard fan of both The Cosby Show and Hulkamania, it is disheartening to see the fall, but it is also a reminder to never place “iconic faith” into celebrities who may be just as flawed as any one person. At times, like these two instances, those flaws are cryptic and disturbing. After all they are just playing characters established by a pen, and that suddenly will not change the real person they just might be.