[Author’s Note – I figured I should give you, the reader, a fair bit of warning with this article as I’m going to be trying something a bit different. My writing and sense of humor tends to be a bit abrasive but also comical and this should be no different. However, my bias for the people involved in this “editorial” of sorts is pretty obvious. I hope you don’t take these comments too seriously but I do hope that it inspires some sort of free thought and open discussion on the matter. -Ryan]
So far, Wrestling With Extra Sleaze has dealt only with the “Sex Sells” aspect of the professional wrestling business. Keep in mind that, up until recently, the name of the second highest-profile company was the common abbreviation for “Tits N’ Ass”. But to me, “Sleaze” doesn’t just have to deal with the objectification of the fairer sex. It could have to do with underhanded business deals or pushing down others for personal gain. But to me, nothing exemplifies pro wrestling sleaze more than the in-ring conflict becoming all too real due to the inflation of ego.
Enter the worlds of Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior…or rather, the alter-egos of Terry Bollea and Jim Hellwig Mr. Warrior.
I'm gonna say "No".
Their in-ring rivalry spanned years. Whether it was at Wrestlemania VII where Warrior beat Hogan for the WWF Championship or when it was that time in WCW where Warrior showed up in a two-way mirror and everyone but Eric Bischoff could see him, the two have been at each others’ throats. But back then, it was all business. Now, it’s completely personal. Since then, Hulk Hogan has remained a household name, although by being less of a professional wrestler and sports entertainment icon and more of a reality television star and fodder for Internet tabloids. In recent years, it’s been nothing but a downward spiral for the Hogan family. It started innocently enough by trying to remain in the limelight with a show on VH1 and trying to get his daughter Brooke a singing career. But then his son Nick had to go wreck a car and paralyze his friend in the process, with the Hulkster himself writing the tragedy off as “bad karma”. To make things worse, his wife Linda decided to file for divorce and probably take most of his money in the process so she could go off and bed one of Nick’s school friends. Of course, Hulk isn’t in the clear here either as he went and married a woman that looks almost exactly like his daughter. Needless to say, the whole thing is a mess. If you were a die-hard fan of Hulkamania, saying your prayers and taking your vitamins as you were told, you’re surely let down by now. Whether it be because of his real-life drama or the fact that he’s dragging down a promising product in Impact Wrestling with the backstage backstabbing and politicizing that made him infamous in WCW, this is not the same Hulk Hogan from the old days. And if you’re not let down, then you must be easily persuaded.
Meanwhile, The Ultimate Warrior seemed to be going crazy, going on political speaking tours about whether or not “Queering” can make the world work (In his opinion, it can’t) and only making the rare in-ring appearance against the likes of…Orlando Jordan? The “strawberries and body cream” guy from TNA? How did Warrior ever agree to that? Anyway, it seemed as if Warrior had drifted off into his own little world, his One Warrior Nation if you will, a notion that wasn’t helped when the WWE saw fit to chronicle Warrior’s career and poor business choices in a DVD release without any input from the Warrior himself. But it seemed as if Warrior was gaining an underground following in the world of the metal/hardcore scene as t-shirts began to pop up and his influence heard in certain songs, to the point where the Ultimate Warrior himself made a recent spoken word guest appearance on “The Warrior Code” from Winds Of Plague’s latest album “Against The World”. Somehow his message of loading spaceships with rocket fuel and running over trampling elephants with lawnmowers has endured this long and reached out to a new generation of scene kids.
But with the recent passing of the legendary “Macho Man” Randy Savage, it was time to come down to Earth and get serious. And so Warrior got down from his spaceship and recorded a very touching video on YouTube in his memory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74NjMY5bsnc
Anyone who’s a wrestling fan can tell you that Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan have not been friends for years like they once were, so I wondered what Hulk Hogan had to say about the unfortunate accident:
I really don’t want to judge the man, especially under these circumstances, but due to my cynical nature and Hogan’s history with things, I’m not exactly sure if Hogan’s tribute was all that genuine. Of course, he could still be torn up about Randy’s passing and not want to say much in fear of breaking down. I don’t know, a part of me immediately thinks that he’s just doing this for show, just so people don’t think he’s a bad guy.
But the Ultimate Warrior knows better…or so he claims. He’s since posted an hours worth of scathing videos on his YouTube Channel ripping apart the character of Hulk Hogan and the manhood of Terry Bollea with the promise of more to come. I won’t post every single video so here’s the 7 minute (!) preview that basically sums up his entire speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XP4gWpyIww
That’s a lot of accusation being flung around there. You could argue that Warrior is just doing this for attention or that he’s trying to sell something. He did mention a book coming out but I’m sure that’s going to be further down the line. And you could argue what kind of person Warrior is to be dishing out judgment in this manner. He claims that karma is going to collect on Hogan. But considering that the man is practically leeching off of Impact Wrestling to survive due to his gold-digging ex-wife and his disappointing children, maybe karma has already collected. Is Warrior just kicking a man while he’s down? Supposedly Hulk Hogan made a statement that he plans to take Warrior to court for comments, but then he posted this video a few days later.
So, is Hogan not going to sue? Is Hogan not going to fight back with words of his own? Is Hogan taking the high road on this matter? It looks like it. But you could also look on the flip side and say that maybe Hogan is just covering his ass. Maybe he decided not to take Warrior to court because maybe he didn’t want any of these allegations to be proven true and ruin what’s left of his reputation. Maybe he realized that even if the allegations are false, who would defend him? Certainly not his ex-wife, I’m sure. And I doubt that any court of law (or anyone that has common sense, for that matter) would listen to the likes of Brian Knobbs and Brother Bruti. Just like that, it suddenly hit me: What if the Ultimate Warrior is 100% right?
A tall order I’m sure, but it is worth questioning. Warrior seems to have mellowed out (as much as he can, at least), settled down, looks to be quite happy and in great shape for his age, might I add. Hulk Hogan, however, is rapidly becoming a sad parody of himself with each passing day. Even if Warrior is in the wrong, I do have to agree with him on one point: Terry Bollea is an embarrassment to himself trying to keep the Hulk Hogan gimmick alive 24-7. Even if the fans want him to be Hulk, he has to realize he shouldn’t be Hulk all the time. At the very least, he has to try to find a middle ground between having a real life and living in the fantasy world of Hulkamania. In my personal opinion, Hulk should have hung up the boots after his last nostalgia run in the WWE. Anything he’s done since then has only tarnished his legacy. I don’t even see “one last run” going well for him considering his last run should have been years ago. I’m not saying that Hogan can’t be an asset to the wrestling business today. I’m sure if he gets his head on straight, he could use his knowledge of the business and maybe make Impact Wrestling a legit contender to WWE. But that would require Hogan pulling his head out of the clouds and putting his feet on the ground. I don’t imagine him doing that any time soon. So I echo Warrior’s sentiments when he tells Hulk Hogan to “Go home!”
So here is my final question to you:
Ultimate Warrior – Raving lunatic…or raving lunatic with a valid point?