As noted by some eagle eyed viewers and the Wrestling Observer, it seems as though wrestling legend Hulk Hogan could be gone from WWE.
The web department at WWE was asked to remove all mentions of him on the website, his merchandise is no longer for sale and he has been removed as a coach from their reality show Tough Enough. Curtis Axel, who has been doing a Hulk Hogan impersonation gimmick, has been asked to stop doing the gimmick effective immediately at house shows.
There is no official word yet from WWE, but there are rumours floating around that Hogan was recorded on tape using racial slurs. This has been highlighted as a rumour by Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer though.
@trevor_harlan A rumor going around.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) July 24, 2015
UPDATE: WWE have issued a statement on the subject matter:
“WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan). WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.”
Although rumoured earlier, it seems as though the racial slurs are the reason his contract was terminated, at least according to The National Enquirer. They have a transcription of the alleged tape, which you can read here.
UPDATE 2: Hogan has issued an apology for his remarks.
“Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation,” he told People. “It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it. This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.
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Originally published July 24, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
