UPDATEDx9: Hulk Hogan Apparently Gone From WWE Over Racist Rant — George Foreman Defends Hogan

UPDATE 9: Add George Foreman to the people coming out to defend Hogan in the wake of his racial tirade scandal. TMZ asked Foreman about the situation and Foreman said he doesn’t believe the wrestling legend is racist.

“I have known Hulk Hogan for well over 20 years,” Foreman said. “I do not condone the language he used, but he is no racist, he is a good guy…He is a friend of mine. We have hung out together and we have even been in the ring together. I consider him a friend.”

UPDDATE 8: TMZ has updated its story with comments from former WCW and WWE Superstar Virgil, who has come to Hogan’s defense and says he does not believe Hogan is racist. Virgil says he was saddened when he read about Hulk Hogan’s comments on the tape and said he does not condone racism or racist behavior.

However, he stated on Hogan, “You can only judge a person based on past experience. Hulk Hogan has never given me a reason to believe he is a racist.”

UPDATE 7: PWInsider has a report on how WWE is handling the current fallout of the Hulk Hogan situation with its licensees and promotional partners. According to the report, WWE has told all of its licensees and partners that they currently work with that all references, images and all current licensing projects involving Hulk Hogan have to be dropped immediately.

This would includes projects involving action figures, streaming music or anything Hulk Hogan related under the WWE umbrella. Those projects have been terminated and/or are in the process of getting terminated as we speak.

UPDATE 6: Hulk Hogan has issued an apology for the offensive language he used in a sex tape years ago. He told TMZ the following:

“Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it.”

“I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs. It is not who I am. I continue to work every day to improve as a person, and this matter is an important learning experience for me in that regard.”

TMZ adds that the part of the sex tape in question featuring Hogan’s racist rant is expected to come out later this year when the Hogan/Gawker lawsuit goes to trial.
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UPDATE 5: As of writing this, TNA has not yet pulled Hulk Hogan off of its alumni page. His merchandise is also still available on ShopTNA.

Credit: PWInsider

UPDATE 4: Hogan’s attorney told TMZ that Hogan was not fired but resigned from WWE late last night.

UPDATE 3: RadarOnline.com has released a report on the developing Hulk Hogan scandal. The alleged racist statements by Hulk Hogan were reportedly made in his unauthorized sex tape with Heather Clem, the ex-wife of Hogan’s former friend Bubba “The Love Sponge.”

The reported vulgar and racist statements were apparently directed at his daughter Brooke, who he accused of sleeping with a black man. Hogan is quoted as saying the following:

”She is making some real bad decisions now. My daughter Brooke jumped sides on me. I spent $2-3 million on her music career, I’ve done everything like a jackass for her. The one option Brooke had, Brooke’s career besides me, is [to] sell beach records.”” They claim Hogan was mad because a “black billionaire guy” had offered to fund her music career. They then quoted Hogan as saying, “I don’t know if Brooke was f*****g the black guy’s son. I mean, I don’t have double standards. I mean, I am a racist, to a point, f*****g n*****s. But then when it comes to nice people and s***, and whatever.”” They claim he later said, “I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f*** some n*****, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n***** worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player! I guess we’re all a little racist. F*****g n*****.”

The transcripts of the tape were filed in a Florida Court and sealed in order to prevent them from ever being released publicly. However, the contents of the tape still came out from “five independent sources.” RadarOnline is also promising “more” from the tapes to come later on.

UPDATE 2: WWE has now confirmed to 411mania that it has in fact severed ties with Hulk Hogan and provided us with an official statement on the matter. WWE has terminated its contract with Hogan, and the rest of the statement suggests there is legitimacy to the claims of Hogan making some overtly racist statement. You can read WWE’s full statement on the issue below:

“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.”

UPDATE 1: More details are starting to come in regarding this story with Hulk Hogan allegedly making racist statements. PWInsider reports that The National Enquirer claims to have the tapes of Hulk Hogan making repeated racist statements. Those tapes were shared with WWE, which led to the company distancing itself from Hogan and removing references of him from the official website. The offending tapes will reportedly be released later today.

In addition, The Huffington Post has reported on some more rumored details on Hogan’s rant, which suggest that the statements that have gotten Hogan in trouble may have something to do with The Rock. Sources claim to have seen the transcripts of the audio tapes, where he refers to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in racist terms. Currently, The Rock is one of Hollywood’s top stars, and he is still on very good terms with WWE.

Journalist Marc Lamont Hill has claimed to have seen the transcripts of the audio of Hogan’s rant and posted the following on Twitter:

I haven't gotten confirmed audio yet, but the transcripts that I've seen have Hogan calling The Rock the "N-word" and "sambo" among others.

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 24, 2015

Hulk Hogan is the iconic wrestling figure of the 20th century, perhaps the biggest ever. For the WWE to disappear him is a BIG DEAL.

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) July 24, 2015

After this story broke, a video of an interview with Hulk Hogan using the “n-word” has been re-circulated online. The interview aired on Eminem’s Sirius XM hip-hop channel Shade 45. You can check out a video of the interview below. Keep in mind, the interview is from 2012, and appears to not be the one that has gotten Hogan in trouble for this latest incident.

ORIGINAL: Hulk Hogan appears to be gone from WWE. Late Thursday night, the company removed all references to Hogan from WWE.com. This includes, in a rare stroke, his profile in the WWE Hall of Fame section of the page. He is also no longer listed among the judges for Tough Enough, nor is his merchandise available in WWEShop.com.

According to the Wrestling Observer, a source has indicated that Curtis Axel’s “Axelmania” gimmick has also been dropped immediately, and that WWE.com’s staff was told to remove every reference to Hogan as quickly as possible. As recently as the end of Smackdown, there were still references to Hogan on the main page.

In possibly-related news, Hogan posted the following, rather vague affirmation to his Twitter account late last night:

In the storm I release control,God and his Universe will sail me where he wants me to be,one love. HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) July 24, 2015

There is a lot of unconfirmed speculation going around as to the reason. As soon as we know more, we’ll bring you up to speed.