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According to Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan was going through a difficult time in his life when he was recorded making racist remarks.
In 2015, Hogan was fired by WWE after audio emerged of him using racist language in a clip from 2008. The wrestling legend was also removed from the WWE Hall of Fame before being reinstated three years later.
Bischoff, Hogan's former boss in WCW, spoke about his long-time friend in a recent WSI interview. He acknowledged that the 69-year-old is "flawed" and has made some "f****d-up mistakes." However, he refuses to believe that those comments represent Hogan as a person:
"In that period of time, he had a lapse of judgment and said things that aren't a reflection of who Hulk Hogan is at all," Bischoff said. "They're a reflection of a broken, overly medicated, alcohol-fueled, desperate person at the lowest point in his life. And of all the critics that were so vociferous in their criticism of Hulk Hogan, I would like them to ask themselves what they think they would be like in that situation." [9:08 – 9:43]
Many people's view of Hogan changed after the audio recording was leaked. In 2021, the six-time WWE Champion even received boos while hosting WrestleMania 37.
Eric Bischoff explains how Hulk Hogan's life was falling apart
The former WCW executive added that Hulk Hogan was "medicated like a horse" at the time due to his back issues. He believes the medication "would probably have killed most people" because the pain was so severe. Hogan was also going through a divorce with his ex-wife Linda.
Bischoff used to get emotional when he saw how much the former WWE Superstar struggled to complete basic daily tasks:
"Let's add on top of that, his wife was divorcing him. He was losing his wife, he was losing his home, he was losing his identity as Hulk Hogan, and he was self-medicating on top of the medication that he absolutely needed, by the way. I was there. I saw it. It sometimes brought tears to my eyes when I would see him struggle even to get in and out of a vehicle." [8:09 – 8:35]
Wrestling icon Ric Flair recently gave an update on Hogan's health. He said his former in-ring rival is "doing well" and his back is "a little better" after multiple surgeries.
What are your thoughts on Hogan? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
