Hogan knows heartbreak
As you've probably heard by now, Hulk Hogan is back on the market. This is not his choice of course, the 54-year-old wrestling legend was recently served divorce papers by wife of 25 years, Linda.
Hogan -- real name Terry Bollea -- is reportedly shattered by his marriage's demise, the latest setback for the reality TV star. As a kid who grew up on the WWF in the late 80s and early 90s and actually paid money to see Suburban Commando in theaters, I was kind of bummed by the news.
It seems more than a little suspect that the recent downturn in Hogan's fortune has happened in concurrence with his popular VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best. After all, marriage woes are only the latest in a series of setbacks to befall the Hogan clan. This month, Hogan's 17-year-old son, Nick, was hit with criminal charges in the street racing accident that left the passenger in his Toyota Supra brain dead. Meanwhile, the elder Hogan has been the driving force in attempting to get his 19-year-old daughter's recording career off the ground. Brooke Hogan has achieved none of the critical or commercial success that her father envisioned, but has nonetheless become an easy target of bloggers across the Internet. Her ominously titled 2006 album Undiscovered stiffed, despite a lead single buttressed by famed Houston rapper Paul Wall.
In truth, Hogan has taken a perilous road in American entertainment on two levels. Scores of his wrestling contemporaries have met early demises due to the mental and physical rigors of the gig. The Chris Benoit tragedy finally provided a spotlight on what has been a serious problem in the industry for years ... humans simply aren't built to endure the non-stop schedule of a professional wrestler. It's a truth that has WWE chairman Vince McMahon's hands covered in blood. Hogan survived a long career in the ring only to become a prime figure in the world of reality television, an industry famous for tearing apart the relationships that it documents. Whether or not Hogan realized this when he signed the dotted line is irrelevant now. He was chewed up and spit out by a fly on the wall.
No, this isn't a story about how reality television is destroying the moral compass of America. But it has done what Andre the Giant, the Iron Shiek, Sgt. Slaughter and countless other heels couldn't.
It destroyed Hulk Hogan.
Hogan -- real name Terry Bollea -- is reportedly shattered by his marriage's demise, the latest setback for the reality TV star. As a kid who grew up on the WWF in the late 80s and early 90s and actually paid money to see Suburban Commando in theaters, I was kind of bummed by the news.
It seems more than a little suspect that the recent downturn in Hogan's fortune has happened in concurrence with his popular VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best. After all, marriage woes are only the latest in a series of setbacks to befall the Hogan clan. This month, Hogan's 17-year-old son, Nick, was hit with criminal charges in the street racing accident that left the passenger in his Toyota Supra brain dead. Meanwhile, the elder Hogan has been the driving force in attempting to get his 19-year-old daughter's recording career off the ground. Brooke Hogan has achieved none of the critical or commercial success that her father envisioned, but has nonetheless become an easy target of bloggers across the Internet. Her ominously titled 2006 album Undiscovered stiffed, despite a lead single buttressed by famed Houston rapper Paul Wall.
In truth, Hogan has taken a perilous road in American entertainment on two levels. Scores of his wrestling contemporaries have met early demises due to the mental and physical rigors of the gig. The Chris Benoit tragedy finally provided a spotlight on what has been a serious problem in the industry for years ... humans simply aren't built to endure the non-stop schedule of a professional wrestler. It's a truth that has WWE chairman Vince McMahon's hands covered in blood. Hogan survived a long career in the ring only to become a prime figure in the world of reality television, an industry famous for tearing apart the relationships that it documents. Whether or not Hogan realized this when he signed the dotted line is irrelevant now. He was chewed up and spit out by a fly on the wall.
No, this isn't a story about how reality television is destroying the moral compass of America. But it has done what Andre the Giant, the Iron Shiek, Sgt. Slaughter and countless other heels couldn't.
It destroyed Hulk Hogan.
posted by Dan Hanzus at 10:10 AM
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