Mark Henry: I Can’t Defend Hulk Hogan After Racial Remarks
Hulk Hogan’s legacy in wrestling was forever tainted when racist comments came to light in 2015, prompting a swift firing from WWE. While Hogan was rehired three years later, many never moved past from his racist comments, resulting in mixed responses at events for the rest of his life.
Much has been said about Hogan’s comments by fans and those within the industry. Speaking on TMZ’s The Real Hulk Hogan documentary, Mark Henry made clear why he couldn’t back his fellow Hall of Famer.
“He said, in his words, that he was a racist. Why would I sit here and try to defend somebody that tells you who they were?”
Hogan’s words “hurt” Henry who in the video shared that he “used to love that dude” and “wanted to be like” Hogan for much of his life. After the racist remarks came to light, Henry, who was with WWE at the time, shared with Vince McMahon how Hogan could make amends.
“I told Vince McMahon, if y’all want this to go away, I know how to fix it. We should do a black college tour at Morehouse and Prairie View and hit the circuit.”
McMahon rejected the idea, telling Henry “I’ve been advised not to talk about it no more.” McMahon also appears in the doc, in which he argues that Hogan was not a racist, despite his comments. In the infamous video, Hogan said that “I am a racist, to a point” before using a slur about black people.
While fans have honored Hogan since his passing, the hurt his words caused continue to be felt. For Mark Henry and many more, the idea that people should ignore what Hogan said because he has died is simply not possible.
