Ever since word of Hulk Hogan's extremely racist rant hit the newswire this morning, wrestling fans have been waiting for two things: Hogan's apology (which dropped rather quickly) and word of any WWE talent making comments about it. But with the WWE's preemptive scrubbing of Hogan's likeness from their website, it's safe to assume they'd rather their talent not speak out about this, for PR reasons.
Or maybe they were just waiting for Booker T—who is one of the coaches on WWE Tough Enough, the show Hogan was just fired from—to speak up.
As many of you probably know, Booker T became a permanent meme when he let the N-word slip during a promo interview at WCW's Spring Stampede 1997 while saying he and his brother Stevie Ray were "coming for" Hogan. If you've never seen it before, here it is:
Judging by his body language, you could tell that he didn't realize what he was saying (in subsequent interviews, Booker T talked about being caught up in the moment and using language that he'd use "in the neighborhood, loosely"), but he was ultimately embarrassed, to the point where he thought he would be blackballed from the professional wrestling business after the ordeal. Years later, both Booker T and Stevie Ray say that Hogan smoothed things over, even joking about being a "good n-word."
Almost two decades later, it's only right that Booker T, who has had dealings with Hogan and the N-word, be one of the first to speak out about news that's rocked not just the image of Hogan in the professional wrestling world but in the mainstream as well. Booker kept it honest about the Spring Stampede promo, Hogan's rant, and his views on the N-word today in a series of tweets:
20 years ago I made a huge mistake by saying something I shouldn't have on National TV.
It's 2015 and the n-word should be eradicated from the English language in my opinion.
I am shocked by the statements made by Hulk Hogan. It's unfortunate, but that's something that he's going to have to deal with.
Only time will tell if any of the other current WWE Superstars will join Booker T and share their thoughts on this situation. Stay tuned.
[via Wrestlezone]
