Latest news with #WorldChampionshipWrestling
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Actor Lou Diamond Phillips added to Winnipeg Comiccon roster
Actors Lou Diamond Phillips, Ron Perlman and wrestler Sting have been added to the lineup of Winnipeg Comiccon 2025. Phillips and Perlman are both veteran actors with numerous movie and television appearances to their names. Phillips starred in La Bamba, Young Guns and Longmire, among others, while Perlman made his name in series such as Beauty and the Beast and Sons of Anarchy, along with playing the title role in the Hellboy movies. Sting started wrestling in 1985 and officially retired last year. He is best known for his time in the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) leagues and held more than two dozen championship titles during his career. Winnipeg Comiccon's Artist Alley will feature Jim Starlin (Dreadstar, Batman: A Death in the Family), Brianna June (Archie) and John Gallagher (Baldur's Gate series, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic) and more still to be announced. This year's convention is Oct. 24-26 at the RBC Convention Centre. Tickets range from $70 for a three-day pass to $215 for VIP access at Winnipeg Comiccon was launched in 2019 and includes a market, artist appearances, celebrity interviews and autograph sessions. — staff
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Why does Black Twitter hate Hulk Hogan?: All about the controversy that cost him his WWE career
Image credits: X Hulk Hogan , born Terry Gene Bollea, was a popular American wrestler known for his theatrics that transformed professional wrestling into a family entertainment game. He started a pop culture phenomenon called "Hulkamania" after defeating the Iron Sheik for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1984, and his signature look of a bandana and handlebar moustache is still followed by fans worldwide. The 71-year-old was best known for his work with WWE and World Championship Wrestling. On July 24th, 2025, Hogan was pronounced dead at his home in Clearwater, Florida, due to a cardiac arrest. Image credits: X While the media personality and wrestler was loved by fans of the sport and his theatrics in general, there is a section of people who are celebrating the legend's death. Black Twitter, a cultural identity on Twitter (now X), highlighted Black voices and perspectives. People part of the community and Black people in general have been celebrating Hulk Hogan's death with posts on X, such as "Satan about to have his way with you, "brother'." The post mentioned has received 144.7K views with 4K likes. "Me understanding this tweet with a straight face knowing what I know," commented an X user under the post. "Cackling 😆😆😆" and "I'm tired of liking these tweets man," added others. Why is it so? Let's figure it out below! Why does Black Twitter hate Hulk Hogan? Image credits: X While Hogan is one of the most popular and respected WWE wrestlers, in 2015, not only was he removed from the WWE Hall of Fame, but his contract was even suspended by WWE. The wrestler was facing major backlash and protest after a transcript revealed him using racist language during a conversation. The audio was a part of a 2007 sex tape involving him and Heather Clem, wife of his friend Bubba the Love Sponge. It was leaked in 2012 and was made public as a part of his legal battle with Gawker Media. Hogan could be heard repeatedly using the N-word and making racially offensive comments about his daughter Brooke's life, sharing his anger and discomfort as she was dating a Black man. Not only did Hogan face criticism from the Black community and his followers, but as per People and other outlets at the time, WWE said that it was "committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds." Additionally, at the same time, Bay News 9 uncovered racist comments from 2008 jailhouse phone calls between Hogan and his son Nick, who was serving time for a car crash that left a friend permanently disabled. In one of such calls, he was heard using the N-word and making stereotypical remarks about race, adding insult to injury. As an apology for his behaviour Hogan released a public statement, saying: "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. This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs." As for his lawsuit with Gawker, it culminated in a $140 million jury award, which was later settled for $31 million. While he was reinstated in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018, Hogan's actions seem to have left a permanent mark on the Black community.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Hulk Hogan's Villain Turn Changed Pro Wrestling
By the time Bash at the Beach, World Championship Wrestling's pay-per-view tournament, rolled around in July 1996, Hulk Hogan, the wrestling persona of Terry Gene Bollea, was a known quantity. In the public eye, the character was a Force for Good, a 'Real American,' as his theme song put it. He told kids to take their vitamins. He used his bulging muscles and signature leg drop move to slay 'evil' forces, like the Iron Sheik and Andre the Giant. His popularity helped propel wrestling from a niche form of entertainment to the center of mainstream culture, making Hogan a star and a profit machine far beyond the ring. And then, giving a body slam to his carefully curated all-American image, Hogan initiated one of the most shocking plot twists in pop culture history: He became a bad guy. It was a momentous event in the trajectory of sports entertainment, and for Hogan, who died on Thursday at 71. As Danny McDonald, the owner of the Monster Factory wrestling school in Paulsboro, N.J., described it in an interview, it was a swerve on par with Darth Vader informing Luke Skywalker of his true parentage in 'The Empire Strikes Back.' At the time, W.C.W. was the top competitor to the World Wrestling Federation, which would later become World Wrestling Entertainment. This was the era of what became known as the Monday Night Wars, when W.C.W.'s top program, 'Monday Nitro,' on TNT went head-to-head against the W.W.F.'s 'Monday Night Raw' on the USA Network. Both were among the top-rated programs on cable. Hogan was W.C.W.'s top star, having defected from the W.W.F. in 1994 after an effort to ride his crossover appeal to a Hollywood acting career didn't take off. When Hogan signed, he was given a rare power: creative control over the character. He could win or lose as he pleased. But 'Hulkamania' was waning, especially as the W.W.F. became embroiled in a steroid scandal. In 1995, as Hogan was filming the movie 'Santa With Muscles,' W.C.W.'s top executive, Eric Bischoff, pitched him on the idea of 'turning heel' — becoming a performer fans root against. 'Like anything else, the new-car smell wears off, and the new car just isn't as much fun to drive anymore,' Bischoff said in an interview. 'And everybody was sensing that, including Hulk, obviously, and obviously myself.' At first, Hogan said no, Bischoff said. But in 1996, two other W.W.F. stars left for W.C.W.: Kevin Nash, a towering, bulky seven-footer, and Scott Hall, who portrayed the villainous Razor Ramon. Bischoff concocted a story line painting Nash and Hall as 'invaders' of W.C.W., with a mysterious third man on the way. ''Third Man' is the second element of a five-element story line I refer to as SARSAP,' Bischoff said. 'Story. Anticipation. Reality. Surprise. And action. Action, in this case, was the payoff.' Bischoff initially wanted Sting, another popular good-guy wrestler portrayed by Steve Borden, to do it. But Hogan was suddenly interested, and pitched himself. Diamond Dallas Page, a W.C.W. performer and a close friend of Bischoff's, recalled his reaction when the promoter told him about Hogan's intentions. 'I go, 'Oh my god,'' Page said in an interview. ''That will do exactly what it did.'' Hogan was famously mercurial, and up until the night of the Bash at the Beach tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla., it was unclear if he would even show up. The main event featured Lex Luger, Sting and Randy 'Macho Man' Savage (the good guys) against Hall, Nash and Mystery Man (the heels). But Hogan entered the ring, sending the crowd into a frenzy. That lasted about 30 seconds, until he executed his signature leg drop not on one of the heels, but on a fallen Savage, leaving the announcers to shout about his betrayal. After some more leg drops, Hogan embraced Hall and Nash, and announced that the three were forming the group New World Order. Hogan then took the microphone and addressed the fans. 'For two years I held my head high,' Hogan said. 'I did everything for the charities. I did everything for the kids. And the reception I got when I came out here, you fans can stick it, brother.' This kind of radical shift for a character was unusual. Hogan began to wear black and white instead of red and yellow. Jeremiah James, a theater director and a writer of a pro wrestling play called 'The Last Match,' described it as a 'shock to the system.' 'To see him come down thinking that he's going to save Macho Man and Lex, it was going to be this grand moment,' he said in an interview. 'To see turn him heel, it defied logic.' Page, who was backstage when Hogan showed up, said, 'It was like saying there was no more Santa Claus.' 'The phone lines lit up for weeks afterward' as parents called to complain 'because Hulk had turned heel,' he said. It crushed children.' Hogan's heel turn changed pro wrestling. For one thing, Bischoff said, it shifted the industry to target older viewers. 'I saw that the 18-to-49-year-old demo was an under-serviced demographic,' he said. 'Wrestling wasn't satisfying that demo.' For another, it shifted how the next generation of sports entertainers developed their characters. As McDonald said: 'You couldn't get away with the 'Hey, everybody, I'm fighting for you! You guys are great!' Well, they heard that, and that guy stabbed them in the back.' New World Order, stylized as n.W.o., became one of the most popular, and reviled, groups in pro wrestling. It inspired future heel turns by superstars like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena. It became enough of a pop culture sensation that the N.B.A. stars Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone performed with the group. Today, n.W.o.'s T-shirts are still visible at pro wrestling events. Eventually, in part because of Hogan's creative meddling. the n.W.o. story line lost luster with fans and W.C.W. collapsed. (The W.W.F. acquired it in 2001.) Hogan's public standing suffered in the last decade, in part because of a recording of him using racial slurs that surfaced in 2015, as well as his more recent support of President Trump. Hogan was booed in his last W.W.E. appearance earlier this year. Even so, the villain switch revived a career that was on the ropes and pushed professional wrestling to new heights. 'It was the definitive moment in wrestling history,' James said.
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Hulk Hogan was an icon. Terry Bollea was a mess.
Terry Bollea was Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan was not Terry Bollea. That's what we're left to grapple with upon the news Bollea -- best known as professional wrestling icon and six-time WWE world champion Hulk Hogan -- died at age 71. Hogan was an inspiration. A real life superhero. A pile of muscles stacked upon muscles who fought for justice and freedom powered by prayers and vitamins. Bollea, on the other hand, was something else. His life and the icon he created became so intertwined it became unclear, even to Bollea himself, where the person stopped and the wrestler began. One thing was clear. Hogan, the superstar, was simple. He stuck to a script. His matches mostly played out the same way. When he did change things up, he only became more powerful. His surprising heel turn (from a good guy to a bad one) birthed "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and made World Championship Wrestling (WCW) the biggest promotion in the world for a stretch. It's one of the biggest moments in wrestling history. Bollea, the person, was complex. He was messy. When he made changes in his personal life, they typically showcased someone insecure and lacking the strength he projected on the world. He was, by his own admission (in a sex tape lawsuit that would eventually take down a media conglomerate), "a racist." He was anti-union and exceedingly selfish. He used his position atop the then-WWF and the since-shuttered WCW to hold other potential stars back and keep his place at the top of the food chain in a business where every bump is real but the outcomes remain predetermined. He once apparently blamed a traumatic injury caused by his son's reckless driving on God's intervention for the victim's behavior. He threatened to body slam a female presidential candidate. He went on the Arsenio Hall Show to deny taking steroids, then admitted his steroid use when his boss, Vince McMahon, was forced to stand trial for allegedly supplying the drugs to his locker room (McMahon was acquitted). You could make a book out of the totally inconsequential lies Hogan told over the years. One man turned it into a Twitter thread that scrolled at least 61 tweets deep. It's remarkable Bollea and Hogan were separate entities in the public eye for so long. Only recently did everything outside the ring finally catch up to "The Immortal." Hogan had his WWE contract terminated in 2015 after his racist comments leaked to the world. He was still welcomed back three years later to host the company's Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia and later hosted WrestleMania. He only really felt blowback from the fans earlier this year, when his appearance on Monday Night Raw's Netflix debut with longtime manager Jimmy Hart was met with boos -- "go-away heat," in wrestling parlance -- from the Los Angeles crowd. Bollea received second, third, fourth, fifth, etc chances because he understood his business. He created a legend. Hulk Hogan in the ring was a sword, but in the real world he was a shield. Bollea could be a conniving, lying politician and self-described racist behind the scenes, but when his music hit -- and it's great music, even if Bollea (who once told the world he was nearly Metallica's bassist) doesn't play a lick of it -- he was a hero. He persisted long enough that kids who grew up idolizing him could tell their kids about him, and then their *grandkids.* He mostly played these dual roles like a virtuoso. Terry Bollea was the problem. Hulk Hogan was the solution. He was a brand so trustworthy you could slap his image on anything -- blenders, beer, even fast food pasta restaurants at the Mall of America. The problem was, like Hogan, once you drilled past the surface there was something different underneath. Something that failed to live up to the superhero we were promised. Now the man is gone, leaving the superhero to live on unabated. Terry Bollea has died. Hulk Hogan will live on for years. Whether he's a hero or a villain with hinge entirely on your ability to separate the two.
Metro
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
WWE fans raging over icon's 'disgraceful' retirement speech after 28-year career
Wrestling legend Goldberg had his last match this weekend butWWE fans were left furious over the way his retirement was handled. The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) icon stepped in the ring for the final time at Saturday Night's Main Event as he challenged GUNTHER for the World Heavyweight Championship. As many fans expected, the Ring General beat Goldberg to continue his run, as the former world champ continued the wrestling tradition of retiring with a loss. However, some timing issues with US network NBC meant his post-match retirement speech didn't go to plan. The broadcaster cut to an ad break, returning to Goldberg in the ring with other legends, family and friends, as Michael Cole handed him the microphone. However, after just a few words, the final credits appeared on screen and the show was taken off air just before 3am UK time, with viewers watching on YouTube around the world also impacted. The event finished when it was meant to, but fans were livid that there wasn't an overrun on NBC to give Goldberg his full moment. 'There's no way they just cut off while Goldberg was giving his farewell speech?! What an absolute disgrace,' ranted @F1_ootball on X. And @CockneyCharmer complained: 'Christ…they cut to an ad break which misses all of Goldberg's farewell speech with his friends and family in the ring and then even before he finishes his speech….the event closes on him mid sentence FFS.' 'That was complete injustice for Goldberg. Cut off during his final speech to the crowd. Absolutely disgusted,' added @Later4k80, while @lucarosano3 said: 'Lol they just cut off Goldberg during his farewell speech. The disrespect.' 'First off, I don't think I've ever lost here in Atlanta, so I do apologise for going out a little sub par. I've got over a hundred friends and family that came over from all over the world,' Goldberg told the fans in an emtouonal moment. 'The fans in Atalanta have been absolutely wonderful. I love you, I couldn't have done it without you!' Unfortunately for viewers watching at home, NBC's feed was cut in the moment, meaning fans will have to wait until WWE uploads the full footage online. Although the speech didn't go as they'd hope, fans heaped praise on Goldberg's match with GUNTHER, and praised the Austrian star for helping the legend to one of his greatest ever performances. More Trending 'Did Goldberg just have his best match as his last? Gunther continues to be a Living Legend,' wrote @JPJLovesGaming, while fellow X user @stephamiee said: 'Goldberg's best match of his whole career.' Others agreed and hailed the bout as 'the best Goldberg match' they've ever seen, and a fitting final chapter. View More » Netflix is the home of WWE in the UK. Saturday Night's Main Event is available to rewatch on YouTube. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Grammy-winning singer carried out of arena after getting 'knocked loose' by WWE star MORE: Tearful WWE and AEW star Adam Cole, 36, teases retirement for health reasons MORE: You can finally binge the crime show 'the internet should be screaming about'
