Eric Bischoff Admits WWE HOFer Hulk Hogan 'Lost Sight Sometimes Of Who Terry [Bollea] Was'

In the era of pro wrestling where characters were larger-than-life, there was an overwhelming pressure for wrestlers to maintain their personas outside of the ring. Without social media, many became lost in their characters.

Hulk Hogan was one of WWE's biggest stars for years, with a persona larger than most of the roster. However, according to Eric Bischoff, he often lost sight of who Terry Bollea was beneath the gimmick. 

"He was in character all the time," he said during an appearance on "Planet Tyrus." Bischoff explained that Hogan would go out into public knowing he had to be 'The Hulkster,' and when he'd be approached, he was never Terry Bollea. "He lived it. And, over time, I think he lost sight sometimes of who Terry was and who Hulk was."

Recalling the documentary made about Hogan after his passing, Bischoff stated that anyone watching will get glimpses of Terry Bollea, which he believes was important for fans to see. Tyrus then weighed in, recalling the many controversies that Hogan was involved in, while praising the late veteran for always owning the worst parts of himself. 

"He didn't blame every mistake [on someone else], he told it like it was. He wasn't perfect; he didn't always say the right thing," he said. "Who the f*** does?" 

Tyrus emphasized that, unlike the average person, Hogan constantly had to contend with the possibility of being recorded, despite being human like everyone else. "He could have made a lot of excuses. No one would've interrupted him if he blamed 'this one' and 'this one,'" Tyrus noted.

One of the most damaging controversies of Hulk Hogan's career erupted when a leaked recording of him going on a racially explicit tirade leaked. Hogan repeatedly shouted the 'N-word' on a call in response to his daughter dating a Black man at the time, resulting in WWE distancing themselves from him and even removing him from all their media for three years.

Tyrus, a Black American wrestler himself, addressed the leaked recording and urged people to show empathy toward Hogan. 

"Man, if you would have – if I would have put myself in that situation, and I was that upset going through what he was going through, I probably would have said something very stupid and similar because that's what we do," he said. "The difference is: he owned it. He sincerely apologized and he owned it. And that to me was the greatest strength of any man!"

Hogan's final years were marked by increased political involvement and a public baptism, commenting on Hogan's faith in the end, Tyrus believes that the 'Hulkster' was genuine. 

"Everyone falls. No one can be Jesus," Tyrus lamented. "But I just felt like, although he was gone way too soon, after watching that [documentary], I felt like he had everything in order."

Additionally, Tyrus emphasized that he doesn't want wrestlers to be measured by their race and instead by whether they're good or not, expressing that someone like Booker T should be considered a great wrestler and not a great Black wrestler.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Planet Tyrus," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.