WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry appeared in TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan, the FOX network’s new documentary on the life and career of Hulk Hogan, and spoke candidly about the racist remarks Hogan made in a 2007 sex tape that surfaced publicly in 2015.
Henry, who grew up idolizing Hogan, recalled how deeply the revelations affected him. “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? It hurt. It hurt. I grew up watching the dude. I used to love that dude. I wanted to be like him. It hurts.”
Henry revealed that he offered both Hogan and Vince McMahon a suggestion on how to make amends. “I told him then, and 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. Go and talk to them and be honest with your apology. He was like, ‘I’ve been advised not to talk about it no more.’ I said, ‘I think that’s bad advice.’”
Despite the controversy, Henry acknowledged Hogan’s monumental role in shaping professional wrestling. “Absolutely not,” Henry said when asked if wrestling would be the same without Hogan. “Hogan was able to show people the template of what it takes to entertain people. Regardless of his shortcomings, it didn’t make him less of a wrestler. It didn’t make him less of an entertainer. It’s never going to take away from his greatness.”
