TUES. UPDATE: Hulk Hogan’s homophobic comments
by David Bixenspan | davidbix@wrestlingobserver.com | Follow @davidbix
Tonight:
* Tough Enough at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA Network has the unveiling of the new judge to replace Hulk Hogan.
* Total Divas at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on E! has a nw episode titled “Divas on Overdrive.” While the Divas are on their way to their next arena, things get out of control when Paige leaves Alicia behind for a new man, Nattie ends up infuriating her husband when she can’t give no for an answer and Nikki accuses Bryan of not liking her.
* Please send reports from the WWE SmackDown/Main Event tapings to newstips@wrestlingobserver.com.
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The newest issue of Figure Four Weekly is up on the site for subscribers (subscribe here) with a feature story looking at WWE’s firing of Hulk Hogan and how it relates to all of the litigation with Gawker including:
* How Hogan’s racist comments and the set of sex tapes his tirade was part of tied into the FBI investigating someone attempting to extort money from Hogan.
* How long it’s been known that something like this could come out.
* Gawker alluding to the idea that the FBI was helping Hogan cover up these statements.
* Where The National Enquirer and Radar Onlne could have sourced the story from.
And much more. Plus, as always, we have all of the usual reviews and international news.
Also, now available for the first time on Kindle (meaning Kindle devices and anything with the Kindle app) is Fall Guys, the seminal 1937 book that has been described as being like the 1930s version of the Wrestling Observer. It was surprisingly not on Kindle already, so we put together a nice version with a full table of contents w/ chapter marks, proper formatting on everything, etc. Right now it’s available from the American, Canadian, and Australian Amazon/Kindle stores OR you can also buy it from anywhere in the world on PayHip, who will provide you with both Kindle and ePub (every other e-reader) format files, and you can either sideload them to your device or have them email it to your Kindle.
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The return of the Undertaker and build to SummerSlam, Battleground coverage, the rise of NXT and situation with ROH, the G-1 Climax tournament and some major UFC stories are the major stories in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The latest Wrestling Observer: July 27, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: The Undertaker returns at Battleground, NXT/ROH insanity with Liger booking
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Tuesday Daily Update
— The National Enquirer and Radar Online released more quotes from one of the Hulk Hogan/Heather Cole-Clem sex tapes today, this time focusing on homophoic comments from Hogan:
“VH1 wanted me to do a big thing and go back to the house I grew up in. So we knock on the door, and a big f*g lives there now! […]This half gay was enamored with Linda.”
Later, when Bubba the Love Sponge Clem entered the room, Hogan made an interesting request of Bubba:”Dude, the only thing I will ever ask of you…I don’t know how you will pull this off…is, if I am ever on my death bed, you cannot let Linda come and visit me.” This was at least several months before Linda filed for divorced, something Hogan claimed to be blindisded by at the time.
There’s also an aside about not having to sell their home in Las Vegas if he and Linda get divorced and how “Cecile [Barker, the “black billionaire” he ranted about earlier] will buy it and give it back to me after the divorce!” Barker’s company is Sobe Entertainment, which also backed Paul “Big Show” Wight’s 2007 attempt at a boxing career that he gave up on when he went back to WWE in 2008. Sobe sued in 2009 and the case is still ongoing.
— Thankfully, Hogan has been off Twitter since yesterday.
— WWE announced Alicia Fox as having suffered a mild concussion, which may be the first time they’ve done that since they increased secrecy in light of the various concussion-centered lawsuits.
— Meanwhile, WWE Medical Director and Pittsburgh Steelers neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon is in hot water for writing a paper downlplaying how big a problem Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is without disclosing his cnflicts of interest with WWE and the NFL.
— In addition to AAA revealing Hugo Savinovich and Matt Striker as the English announcing team for TripleMania, they announced a new match in the form of Blue Demon and La Parka vs. El Mesias and Electro Shock, with the idea that it celebrates Demon’s 30th year in the business.
–CM Punk and Colt Cabana are both on “Maron” this Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on IFC. There are video previews on IFC’s website.
— Speaking of Cabana, he’s going to be in Scotland for most of August as part of the Comedy portion of the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh as well as working various indie wrestling dates. See his full schedule on his website.
— David Whitley of the Orlando Sun-Sentinel wrote an opinion piece praising WWE for how they handled the Hogan situation.