CNN Newsroom, hosted by Brooke Baldwin, covered the Hulk Hogan saga today with a segment that lasted around 5 minutes.
First CNN ran a video report saying Hogan got a smackdown from WWE and recapped the whole story of the legal battle with Gawker. They then showed the apology that Hogan gave to PEOPLE Magazine last week.
Baldwin then introduced Dave Meltzer, the editor of the Wrestling Observer, to the show who was joining live from his home in San Jose, California. Meltzer said that Hulk Hogan is pretty much the most recognizable name in professional wrestling of this generation and has been a major party of the industry for the past 35 years and in some ways he’s bigger than the industry itself.
When asked how the reaction has been from fans and celebrities, Meltzer said it’s a mix with negative comments from those who were hurt and those celebrities who will always support him. Meltzer said that Hogan has been in big trouble throughout his life and always came back although this will prove to be his toughest test ever.
Meltzer added that it’s a huge deal both for Hogan and WWE and Hogan now loses the ability to film commercials and endorse products since no one wants to be associated with him. The fact that he admitted that he’s racist will be tough to come back from.
Before ending the segment, Baldwin asked Meltzer who is the biggest name in pro wrestling now. Meltzer said that overall, The Rock is, however when it comes to full time wrestling, John Cena is the king.
