Latest news with #WrestlemaniaIII
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
How Hulk Hogan's sex tape lawsuit bankrupted media company Gawker
Hulk Hogan's victory against Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III in 1987 has long been considered the greatest of his wrestling career. But as influential as body slamming the 500-pound Giant was, in real life terms, it pales in comparison to the impact of Hogan's civil suit against Gawker for publishing a video of him having sex with his best friend's wife. Here's what happened, including the role of Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. Hogan, 71, died on Thursday (July 25). An unsavoury video Gawker was a news and gossip website founded by Nick Denton in 2002 with the goal of 'being a snarky insidery blog with a focus on New York City and a long satirical streak,' according to an article by The New York Times. Over the years, Gawker developed a reputation for publishing provocative content, which frequently violated copyrights and privacy, or was illegally obtained. It was one such video that would lead to its eventual downfall. In 2007, Gawker obtained a copy of a secretly recorded sex tape, which featured Hulk Hogan having sex with Heather Clem, the wife of his then-best friend, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Bubba had himself filmed the video in secret but it is yet unclear how the video was leaked to Gawker. In 2012, after Gawker published nine seconds of sexually-explicit footage, Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against the outlet. Hogan claimed that the sex tape was filmed without his consent even though the encounter itself was consensual. He even told radio host Howard Stern that the coupling received 'Bubba Clem's blessing'. Hogan would testify in court: 'I was depressed. I gave up and gave in. I felt that those people loved me.' Hogan's case was simple: his lawyers argued that Gawker grossly violated his privacy and that publishing the video did not serve any news purpose. 'To him the privacy part of it was integral. It was important,' Hogan's lead trial attorney, Ken Turkel, told the Associated Press. 'Eight-year-old kids were googling 'Hulk Hogan' and 'Wrestlemania,' and they were getting a sex tape. That was hurtful to him in a real personal way.' Gawker's counsel, on the other hand, argued that the footage is newsworthy and protected by the First Amendment, and that Hogan should not have had an expectation of privacy. The First Amendment to the US Constitution essentially protects the freedom of speech. Legally speaking, the case pitted the First Amendment against the privacy rights of celebrities — an issue on which courts had hitherto leaned towards the former. A landmark verdict This is why Bollea v. Gawker is a landmark verdict. With the jury rejecting Gawker's First Amendment arguments and awarding Hogan a whopping $141 million, a precedent was set for celebrities to be able to persuade a jury that their right to privacy outweighs the freedom of the press — even when the published material was true. 'Now more people, including judges, understand that it's possible to sue someone for revealing something truthful, as long as that something is deeply personal and its publication is highly offensive,' Amy Gajda, a Brooklyn Law School professor, told the AP. The verdict effectively made such cases about establishing the 'news value' of publishing any content. 'As long as there is news value in what is published and the media can argue that effectively, they can get a privacy case dismissed very early on,' Gajda said. Many experts have said that the verdict in Bollea v. Gawker has sparked a trend of libel and privacy lawsuits being weaponised against media organisations, including recent cases against Wall Street Journal, ABC and CBS by US President Donald Trump. Behind the scenes of the case was Peter Thiel, the billionaire Silicon Valley investor, seemingly hell-bent on destroying Gawker out of a deep personal grudge. In May 2016, two months after the verdict, Forbes reported that Hogan's entire lawsuit which bankrupted Gawker was funded fully by Thiel. His motivation: a 2007 blogpost on Gawker titled 'Peter Thield is totally gay, people'. The article was irreverently, some would say tastelessly, commendatory of Thiel, with lines like: '…Like the immigrant Jews who created Hollywood a century ago, a gay investor has no way to fit into the old establishment…' 'I think it's important to say this: Peter Thiel, the smartest VC in the world, is gay. More power to him.' For Thiel, being outed like that was humiliating. He privately plotted revenge, setting up a legal fund that was essentially meant to sue Gawker into oblivion. When the Hogan sex tape dropped in 2012, Thiel's team reached out to the wrestler and indicated that the billionaire was willing to bankroll a massive civil suit. Hogan then filed a $100 million suit. Notably, he refused to settle, as is usual, insisting on taking the matter to court. One legal analyst notably wrote in a blog in early 2016, 'Might a Gawker Hater be Covering Hulk Hogan's Legal Bills?' But Gawker did not recognise Thiel's involvement till it was too late. Ultimately, Thiel's resources were central to why Hogan won the case. Thiel would later tell The NYT that taking down Gawker was 'one of [the] greater philanthropic things that [he had] done'.
7NEWS
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Hulk Hogan's agent Darren Prince reveals how the famous wrestler helped him through his opioid addiction
Hulk Hogan's manager Darren Prince has praised the wrestler for helping him through his opioid addiction in the mid-2000s, saying his famous friend never deserted him. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died on Thursday, aged 71 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Florida. LA-based talent agent Darren Prince remembered Hogan as a kind person who helped him during his personal struggles. Opioids are a class of drug that are used for pain relief. Common examples include morphine, heroin, codeine, oxycodone. 'As a person he was just one of the most amazing humans ever,' Prince told Sunrise on Friday. Prince said himself and Hogan had always put 'God first'. 'I have been very open. I had my struggles. I recently celebrated 17 years sober from an opiate addiction,' Prince said. 'He called me up earlier (into my recovery). He said 'brother ... you came to the blessing a few months ago. I think it's time you became a blessing to other people and get out there and tell your story to (help) others. 'To get that from someone like him, a cultural phenomenon, to love me and support me. 'I never forgot it.' Despite more than 25 surgeries over the past decade, Prince said Hogan's death was a shock. 'Hulk Hogan — you think Hulkamania lives forever,' Prince said, praising his legacy. 'He's been very open about all the surgeries over the past 12, 13 years. There's been over 20 of them. You're always nervous and there were a couple of close calls (with his health). 'When you go back with someone 25 years, I was blessed to know the real Terry Bollea. 'I never looked at him like Hulk Hogan. He was a dear friend and business associate.' Prince said the iconic wrestler loved his fans. 'It didn't matter where he was, no matter how long it took (he made time for them),' Prince said. 'He always felt like 30, 40 years later he was still treated like the heavyweight wrestling champion of the world. '(He always said about his fans) I will give them as much time as they need to tell them stories and memories (of my professional life).' Tributes have been pouring in from the likes of US President Donald Trump, who Hogan supported during his presidential campaign. 'This time it was after the assassination attempt, I spoke to him a few days after, he was like, 'brother, that's it. I'm putting my foot down I'm going for Trump all the way,' Trump said. Global Career Hogan earned fame for his theatrical wrestling performances. His career began in 1977, spending his early years wrestling in regional promotions across the US, including the World Wrestling Federation, and even competing in Japan. Hogan's over-the-top performances led to the Hulkamania craze of the 1980s, which reached its peak when he was pitted against fellow wrestling superstar André the Giant in a famously heated feud. Hogan's body slam of André at Wrestlemania III remains one of the most iconic moments in professional wrestling history. In The True Story of WrestleMania, Hogan said he never dreamed he could have had the chance to wrestle in New York City's Madison Square Garden. 'And then once I'd made that huge step into the big leagues, WrestleMania was something that I didn't understand,' Hogan said. Hogan made what was considered a controversial move by leaving the WWF in the 1990s and later joining the rival organization at the time, World Championship Wrestling. The move gave his career new life as he led the New World Order, a faction of black-and-white-clad wrestlers who played the roles of supervillains in the league. While Hogan was well-known to wrestling fans, he became a household name after making appearances in several films and television shows that widened his appeal in popular culture. He appeared in the third installment of the Rocky film franchise in which he took on the title character, played by Sylvester Stallone, in a fight between wrestler and boxer. Hogan's family had a reality series on VH1 in the mid-2000s named Hogan Knows Best, following the lives of his then-wife, Linda, and their two children, Brooke and Nick.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Ron DeSantis heckled by screaming protester at Hogan tribute
A screaming heckler interrupted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he delivered a tribute to wrestling legend Hulk Hogan on Thursday. As DeSantis eulogized Hogan, describing the fellow Floridian as a 'superhero' and a 'major icon for anybody in Gen X,' an unhinged man began shouting from the back of the room. 'Alligator Alcatraz - is that your [expletive] legacy!?' the unidentified protester yelled. De Santis told the man to 'stop' and 'get out of here' before the protester took another swipe at the governor. 'You bow to a [expletive] [child predator]. You're a [expletive] [child predator]' he yelled as security moved in to escort him out. '[Expletive] you all,' he added as security removed him. DeSantis then picked up where he left off, recalling the time Hogan lifted 520-pound Andre the Giant off the ground during Wrestlemania III. 'I was really worried that he wasn't going to be able to, but he slammed Andre the Giant,' he said. 'That was a huge thing for kids in that era.' The dramatic interruption came after Hogan, 71, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater Beach. Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, has come under fierce criticism since it opened its doors on July 1 and began accepting inmates two days later. It has sparked outrage over reports of poor conditions and the treatment of inmates. President Donald Trump toured the facility on July 1 alongside DeSantis and Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, declaring: 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz.' Two weeks later, a group of Democrats were granted access to tour the newly constructed grounds, and lamented the tough conditions migrants housed there will face. Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz compared the facility to an internment camp and insisted 'there are really disturbing, vile conditions,' demanding the 'place be shut the hell down.' Kevin Guthrie, from the Florida division of Emergency Management, dismissed democrats' concerns in an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox. He said one critic 'had an infrared thermometer that they actually pointed at a lightbulb and it was 110C.' Guthrie said he suggested they 'pull that down' to gauge the actual temperature, suggesting it was an attempt to make the facility appear hotter than it actually is. One migrant being held at detention center described dozens of inmates being corralled inside cages at the mosquito-infested facility. Juan Palma, 48, told NBC6 that the lights stay on around the clock, leaving him clueless as to the time of day. The Cuban migrant said that he and 32 other people live in what he described as a cage and that they are only allowed to shower every three or four days.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Ron DeSantis is heckled by unhinged screaming protester during Hulk Hogan tribute
A screaming heckler interrupted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he delivered a tribute to wrestling legend Hulk Hogan on Thursday. As DeSantis eulogized Hogan, describing the fellow Floridian as a 'superhero' and a 'major icon for anybody in Gen X,' an unhinged man began shouting from the back of the room. 'Alligator Alcatraz - is that your f***ing legacy!?' the unidentified protester yelled. De Santis told the man to 'stop' and 'get out of here' before the protester took another swipe at the governor. 'You bow to a f***ing pedophile. You're a f***ing pedohile' he yelled as security moved in to escort him out. 'F*** you all,' he added as security removed him. DeSantis then picked up where he left off, recalling the time Hogan lifted 520-pound Andre the Giant off the ground during Wrestlemania III. 'I was really worried that he wasn't going to be able to, but he slammed Andre the Giant,' he said. 'That was a huge thing for kids in that era.' The dramatic interruption came after Hogan, 71, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater Beach. Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, has come under fierce criticism since it opened its doors on July 1 and began accepting inmates two days later. It has sparked outrage over reports of poor conditions and the treatment of inmates. President Donald Trump toured the facility on July 1 alongside DeSantis and Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, declaring: 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz.' Two weeks later, a group of Democrats were granted access to tour the newly constructed grounds, and lamented the tough conditions migrants housed there will face. Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz compared the facility to an internment camp and insisted 'there are really disturbing, vile conditions,' demanding the 'place be shut the hell down.' Kevin Guthrie, from the Florida division of Emergency Management, dismissed democrats' concerns in an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox. He said one critic 'had an infrared thermometer that they actually pointed at a lightbulb and it was 110C.' Guthrie said he suggested they 'pull that down' to gauge the actual temperature, suggesting it was an attempt to make the facility appear hotter than it actually is. One migrant being held at detention center described dozens of inmates being corralled inside cages at the mosquito-infested facility. Juan Palma, 48, told NBC6 that the lights stay on around the clock, leaving him clueless as to the time of day. The Cuban migrant said that he and 32 other people live in what he described as a cage and that they are only allowed to shower every three or four days.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hulk Hogan wasn't just an American icon, he was America
America is pro wrestling. That's an assessment that went from insightful analysis to obvious verdict to, now, gospel truth. Showmanship, attitude, endless conflict and strife, all for the delight of the masses … that's where we are now in 2025, and Hulk Hogan is a prime reason why. Hogan, who died Thursday at the age of 71, embodied America in all its vast, contradictory glory. He was a balding, swollen sex symbol, a patriotic badass who nonetheless switched allegiances, a braying madman who conveyed all his emotions in primary colors, a superhero whose body was broken by decades in the ring. The Hulkster taught three generations of wrestling fans that you could solve every problem — at home, at school, at work — with a well-timed leg drop, if only you had the guts to do it, brother. He reminded us that shirts are disposable, and sometimes the best way to show your heart was to rip off anything between it and the world. And he demonstrated that the power of the crowd can inspire you to unimaginable feats of strength, like hoisting the massive Andre the Giant into the air at Wrestlemania III in one of wrestling's greatest moments ever. It's almost impossible now to get across just how huge Hogan was in the 1980s. Imagine Taylor Swift spending her concerts throwing opponents out of the ring, and you're on the right track. TV shows, magazine covers, movies, albums — Hogan, his snarl and his pythons were everywhere, and he wrapped himself around the DNA of entire generations. The kids who watched Hulk dominate the ring grew up to carry his attitude forward in adulthood. You can see echoes of '80s-era wrestling — a time created by Vince McMahon, executed by Hogan and so many others — all throughout American popular culture today. Violence, attitude, catch-phrases, an us-vs.-the world mentality — it's all right here. Wrestling isn't the reason Donald Trump got elected president twice, but being a member of the WWE Hall of Fame and studying the ways that wrestlers maintained a chokehold on their audience didn't exactly hurt Trump, either. What's fascinating is that unlike any other wrestler of his era, Hogan remained a constant, if erratic, presence on the edges of American pop culture. He starred in reality shows, a perfect reinterpretation of his in-ring skills. He sued Gawker Media, one of the most notable and notorious media companies of the early 2000s, into oblivion after one of its blogs published an unauthorized Hogan sex tape. He also demonstrated an uncanny ability to rise above controversies that felled many other public figures, like a recording of him flinging around the n-word that got him removed from — and then reinstated to — the WWE Hall of Fame. Late in life, he leaped into politics too, most recently at the 2024 Republican National Convention, when he tore off his shirt once again to the delight of thousands of conservative Hulkamaniacs. There are so many Hulk imitators, now in sports, in entertainment and — most cringingly — in politics, all spouting attitude and patriotism and a never-give-up, never-give-in ethos. You may not have liked Hulk Hogan, either inside the ring or out. You may not have agreed with his worldview or his politics. But you can't deny that the man was an American original, brother.
