This past week has been a notable one when it comes to celebrity deaths. 

Last Monday, the world lost Malcolm-Jamal Warner, most notable for portraying Theodore Huxtable on “The Bill Cosby Show,” on July 21 due to an accidental drowning. The next day, rock-and-roll icon Ozzy Osbourne passed away. Both left behind overwhelmingly positive legacies from fans pouring in tributes and eulogies.

Then on Thursday, Terry Bollea – better known by his pro-wrestling moniker Hulk Hogan – passed away at the age of 71 due to cardiac arrest. It sparked a lot of discussion on social media, and for good reason.

On one hand, Hogan is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time when it comes to revolutionizing the business. There is perhaps no one more solely responsible for bringing pro wrestling into the mainstream than Hulk Hogan.

However, the man portraying the character had demons of his own. Years of racist behavior, questionable ethics and morals and a refusal to take accountability for his actions made what should be an all-time legend into a discussion point for a “complicated” legacy.

I say “complicated” because I have been asked about my opinion on him for the last several days. Originally, “complicated” was the word that I chose when describing his overall legacy. 

But after thinking about it deeper, I realized that the legacy of Hulk Hogan isn’t complicated at all. Nor, in my opinion, is the legacy of Terry Bollea, the man who portrayed the Hogan character for nearly five decades.

There is no denying what was an all-time great wrestler in Hulk Hogan. From his unique red and gold look with long blonde hair, to his famous “Whatchu gonna do… When Hulkamania runs wild on you… BROTHERRRR” catchphrase, his connection to the fans was in the S-tier of pro wrestling history. 

The only two people who are even on Hogan’s level as far as crowd ethos are Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. In fact, I would argue that Hogan is the G.O.A.T. in that regard.

He was a modern-day superhero in the early ‘90s, generating worldwide buzz. The moment that Hogan bodyslammed Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3 is considered one of the best WrestleMania moments of all time to this day.

Hogan’s run with the New World Order in WCW was another shining moment in a storied career. It proved that he had versatility outside of his “Real American” character. And, of course, who could forget his early 2000s return to WWE, where he arguably had his best big-moment match against The Rock at WrestleMania 18.

His run as an enforcer in TNA had a lot left to be desired, but it didn’t eliminate his legacy. He was still a respected professional wrestler, a perennial Hall of Famer and a beloved icon in the wrestling business.

Until he wasn’t.

That’s because the man behind Hulk Hogan, Terry Bollea, emerged from the shadows of the larger-than-life Hogan.

In 2015,  tape emerged of Bollea saying the “n-word” on multiple occasions. He also described himself as “racist, to a point.” Additional reporting indicated that Bollea hoped that he and his son, Nick, would not be reincarnated as Black males in a future life.

This led to Bollea’s removal from the WWE altogether, including his Hall of Fame designation… at least temporarily.

In 2018, Bollea was “reinstated” to the Hall of Fame and returned to WWE programming shortly thereafter. He also “apologized” for his actions to the locker room, though multiple Black wrestlers have said that this apology was more so a “be careful with cameras around” rather than actual remorse for his conduct.

Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry said he offered to take Bollea on a tour of HBCUs to provide a further understanding of how hurtful his comments were. Bollea declined.

No matter how hard he tried, Bollea could not shake the harmful comments he made in 2015, likely due to the pure lack of accountability for his actions. This was evident in January during his last televised appearance for the company, as he was booed out of the building. Don’t believe me? Go watch it. It’s bad.

It’s unfortunate that a pro wrestling legend such as Hogan met such a sad demise in his last appearance. It just didn’t seem like justice.

But the man behind Hogan, Terry Bollea, is the sole person to blame for all of this. Bollea is the reason why Hogan’s legacy is considered by many as “complicated.”

I think it’s rather simple. Hulk Hogan is a beloved legend. Terry Bollea is far from it.

Evan Newton is the managing editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com.