Hulk Hogan was haunted by the "echo" of the racist slur scandal which enveloped him a decade before his death.
The wrestling legend - who died in July 2025 at the age of 71 - was caught on camera using the N word in a video taken in 2007 in which he was filmed arguing with his daughter Brooke about her boyfriend and the transcript from the tape leaked in 2015 during his legal battle with gossip website Gawker leading to him being dropped by by WWE and being removed from the organisation's Hall of Fame.
Hogan - real name Terry Bollea - addressed the furore in an interview for his new Netflix documentary, Hulk Hogan: Real American, which was recorded shortly before he passed away, with the star admitting the fall out from scandal affected him "for years". He said: "I’m a person that got very mad over a personal situation.
"I used a word. Yeah, I regret it, because even under that heavy, crazy fire, I should have remained still and kept my mouth shut. But what I said resonates and has an echo effect. It keeps vibrating for years."
He went on to add: "Bro, I’ve driven the car, keep hitting the wall, crashing and burning, saying stupid stuff and messing up. Whenever I say I have regrets, it’s because I didn’t man up when I said it."
Hogan apologised after the transcript leaked online, but many viewed his words as deflective after he blamed his "environment" for his use of the derogatory term.
A clip showing Hogan in a TV interview talking about the scandal at the time was included in the documentary and he was seen saying: "I never should have said what I said.
"It was wrong. I’m embarrassed by it. But a lot of people need to realize that you inherit things from your environment."
Hogan was later welcomed back to WWE - with his last appearance for the wrestling company airing on Netflix in 2025 - but the ring star was left devastated after being booed by the crowd at the event.
In the documentary, Hogan reflected on his legacy, saying: "I’m not looking for a legacy pat on the back, for sure. Not everyone’s going to love you. Some people hate me, but I’m definitely the greatest wrestler of all time. I’m Hulk Hogan."
