Whatcha gonna do?

So last night Hulk Hogan appeared on Larry King Live with hopes of subsiding the bad publicity he garnered from the recorded telephone conversations he had with his incarcerated son that were released to the media. To tell you the truth, from what I saw, I don't think he came off particularly well. I think his argument about the phone conversations were valid (only a small portion of a long conversation were released to the media), but there were times when he should have been humble and apologetic, but instead came off as disingenuous (particularly when he said he would have forgiven had this happened to Nick, and not John, basically judging the victim's family).

I find it interesting, though, how the IWC is attacking the Hulkster, considering how many of them are STILL making excuses for Internet-darling Chris Benoit. Here Hulk Hogan is saying some distasteful things to reassure his 17-year-old son, who is serving an 8-month prison sentence, much of it in solitary confinement. Meanwhile, Chris Benoit, ya' know, MURDERED his 7-year-old son. But, in fairness, he had just bound, gagged, and strangled the child's mother, and probably didn't want him to have to go through therapy later on in life.

Nevertheless, it's rich how Hulk Hogan has been labeled an asshole, while the IWC is constantly coming up with reasons why Chris Benoit isn't responsible for the far more terrible things that he had done. It was all the steroids he took! No, wait, it was extreme brain damage that he suffered due to decades years of chairshots and landing on his head! No, it was all the testosterone he was being injected with!!! I will also remind you that it wasn't Chris Benoit's fault that he was injecting himself with steroids or testosterone, or taking all those unprotected chairshots. Nope, that can be blamed on WWE and Vince McMahon.

But Hulk Hogan? The steroids and chairshots can't possibly be responsible for HIS behavior. No, he's just a greedy bastard. Nevermind that he's had an exceptionally crappy year, highlighted by a messy divorce after 23 years olf marriage, his son's accident and incarceration, and what is sure to be a very expensive civil suit. I'm not making excuses for Hogan's behavior -- the fact of the matter is, no matter what the context, what he said was pretty miserable -- but it bothers me how the same people who completely vilify Hogan refuse to believe that Chris Benoit could possibly be a psychotic monster.

I will say this in Hulk Hogan's defense, though: I love how his token bandanna always matches his outfit. I'm not even being sarcastic. I find it brilliant.