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Working on “American Gladiators” has been therapeutic for Hulk Hogan.
“I have to stay busy,” says the popular former pro wrestler who’s dealt with a divorce and his son’s car wreck in recent months. “The cool part is that I am.”
Hogan’s teen-age son, Nick, was indicted as an adult on four criminal charges stemming from the August 2007 accident, which left one man severely injured.
And late last fall, Hogan’s wife, Linda, filed for divorce.
Amid all this, Hogan received good news: The NBC revival of “Gladiators,” which he hosts, was one of the winter’s bigger hits. A second edition launches at 8 tonight on NBC.
He admits that life has dealt him big blows lately, and he wasn’t always ready to deal with it all.
“I had a real period where I had a tough, tough time,” he says. “I got caught off guard with this divorce thing. I didn’t see it coming.”
Life is coming back together for him, though. “My son is doing better,” he says.
“I pray for my wife every day. I am very grateful because we realize how very blessed we are. Now that we are aware, we are walking in the spirit of God. We are cool. We are way cool.”
Hogan won’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. They’re on his wrists.
Ask how he’s doing now, and he shows you his wrists.
The word “awareness” is on one, and “grateful” is on the other. He says they are reminders.
“Dude, I am a totally different person than before,” he says.
Hogan may have changed on the inside, but he looks pretty much the same on the outside.
At 54, he’s still a monster of a man, with the trademark horseshoe mustache, the bandanna and tight-fitting T-shirt. Little has changed about the look since his prominent wrestling heyday in the ’80s.
These days, his face has lines, but the biceps are still massive compared with the average man’s.
His real-life cartoon superhero demeanor is just right for the larger-than-life action on “Gladiator.”
“This season, there’s a weird vibe behind the scenes,” he says. “The gladiators are really on, man. It’s really intense. It’s like no other situation I have been around.”
New challenges have been added – such as the Rocketball, a flying basketball contest, and the Vertigo, a race on rail-thin poles.
Hogan may still think of himself as the wrestler in his prime. But, in reality, his body tells him differently. He watches the action from the sidelines, wishing he could take on the challenges.
“Mentally, I love that,” he says of the kind of challenges “Gladiators” presents, but “I’ve had knee replacement, hip replacement. My ego can’t handle it.”
But that doesn’t keep Hogan from wanting to try. He’s asked the show’s stunt coordinators to let him try Rocketball.
“It would be the most fun thing to do,” he says, “and you don’t need good knees to do it.”
