Alex Marvez: Hulk Hogan helps celebrities learn the ropes

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Finally, Hulk Hogan is back in the spotlight for what he does best: Pro wrestling.Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling debuts at 8 p.m. Saturday on CMT (Country Music Television). Over the span of eight episodes, 10 B-list entertainers and athletes will compete in elimination-style fashion to crown the inaugural CCW champion.Supervising the crash course is Hogan, whose introduction to the grappling game was much more painful. Hogan's leg was broken by the late Hiro Matsuda during his first training session in 1976. That was a time when veterans roughly handled outsiders while trying to protect the presentation of pro wrestling as a legitimate athletic endeavor.Even though the industry's inner workings were exposed a long time ago, CCW participants still suffered bumps and bruises while trying to learn the ropes."No matter what you think about pro wrestling, the adjective 'fake' doesn't attach itself very well," Hogan said during a recent telephone interview. "People get hurt all the time. It's an art form. You cover every range of emotion and it's real physical. It takes a special type of person to live that lifestyle."With charisma that matched his larger-than-life physique, Hogan was among the most special of them all. The Hulkster successfully parlayed his in-ring stardom during the 1980s and 1990s into other entertainment ventures, including a popular VH1 reality show that featured his family.But nothing that occurred on "Hogan Knows Best" could match the real-life drama taking place behind the scenes. Hogan's son Nick was sentenced to prison for his involvement in an auto accident that left a close friend permanently incapacitated. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, also is undergoing a messy (and highly publicized) divorce from his wife Linda.Interview questions about both subjects were off-limits, but Hogan did allow that Celebrity Championship Wrestling served as a therapeutic outlet during some rough times. Serving as judges and trainers for the show were some of Hogan's closest friends -- Ed "Brutus Beefcake" Leslie, "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, "Nasty Boy" Brian Knobs and CCW co-creator Eric Bischoff."There were some compromises made production-wise because my head was not totally in the game all the time," said Hogan, who returned from the CCW set in Los Angeles to Tampa, Fla. each weekend for prison visits with Nick Bollea. "I was distracted, but I was with a bunch of pros who knew what needed to be done."It also was important that I had my son's blessing. He said, 'Dad, go back to work and do a great job. I'll be ok.' That made it work."Hogan believes some of the CCW students could actually have pro wrestling futures if so desired. He said actor Todd Bridges was "the best athlete on the show," which is high praise considering former NBA star Dennis Rodman and super-heavyweight boxer Eric "Butterbean" Esch were among the participants. Hogan also said Dustin "Screech" Diamond has an Andy Kaufman-like persona as a manager but his punches and kicks "couldn't crack an egg.""It got to be very competitive on the show," Hogan said. "At that point, I knew they were hooked on the business I love."As for Hogan himself, CCW could provide the opportunity to create his own promotion and touring group. The 55-year-old Hogan also keeps in contact with World Wrestling Entertainment. Because of his son's legal situation, Hogan said he declined invitations to appear on WWE's annual holiday tour for U.S. soldiers and the promotion's recent Smackdown debut on MyNetwork TV. Hogan also said he was pitched the opportunity to face Ric Flair during the latter's retirement match last March at Wrestlemania 24 (Shawn Michaels took the spot instead).While finding a mutually acceptable match finish would be difficult, Hogan has the potential for another "dream" bout if "Stone Cold" Steve Austin emerges from retirement as expected for Wrestlemania 25 in April."They're always in my ear," Hogan said of WWE management. "Thank God they're still considering me for whatever they're doing. But who knows what's going to happen? The future is wide open."Former WWE stars Rob Van Dam and Bill Goldberg also will be appearing on upcoming CCW episodes. For more information, visit www.cmt.com. Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv(at)aol.com