As Terrence "Hulk Hogan" Bollea begins his American Gladiator co-hosting duties for NBC -- the Hogan Knows Best patriarch has a lot of personal problems on his plate -- including his wife Linda's recent divorce filing and his son Nick's trouble with the law.
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Nick was driving his father's 1998 Toyota Supra in August when he lost control and hit a raised median, spinning the vehicle and causing its rear end to strike a palm tree. Nick's front-seat passenger -- 22-year-old U.S. Marine John Graziano -- spent several weeks in critical condition in a medically-induced coma. Graziano suffered a broken skull and is expected to need lifelong care that will probably require he spend the remainder of his life in a nursing home.
Following a more than two month investigation by police, Nick was arrested on charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury; using a motor vehicle in commission of a felony; being a driver under 21 operating a vehicle with a breath-alcohol level of 0.02% or higher; and having illegal window tinting.
"As far as my son goes, we're going to be very happy when the truth really comes out of what really happened, instead of all the speculation," Hogan told Access Hollywood.
Only a few weeks following Nick's arrest, Hogan's wife of 23-years filed a petition for dissolution of marriage on the grounds that their relationship "is irretrievably broken."
"You know, I love my family and I love my wife to death and I just don't know what tomorrow's going to bring," Hogan told Access Hollywood. "I'm just trying to stay positive and stay focused and stay busy... There's always a chance [of reconciliation]. You can never say never."
Hogan is keeping busy by co-hosting NBC's American Gladiators revival with former Dancing with the Stars celebrity participant and professional boxer Laila Ali. Hogan described American Gladiators's revival as "bigger and faster" than the original, which aired on syndication in the U.S. from 1989 to 1996.
"The audience in here is like being at Madison Square Garden," Hogan told Access Hollywood. "And when Laila Ali gets out here she gets her own cult following and they're just as crazy as the Hulk-a-maniacs so we get to play with all different people from all different dimensions."
American Gladiators will premiere with a special two-hour broadcast on Sunday, January 6 at 9PM ET/PT before one-hour episodes of the show begin to air in its regular time period of Mondays at 8PM ET/PT beginning January 7.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
