NEW YORK -- Muscleman Hulk Hogan reached an undisclosed settlement with comic Richard Belzer, putting a sleeper hold on a $5 million lawsuit filed after the comedian was injured during a televised wrestling demonstration.
The settlement was reached just before jury selection in the civil trial was slated to begin Tuesday at state Supreme Court.
'It's been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties,' said Ted Dinsmoor, a Boston attorney representing Hogan, Mister T of television's 'The A-Team,' and the other defendants.
The grappler, however, maintains his innocence in the March 1985 incident, Dinsmoor said.
It took eight stitches to close a head wound Belzer suffered during the filming of 'Hot Properties,' a nationally televised show that Belzer hosted in New York for Lifetime Cable.
During a guest appearance on the show, in which Hogan and Mister T were promoting WrestleMania I at Madison Square Garden, Hogan was demonstrating a chin lock on Belzer. Suddenly, Belzer blacked out and slumped to the floor.
In the lawsuit, Belzer claimed Hogan was 'negligent,' 'reckless' and used 'excessive force.'
However, Hogan argued that Belzer 'insisted he demonstrate certain wrestling moves upon him and volunteered, consented, approved and otherwise assumed all risk of participating in the demonstration.'
After the lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount, Belzer's attorney, Roy Grutman, said, 'I hope now that the trauma of this unfortunate event is over, Richard can get on with his life.'
The lawsuit also named Titan Sports Inc., the corporate name of the World Wrestling Foundation, and Vincent McMahon, the principle shareholder.
Belzer, in the suit, accused them of creating wrestling monsters known as 'tough, outrageous, physicially aggressive, brash, unswerving, unsympathizing, uncompromising macho types.' He also accused them of 'choreographing and encouraging sensational behavior' by the wrestlers.
