With all of the hoopla surrounding the New Jersey election for Governor, I did not have an opportunity to cover a story that is big news for wrestling fans like myself. If you haven’t heard yet, Hulk Hogan – the most iconic name in the history of professional wrestling – has signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. I own a few wrestling sites that covered this story and you can read some of that coverage by clicking on these links.
As a wrestling fan, I’m excited for this news. I stopped watching World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) programming around two or three years ago. Honestly, it got to a point where Triple H was winning every single feud that he was in and where he and his wife were trying to write him into some mythical figure week in and week out. I couldn’t take watching the utter bastardization of the sports entertainment industry, so I stopped watching. Hey, there are a lot of ways for people to express their support or dissatisfaction with a company or product. With sports entertainment, I decided to vote with my dollars and my leisure hours by taking them away from WWE and giving them to TNA.
That said, it hasn’t been an easy ride as a fan of TNA wrestling. There is a strong argument to be made that these guys have spent the last few years blowing their opportunity to be the clear alternative to WWE programming. For most of the last few years, there was no way that TNA could compete with WWE on a global level. Today, even with signing Hulk Hogan, I think that fact remains. However, bringing in Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff (more on him in a minute) gives TNA a real chance to compete with WWE domestically and, specifically, on the all-important cable television medium. As a fan of TNA, I hope that they don’t blow this gigantic opportunity.
Now to Eric Bischoff. When news broke last week that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff had signed contracts to partner with TNA, most of the people that I talked to were saying that Hogan is too out of shape and getting up there in age to make an impression on TNA. Well, that’s true. But if you ask me, the real value of this transaction is Eric Bischoff. Forget about the fact that he has connections in the entertainment industry through Bischoff Hervey Productions. And you can even forget about the vast connections that Bischoff brings as the former President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). What Bischoff brings to the table is a unique view on the wrestling business that is not only proven to be successful, but it is proven to be profitable.
The real value of this deal is Eric Bischoff’s brain with Hulk Hogan’s instant mainstream credibility. The only misstep that I’ve seen so far in this whole thing is the fact that while Hogan was on almost every major media outlet promoting his new book last week, he wasn’t wearing any TNA merchandise. I know that this announcement was a bit last minute and that TNA doesn’t even have a marketing plan built around Hulk Hogan yet, but it would have been nice for the company’s fortunes if Hogan was wearing some red and yellow themed TNA merchandise, you know?
However, that’s only a minor hiccup. Hogan was sure to talk about TNA in almost every interview and he talked about how he has a partnership with them and that he may or may not get back into the ring. In these interviews, he was very realistic about his body and how it has broken down over the years. That’s a good sign for Hogan who, as his new book details, has been battling some mental demons lately.
Anyway, the word is that Hulk Hogan will be featured on TNA Impact on Spike tonight, so if you get a chance be sure to watch the show!
I honestly am a lot more skeptical when it comes to the new association between Hulk Hogan and Total Non-stop Action Wrestling. Hogan has primarily been in business for himself through most of his wrestling career. I have sincere doubts if he truly wants to “help” or “give back” to the wrestling industry by helping the younger wrestlers develop a better understanding of the “art” behind wrestling. I hope I am wrong.
The problem with TNA Wrestling is they seem to always change directions. They remove Jim Cornette over a month ago because he did not see eye-to-eye with head booker Vince Russo. Ok, I think of the value of a Cornette to overseeing the production side of things is a big loss by itself, but the overall influence of Cornette’s loss is also bad, I believe. So, after that, they decide to bring in Hulk Hogan, who no doubt, will have full power or influence on any storyline surrounding himself? How do they expect not to have tension around Russo and Hogan, unless they plan to keep them 100% separate. That type of strategy, either way, does not show much potential for success, in my opinion.
How involved will Hogan be? Will he be an authority figure, a regular character who wrestles on special occasions, or is there something else in store? In the last few months, it seems that TNA has finally molded into a positive direction, and I sincerely hope the influence of Hogan doesn’t ruin that.
The bottom line… I am ok with Hogan if he has his place in TNA, as long as it isn’t something that changes the landscape of TNA. I don’t want all storylines to revolve around anything with Hogan. I want them to continue pushing youner stars, instead of relying on the likes of Kevin Nash, Sting, and former WWE names. I don’t want TNA to turn into Hogan’s playpen.
I sound very pessimistic, and with Hogan’s track record, and with TNA’s track record of always implementing ass-backward strategies, I have my reason to be. That said, if Hogan is used correctly, and sparingly, I think he can be a real asset in the long-term, especially when you consider oversea shows, where the Hogan brand is still very big.
The good news for TNA is they have average a 1.1 and a 1.2 rating for about three years now, I believe. While they have now gained since, they haven’t lost, which is a good sign. If Hogan can influence some positive mainstream attention their way, and if TNA can delivery with edge and superior storylines, I think there is a reason to be optimistic. Personally, I don’t believe Bischoff has much to offer these days on a full-time basis, but I think he can add some value in a consultant type of role, and I for sure would love to see him as an on-air character of some sorts.
I don’t watch TNA at all now. I’d like to, but I am being cynical and casually following through the Internet. I watch a little RAW every few weeks, but I am not a hardcore anymore. I want to watch wrestling, but WWE doesn’t book for me – they book for children. Super Cena, Boring Orton, and Re-tread DX are all acts I am tired of seeing. I’m not interested in the bells and whistles of a Raw guest host each week. I’m not interested in seeing the heel Mr. McMahon character anymore. The only way WWE will improve is for Vince to feel a legit threat from a competitor, and right now, TNA slowly has continued to build something. They are not their yet, but I sincerely hope that they someday might be.
Hulk Hogan is trading in the wrestling ring for another type of ring. The wrestler is engaged to girlfriend Jennifer McDaniel. Hogan’s big news comes four months after his divorce from Linda Bollea, with whom the wrestler spent the past two years battling in court. The bitter exes fought over the division of assets and traded insults, including harassment charges filed against Hogan – Amy
hulk whats with the pink bandana?