THE RANT: Hulk Hogan Joining TNA Gives Pro Wrestling New Hope

Submitted By James Walsh on 10/28/09

No wrestler has ever captured my imagination the way Hulk Hogan has. As a young child, the visions of this super-hero like character decked out in the red and yellow captivated my imagination and got me into professional wrestling on the fan level. But, those who knew me throughout my life knew that my love and appreciation for wrestling was far too great to not be involved in it in some way. And, here I stand. Along side my wife, we own an LLC for our website, booking agency, and online store which is all, for the most part, under the professional wrestling umbrella. We are in business under this business and it all started thanks to the one and only true icon of this industry, Hulk Hogan. When I read that Hulk Hogan was with TNA Wrestling, I first thought it was a joke. I thought I'd click the story and see some sarcastic cartoon image of my longtime hero. Or, I thought maybe it would be another incomplete deal that TNA advertised too soon like when they said they had Hulk Hogan back in 2003 and, well, didn't. You know, back when the original Bound for Glory was planned based on the Hulkster's credibility and when they lost him, it was two years before Bound for Glory was a thought again. But, it wasn't. I have been incredibly critical of TNA Wrestling. Most of that criticism stems from my questioning of the moral fiber of Kurt Angle and the business sense in place that keeps the spotlight on a man who clearly has emotional and drug problems that I don't believe are being helped in an effective way. If people say they didn't see Chris Benoit's murder-suicide coming, no one can say that we didn't see it coming should anything, God forbid, happen involving Kurt Angle. And, in a post-Benoit world, that has to be a concern even if it does sound callous and crass. I also have a problem with TNA's public relations department who, for all intends and purposes, refuses to relate to the public as their job title would call for. That depresses me as much as it frustrates me because I started when this TNA juggernaut did and at the very beginning, they could not be a more open company. They needed help then just as they do now and I reject the notion that they are so well off that they no longer need the people that were there to help out when they first started. Their ratings have not gone up one single tick since this whole "We don't need the Internet" ban started by the brilliant, or something short of brilliant, PR department currently in place. I can't say that I would garner a ratings point. But, a series of us legitimate, hard working websites and media outlets have been shut out by the company which results in us simply not caring about them and not promoting them to the best of our ability. But, I have always said that those who do the least in a job get highest praise. And, their current PR department could not do any less. No wonder it is the longest lasting in the companies history when those who did a lot of great things for the media and public relations either left or were reassigned over the years. Bound for Glory was just a few short weeks ago. It was, no matter my above anger towards the company, a good show from an entertainment standpoint. But, from a business standpoint, it was a huge failure. I can't say what dollars and cents were lost or gained by it but when you market the event as your Super Bowl or, to bring it back to wrestling, your company's WrestleMania, I would hope that the expectation would be that more than 847 tickets would sell. It would have looked pretty silly if there were only 847 fans in the Pontiac Silverdome when Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant squared off. So, though entertaining, Bound for Glory was, for me, a sign that things needed to be shaken up. And, the planned main event for the follow up pay-per-view to Bound for Glory just furthered the need for change in TNA... Samoa Joe lost clean to Bobby Lashley at the biggest pay per view of TNA's year. And, like most people who lose, they are in line for title shots apparently. After all, even though the NY Yankees defeated the LA Angels in the American League Championship Series, the performance by the Angels warranted them to advance to the World Series and not the victorious Yankees... Oh wait, that didn't happen. Why? Because Baseball and legitimate sport logic makes sense and professional wrestling's, in this case TNA's, logic does not. Forget the ill faded attempts at comedy, the stories that don't make sense, or even the square pegs being attempted to be placed into round holes to fill voids due to mistakes made by the office as much as the talent (see Beautiful People)... The fundamental problem with the entire business, not just TNA, is a lack of common sense booking. How is anyone supposed to take this stuff seriously when it makes sense to no one at all? With Hulk Hogan and, subsequently though not heavily discussed, Eric Bischoff joining the ranks of TNA, the playing field immediately changes. Or, it could. For one, the immediate belief on the Internet reported by some sites as fact though I've not heard an official word on yet is that Eric Bischoff will be taking over as booker. Well, if Bischoff can run the company and not have to deal with the bullshit power plays that crippled his creative direction in WCW, I think TNA is hiring the right guy. Anyone who has read Bischoff's blogs of late discussing the WWE's product can tell that Eric gets the professional wrestling business as well as the entertainment business so well and still has that fire inside to compete with a billion dollar organization such as the WWE. Hey, he's beaten them before... At no point in Bischoff's writing of WCW did he write things that didn't fundamentally make sense. WCW, even during the height of its popularity, was a wrestling based show where wins and losses meant something and the only way toa advance in the company was to win. If Bischoff can return TNA to a time and style where people cared who won and lost their matches. You know, make it a sport, simulated though it may be, again. After all, MMA is, in my estimation, just as predetermined as pro wrestling. Yet, they present it as a sport... And, its popularity has vastly eclipsed that of professional wrestling both amongst adults as well as kids. I saw a lot more UFC/Pride toys in Wal Mart yesterday than I did wrestling toys... What does that tell you? Another reason this may be a game changer is the same thing I've argued for years regarding Hulk Hogan and the implementation of Monday Nitro and thus the Monday Night Wars. I often argue that without Hulk Hogan's name value, Nitro never would have become a reality. So, the second Hogan signs with TNA, Spike TV immediately considers a Monday night TV spot for TNA. All I can say to this is... Well, first... Did I not tell you so? And second, this WOULD be a game changer. Meaning, can you honestly imagine people watching RAW with their guest hosts when there is another wrestling show on that features stars such as Hulk Hogan? I can't. I just don't see people watching to see the chicks from Hollywood Weekly or whatever it was guest host when another WRESTLING alternative was presented. Finally, or at least the final reason that springs to mind at this moment, is the effect this will have on the TNA scene from the inside out. Not only does this effect the fans and the overall product but what about the interior of the company? Remember, Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan are hardly friends. And, Eric Bischoff and Mick Foley don't agree on anything, not even what to call the stuff we use to breathe in and out. There are other concerns... How does AJ Styles and the, though established in TNA, young guard of TNA take the addition of Hulk Hogan and possibly Ric Flair? Are they losing their spot to the "old guard"? Do they welcome them as they should? How about Kurt Angle? How will thise nut case react to the fact that he's no longer the biggest star in the company even though he's always been, in my opinion, second to Sting in name value anyway? After Bound for Glory drew 847 live paying ticket holders and WWE has killed its young guns like CM Punk in favor for the Undertaker and the old guard, Hogan joining TNA has me excited about professional wrestling at a stage where I was so fed up I actually had said that I hate what the business has become in recent weeks. It was so heartbreaking to see where we were just a few weeks ago that I actually was physically sick when the Undertaker won the belt. That might sound extreme. But, it is true because it is indicative of what we'll see.... The first young talent to enter WWE in years that has it all and they kill him for the "dead man" once again. Why? I don't understand why CM Punk was taken out of the main event scene. And, with Punk leaving the main event scene, other rising young stars such as Dolph Ziggler (who is Curt Hennig reborn, and that is a good thing) and John Morrison all seem less important. Sure, Hogan is an "old guard" member. But, at least there's something to talk about! And, with TNA seemingly undergoing at least a slight revamp in power, maybe TNA can be the company that it should have been long ago.... The company to kick wrestling up the backside and force the entire business to pick up. Maybe that is a pie in the sky hope on my part. But, I'm excited. I'll close out with two song lyrics that illustrate my mood right now. One is by a band named Jackyl that Eric Bischoff was involved with on his Full Throttle pay-per-view/DVD release from Sturgis, South Dakota back in 2004. The song is called "I'm on Fire" and the lyric is: "I'm still the man, it may surprise you. And I'm far from through". And finally, The Who's famed line, "Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss." :: DISCUSS THIS POST ON THE FORUMS! :: SEE MICKIE JAMES & THE DIVAS NUDE! :: BUY WRESTLING DVD'S THROUGH OUR STORE! :: GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE WRESTLING EPICENTER STORE IS OPEN! THE HOTTEST WRESTLING DVD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE! We've got hundreds of pro wrestling DVD's at your fingertips! All your favorite stars such as Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Sting, Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Harley Race, Andre the Giant, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Booker T, & countless others! We've also got the Divas! 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