Opinion: What'cha Gonna Do, TNA, When Hulkamania Runs Wild On YOU!

Hot on the heels of Shane McMahon’s shocking departure from the WWE comes a story even more astounding – Hulk Hogan has signed for TNA. It certainly is an exciting time to be a wrestling fan. What’s more, Hogan’s long-time friend, ally, business partner and so on, Eric Bischoff is going with him. It just goes to show that nothing can ever be taken for granted in professional wrestling. I’ve lost count of the number of times Eric Bischoff has been asked, by friends or interviewers, whether or not he would be interested in joining TNA. Over the years, his responses have ranged from (at best) condescending to downright derisive or even contemptuous. Hogan, on the other hand, looked like he was going to TNA at one point, back in 2003. Jeff Jarrett actually flew out to Japan and attacked Hogan with his guitar at a press conference, as the first move in a storyline that would obviously culminate in a Hogan-Jarrett match. However, as the months went on, it became obvious that Hogan was not showing up and most fans probably believed that Hogan had burned his bridges with the company then.

One thing that always impresses me with TNA when it comes to these bombshell announcements is the secrecy that they can maintain. I keep my ear fairly close to the ground when it comes to wrestling but the first I knew about this was when it was a done deal, just as with Kurt Angle’s TNA debut. In this news-hungry age, it really is to TNA’s credit that they can keep things under wraps when they want to. So, the questions now are numerous. Is Hogan’s signing a positive or negative for the company? What does he offer TNA that they don’t already have? What will he actually do for them? What will Eric Bischoff’s role be? What effect will these signings have on TNA’s existing locker room and backstage staff?

Firstly, the immediate impact of Hogan’s signing is overwhelmingly positive. This news has garnered more media attention for TNA than anything they have ever done before. Last night Hulk Hogan was on Larry King live and, as a result, TNA’s name was being put out there for millions of viewers who may well have been utterly unaware of the company before. Obviously, within the wrestling community TNA has become a hotter topic than ever before, with every wrestling website writing about this. Still, it’s that wider impact, that ability Hogan has to take the TNA name to a wider audience than they are able to reach that is the real key. Even so, media attention and publicity is merely a means to an end, not an end in itself. The attention that Hulk’s signing is getting will not last forever and it will be meaningless if TNA do not succeed in transforming it into more viewers.

So, how best to do that? Ultimately, it all comes down to what Hogan’s role is going to be. As yet, we don’t know for certain. At the press conference, all that was said was that Hogan would be a “partner” in TNA. What specific role, or roles, that would entail was not detailed. Hogan himself ducked the question last night when asked if he would actually be wrestling for TNA, although he did give the impression that a lot would depend on how he is able to perform on his upcoming Australian tour. After all, Hogan is getting on now and has years of injuries to contend with. Just how much wrestling he can actually do is questionable. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Hogan’s chief attraction is as a wrestler. People are more likely to pay to see him wrestle than to see him do anything else.

Hogan the wrestler, however, brings both pros and cons. When fans attend a Hogan match these days, they are very much there for an experience, rather than simply to watch a wrestling match. It’s a common accusation levelled at Hogan that he refuses to put anyone over. That certainly seems to be the case but one has to remember that most of the crowd attending a Hogan match don’t want to see him put his opponent over. They want to indulge their love of nostalgia, to get the authentic Hogan experience by seeing him Hulk up, deliver the boot, drop the leg, get the win and pose for the crowd. It’s certainly what I’d want if I went to a Hogan match. In that case, one would think that the best way to settle this is to book Hogan to beat someone who won’t be hurt by the loss, which, generally speaking, means another veteran who has built up a certain aura with the fans. The problem with that is that, given Hogan’s own physical limitations and the fact that they are likely to be shared by another veteran, such a match is not necessarily an enticing prospect. Hogan needs to be in the ring with a younger man who can cover for him but few young wrestlers can seriously afford to lose to a man old enough to be their father. Furthermore, it is absolutely vital that TNA build up their young stars right now, not knock them down. If new viewers tune in to see Hogan, the goal of TNA management must be to persuade those new viewers to keep tuning in to see AJ Styles, Matt Morgan, Samoa Joe, Eric Young and company even after Hogan himself has gone.

Probably the best solution would be to book the Hulkster in tag matches. That way, he can give the rub of his experience and name value to a young wrestler as a tag partner, preferably while another veteran helps get another young guy over on the heel side of the equation. Even then, Hogan’s actual matches should be kept infrequent, special attractions that can be carefully hyped and promoted to attract viewers. Used too often, Hogan’s value would become diluted. Further, the authentic Hogan experience, as thrilling as it can be for the live audience, can become tedious and monotonous for the TV audience if it is over-exposed. Keeping such matches sporadic might also help avoid any discontent that might build in the locker room, should Hogan be simply installed at the top of the card. Hogan’s championship days should be done with by now, although a brief run with the Legends Championship might be appropriate. Finally, by restricting the amount of matches Hogan has, one minimizes the demands on his body.

If Hogan is to be on TV but not wrestling, the logical fit is for him to be given a role as a manager or some kind of authority figure. A role as a wrestler’s manager might be another way of using Hogan’s fame to help a younger wrestler, while also allowing Hogan to have the occasional match teaming with his charge. TNA could even book a tournament where a young wrestler could win the Hulkster’s services as a “manager” or “trainer”. Doing that, or having Hogan “hand-pick” a successor would be a great fillip for a youngster. On the other hand, with Jim Cornette gone from TNA and Jeff Jarrett’s role uncertain, the company could use an on-screen authority figure, as the only man filling that role at the moment is Mick Foley, who seems to switch from hero to villain on an almost weekly basis. Hogan as a decent, fair-minded boss having to contend with interference from shareholder Mick Foley could have potential for some interesting storylines.

Even away from the camera, Hogan could have a positive impact. He has many years of experience in the business and has probably built up a useful bank of knowledge which TNA could draw on. As an “ambassador” for the company he could still help publicise it, in a way similar to that which the WWE had planned for Ric Flair before he left. Then again, according to his long-time friend Bubba the Love Sponge, Hogan will, in fact, be given the booking position. That is to say, he will have total control over the creative element of the show. How this might work is hard to predict. So far as I know, Hogan has not been a booker before, although he has obviously been around the business for long enough to work with a lot of them. In such a role, we would simply have to wait and see whether or not it would be a success. The future of Vince Russo would surely also be in doubt if Hogan is taking up such a position. If Hogan books the shows, does he need a creative team? And, even if he does, will he want Russo, a man he has publicly clashed with on a very personal level, to be a part of it?

If I were in the position of Dixie Carter, however, I would not take Hogan on as booker. Hiring Hogan and then not using him as a part of the show is simply a waste of his attributes. If he is part of the show, then history tells us he shouldn’t be booking it. Obviously, one would want to take advantage of his experience, but I feel that a combination of on-screen authority figure with very occasional matches (say, one at Slammiversary and one at Bound for Glory next year, assuming Hogan is up to them) is the best way to go.

As for Eric Bischoff, again he brings with him a history of strife with Russo and probably one of the most controversial reputations in wrestling. Whatever anyone says about him, however, the man undeniably has a great portfolio of skills and abilities. He could help out in any number of ways, both on and off screen. The one area that most fans might expect him to be involved in, creative, is, I suspect, the one that he is probably least interested in. Should I be proved wrong, however, Bischoff has shown in the past that he can bring some original thinking to that role.

The presence of Hogan and Bischoff will undoubtedly create new tensions within the locker room. Many at TNA have worked with both men before, in WCW and WWE. How will they react? Will they be glad to see them, leave the company in disgust, adopt a wait-and-see attitude? Plus, there are those who have not worked with them to consider. Will AJ Styles be worried by Hogan’s reputation, fearing that this will mean the installation of yet another glass ceiling for him to break through? Or will he be excited by the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of a larger audience than ever before?

Spike TV will obviously be over the moon with Hogan’s arrival. Reportedly, they were already happy with TNA’s ratings but they will, quite rightly, see this as an opportunity to massively increase them. It may be incumbent on TNA to take a strong line with Spike, to remind them that over-exposing Hogan as a short-term ratings spike (pardon the pun) will hurt his potential long-term value to the company. That will depend on Spike themselves, and the plans they have for Hogan but, if they get caught up in all the hype, media circus and Hogan’s own superb self-promotion, and start urging TNA to make Impact The Hulk Hogan Show, they will undoubtedly hurt the product.

Finally, there is the matter of other wrestlers outside TNA to consider. Reportedly, Ric Flair, who is signed up for Hogan’s Australian tour, is already in talks with TNA himself. There may be other wrestlers who, in the past, have not taken TNA seriously as an option but who may change their minds now that Hogan is involved. Plus, we have seen in the past how Hogan likes to look after his friends. Will this appointment mean another run for The Nasty Boys*, for example? Or Ed Leslie, the former Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake? It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility.

Overall, Hogan’s signing could end up being the final piece of the jigsaw that is TNA, or the worst mistake the company has ever made, or anything in between. The potential problems and opportunities he brings with him are just so unpredictable. I suppose we’ll know more shortly; Hogan makes his first appearance on TNA Impact tonight.

Please, God, no!

Hot on the heels of Shane McMahon’s shocking departure from the WWE comes a story even more astoundi

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