Total Nonstop Hogan... Again

[THTRobtaylor]

I think it's more that post Mania 18, Hogan had no more to sell as a legit commodity. His run after that was awful, the only remotely notable thing he did was begin the process of elevating Edge (although his neck injury stalled it for 3 years). By the time he was wrestling Shawn it was embarrasing because this was not the guy who set the world on fire at WM1...

Then it was the reality show, the grills, Bubba's show literally anything to keep the name out there but there was no real product to back it up, no way for the name to gain any more value because the world could see how beat up Hogan was in the ring but also how crazy and dysfunctional the guy (and his family) were through the reality show.

That Nick, Brooke and Linda were anything other than a face in the crowd at a match ruined the mystique that Hogan had had throughout his career to that point. Hulkamania Hogan loved his god, his vitamins and his Hulkamaniacs, Hollywood Hogan loved money, fame and power. Hogan Knows Best showed him as a gimp who had no sense his wife was screwing him over and his kids were going nowhere and he let us see it all!

By the time he got to TNA he was so damaged, that the impact (pun intended) was ruined by the fact he was there... Had Bischoff gone in alone... TNA would be near WWE level now... but Hogan had to get involved and again, the fans saw through it. He couldn't work, he never could book worth a damn (refusing to work or put over guys like Rude or Bossman who could have actually enhanced him with great title feuds) and by then he couldn't talk any sense either. Fast forward to now and Hogan is again the cancer in a federation. Bischoff gets it, Hogan does not know best when it comes to TNA. I can see a parting of the ways before long because as much of a mark as Dixie is, eventually she is going to see through to the truth. Hogan's sell by date was 15 years ago, he got a one match rennaisance out of the Rock... and that was the guy she should have ploughed all that money into getting to TNA, not Hulk. Dwayne is a member of the roster, he knows it but he like Brock is a limited usage guy... but he is there as an active competitor... Hogan can't be that competitor cos his body is shot, but TNA is rapidly becoming a place where competitors are key, not personalities. Hogan cannot keep up, his body won't let him and it is showing by him grabbing as many minutes on the stick as he can.

If the idea is to put Morgan over, it's too late... it needed to happen in 2002 WWE, like he should have put Orton over or Shawn or even Cena. Beating or feuding with Hulk now isn't a boost to a career, it's an albatross round the neck for a competitor, especially when TNA has veterans who are on hotter streaks like Bully Ray or Angle.

[UltimateHitman]

Hogan is definitely in too much now, and has been in the past. I don't care who he was, the key word there is WAS (And yes, I grew up in the 80's era, and didn't like him then either).

One person should not be the be all end all of a show. I'll guarantee that about 95% of the people lauding Hogan, even though he can barely f**king walk, are the same ones that bitch about John Cena. News flash, Hogan is doing the same thing Cena is doing, except on a worse scale. Cena is this era's Hogan, just better. Hogan sucked when he was popular, and he sucks now.

Even if I didn't think he sucked, the point is still valid. He's not giving anybody a "rub"; take Aries for example. Aries made himself into a popular guy, the crowd loved him before Hogan even got involved.

The only thing Hogan is doing now is overshadowing Aries' importance and trying to sponge off his popularity. Hogan saw how hot and fresh Aries was, and wanted to sop up some of that for himself. He's a parasite, a leech, clamoring for past glory that will never be achieved again.

The comments are valid. Hogan has been in the middle of the Aces and 8s story, Morgan/Ryan, Aries, just recently Kash and even with Bully Ray. They just had to keep the stupidity going after the ring storyline with the Immortal storyline. He has to have his hand in the cookie jar at every turn, and it's getting f'n old. It's been old since the late 80's, in fact.

I thought hiring Hogan and Bishoff was a bad move, and I stand by that opinion. They are doing nothing but trying to milk TNA for all that they can before TNA wisens up and drops them. I just wish they wouldn't have hired them in the first place, then we wouldn't have to deal with this spotlight hog.

Random rant over.

[itssoeasy123]

You've finally seen the light.

Hogan thinks he's still relevant in 2012, that's a fact. He thinks people want to see him instead of the future of the company. Hell, you said Hogan is feuding with 4 different people and has the most screen-time in the company? I guess he might as well be the top face of TNA.

The fact remains is he's in his mid 50's and is a egomaniac. I understand this is the TNA section but you don't see Booker T or Vickie Guerrero having 4 segments a night. With Cena it's possible, but he's the top face so that would make sense. You don't see Booker T or Vickie Gurerro all over the promotions for WWE shows. Hogan isn't the top face, he's the General Manager, but he's all over the show, posters, and advertisements. Hell, look at the poster for the press release for their show at the Alamodome, it's Hulk Hogan.

The quicker Hogan leaves the better the company will be. Ever since Hogan joined TNA the ratings haven't gotten higher, they haven't gotten any sold-out PPV shows, or even successfully competed with WWE. Hogan has been a bust for TNA. It's been nearly 3 years since he's joined TNA and he hasn't done anything substantial for the company except pop a 3.2 quarter hour rating 3 years ago.

Hulk Hogan is only in TNA for Hulk Hogan. Always has and always will be.

[itssoeasy123]

Originally Posted by MrPlatano1989

Glad someone views it this way! People need to accept that Hogan is a signed member of the roster just like anyone else! The greatness about Hogan being on screen is that we get to see wrestling biggest and most historic talent, interact with wrestlers from every era of professional wrestling!

If I ran TNA, I would milk the s*** out the fact that I have Hogan and have him exchange words and scenes with everyone possible! He will need a position that will make it justifiable! A position like GM! For one this is great for historic wrestling footage! Just imagine decades from now watching old clips of Hogan and the TNA roster during its early years! Second, any wrestler will tell you that working closely with Hogan during scenes and behind the scenes is monumental for a career! Not only as a milestone in how far one has come, but also for the chance to gain a lesson or two!

This is the only place you will see all these talents interact, and the footage will only get better with time! This is why I love TNA, everytime I see talents interact with Hogan, even for a second backstage, I think of how much I will appreciate the footage decades from now! I think of the epicness of Aries and Hogan face to face, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Sting!

Truth is that if any company had a chance at signing Hogan, they will probably use him just as much if not more! Especially WWE with their focus on history and legends these last few years, as well as their upcoming legends show and new network! If they try and make Mike Tyson sound liek a million bucks to the business, imagine the man who was at the center of it during its golden era!

Some people get too caught up in their impatience! In 2000 people were "tired" of Hogan, 2002 comes and hes back to the WWE in epic fashion! Has great feuds, even as late as 2006 with Orton. In 2007, people are praying to the gods that Jeff Hardy will become champ one day, but think it will never happen. In 2010 people are "tired" of him and want CM Punk to be champ. Today in 2012 people are "tired" of Punk and would even prefer Ryback! People think Hogan should retire because he's been in this business for over 30 years! Who said that's enough time? Where is there a law that keeps a cap on a wrestling career? Do actors retire because they reach 50? Usually they are at their best with more time!

This isn't the 90's where people are fighting for screen time, this is the era where people come together to grow and learn from each other, while helping everyone and their company!

In the past people will feud for years before moving on, and some will be the center of the company for decades. Today most fans are damaging the business by thinking their opinions and preferences are automatically the best route to follow! When doing this they are blind to the beauty of what we are being given! What if XFL continued and Vince lost all his money, and had to shut down WWE?

I'm thankful wrestling is still around today, and part of that is because I get to see all my favorites from the last 30 years play a part in TNA's growth! Who better to be a large part in this than the Immortal Hulk Hogan!? If he retires and leaves in 3 years, we'll have 3 more years of legendary footage and dynamic situations / interactions. If he leaves in 10 years, we'll have 10 more years of a historic career! Either way no one is being held back! Any wrestler that will complain and whine, should focus more on their fight for the spot they want, just ask Samoa Joe who has publicly criticized the way he use to view the business, he wasn't viewing the big picture, and neither are some of you guys!

As for the Morgan situation, Matt has a beef with Hogan but Hogan doesn't have a beef with him! He is glad that Morgan is finally stepping up and taking what he feels he deserves! He is glad that he is focusing on his new found drive! This is why Hogan won't try and take the robe, he welcomes Morgans new rise! Fans that are to used to what has been done, think this is a feud. It's a intricate plot point in a much bigger picture!

Everyone has been represented great this past year! Hogan is the center piece of that great presentation! Complain if he is phoning in his performance and collecting checks, not when he explodes with passion, love, and effort for TNA, its roster, and the wrestling business! While you guys complain about lets say their usage of Aries, Aries probably can't sleep at night thinking about how awesome his life is and will continue to be with Hogan & TNA!

If I was TNA, I would market the fuck out of someone like Jeff Hardy, who can be a massive draw for the company. He has alot of charisma and is able to garner to all the demographics, the kids who love his high flying stuff to the older fans who remember him from the Attitude Era. That's why he was so successful in the WWE. TNA basically have a huge draw right under their noses, but have yet to push him as the top face. And you know why, because Hogan wants to be the top face even though he can't work a match anymore and he hasn't been relevant since 2006.

He hasn't drawn anything for TNA, hasn't helped TNA out with the ratings or buyrates. Their house show numbers are still terrible. Hell, overall ratings have gotten lower since Hogan has been in TNA. Having a guy like Hogan in your company only helps if he can draw money. Right now, he can't. TNA has been marketing the fact they have Hogan for 3 years now and counting, and it hasn't done anything for them.

The thing is, Hogan is in a company that needs to grow, but he's stalling their growth for his own self-promotion. Hell, who's bring idea was it to give Brooke Hogan a contract? He's only in TNA for himself, not for Aries, Roode, Angle, Joe, Styles, Hardy, but himself. He has to learn that his time as being a big draw is over, just because he was a massive success 30 years ago doesn't mean he will be in 2012, and he isn't. He's just a old man taking spotlight from talent.

Hell, even Bischoff isn't on television anymore. He knows his time is up. Hogan doesn't.

[THTRobtaylor]

TNA can't take that risk on Hardy, not cos of his legal issues but cos they know that he will go back to WWE when this deal is done, so they are utilising him while they have him. Vince will probably be the one to market Hardy as you suggest, especially in a rivalry with Punk.

You're right on Brooke, but the issue is that Brooke, Nick, Linda, Bubba all the people Hogan has brought into public view in recent years should never have been there. That's why Hogan is so diminished cos it wasn't about "The Immortal Hulk" anymore but his freaks and geeks entourage. Brooke wanted to sing? She should have moved to Nashville, changed her name and done it without dad's help... but she didn't, Hogan backed her and it bombed. So her being in TNA smacks of her not being able to do anything else (or at all) without Dad.

Nick wanted to race cars? We all know how that one ended... Hogan is known more now for being the guy who everything he touches turns to crap than the legend he should be known for. Just like Flair is known as being one step off a bum/bankrupt so he is still putting himself out there when he should really be just "the elder statesman" for the business.

That is what is hurting TNA when he is on screen too much, that people aren't seeing Hulk Hogan, they're seeing a near 60 year old man who used to be Hulk Hogan trying to be Hulk Hogan...and he's failing miserably!

[Jack-Hammer]

It wouldn't bother me so much seeing Hogan on the show so much if he had anything truly important to contribute. As several others have pointed out, he doesn't. It's 2012 and Hulk Hogan is simply no longer the extremely valuable commodity that he was during the 80s and 90s.

I know what Hogan was, so does everyone else on these forums. I'm not concerned with what he WAS capable of doing in his prime. What he was able to deliver 25 years ago has no bearing on what he's able to deliver in the hear & now. He's almost 60 years old and his body is simply broken down, so all the huffing & puffying of being a tough guy able to beat up men half his age is pointless, not to mention more than a tad ridiculous. He's no bigger draw in TNA than anyone else on the roster, he's often less of a draw than a lot of others. This angle he has with Brooke & Bully Ray holds little interest for me because..well frankly, where is the interest? While I get that Brooke will always be the man's daughter, this level of being overprotective is something we saw on the old Hogan Knows Best reality show. Are we supposed to ignore that Brooke Hogan is 24.5 years old? Are we supposed to pretend that Brooke Hogan hasn't engaged in some adult activities with grown men in her life? It all just seems like it's there simply for the reason of keeping Hulk Hogan on television in the center of a major angle.

Hogan's an authority figure character, nothing wrong with that. But he doesn't need to be, nor should he be, the center of attention & star of the show. All the nostalgic feelings in the world don't change the fact that Hogan isn't anywhere near what he once was either as a money maker or a wrestler.

[Alex]

I didn't see that much of Hogan on the show.

However I saw lots of angles relating to Hogan on the show.

Ray/Brooke Storyline- I get he's protective of his daughter, most father's are and they want to see their daughter with a decent guy and Hogan think's Ray isn't that guy, I get that. But this should not take up major tv time, she's an adult, Ray's an adult, most Hogan can do is disapprove. So this storyline is kind of moot. Aries is the single most interesting thing in this. The man's good, but even he can't turn this into anything decent.

Aces & 8s- This makes more sense. GM trying to stop the invading force from taking over, makes sense and this is where Hogan should stay. The general trying to rally the troops against the invading force. Solid simple storyline that he can contribute the most to.

Matt Morgan- The hell is up with this. I get Morgan is pissed off with management not using him, but he should go on a rampage with ALL of management, not just Hogan, confront Pritchard, Al Snow etc. I liked that he took Hogan's robe, essentially saying 'I can be top dog' but this will end up botched because Hogan is going to inject himself into this more than he should.

Sting was a better GM and Sting didn't appear in everyone else's storyline's for no reason.

[It's Damn Real!]

Originally Posted by LetEmKnow

Necessarily? Which one is it? Is he in a feud with him or not?

Kash saying that can mean anything? How the hell do you just jump to a conclusion that Kid Kash is going to just jump from lower card in a feud with Hogan. That's a huge leap. A huge assumption! Kash isn't in a feud with Hogan at all and I doubt he'll be in one with him anytime soon. This is the biggest reeeeeaaah I've ever seen

My point was that the central focus of a specific televised segment was again Hogan, not that he was necessarily "feuding" with any of these men. That's why I said some would be traditional (Morgan) and others not (Kash). Perhaps Kash won't even be heard from again for months, but the point is that on last weeks' show he was just another segment that had to involve Hogan, and I don't see the value in that.

Uh first of all let's step into reality for a second. Hogan is not a Theodore Long or Vickie Guerrero. He's Hulk fucking Hogan. Let's get that straight. The whole purpose of him coming to TNA was to be an attraction. Him being a general manager is a way for him to be on tv to attract since he's not a wrestler. Hogan's getting paid tons of money. Let the man do what he can while he's able to walk and still be alive while in TNA and get as much camera time with these guys as much as possible. You expect him to just appear in 1 or 2 backstage segments and call it a day or something? Man please! If he was to do that, you'd make a thread probably saying "Hogan not pulling his weight in TNA." This fucking guy is getting off his surgically repaired ass hobbling to the ring and hobbling all over the Impact Zone working with as many TNA guys to get them over and you're complaining? My goodness. This is a case of you're damn if you don't and you're damned if you do.

Actually, yes Hogan is a Theodore Long or Vickie Guererro. He's a bigger name than either of them, but regardless, he's a General Manager. I already said in my OP exactly what his role should be:

Hogan's job is to be an ambassador for TNA. His job is to use his stardom to get potential fans to tune in to see him, only to transition them into being fans of TNA's actual wrestlers.

I appreciate him trying to get guys over, but I don't see how "feuding" with the whole roster accomplishes that. It diminishes the actual feuds he's having with specific wrestlers because they don't have the air time required to actually successfully get every one of them over. This is what I was referencing specifically with Matt Morgan, who is coming out wearing Hogan's robe still, yet going week at a time without even interacting with the guy he's supposed to be insulting by doing so. How is that helping Morgan any? He's lost in the shuffle.

It's amazing how you sit and claim to watch TNA but yet you're not able to properly access how the show is set up. If you've paid attention to the format of TNA's show as of recent, you'll see that it's not unusual for TNA to start something, put it on hold, and come back to it later. Do you think just because the last time that Hogan and Morgan interacted was about 2 weeks ago that the story is suddenly over between them? Is that what you think? Because if so, then I question your education level. In case, you're unable to see what's going on, TNA plants the seeds to an angle and comes back to it later. WTH do you think has happened with the Bully Ray and Devon feud? Have you noticed that those guys are no longer interacting? It was only about a month ago that Ray wanted Devon. Ray now wants Aries. It's how TNA books things. In 2-3 months time, I'm sure the Ray/Devon feud may start again. It's the same thing with Aries/Hardy. We know that Aries has a problem with Hardy. When Aries went into Hardy's trailer, he said it wasn't over between him and Hardy. Fast forward a week later, he begins a feud with Ray. It doesn't mean TNA won't go back to a Aries/Hardy feud at a later date. Aries again, started a fight with Anderson backstage, got in a match with him and used brass knucks on him to win the match. There's a possibility there that if Anderson comes back, we might see an Anderson/Aries feud. The same might happen with Hogan/Morgan. The seeds have been planted for a Hogan/Morgan story to continue. Shit like this happens in real life all the time. One minute, you're focused on something but the next minute something comes in the way and totally takes your focus off of it. It doesn't mean you've forgotten you're main focus. It just means that you've shifted gears for the time being. It's the same shit here. You seem to be a fan of 1 dimensional booking. You seem to prefer for guy A to feud with guy B and be all about guy B which to me isn't effective when you're running a 2hr format show like TNA. With this type of booking, it helps the product not be as stale imo.

Niether is the format you are talking about, or TNA's ratings would be through the roof, so obviously there's something to "one dimensional" booking that works... better. It's less taxing on the viewer. They don't have to juggle and constantly re-circle. IMO, this is why their most successful feuds in history have been "one dimensional" ones like Storm/Roode, Styles/Daniels, Angle/Joe, Beer Money/MCMG, Angle/Jarrett, etc. etc.

We're getting off topic, though. This isn't about TNA's booking, it's about the focus on Hogan, so I don't want to put too much focus into this.

I have no idea why you're mentioning a feud with Morgan. That feud hasn't taken off yet or gone into 2nd gear. The only "Hogan feuds" that are ACTIVE is the one involving Ray/Brooke/Aries. Even his involvement with the Aces & Eights have slowed down. All of his other "feuds" are on hold which is common in TNA in general to have things be on hold only to be addressed later as I pointed out before.

Explained this earlier.

I appreciate him trying to get guys over, but I don't see how "feuding" with the whole roster accomplishes that. It diminishes the actual feuds he's having with specific wrestlers because they don't have the air time required to actually successfully get every one of them over. This is what I was referencing specifically with Matt Morgan, who is coming out wearing Hogan's robe still, yet going week at a time without even interacting with the guy he's supposed to be insulting by doing so. How is that helping Morgan any? He's lost in the shuffle.

Look how you contradict yourself. One minute you talk about how he's in a feud with Morgan and talk about how it's basically a start and stop feud where the feud is basically on pause. That's basically what you're saying. You're pointing out how Hogan hasn't interacted with Morgan. OK so wouldn't that be a good thing for you? You just sat up here and pointed out how he's in a feud with about 4 people or so? So do you want his focus to be on Morgan as well as the 3 others. Make up your mind here. You're basically contradicting yourself

That's not a contradiction, it's a a shining example of the fact that Hogan is being overused, in too many angles that don't allow him to dedicate the proper amount of time to continuing to get specific ones over.

Wait a minute, so it's Hogan's fault that TNA's HEAD BOOKER Bruce Prichard hasn't known how to use Ken Anderson since he took over Russo's spot as head booker? You mean it's Hogan's fault that TNA is booking the show with a few people per division? You mean it's Hogan's fault that the knockouts can no longer get two matches per Impact? Yeah let's not blame Gut Check or anything else on the show that takes up valuable time from the already signed performers in TNA. Let's blame all of TNA's problems on Hogan for "feuding" with TNA stars and potential wrestling legends even though you've admitted in the same post that Hogan doesn't even interact with all the people that he's "feuding" with.

Not necessarily. I have no idea who to "blame" for this. I doubt you do either. You can point to "titles" and just say it's so-and-so's fault, but none of us actually work backstage and can attest to exactly who is or isn't at fault. We often hear the "too many cooks in the kitchen" analogy with regard to TNA, so maybe it actually is Hogan pushing for this, or Bischoff. I have no idea. All I know is that I don't like it.

I know who you are. The thing here is you're a TNA mark but you're trying your best to reach for something to complain about to show that you have some sort of balance so it won't always look like you're talking up TNA. This is basically all this thread is. You're complaining about the most complainless thing possible. You using the crux of him taking tv time away from others is the biggest bullshit ever. If TNA wants to find a way to get Anderson and King on TV more, they'd find an effective way to do so. Do you think Prichard & TNA creative is that incompetent or something? I just don't appreciate you using Hogan as a cop out for TNA's booking

So now you're telling me what my motives are for this? Are you getting that information from the same source who's told you exactly who is to blame for Hogan being on television this long?

Again, it's easy to just say that if TNA wants to get King or Anderson on television, they'd find a way to, but it's much harder to prove it. How do you know Hogan isn't pulling political strings to get onto television more because of something in his contract like he's been proven to have done in the past? How do you know Bischoff isn't doing the same?

[midgensa]

IDR is dead on with this.

The amount of Hogan on TNA television is ridiculous right now. I remember when people used to call it Total Nonstop Angle ... but at least Angle was an IN-RING talent and a legitimate Main Event superstar at the time.

I understand that Hulk Hogan still has immense drawing power and should be a part of the on-air storyline. He absolutely has to be because he is too big a name not to use. But Brooke Hogan? Give me a fucking break.

This entire storyline is doing NOTHING for any other talent. Is it getting or going to get Bully Ray more over? No, he is perfectly capable of doing that himself. Is it getting or going to get Austin Aries more over? Hell no ... the guy FORCED the company into putting the world championship on him because he is good enough by himself.

Is it going to get Brooke Hogan over? No. The only thing that gets that little slut over would be showing her good in Playboy or Hustler.

As has been said, and as is absolutely true ... Hogan needs to be an on-air talent if you have him under contract. He is too big a name not to be. But being involved in HEAVY, time-consuming storylines is just too much. Coming into a few feuds is solid and works. Being involved in the top feud constantly when you can't even get in the ring?

Makes little sense to me.

[The Boss]

We need MORE HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN!!!! 2013 should be the year when he wins the TNA World title (from whomever turns out to be the leader of aces and eights - Sting, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner or whomever) and drops it to Matt Morgan. It will explain why he's involved in both angles and why the Morgan angle even exists... as a set up to HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN dropping the title to him next year.

HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN to win the TNA World title in 2013!!!!!!! That's what I'm watching for!