Bigger Acquisition: Angle Or Hogan?

[klunderbunker]

I'm reviewing No Surrender 06 when Angle was announced and I said that it's the biggest acquisition in TNA history other than Hogan who was about three and a half years later. That got me to thinking: is Hogan an actually bigger deal? Hogan came in as more or less the GM character at first whereas Angle came in as one of the top stars in the world and the guy that easily could have been made WWE Champion at that point if there had been a pinch. He was a majorly active guy and was definitely someone that got TNA noticed. Hogan is the biggest name ever but was brought in about 20 years after his prime.

In short: which do you think was a bigger acquisition for TNA: Hulk Hogan or Kurt Angle? Make sure to say why or you'll be in trouble with the authorities.

 

[Schuyler]

Angle, he was a top guy in WWE, and could of still been main eventing to this day, if he stay with the WWE. While no one cares about Hulk after he ruined his image more so then ever.

 

[ABMorales787]

Kurt Angle is technically the bigger signing. He was major when TNA was still somewhat small. When Hogan signed, TNA already had an assortment of large names, a primetime TV slot and a larger fanbase. One could argue most of TNA's growth from 2006 until Hogan came was because of Kurt Angle.

In retrospect, Angle was a bigger signing because of the credibility he lent to a younger TNA and can be argued that thanks to him, Hogan came because of the credibility Angle lent.

 

[hatehabsforever]

The bigger acquisition is clearly Kurt Angle. As you said, Angle came to TNA wrestling still in his physical prime, or pretty damn close to it. Straight from the main event of WWE to the main event of TNA. And more importantly, making a conscious choice of TNA over WWE. He came in and was able to make an immediate impact in the ring, an impact he is still making 5 years later. He has been able to elevate those around him, and has made the product better, even if not manifested in ratings or buy rates.

Hogan is by far the bigger name, but he came to TNA well past his physical prime. Sure he made pretty big initial splash, but more so as an authority figure than an active wrestler. He came to TNA as a clear second choice. When WWE did not want him, he went to the next best thing, then tried to spin it positively.

All due respect, I would argue that Angle made the TNA product better, whereas it definitely could be argued that Hogan has made it worse. And Angle is still going strong, more than capable of main eventing today. Surely to God no sane person would suggest that Hulk Hogan would be able to do so today, in 2011

 

[Awesome_Miz]

No thought Angle cause when he came to tna he had that star power whereas Hogan doesn't have anything he has lived in the dream far too long.Angle can really pull a great match so Angle no matter what.

 

[whoopin' ass]

angle for the fact he has actually put on good matches. hogan got them some publicity but that faded quick. hogan is good as a special attraction, not as a regular part of the show. he hasn't set the ratings on fire and most people are assuming he will be gone come january.

 

[TUFFY54]

HOGAN

Any argument over star power is won by Hulk Hogan. The only person from wrestling who is a bigger star is the Rock. However, the Rock is a bigger star from movies, not wrestling. Hulk Hogan is the only living wrestler in history that EVERYONE knows. He is the face of the business. Kurt Angle is a great wrestler and has the gold medal background, but the majority of people don't know who he is. Two examples of the importance of Hulk Hogan coming to TNA:

1. Shortly after announcing his joining TNA, Hogan went of Jimmy Fallon to promote his new book. He told Fallon, and his MILLIONS of viewers, that he had just joined a new promotion called TNA. He then plugged it's time and channel. That did more for TNA than every "5 star" X-Division match in history. When was the last time you saw A.J. Styles, the "face" of TNA on a major network talk show?

2. American Idol. Hogan made a surprise appearance on American Idol last year. For those who don't know, A I is one of, if not the, most watched show in America. Hulk Hogan got to make an appearance because he was Hulk Hogan. Again, no one else in the history of TNA has had a fraction of the mainstream recognition, for good or bad, that Hulk Hogan has.

Some people, especially on these forums, simply refuse to believe that star power and marketability mean anything. These are the people that will tell you that Danial Bryon and Tyson Kidd are more valuable to the WWE than John Cena. They are also the same ones who will try and say that Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles are more important to TNA than Hulk Hogan.

Kurt Angle is great. One of the all time greats. However, he simply doesn't compare to Hogan in terms of recognition. 5 star matches are great. Every company needs as many as they can get out of their wrestlers. However, these matches make fans stay. They don't bring in new viewers. If somebody isn't watching your product to begin with, they certainly aren't going to see a great PPV match. Names, not matches, are what get people to tune in and try something new. Say what you want about want about the failed Monday night wars, or the move back to Thursdays, Hulk Hogans debut with TNA gave them their highest ratings in history.

P.S. For those of you who couldn't resist talking about Hogan's "destroyed" image, what the hell do you make of Angle the last few years? A few DWI's, a restraining order, being arrested for steroid posestion, and an assault charge don't exactly make for a great image. I like Angle, but lets be fair.

 

[jaceynightheat]

Short Term: Hulk Hogan.

Hulk Hogan gave TNA some waves in the beginning. The problem with Hulkster is he gets over saturated fast! If he only showed up a couple times a year, say in a tag match or a quick storyline - it'd be a great buy!

Think of how Hogan was last used in the WWE. Shows up every few months. Helps out an underdog at Wrestlemania. Real American plays, everyone is happen.

But on TNA, he reverted back to his Hollywood gimmick for some reason. It isn't effective now. When I see Hulk Hogan, I want to see red & yellow. Not him have storylines that will lead to no where.



Long Term: Kurt Angle.

Angle is still in amazing shape & can go. He can work with just about anyone & have an amazing match. He's gone out of his way to help younger guys. Think of Joe, Lethal, Desmond Wolfe. Angle vs Wolfe made me pay attention to Wolfe right away & I figure it did the same with many others.

But I have to admit, I want Angle to end his career in the WWE. He seems like a WWE guy, doesn't really fit in with TNA. Not saying anything bad about Angle or TNA. Reminds me a lot of Bret Hart in WCW.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

The answer, no matter how you look at it is Kurt Angle

It's been beyond covered here but as everyone else has brought up, Kurt was in his prime during his aquisition. Kurt was a major top player in the wrestling world who still had/has some time at the top. Hogan is past even the twilight of his career. hogan can't even perform his signature moves (or any) anymore and we're supposed to buy him as a credible opponent to Sting in the co-mainevent of TNA's biggest show of the year? Please.

And yeah, there's "name recognition" with Hulk Hogan, but to be fair it's a name recognition that doesn't really mean a whole lot to non-wrestling fans, if it did Rent-A-Center would be doing a hell of a lot better, Brooke Hogan would be a star, and Hogan Knows Best would have been a decent ratings grabber rather than the show people left on after Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

And lastly (and most importantly) Kurt Angle is willing to get someone other than himself over. Kurt has put over guys like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Kazarian, and Jay Lethal while Hogan has a tendency to make everything about himself and has used TNA as a playground to give his old buddies jobs.

Kurt Angle is straight up better for business.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

really? is this really being questioned? without a doubt Kurt Angle was the bigger signing out of the two! when angle got there the company was still small and didnt have that many big names who were "household names" and angle going there was just huge for them! where as hogan is about 20 years past his prime and im surprised he can even walk after all the back surgies he has had! was hulk hogan to tna a big signing? without a doubt of course he was but is kurt angle signing a way bigger deal? yes yes a million times yes

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

I have to say it's Angle. Before Angle, TNA was "just another wrestling company." When they got Angle it made them look legit. At that time you wouldn't believe anyone in TNA could be WWE champion (yes even Christian at the time). Not so with Angle. You know he was a top guy ANYWHERE.

With Hogan, when he went to WCW he was arguably bigger than the WWE. Now WWE is bigger than Hogan. If he came out to Real American in the Red and Yellow on RAW I guarantee he would get a HUGE pop. But on Impact? He's just an old man whose time is over. And I never thought I'd say that about Hogan. Hogan should be bringing in media, but he doesn't really. Many times when he's on a show he doesn't even talk about TNA. Hell, he has other wrestling projects and his own wrestling game going on right now. The only Hogan that works these days, is the rate all american, Hulk Hogan, and that's not what he is at the moment.

In my opinion, Angle makes an impact. Hogan really doesn't. In fact, I'd almost say TNA might be better off without him.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Hogan is a large name, he brought in that name with him and fans. There are some Hogan fans that will follow him anyware. That is great buisness for a company no matter how you spin it.

But Kurt was the spark that Tna needed in 2006. Before that they had some smaller big names, and big names like Christian and JJ. But lets be honest, while Christian was sort of breaking into the Main event in 2005 he wasn't as big of a name as Kurt Angle.

Kurt's signing in my eyes was a huge, but he helped push Tna into the spotlight along with Sting. Kurts signing was bigger than Stings, because I allways thought of Kurt as a Wwe for life. But his name along with Sting, Jeff, Cage and others in my eyes helped push Tna into the spotlight. Indi names like Joe, Chris Daniels, Aj Styles, and alot of others helped to. But Kurt brought that instant credibility that Tna needed in a World champ wrestler. He brought Mic skills, Wrestling, Story telling, and a Rub that could put over any wrestler.

 

[THE AWESOME MIZFIT]

How can someone say that Kurt Angle is a bigger acquisition. It's without a doubt Hogan. Hogan is the biggest name in wrestling history period. He is why professional wrestling is so big and so mainstream. Is Angle a better wrestler? Absofuckinglutely. The fact of the matter is people follow Hogan. Look what happened when Michael Jordan went to the Wizards. Everyone wanted to tune in to see what he can do. Its the same for Hogan. Hogan and Jordan are the 2 biggest stars in their respective sports. With that being said Hogan is the biggest player in wrestling history and the only person that can come close to him is sadly John Cena. TNA is gradually growing in popularity and its all in thanks to Hogan.

 

[innerdarkness89]

Kurt Angle. He can still wrestle and put on good matches with most guys. Hogan needs to figure out that his time as a wrestler is over. Dont mind him as a GM type of guy, but the guy just cant go in the ring anymore

 

[UrbanDynasty]

Angle. I actually watched TNA for a while after he jumped ship.
When Hogan came i didn't care whatsoever. I kind of felt sorry for some of the TNA talent knowing he would try and take the spotlight from them.
Now, i dont watch TNA anymore. I watched more than WWE once upon a time.

 

[Defekt]

Angle by a long shot.

When Angle debuted in 2006 he was in his prime and one of the WWE's biggest stars. A guy like that coming to TNA made the promotion look legit.

Hogan is in the twilight of his career. He's been everywhere and done everything. Him going to TNA makes the promotion look like a place for washed up stars.

It's like a minor league baseball team signing Nolan Ryan and A-Rod. Which would you say is the bigger acquisition?

 

[Rayne]

With the benefit of hindsight, it's easy for me to say Angle. Kurt Angle came in and became a foundation for TNA, whereas previously they had been a collection of wrestlers most people had seen wrestle a couple of matches in WCW before they folded, at best. Hulk Hogan was a big deal when he signed (we'll get into that in a second), but TNA/IW could operate just fine now without him or his influence on the product.

At the moment of their signing, however? Hulk Hogan was the bigger signing. Kurt Angle was the first huge star to come to TNA; but at the same time, the company still could have gone either way. It was a strong suggestion for the direction TNA wanted to move in. Hulk Hogan's signing was TNA's declaration that "we are here, and we are for real". Hopes went through the roof and for a few weeks, TNA pulled in ratings bigger than they had before or have since.

Now that we've seen the results of the Hulk + Eric Show, it's hard to say that Hogan's had the better impact. Spare me your opinions on TNA/IW's creative direction- they aren't putting more asses in seats, ratings are up by an insignificant amount over the previous era, and if they were doing significantly better, you can bet your ass that Eric Bischoff would be promoting the hell out of it. (The man has never been shy about self promotion.) But day-after reactions were clearly bigger for Hogan.

 

[harrythem]

I'd say Angle.. Yeah Hogan is a bigger name but, if you look at the overall ratings for TNA, they've been pretty consistent since Angle came on board...occasionally higher, sometimes lower, but normally around 1.0-1.1 (ish).

Financially I can't say because I don't have access to TNA's books, although I'd assume their in a slightly healthier position then they were a few years ago, they started to turn the financial corner (from what I understand) around the time Angle came onboard.

As for helping the company, Angle again. He made Joe look like a top liner, made Wolfe look on his level. Brought out the best in Hardy & Anderson. Angel still helps to make new stars, which is good for TNA's future.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

kurt angle hands down. he helped tna grow from a large company into what it is today. hogan was a short term asset that gave them a ratings boost for a short time. Kurt has put on fantastic matches in TNA from day 1 tof him starting there till now. oh its real brother its damn real!

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

For legitimising the wrestling aspect, Angle. For legitimising the company, Hogan.

Angle was consistent in WWE and a reliable ME competitor. From 02/03ish when he was on Smackdown he became one of the leaders of the blue brand and had a number of great feuds with the likes of Eddie, Benoit and Lesnar. In the last couple of years with WWE he brought an incredible level of intensity and made a win over him a significant thing, see Cena (to an extent.)

When he appeared on TNA, it was their biggest talent acquisation as here was a man respected immensely in the industry who could have stayed with THE wrestling company had he gone into rehab I believe to sort out his issues. Skeptics and insiders may say he went to TNA to avoid the rehab aspect, but at the end of the day TNA now had a guy who could provide a new challenge to the roster and add some credibility too.

Hogan is a brand unto himself. Like, love or loathe the man, people know who he is. People will endlessly debate back and forth whether he went to TNA for himself or to genuinely help a company he believes in, but nationally and internationally he is a well-known pop-culture figure who could benefit TNA's brand recognition. I say could as I'm not too sure of the extent he has helped in that respect.

 

[Cebeards]

Hogan had already become a joke by the time he got to TNA, so please stop calling a Hogan a big aquisition, a healthy Jeff Hardy is a bigger aquisition than Hogan.

Hogan drew for a week, then he sucked up all the air in the room

Angle is a workhorse, but at the same time Angle is a star. When you put those two together he is amazing in this business. Angle took an indy circuit company and brought it to the point it was at before Hogan joined. In essence, the reason Hogan is there is because of Angle.

winner: ANGLE, undisputed TNA savior

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Kurt Angle, no question about it. Kurt Angle coming to TNA made TNA feel like a huge deal. Not only did Angle bring legit star power, but he brought one of the best overall packages in wrestling to TNA.

Hogan was brought in by Dixie Carter based upon his past drawing ability. The fact that Hogan was/is the biggest draw in wrestling history is the primary reason why he was signed to TNA. However, even before Hogan signed with TNA, there were signs that Hogan simply wasn't a big draw anymore. His Hulkamania tour in Australia wasn't the huge sell out he was hoping for. A few years before that, he booked and promoted this big wrestling supershow in Memphis that only drew about 2,000 fans to an arena that could hold up to 18,000. He brought a temporary boost to TNA's ratings for a while but, after a month, it was won. Now, he's done little more than just take up air time and generally be the center of the entire show, at least most of the time, when he's been on the air.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I'd say Kurt Angle too, because when Hogan came to TNA it actually had a few big names, when Kurt Angle came to TNA, TNA was more-or-less a group of talented rookies with growing reputations, alongside the likes of Christian and Jeff Jarrett. Kurt Angle added to TNA in a huge way and has been probably the biggest name in the company since his debut.

Kurt Angle came in and reinvented himself in many ways, as a professional wrestler and as a character. Some would pay to see him return to WWE, but TNA has almost made Angle their own. Hes been probably their best World Champion, during any of his reigns and even now as he holds the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, I feel it just makes the Championship as a whole better, makes it mean something.

Hogan on the other hand hasn't been that big of a deal since he came to TNA. They promised monumentous change and surprises; they gave us The Band and almost killed the X Division. Hogan, much like anyone knows was brought in because he's just Hulk Hogan. He hasn't revolutionized the company, he hasn't made any substantial changes and he hasn't helped further it; while Kurt Angle did all three of those.

Although Christian was the first person to make the jump, Kurt Angle was the first shocking name to make the jump. Kurt even still claims to now that the company is going in the direction he sees as good, so therefore, you have to trust the guy that brought it to the next level. If you can't, then who can you trust?

 

[Headman]

Angle was the bigger catch. TNA got Angle while he was still a big star for the business. He was a guy who probably would have had several more WWE title reigns had he returned after getting the help he needed at the time. Hogan on the other hand really had nothing else going when he came to TNA. His career and life were on the downslide. When Angle came in he elevated the company and Samoa Joe... for a little while anyway.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Hulk Hogan may have been the biggest star that wrestling has ever produced but I do not think that people want to see him on a regular basis on television today. No matter which wrestling company he turns up in, he is going to get a huge reaction for the first few months but slowly the reaction will get lesser and lesser as the weeks progress.

Look at what happened in 2002 when he came to the WWE. The first three months were great and everybody loved Hogan. It seemed as if Hulk was the top babyface all over again. He even won the World Title off those reactions. But slowly the reactions started to subside and he started working lower down the card and then he turned into Mr America and eventually left.

Kurt Angle is someone who can still perform at a very high level. He has mainstream recognition and is also very well known in pro wrestling circles. He was one of the top 5 wrestlers in the WWE in 2006 and had also just had a very good face turn. He was one of the most over performers in the WWE back then. Of course his signing made a much bigger impact than Hogan's. It is what really made people take notice of TNA. Hogan's signing should have taken TNA to the next level but it more or less stayed at the same place even after his arrival.

Kurt was obviously the bigger signing.