[Rumor]: Hulk Hogan & Garett Bischoff vs. Ric Flair & Eric Bischoff

[Jack-Hammer]

According to PWInsider, there's currently talk of TNA having Hulk Hogan wrestle another match. Nothing is set in stone but, according to the report, TNA is looking to have Hulk Hogan team up with Garett Bischoff to take on Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff at the Lockdown ppv in April. As it's still quite a ways off, anything can change and this is just, supposedly, talk that's going on right now.

For me, this raises a few questions. IF, and I do mean IF, this turns out to be what happens, it's a little disconcerting to see a literal nobody like Garett Bischoff involved in such a high profile angle that is definitely going to take up more than it's fair share of television time. I know they're drawing in the history of Hogan, Bischoff & Flair to help sell the angle and the "drama" of a father & son pairing off against each other, but Garett Bischoff...well, what exactly has he done to warrant being included in such a big angle besides being the apple of his old man's eye? Maybe the kid is some sort of wrestling genius or something, but I somehow doubt it.

Also, as I aluded to earlier, you know that TNA is going to devote tons of television time to this if they decide to go forward with it. TNA has a lot of talent on their roster and some of them would no doubt be shoved aside for a steel cage match featuring a green as a bean rookie, a non wrestler and two legends with significant health & injury issues who will by that time have a combined age of 119.

Is this a program that you'd be interested in seeing, if TNA decides to ultimately go forward with it?

 

[Derrtown]

I think Hogan should fight someone else but we all know most of you would bitch and Whine if he went over anyone not named Flair or Sting.

Garrett looks good, talks good, and has been around the biz all his life so Im assuming hes going to be fine and know what it takes to tell a great story and have a quality match.

 

[He's Phenomenal]

If this match was to take place, I hope it leads to Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair at BFG 2012. That's what I really want to see and a tag match at Lockdown could easily lead to that. So I'm all for this taking place. Also any chance I get to see Hulk Hogan perform, I'm going to take it. I wouldn't expect this to be anywhere near as epic as BFG but it's still something I think I'd enjoy watching if it did happen.

I can see people complaining that Garrett Bischoff doesn't deserve a spot like he might get, but it doesn't bother me at all. This angle would involve Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff so it's going to be entertaining and that's what I'm bothered about TBH. Hogan and Flair are two of the best mic workers and performers of all time, so I'm pretty sure they'll hold my interest and have me invested in the angle. Eric Bischoff is also a great heel and someone you enjoy seeing getting slapped. Throw Bischoff's son into the mix and it makes for some good TV IMO.

Sure someone else could have the TV time Garrett may get, but it makes it far more interesting having the guy opposing Bischoff be his son. What a way to start a guy as well, teaming with HULK HOGAN! People want fresh faces, they don't get much fresher than Garrett. Who knows they could even make a star of Garrett Bischoff in the process, who has never competed for anyone else, how good is that?

 

[wrestlemaniac]

actually...i woulnt mind seeing this at all. And if they do go down this road i say give it some build if it is going to be at lockdown. They have the friend betrayal thing w hogan and bisch. They have the father son thing w garret and eric. they have an immortal shake up which pretty much involves hogan n flair. I say go for it.

 

[SpecialFNK]

no doubt wrestling fans are not going to like it. but for story line it has appeal. there's the angle of Hogan against Eric Bischoff. there's the angle of Hogan against Flair. there's the angle of father vs son in Garrett vs Eric.
despite appeal, not sure I would want to see it. not a current wrestler in it that could really help carry it. Sting is old, but at least he was a current wrestler when he went against Hogan.

 

[hatehabsforever]

There should be a fourth option on the poll, that being "sweet Jesus, holy fuck, for the love of God, no".

It was all bad enough, seeing Hulk Hogan so far past his prime, in a match with Sting at BFG 2011. But now they are considering Hulk Hogan, another 6 months later, involved in a match with the even older Flair, a non wrestler in Eric Bischoff, and an unknown non wrestler in the younger Bischoff. If anyone, anywhere has any interest in seeing this, I think, with all due respect, they need their head checked. Rather than building upon the potentially interesting scenarios involved with Storm, Roode, and others, the best they can come up with is this? Rather than preparing guys like this, you know, getting them "ready", they did even deeper into their bag of nostalgia?

Please let this be a nonsense dirt sheet rumor. Please put Hogan and Flair out to pasture in terms of active competition. And please focus on the future, rather than langshing in the past.

 

[joesgoingtoeatu]

You guys cant be serious, what about this is remotely entertaining ?

First of Garrett Bischoff lacks any personality, Eric Bischoff is not a wrestler, i do not want to see this total unrealistic feud to begin with. And then lets add Hogan & Flair to the mix, 6 months older ? How many matches can Hogan have left, he barely got thru Sting at BFG. Flair looked like hell vs Sting. NO NO NO NO, 1000 TIMES NO !!!.

I can watch Hogan feud with Bischoff/Flair outside of the ring, thru other wrestlers, but there is 0 appeal to this match. You havent even seen Garrett Bischoff wrestle yet and you want to watch him main event a pay per view with Hogan ? I even laugh at the guy who wants to see Hogan/Flair 2012, how many times have we seen this match already.

TNA needs to focus on Storm and Roode in the ring and make them stars and keep Hogan, Bischoff, and Flair out. Let them talk but good lord do not let them wrestle .

 

[chrisddusombre]

This is a fail concept fail fail fail fail. Hey just like Impact!!! If they want to have a shred of significance They must Focus on YOUNG TALENT!!!!!! NOT old ******s trying to relive their glory days! I for one think it's an insult that they wear their WWE legend rings to the shows wait off topic. Anyway NO NO ONE wants to see someone who will shatter into a million pieces when he takes a back bump vs someone who most likely will DIE in the middle of the ring in Ric Flair.

Flair, Hogan MOVE THE F* ON ALREADY NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU ANYMORE!!!
(Don't get me wrong they paved the way and I respect the Hell out of em but what they are doing now is PATHETIC!

As far as Bishoff's son I honestly haven't seen much of him so I cannot make an opinion of him.

Tna in general is a case of

 

[Launch Pad Mac - Quack!]

I don't believe it is a good idea Tbh. But unlike most people on this forum - I don't have a huge problem with Hogan and etc being involved in the brand - as long as it's not that often and remains something special like when WWE brings in Stone Cold or The Rock. There is vaule in name recognition but Total Non-Stop Action has chosen to misuse these people since said arrival and people can complian about how Hogan will not do this or that unless it profits him but it falls back on the people who are in charge to put the proverbal foot down and tell him to cut it out.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I voted no, I think what I am about to say is a “No Shit Sherlock..” judging by my constant defense of him but even being that I am a Hogan mark until the day I die, even I don’t like the idea. Not that Hulk Hogan doing these matches every so often bothers me per se; it's just that I'm indifferent at this point of my life in regards to Hogan wrestling again. It was bad enough seeing Bret Hart in matches like he was in at WrestleMania XXVI and SummerSlam 2010 (I know it was a five on five tag but still, that could have been a spot used for someone else, Bret in the WWE team's corner would have sufficed.) as well as Bret's US Title win against The Miz did not need to happen.

I know most people will defend Bret's match with Vince because Vince needed his comeuppance for what he did to Bret. But didn't Bret knock Vince silly after Survivor Series 1997; I would say the physical retaliation was already covered. As far as retaliation against Vince goes, why didn't Bret just pull a power play on Vince like Ric Flair did in 2001? Bret being an authority figure akin to Jack Tunney would have been better in my opinion than this anonymous GM crap they wasted time on and the whole COO thing with Triple H and the dynamic we have now, just not feeling it to be honest.

If Bret became an on-air authority figure (I remember they tried it briefly but nixed it,) it’d be nothing new but Vince taking on his wrestlers in matches at WrestleMania got pretty redundant too. Anyway back on point, if Hogan wrestles again I find it no different than what Bret Hart did last year. However, that's not to say I am any more excited over Hogan doing it but when you consider that he's not the only one in the business to wrestle well past a suitable age, he alone can't take the brunt of hate from the IWC since so many others break this rule and far more frequently I might add. (i.e. Terry Funk, Ric Flair).

That's not to say that I disagree with people disliking Hogan's constant returns to the ring however sporadic they are but he is not setting a precedent here by doing it. However if Garrett Bischoff is talented and not just a product of nepotism then there could be something positive to come of this but I think a better idea would be to have Hogan play the part of a grizzled vet preparing Garrett Bischoff for a big time match against another heel. Bully Ray or Scott Steiner is a good bet I would think. That way Hogan can still have a role in a storyline but not have to necessarily be billed as part of the match as a wrestler.

Will that happen? Probably not, but I think it could get the same effect and not be as much of a problem for Hogan's health. But yeah get Flair and Hogan out of the equation as wrestlers and it could be something interesting to see.

 

[ABMorales787]

I doubt it. Hogan barely did much in Bound For Glory but looked more mutilated than all the other wrestlers in just a few spots. I'd much rather see Sting take his place. Even so, I don't see why people would call it a high profile match in a PPV that always has 2 main events (World title & Lethal Lockdown). Sounds to me like the AJ/Flair vs Abyss/Hogan match from their Monday stint. I wouldn't really concern myself with as for one thing, the company isn't gambled in the story and secondly, it won't be that major.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

no no no no no NO! this is just a horrible idea! while hogan vs sting wasnt nearly as bad as i thought it would be i never wanna see hulk hogan lace up his wrestling boots ever again and the same goes for ric flair they whole storyline between the bischoffs storyline is really horrible already in fact last week i dozed off during the hogan & bischoff segement so horrible why do both tna and wwe feel the need to make people wrestle who arent wrestlers? hogan needs to just collect his paychecks from tna and his paychecks from social security same with flair and stay out of the ring i hope they change their mind but they wont there obsessed with flair and hogan wrestling

 

[marker]

Clearly they are making plans involving hogan based on the huge pop he and sting got at the BFG 2011. I'm all for it. I had thought that hogan vs sting would be disaster and I was proven wrong, I enjoyed the match a lot. Hope that next one will also be as good.

 

[rocksaviour]

Two old men in a match with two non-wrestlers. I can't think of anything worst. And how much TV time would this take up between now and Lockdown?

Terrible is a word I can think to describe it this minute and probably for every minute up until bell time if it happens.

 

[Lowdown]

This really isn't a wise program IMO, nor is it gonna be a money maker. It sounds like the feuds that Vince had with Shane in WWF/E. I don't know about Garrett's wrestling skills, but if they really want to build him up, maybe have Imortal beat him down weekly, or have matches against them every week or so. He might have a potential ally in Abyss. So I could see the both of them going up against Gunner and maybe Steiner or Bully Ray. Either way that would sound way better than sticking him in a tag match against two wrestlers well beyond the age of 55 and his father who is roughly the same age.

 

[Larry]

I voted "Not Sure" because, hey, I'm just not sure, lol . You never know how this thing could play out it might be interesting, or even entertaining. We haven't seen what they have in store yet so there's no telling. I'll keep an open mind and watch it play out. Sure, it doesn't sound very great on the initial pitch, but neither did Hogan-Sting and that was actually pretty great.

The thing that points me in the "NO" department is that as much as I'd selfishly love to see Hulkamania run wild, it's not worth the mans health to me. I about shit my pants when he took those bumps at BFG. I mean, the man has a freakin' bionic surgically repaired back. Who knows what he can or can not actually take? All I know is that I am not willing to find out at his expense. I care more about Hogan than that.

 

[alexikosalov]

Hulk Hogan is the greatest and most well known person ever. This can only mean good things for TNA Impact Wrestling. Higher ratings. More money. Then TNA can travel outside of casting studio and dominate WWE. Hogan is a fucking genius.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Role is what matters here... as in the role it plays at a PPV as well as the amount of time dedicated to it on IMPACT prior.

If it's a minor mid-card story line, where's the harm? Sting/Hogan from Bound For Glory should have put to rest a lot of the worries that old men "cant go" anymore. Bischoff's kid and Flair would probably be taking most of the bumps anyway.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Ok, let me get this straight....

This would ultimately lead to a match featuring a guy who can't work a decent match anymore (Hogan), a guy who is decades past his prime that won't walk away (Flair), a guy who should stick to being an evil boss rather than ever work a match (Bischoff), and a ref who suddenly became a wrestler (Garrett)?

Do I want to see that? Well.... not really. I'm sure the match itself would be terrible unless it would be under "No DQ" rules and full of run-ins or attacks by others. Garrett/Hogan would have to win because they have something to gain from it (Garrett getting some fan support for associating with Hogan) there is no point in Flair/Bischoff winning. I'm sure the promos leading up to it would be interesting enough to help deal with the likely low-quality match that we get out of it. Who knows though, maybe Garrett will surprise us by being rather good in the ring or on the mic.

 

[HITMANFAN]

There is a thread in this TNA section entitled (effectively)...

"What would help to bring prestige back to TNA?" Please take note,

THIS. IS. SERIOUSLY. NOT. IT.

Simple as.

Hulk Hogan is the greatest and most well known person ever. This can only mean good things for TNA Impact Wrestling. Higher ratings. More money. Then TNA can travel outside of casting studio and dominate WWE. Hogan is a fucking genius.

Dude, honestly...do you even watch the show?

 

[Rayne]

I can't find any piece of this match that appears remotely entertaining.

As IDR said, if it's a small, side card match, what's the harm? But we know the history of the people involved. Can you imagine Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Eric Bischoff refusing the limelight and relegating themselves to the undercard? I wouldn't be shocked to see this be the co-main event... and would only be somewhat surprised if it bumped the WHC match to the 2nd to last spot.

In the name of finding absolutely nothing entertaining in anything Eric Bischoff does, in the name of wishing Ric Flair had kept his promise and Hulk Hogan his dignity, this match is quite possibly the very last thing I want to see TNA/IW do.