TNA, Bound For Glory 10-10-10, Why not the end for TNA Hulkamania?

[johnbragg]

This is more a business thread than a storylines-and-matches nostalgia thread, but how did Dixie Carter and her people not realize that the whole Hogan-TNA-Nitro formula was a bust after Bound For Glory? Impact ratings were disappointing, the Ocean Center was half-empty, and PPV buyrates weren't any better than they were before Hogan showed up.

How do you not realize at that point that you need a new direction and a new business strategy? How do you fart around with Immortal for another year, running monthly live PPVs that lose money, and paying big money for Hogan, etc.?

There's an argument that Hogan draws/drew money. But not enough to build TNA around him. That was really clear by the end of his first year. RE-work his deal for 10 $50,000 appearances, so that a Hogan appearance is special, or let him play out the string for the rest of 2011.

 

[Alex]

1. Dixie is an idiot.

2. One can argue that Bound For Glory 10/10/10 was a jumping off point for a possible resurgence. Yeah sure you can say that it was doing a heel faction akin to the NWO or Main Event Mafia. I mean they did what WCW did with Hogan and turned one of the biggest babyfaces of the past few years in Jeff Hardy heel. Jeff Hardy as a heel was new and interesting and had he not been having problems with drugs it would have worked well to see him lose at the following Bound For Glory to a new star.
The one of the biggest faces of the past few years turning heel and then building a program to him losing the belt would have been awesome and gotten loads of people interested.

I mean Hogan's time in the company wasn't great but we got Bobby Roode's amazing heel turn and championship run. We got Austin Aries' dominance in the X-Division that eventually led to his run as World Champion.

Using Hogan sparingly would have been better though as it would have built anticipation, similar to how WWE used him when he returned. Getting people interested in seeing what Hogan was going to be up to and hopefully tuning into the rest of the show.

 

[LBGetBack]

It's laughable that they even brought him in. His absolute last gasp was 2002-2003. He did a few special matches after that but had little left and I'm pretty sure an artificial hip. This was 2005-2006. The Orton match should've been IT for the Hulkster. He was done.

And here comes TNA bringing him back a half decade after he's completely washed, and almost a full decade after his last good run. That's when I stopped watching TNA too. Showed that they really had no vision and no clue. I still remember Jericho on Raw doing the Hulk hand to the ear thing, the same night Hogan debuted in TNA and TNA tried to go head to head on Monday Night(LOL!)

 

[johnbragg]

It's laughable that they even brought him in. His absolute last gasp was 2002-2003. He did a few special matches after that but had little left and I'm pretty sure an artificial hip. This was 2005-2006. The Orton match should've been IT for the Hulkster. He was done.

And here comes TNA bringing him back a half decade after he's completely washed, and almost a full decade after his last good run. That's when I stopped watching TNA too. Showed that they really had no vision and no clue. I still remember Jericho on Raw doing the Hulk hand to the ear thing, the same night Hogan debuted in TNA and TNA tried to go head to head on Monday Night(LOL!)

I can understand the logic of bringing him in in the first place. The name, he "knows the business", trying to recapture the NWO/Monday NIght Wars magic. I thought it was stupid at the time too, but I understand how you could think it could work. "You never know until you try" and all that.

What I don't understand is how you don't see that it isn't working. Ratings were the same as pre-Hogan TNA after they went back to Thursdays. House shows weren't doing much. And the big show you built up to for months, Bound For Glory, did a "meh" buyrate.

I don't understand how you keep working the same plan at that point.

 

[TDFG]

Brining Hogan in was a ridiculous decision. Hogan as an on screen character who doesn't wrestle isn't going to bring in a boost to ratings. Even if Hogan was with WWE now he would be in some sort of ambassador role and used at the likes of WrestleMania.

Look at his matches in TNA and you can see he could hardly take a bump, there was no need to bring Hogan into TNA, and when you look at the talent that brought in during his tenure like The Nasty Boys, Scott Hall, Val Venis etc. you could tell that Wrestling has passed Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff.

 

[johnbragg]

Brining Hogan in was a ridiculous decision.

I agree. But some people only learn the stove is hot by burning their hands. What's even more ridiculous is burning your hands, and then keeping your hands on the stove to see what happens.

It's not completely crazy to bring a Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena or maybe even Flair into your promotion for the name value and hope something comes of it.

When Hogan came in, it was possible to believe that Hogan was not just an in-ring worker and the beneficiary of the Hulkamania and NWO fads created by other people; but a pro wrestling genius who understood marketing and wrestling psychology and would use that to benefit the product, and that the magic Hulk Hogan name would open doors and get phone calls returned and sponsorship deals on a level that Jeff Jarrett and Sting and Christian and AJ Styles never could; plus Bischoff came along, who does legitimately know a ton about how to produce a television show and make it look good.

In late 2009, people could say "Just watch, brother! Hogan's taking TNA straight to the top, like he did with 80s WWF and 90s WCW." In mid-2010, people could say, "Just watch for the angles to play out, 10-10-10 is going to be a landmark event in pro wrestling history."

By the beginning of 2011, what was there to say to justify Hogan's salary and control over TNA? Nothing.

 

[sikkbones]

I agree. But some people only learn the stove is hot by burning their hands. What's even more ridiculous is burning your hands, and then keeping your hands on the stove to see what happens.

It's not completely crazy to bring a Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena or maybe even Flair into your promotion for the name value and hope something comes of it.

By the beginning of 2011, what was there to say to justify Hogan's salary and control over TNA? Nothing.

Only one thing justified his salary and creative control by that point, his contract, and I'm surprised that he didn't stay with TNA indefinitely unless they refused to offer him any sort of contract going forward.

 

[johnbragg]

Only one thing justified his salary and creative control by that point, his contract, and I'm surprised that he didn't stay with TNA indefinitely unless they refused to offer him any sort of contract going forward.

True. They probably had to pay him the rest of the contract through 2011. But creative control only applied to Hulk Hogan's character and matches--the contract didn't say "Make Impact like a Nitro rerun."

 

[George Steele's Barber]

My guess is that they kept him around with the hope that he would wrestle for them. If I remember correctly, he had a half assed tag match followed by a significant surgery that kept him out of action for a long time but wasn't going to end his career. I figure Dixie decided that she would hold on to him so she could hopefully get him in the ring for some return on the initial investment. This was a mistake of course as he did eventually fight Sting but never competed to the point that one would hope after paying so much money.

 

[sikkbones]

True. They probably had to pay him the rest of the contract through 2011. But creative control only applied to Hulk Hogan's character and matches--the contract didn't say "Make Impact like a Nitro rerun."

Are you sure? Hogans wcw contract gave him some booking control when it came to others storylines.

I can't imagine he would have signed with a glorified independent with a TV deal without being able to affect his and buddies and his chosen favorites booking, regardless of the money.