Using Hogan Properly

[sabataged]

Well first of all let me say I used to be a fan of NWA:TNA back in the day of the X-Division and weekly pay per views. My interest dropped off but then picked back up when Hogan showed up. They have a very talented roster, just lacking in the creative department.Instead of stupid gimmicky angles, they need to get back to the basics before building up. The whole idea of Immortal using the nWo type gimmick was stupid. Yes you can use past wrestling angles/gimmick but you have to change it some or its going to look rehashed.

With all that being said, TNA needs Hogan. Some people on this forum will not admit that EVER. Having Hogan name drop TNA or where a TNA shirt out in public or promote TNA on one talk show does more for TNA then then putting on 100 A+ shows in a row. I think they just need to use him properly. They need to use Hogan as an ambassador role. The way that WWE is using Steve Austin in Tough Enough would be an awesome role for Hogan. They need to do some sort of reality show with Hogan. Then have Hogan doing a couple backstage skits a week. He doesnt need to be the focal point of the the feature story of TNA.

TNA has top level talent like Angle, Anderson, Hardy, Styles, Roode, RVD and Sting with mid level talent that can be top level talent like Storm, Daniels, Kazarian, Morgan, Hernandez, Samoa Joe, Pope, and Abyss. They need to get back to focusing on these guys instead of the guys that can't make a difference in the ring like Hogan, Bischoff and even Flair on a full time basis.

 

[Dagger Dias]

TNA needs Hogan. Some people on this forum will not admit that EVER. Having Hogan name drop TNA or where a TNA shirt out in public or promote TNA on one talk show does more for TNA then then putting on 100 A+ shows in a row. I think they just need to use him properly. They need to use Hogan as an ambassador role. The way that WWE is using Steve Austin in Tough Enough would be an awesome role for Hogan. They need to do some sort of reality show with Hogan. Then have Hogan doing a couple backstage skits a week. He doesnt need to be the focal point of the the feature story of TNA.

I like this. TNA does need Hogan and he can bring in countless new fans from his endorsement alone. He could be a trainer if they ever started some type of program similar to Tough Enough (but not similar enough to be a ripoff) or he could be working behind the scenes helping people learn what to do without having to be onscreen so much. Having Hogan around during Impact for an appearance or two is fantastic, but having him take up too much time is bad because that time could be given to future stars. TNA is onto something with Hogan but like what sabataged said, they have to use him properly or else they used him for nothing. The new fans he bring in won't want to stick around for a show that doesn't make sense or focuses too much on people decades past their prime. They can turn things around if they went about it a little differently!

 

[fenfool]

I was thinking about this yesterday...you spend all kinds of money to bring in Hogan, one of the most recognizable wrestling names in history, and you make him a heel authority figure. Ok, the wrestling fans who hate him get to boo him, but I think his last run in WWE showed that fans don't want to boo him anymore. The non-wrestling fans will tune in to see him kick some butt, but when they see him just talking, and taking on the role of bad guy, I think they will tune out. TNA really needs someone to cheer, I think they are wasting him in his current role. I think you have a pretty good idea, he could be a good ambassador for TNA, and wrestling in general, but they need to get him out of this authority figure role.

 

[Rayne]

With all that being said, TNA needs Hogan. Some people on this forum will not admit that EVER. Having Hogan name drop TNA or where a TNA shirt out in public or promote TNA on one talk show does more for TNA then then putting on 100 A+ shows in a row. I think they just need to use him properly. They need to use Hogan as an ambassador role. The way that WWE is using Steve Austin in Tough Enough would be an awesome role for Hogan. They need to do some sort of reality show with Hogan. Then have Hogan doing a couple backstage skits a week. He doesnt need to be the focal point of the the feature story of TNA.

With Hogan, the change from TNA pre-Hogan is that ratings are about .05-.10 higher (statistically insignificant). The company's in the same shape with the fan base as it was before Hogan. How is he a must-have item? I absolutely agree he needs to have a diminished role, because watching him go out and give the same fucking promo for the past year and a half (twenty-five years if you change the company name) does absolutely nothing for me, and it obviously isn't 'spiking the needle'.

But on that note, how does having Hulk Hogan in a minor role suddenly convert him into an essential item which increases the fortunes of the company? He's been being an 'ambassador' for TNA since he's been hired, to no effect beyond getting his Rent-A-Center contract renewed.

I understand the theory of how Hulk Hogan makes a better company, but I haven't seen that theory work in real life yet.

 

[The Wolf]

I like this. TNA does need Hogan and he can bring in countless new fans from his endorsement alone. He could be a trainer if they ever started some type of program similar to Tough Enough (but not similar enough to be a ripoff) or he could be working behind the scenes helping people learn what to do without having to be onscreen so much.

A couple of years ago Hogan had a show on CMT Celebraty Championship Wrestling.

For those that dont know about it he had 2 teams with their own trainers and went over wrestling basics every week. At the end of each show they put on a little event where they teams trainers picked the match and stipulation and played to the strengths of the celebraties. After each event Hogan and the Judges would evaluate them on the event and some one got sent home.

I say do that and have TNA stars stop by and help the trainers but make more like 2 hrs.

Bring that back but with ppl who want to become wrestlers it would work.

 

[MrGrizz]

Do they need Hogan? Yes. Backstage. Lets face it, nomatter what you think of him, he has enough power to get wrestlers that might not have ever thought about signing to consider or sign with the company. Yes he made a mistake of signing all of them ex wrestlers at the beginning to short term contracts that shouldn't have been signed in the first place. Since though Hogan Brought in Hardy's( nomatter what you think of them), Mr. Anderson, RVD, with help from Dixie signed Mickie James.

We just don't eed to see him or Eric.

 

[PagingMr.ass]

Yes hogan is good for TNA but not in the roll he's playing. He should be an on screen character and nothing more. Hogan should play the roll of General Manager on TNA impact without with no official high ranking postition backstage in managment. He draws and is entertaining having him on the mike "running the show" but not really running it would work perfectley. Bishof needs to go, he doesn't really interest the fans as an onscreen personality and is hurting the company in the position that he holds. Lets face it Between Bishoff and Russo havent done anything relevent behind the scenes since the 90's. TNA was heading in a much better direction when Cornett had their jobs. I say keep hogan on as a weekly personality (he can still have a major prescence in the locker room with out being anyones "boss") show bishoff and russo the door, and either re-sign Cornett or try one more time to bring in Heyman.

 

[jaceynightheat]

Using Hulk as a bad guy makes no sense. At this point in time people only really want to cheer Hogan. Did you hear his reaction at American Idol? They went nuts.

But I personally feel that Hulk should only do one or two shows a year, one of them is Wrestlemania.

As in Hogan not having an effect on companies, that's a little weird. Pretty sure Hulkamania was the thing that brought WWF up to the national spot light, WCW beat WWF because of a Hogan storyline. Which didn't happen until after a couple of years into his WCW reign.

 

[gd]

They need to have Hogan wrestle more. I mean, a lot more. I'm pretty sure that whole back thing is a ruse and he could jump in that ring right now and outwreslte most of the current roster. He's just that damn good.

So I wouldn't settle for less than 3 TV matches a month along with the 20 minute or great PPV match. That'd tickle my fancy.

 

[ahoyhoy]

No-one needs Hogan. The guy only knows one thing - how to sink a company. He was a large part of why WWF was circling the drains in 93/94, his creative control at WCW meant that the product became so shitty and wouldn't put over new talent that... well, we know how that went. And then TNA get him, try going live on Mondays to... mess it all up again. All a coincedence?

Wrestling shows get viewers and people turning up at shows by putting on something they want to see which for the majority of the time is new exciting wrestlers make something worth watching. You can have voices for those who need help being pushed but Hogan would never live with just being a manager or someone just trying to help potential stars get over and take just an ounce of his spotlight. Never. He'll never change.

Best way to use Hogan is to fire him and say that the wrestler who works hardest in the next year to make a name for himself, to get the most merch sales or tv/ppv boosts when their matches are on compared to where they are today, gets the 1 year 'Hogan contract' - because for sure he's pulling in the biggest check in TNA.

 

[ahoyhoy]

(also he hasn't been able to put on a decent match in over a decade - nearly two decades in my humble opinion, and him occasionally promoting tna elsewhere doesn't actually have that much of a knock on effect. people watch mtv reality shows because they think he's a mess - if they think he's a mess, a decade after he was the face of a sinking ship, why would they want to pay attention to his current cruise liner? Mick Foley doing spots on The Daily Show or whatever is far more likely to be effective in my opinion than Hulk on American Idol - in part because MTV reality fans or Idol fans are young girls and mums, not exactly the type who made Vince a billionaire.)

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

(also he hasn't been able to put on a decent match in over a decade - nearly two decades in my humble opinion, and him occasionally promoting tna elsewhere doesn't actually have that much of a knock on effect. people watch mtv reality shows because they think he's a mess - if they think he's a mess, a decade after he was the face of a sinking ship, why would they want to pay attention to his current cruise liner? Mick Foley doing spots on The Daily Show or whatever is far more likely to be effective in my opinion than Hulk on American Idol - in part because MTV reality fans or Idol fans are young girls and mums, not exactly the type who made Vince a billionaire.)

Hey there armchair expert, go get us the stats and figures on Hogan actually sinking WCW, please keep in mind he wasn't the only one who had a major role in that promotion. Time Warner's red-headed step child had a lot of people like Eric Bischoff and Bill Watts that were running the show long before Hogan ever came into WCW.

Granted, not every moment in Hogan's WCW career was a glorious one but do you really think a veteran like him wanted to see stuff like David Arquette or Vince Russo winning the WCW title? Seriously, go find a better argument to make, WCW had a lot more problems than just Hogan.

So stop taking hte easy way out when it comes to the "whodunit" of WCW's sale to the WWF. The whole Hogan killed the company is a funny but tired story to stick with.

 

[OG Mark]

I see the big problem with Hogan (and TNA as a whole) is the regurgitation of the same 10 wrestlers every week and their crappy feuds with little to no effort to push up-and-coming talent. Instead we get Immortal constantly. Who's in Immortal now, exactly? When's the last time TNA had a "big debut"? Crimson? Better question - where the hell is he? Oh that's right, getting buried by Scott Steiner of all people. Matt Morgan? Stupid story with Hernandez. The X-division is quickly dying, as is the best thing TNA had - tag teams.

This has more to do with Hogan's ego and necessity to be on camera more than he should, thereby taking up more time doing nothing with his airtime but preventing the development of talent. Where have we heard this before?... Hmm...

I'm confused, yet the only thing I know for sure: within the first 30 minutes of TNA I'll see Hogan on camera.

 

[SpecialFNK]

the best way to use Hogan is to get the TNA name out. there was a great opportunity when Hogan was on FOX American Idol, except there was no mention of TNA and Hogan was not wearing any type of TNA clothing.
he is the most recognizable wrestling name there is. you don't have to know anything about wrestling to know Hulk Hogan is a wrestler.

I think Hogan should go back to being face. wave the red/white/blue and get back to a real American. he was a great heel in the nWo but that worked because it was something that had never been done before because he was the biggest face for so long. even when he ended up going back to the WWE to wrestle the Rock at Wrestlemania, the fans wanted to cheer him.

 

[Fenris]

No-one needs Hogan. The guy only knows one thing - how to sink a company.

Yeah true, just look at the WWF and WCW. Oh wait, the WWF went from being a local territory in NY to drawing record numbers across the world. Well there's still WCW... Except he took them from giving away seats at TV tapings and doing house shows in front of 1000-1500 fans to the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, so I guess that ones out to.

Speaking of which was the WWF sinking when Hogan was drawing 94,000 fans to a PPV that had a buyrate of 10.2(Both records STILL untouched in this business)? Were they thinking when SNME popped a 15.0 rating to see Hulk Hogan fight Andre in a rematch? Btw, that too? Still the untouched record rating for a Wrestling TV program. Wow that's some sinking he did right there, popped the buyrates and ratings so high noone else ever has or ever will touch them.

He was a large part of why WWF was circling the drains in 93/94,

It certainly had nothing to do with the fact McMahon was being sued because Pat Petterson has an affinity for little boys or the fact he was facing a federal trial for distributing Steroids, nahh none of that. Or that, you know, the WWF's product fucking sucked more dick than Paris Hilton at that time.

his creative control at WCW meant that the product became so shitty and wouldn't put over new talent that... well, we know how that went.

Funny how the product was good until Time Warner merger and they started playing musical booker.

As for not putting anyone over yeah, he didn't push The Giant(Big Show) to the top, nor pull for DDP to be pushed as a Main Eventer and it wasn't like he let Goldberg beat him clean in front of 40,000 fans on Nitro or anything. This one is the most annoying of the Hogan bashing, he's put over more people than most top guys yet "never puts anyone over." I get it though, your idea of Hogan "putting people over" means being an opening card jobber, right? Get real.

Ultimate Warrior, Undertaker, Yokozuna, The Giant, DDP, Goldberg, Angle, Lesnar, The Rock, Triple H, ect but yeah, he never put guys over.

Anyways it's cool, you hate Hogan for whatever reason, maybe you're pissed he betrayed the WWE or some shit I don't know. But next time? Just admit it or bring some facts.

 

[iwinulose]

hogan shouldnt be in the ring in any way, him wearing a tna shirt wont get viewers, your thoughts are good in theory but if people dont like a product they normally dont bother with it. and lets face it tna is sinking, they have good matches, but they are sinking no matter how you look at it. they need people to watch it again, which means they need to fix things.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

hogan shouldnt be in the ring in any way, him wearing a tna shirt wont get viewers, your thoughts are good in theory but if people dont like a product they normally dont bother with it. and lets face it tna is sinking, they have good matches, but they are sinking no matter how you look at it. they need people to watch it again, which means they need to fix things.

You do realize that Hulk Hogan hasn't wrestled in over a year's time and this whole thing about him wrestling again is just a rumor and nothing more. I can respect your opinion about you not wanting to see Hogan wrestle again, as I don't care to see this ever happen again either. But I could see you feeling these sentiments if he won the TNA Title on his first night in the company and wrestled every PPV and iMPACT, but he hasn't.

He's only wrestled that one tag match with Abyss where Abyss was the one who got the pinfall and not Hogan. I think that should tell you something, and I think it's rather bold and audacious that you are saying that TNA is sinking if they at least maintaining viewers. If you want to judge them by WWE's standards then of course they are going to look weaker because you have one company that's only been around for under a decade compared to a world wide established promotion that's been around for what's been over a half century now.

Even if TNA has short comings there still almost 2 million people watching the product and to be honest, that's not that bad. Not a WWE like following but for the past ten years they are the best thing going that's filled the void that WCW left. Personally speaking, I am not as big of a fan of the product but I respect the fact that someone's taking a stand to be an alternative to WWE. And like I tell every other person that either outright hates TNA or is predicting their demise, that at least if TNA were to go down the tubes, the Carter Family/Panda Energy can at least claim they did a better job at running a wrestling promotion than Vince McMahon/NBC ever had in running a football league.

That last tidbit is for all the TNA haters/blind WWE marks that think WWE can and has never done wrong, you bashers of the product that is TNA better keep it in mind that Vince McMahon hasn't always gotten it right either.

 

[Dagger Dias]

A couple of years ago Hogan had a show on CMT Celebraty Championship Wrestling.

That's something I've tried to block out of my memory. It was nothing short of an awful disaster. That was back when there were rumors floating around about a new big federation that Hogan and Bischoff were going to start, and those rumors got my hopes up, and THAT was what they came up with?

Bring that back but with ppl who want to become wrestlers it would work.

Sounds reasonable. It would feel like a Tough Enough clone though, is the main problem. They would need to figure out a way to differentiate it from Tough Enough as much as possible. Regardless, having Hogan work with that show would be better for TNA than having him take up so much time on Impact due to the guys who can still wrestle needing tv time of their own. Plus the newcomers on this show could learn from one of the best. It could work if done correctly, unfortunately I doubt that would ever become a reality as TNA might mess it up somehow.