It has long been my view that wrestling, as much as I love it, is no place for a sane man. Who would choose to be smacked in the head for a living, or dropped on their backs for very little money a year when you take out travel expenses (which WWE does not pay), hotel bookings (which WWE does not pay) and money to keep yourself fed on the road. The prime example we're looking at now, is the man that supposedly re-invented wrestling, Hulk Hogan.
Now, Hogan - real name Terry Boella, was an icon and to some still is. He is credited with revolutionizing wrestling and even had a dispiute with Vince McMahon which led to a truly dire match at Wrestlmania 19 - all storylined of course, about who should be credited for putting Wrestling and Wrestlemania on the map. To me that was a totally pointless storyling to watse on two old times, because even though the 'Hulkamaniacs' credit Hogan with revolutionizing wrestling, those with an ounce of intelligence know that McMahon can be creditied for it all. Hogan never would have had the money, the fame or fortune if Vince hadn't have decided to push him like no one else ever. It was truly ridiculous.
That's not the point I'm trying to get to. A few days ago, you've probably already heard, a sex tape leaked online showing Hulk Hogan having sex with a nineteen year old girl. First thoughts? Lucky bastard! Lucky, lucky son of a bitch. Now the details are sketchy at best and at present time its not clear if the tape is recent or years old. The point here, is that I'm glad to see one of the most overrated wrestlers in history (John Cena being the other) doing to others what he's been doing to TNA for a very long time!
Whether or not you agree with Hogan being in TNA is immaterial. The point of him being there was to do to TNA, supposedly do what he'd done to the buisness itself and revolutionize it. TNA was sinking and Hogan and Bischoff came in to pull it from the ocean floor and run it into stardom. In reality, all they've managed to do is run it into the ground.
Hogan says he's not a selfish man. Yet in just over two years in charge of the business (and yes, Dixie Carter allows him to run it) Hogan, remember procliaming to not be selfish, has pushed all good and upcoming talent to the side to make room for himself, Sting, Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff, Garrett Bischoff, Jeff Jarrett and whole bunch of ex WWE rejects to take centre stage. TNA was meant to thrive with new talent and a whole new look at wrestling. Instead it had reverted to a WWE and WCW tribute show. Some things have gotten better and some worse recently. When they began Hogan brought with him, Brutus The Barber Beefcake, the Nasty Boys and whole procession line of worn out, over the hill wrestlers just for the current TNA roster to put over. It made them look like morons. Hogan though sisn't care and Bischoff was just there to collect the pay check whilst he set about erecting his own midget wrestling business. Are these the sort of people we need in the business today? I think not.
Although saying all of this, the head of TNA - the continuously clueless Dixie Carter hasn't helped herself. In mid 2010 she stated in an interview that she didn't think TNA should charge its fans to attend live events, PPV or Impact tapings, and thought the idea of a TNA magazine was a waste of money. Can someone please wxplain to me how a woman like this is still in business? On top of all of that, TNA were making the same mistakes as WCW had before it. Namely letting Hogan and Bischoff make TNA the 'Hogan and Bischoff show'. They set up factions that got hardly anyone new over expect themselves. The spotlight was not on the talent, but on the two man that between them, had put WCW out of business. Great move Dixie.
As I stated some things have gotten better. TNA has gooten rid of the cancer that was Vince Russo. The third man that helped lay WCW into its coffin with his truly abysmal writing and stroytelling. It took long enough, but it happened. TNA have begun promoting new talent, even if its only a few that are getting the push. Austin Aries, James Storm and Robert Roode are the main three. The house shows in the UK are doing great business as is Impact Wrestling on Challenge T.V: in fact TNA is the highest rated wrestling show in the UK, even beating Raw and Smackdown. These are all examples of what TNA can do well when they want to. Unfortunatley, they don't want to very often. But these things are just papering over the cracks of Hogan's failure to make TNA a household name.
The truth? TNA is only the best wrestling show on TV in the UK because most homes over here have a FReeview box instead of a SKY box and you don't have to pay for TNA like you do WWE. The House shows are doing great business because of the television show - if people had to pay for TNA then they wouldn't do half the business on their travels here than they do now. Hogan has pushed Eric Bischoff's son, a man with no talent over guys who have waited patiently in line for years and apart from Bobby Roode, the main event of almost every TNA Impact Wrestling show and PPV are littered with ex WWE wrestlers, old legends who need to retire and the same old finish. This is TNA's downfall. They do not have the brains or the resources to create anything that is classed 'Must see Wrestling'.
Maybe the sex tape - if it is recent was Hogan's way of letting off steam. Maybe, thanks to his failed marraige and dating women younger than him, it's his way to recapture his youth. Or maybe it's another Hulk Hogan publicity stunt. Which is how I see it. If it is recent then why release it when TNA could be affected by the negative publicity? And if it turns out to be old, then Hogan is just out to drum up interest for TNA. Either way, like most of what Hogan's autobiographies say (which are almost all made up fabrications to make him look good), most of what Hogan does or says, the sex tape should be ignored.
I don't know where TNA goes from here. The logical step would have been for Dixie Carter not to watse her money on Hogan and Bischoff but plug it into the business and someone who would have cost less but brought more ideas and knowhow. Like Paul Heyman for example. It was the glitz and glamour that got the better of TNA's top woman. Thinking that because Hogan used to be such a big name that people would flock in their thousands to come and see him. That lasted about a fortnight. When people saw that Hogan hadn't changed from his oldways of stealing the limelight off of everyone else (as he did in post match from the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6), they went back to WWE. The only real solution for TNA is to get rid of Hogan and Bischoff. Get rid of Flair, Sting and anyone else who is holding back progression and go it alone. Of course, TNA can't do that now. They've pushed the old talent so hard that it's likley the fans of Flair, Hogan and Sting would go with them and TNA would lose even more money than it is now.
For once in my life, I can't see a way TNA can get out of the mess that the people in charge have put it in. They're in the firing line, taking bullet after bullet. Maybe they do need to take the risk of losing Hogan, the people he brought in and the fans that watch just for them - to bring in the thousands and thousands that are turned off by watching such old legends. TNA doesn't need a 60 plus year old flair bouncing his tits around the ring anymore. It needs youth, it needs mpney invested in it and it needs the cracks filled and shut before they begin to rot away at the foundations of what could become a very competitive wrestling company.
