Impact wrestling thread - It's a Don West tribute thread now!

[ColinBollocks]

I dont know where people are getting the idea that Hogan is asking for more than the Rock or that he's worth more than the Rock. Rock was getting something like $4 million a year, plus whatever he made on residuals and buyrates. If Hogan thought that deal was ever on the table, he'd never have signed with TNA. This whole debate is madness.

I think that may be my fault. To clarify, I was merely stating how interesting (although not surprising) it was that WWEs offer was miles away from what they are paying the likes of Lesnar/Rock, as it shows what they probably have in mind for the bloke and how they currently feel about him. If they were truly that bothered they would be at least matching his TNA money.

 

Anyway, to say Hogan won't get people buying a Wrestlemania is madness. They could do what they did with The Rock and have him do a hosting gig with the promise of something physical. Hogan isn't Chris Jericho, he has a long history drawing fans.

Edited October 16, 2013 by ColinBollocks

[Duke]

I dont know where people are getting the idea that Hogan is asking for more than the Rock or that he's worth more than the Rock. Rock was getting something like $4 million a year, plus whatever he made on residuals and buyrate

I'#m sure Dave Meltzer brought it up on Monday.

 

As for saying the rock didn't draw massively, I was refering to the Survivor Series match. There are plenty of reasons why that match didn't draw, I was just responding to air raid (admittedly without ever saying I was...)

[ColinBollocks]

I'm sure Dave Meltzer brought it up on Monday.

Nah, Meltzer just stated that TNA offered him a better deal and that Hogan was currently trying to boost his price/profile by talking up a potential 'Mania match. Then he got into a debate with Alvarez about whether Hogan was worth the same price as Rock/Lesnar for a one off match.

[NorthSeaTiger]

Then he got into a debate with Alvarez about whether Hogan was worth the same price as Rock/Lesnar for a one off match.

 

I think he is worth every penny. Sure he can't wrestle, but it's HULK HOGAN. He wasn't at Mania 10 and 20 so it's only right he is at the 30th Wrestlemania. He was THE star, who carried the WWF through the 80's and early 90's. Mention wrestling to anyone and invariably his name is mentioned. Without him on here, it's not the biggest show they can manage. He is wasted in TNA, in WcW guys usually still had an aura, in TNA they just go there to die. Like a farm for old cattle.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Fine article from TNA's scoops master Mike Johnson.

IT'S TIME FOR HULK HOGAN TO COME HOME TO WWE AND WRESTLEMANIA

By Mike Johnson on 2013-10-15 16:46:25

 

A lot of the discussion over the last few weeks has been where Hulk Hogan will end up now that his TNA deal has expired. It's of course possible that he and TNA have signed and sealed a new contract and all of this is a waste of time, but all things considered, it's time for Hulk Hogan to sign a deal with WWE and go out the way he deserves - and the way that makes the most money for all involved, a final Wrestlemania appearance.

 

Let's face it, Hulk Hogan epitomizes what the general population thinks of when they think of WWE. Sure, he had a good run in WCW and he's had, well, a run in TNA, but to the average person, he's what WWE is, whether that is true of not.

 

Hogan in TNA was a rough fit and one that never did well in any regard. What he believed worked for pro wrestling worked for him, but the problem was that he wasn't that Hulk Hogan anymore (just look at the promos from TNA and then compare them to anything Hogan did in WCW or WWE) and his ideas did nothing to help TNA or any of their talent get over the hump. Time had changed, the landscape had changed and the Hulk Hogan formula just doesn't work in 2013.

 

But, Wrestlemania 30 is coming and that's going to be a massive celebration of decades of professional wrestling lore....and as the new WWE videogame has shown, you can't even talk Wrestlemania without talking Hulk Hogan. It's the one place the Hulk Hogan show would not only be loved, but relished and anticipated.

 

Wrestlemania has also become something of the nostalgia show, where part-timers return to reap that one last big match, whether it was Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania 25, The Rock over the last several years or the now annual Undertaker appearance defending the streak.

 

Hulk Hogan's ego and drawing power have been tarnished in recent years due to everything from his divorce to his sex tape to his son's criminal case to Hogan's own bad judgment, but the reality is that wrestling fans will be more than happy to forgive and forget if it will give them one last nostalgia high...Hulkamania running supreme at Wrestlemania is that high - and Hogan's best chance at making that one last massive score of a payday as well.

 

There are obviously a ton of possibilities. There's John Cena in a recreation of Hogan vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania 18, something that was originally planned for Mania 25 before Hogan's back issues took hold. There's CM Punk, who's the best bet at carrying Hogan to a true athletically sound bout. There's Triple H, who would be only too happy to whip out a Pedigree. You've got Undertaker and Kane. Hell, there's two guys running around calling themselves Real Americans. It only takes a Hulkster to run wild and show them what a Real American is, brother.

 

Sure, it won't be the classic Hulk Hogan matches (or not so classic matches, if you prefer) of the 1980s and 1990s, but it's not about that. It's about the ring music, the entrance, the pose-down and the pointing of the finger as everyone screams, "YOU!" It's about the Hulkster hulking up the way he did when everyone was a kid and making them remember that moment again, one last time.

 

Plus, Hogan put Wrestlemania on the map and him closing his run out at Wrestlemania 30 is a hell of a lot cooler than Hogan in some tag match on a TNA PPV, which is what Hogan has fronted to those in TNA he has left. No offense to TNA, but Hogan deserves better than a TNA PPV, whether his detractors like it or not. He deserves to be on the grandest stage of them all, blah blah blah - he built it.

 

Hogan should also come home to WWE because as that well known face of pro wrestling, he could also be the centerpiece promotionally for the potential WWE Network. Hogan shouldn't wrestle again after a final match, but he sure can still cut promos, do talk-show appearances, host segments and shows, pop up in cameos, DVD compilations, autograph signings, meet and greets with licensees, etc. He can be plugged into the WWE synergy in a way that other legends - even Bruno Sammartino, cannot, thanks to Hogan's huge media awareness.

 

Hogan could also provide WWE with some star power for special events without needing to take a big name off the road. He could handle a role that most in a similar position of overall stardom - Steve Austin, The Rock, etc. - could or would not handle due to their outside interests or provide big-time attention in comparison to others who might be more than happy to do so but don't bring the zing that Hogan would.

 

There is only one Hulk Hogan and he could invigorate the Network with not just some nostalgia, but some Hulkamania and do what he's always done - help wrestling transcend to the next level. Everyone knows Hogan. He's at Superman and Mickey Mouse levels of recognition worldwide.

 

It would also be a far more suited and dignified retirement for someone who's transcended the business. Whether you like, liked, or roll your eyes at Hulk Hogan, it's time for him to come home....and that means WWE. The puzzle piece fits and so does the timing.

 

UPDATE:

As a follow-up to my article on Hulk Hogan earlier today, PWInsider.com has confirmed with sources on both sides that no deal has been signed between TNA and Hulk Hogan.

 

So, Hogan remains a free agent.

[Duke]

I'm sure Dave Meltzer brought it up on Monday.

Nah, Meltzer just stated that TNA offered him a better deal and that Hogan was currently trying to boost his price/profile by talking up a potential 'Mania match. Then he got into a debate with Alvarez about whether Hogan was worth the same price as Rock/Lesnar for a one off match.

Ah, that's me misremembering then. All I remember is Alvarez scoffing at the idea of him being worth rock money, quite rightly,.

[Loki]

He can't wrestle though, he really can't. His back's no better than it was a year ago. His smoke and mirrors act with Sting was a minor miracle, but I can't see that passing muster with any of his possible WWE opponents, it would get laughed out of the building.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I think there's little chance of Hogan wrestling anymore, but if he did wrestle and he put on a match like he did with Sting, nobody would be laughing them out of the building. That was a great spectacle, with all old pros in it. With Sting, Hogan, Flair, Bischoff Steiner and Bully Ray involved, it was always going to come off without a hitch. All of the spots in the Sting match were designed to get cheap reactions from the audience until the big angle at the end. That's the formula that has worked since wrestling began. That's all people want from their wrestling. Its why Hogan was a bigger star than Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart in the mid-90s. Wrestling is a live performance at the end of the day. If the fans are happy, its all good. And people respect the legends. Look at the Bret vs Vince match. If there was ever a case for fans booing a match out of the building, it was that. And Bret could do less than Hogan did. I think the fact they put Bret Hart back in the ring, when he couldn't bump, tells you they wouldn't think twice about wheeling Hogan out there. And Bret's whole act was his wrestling. You can do far more than Bret, when 40% of your match is putting a hand to your ear.

 

If you were going to do a Hogan match, you'd probably need to do a tag match, like I suggested months ago. Hogan and Cena vs Orton and Triple H or something, where the whole angle is built around Hogan and Cena teaming. These two generations coming together to fend off the new power. Have Hogan start it where he'd be cupping his ear, shoving his bandanna down HHH's throat, raking the eyes, posing, shoulder blocking, clotheslining and all the stuff he does where he doesn't leave his feet. Then Cena works the rest, teasing Hogan's hot tag and when he finally does it, he lays out Orton and HHH, then the Shield run in and Big Show makes the save or something. Then he big boots Orton and Cena hits the FU for the win. Like Piper said. There's a million ways to do a match, my shoulders shouldn't be hitting the mat.

Edited October 16, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay

[NorthSeaTiger]

That article said what I wanted to say. It's HULK HOGAN....WWE is the only place for him. I'm convinced that calling Swagger and Cesaro "Real Americans" has been a plan all along to get the Hulkster back to reclaim the name for himself. You read it here first ( I think...)

[air_raid]

Sorry for the derail.

 

Cena ending the streak by nefarious actions would be a bit special.

 

I did promise never to wade in on this debate unless the match was made - which I still think it will be, by virtue of Cena being WWE Champion and Taker winning the Rumble for that "one last crack." But here goes.

 

I don't think Cena would need to beat the streak.

 

Cena doesn't "need" to end the streak to turn heel. But it's not just about turning him heel, it's about making him the biggest heel you can possibly imagine. I'm a firm believer in trying to make everything they do geared towards making money i.e. making someone else look better so they might draw more money or building towards a match you can make people pay for, and I think there's an argument that there are sound business reasons for Undertaker losing to Cena on his way out, to get the maximum long term value out of Cena when he winds down.

 

Similarly, I don't want to see The Streak broken by Cena, who doesn't need it.

 

That's a bullshit reason to not do something. It doesn't matter whether anyone "needs" anything or not, it only matters if an action can lead to a consequence of the company making money. Cena didn't "need" to wrestle or beat The Rock either, but that match helped break records with WM28 (about 300,000 more people bought it than 27) and I bet 29 has done OK too.

 

I'm sure I've outlined the scenario a half dozen times, but if the company thinks that having Cena smash Taker with a chair 37 times and pin him to end the wildly popular "Streak" to turn him heel, will result in viewing figures going up for Raw and fresh programs pitting Cena against the babyfaces that need to replace him when he hangs them up (he's been talking about only having a couple of years left) i.e. fresh-seeming main events for PPVs, the net result being making a shit ton of money and building stronger babyface main eventers for post-Cena - then they could do it.

 

What's the alternative? Cena stays his annoying face character until he finishes up with nobody in a decent spot to replace him as top babyface? Undertaker retires with Streak intact? That would be pointless, you can't make money off a Streak of 22-0 or 23-0 once he's not wrestling any more and helping bring in the buyrate. They already sold a 20-0 DVD set, they won't do another. Taker isn't personally bothered about losing it, and if the company believes ending the Streak in the scenario above might make them more money than leaving it be, then that's the direction they should take. Business over sentiment, the hell with anyone "needing" it.

 

If somebody's career "needs" them to beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, they have no business being in the ring with him at WrestleMania to begin with.

 

I probably would word it differently today, "shit ton of money" seems a bit OTT, but I think you get what I'm saying. Someone in the spot Daniel Bryan currently occupies - wildly popular, been screwed a few times, not 100% "made it" on top yet - beating heel Cena for the title clean and staying on top is what I imagine the net gain to be. Or they might try again with Sheamus. Or somebody completely new. Whatever. My point was, use Taker to create ultimate heel Cena, use heel Cena to prepare for life after Cena.

 

 

Again, sorry, please revert to talking about Hulk Hogan TNA.

Edited October 16, 2013 by air_raid

[JNLister]

If for some reason you did want to use a Taker match for a Cena turn, I'd say a better option is that he comes awful close to ending the streak but just wins, meaning all the haters get 25 minutes of terror followed by sheer relief. Then you have a post match where Taker goes all "respect" and offers his hand, but Cena takes it only to jump him and send him out on a stretcher and "ruin" the happy ending. That way you keep the streak, but still get everyone pissed off with Cena.

[Vamp]

Am I the only one who thinks that the crowd who hate Cena because he's an 'unbelievable good guy' and has been the top face for too long will just cheer Cena's heel turn anyway.

[Duke]

Am I the only one who thinks that the crowd who hate Cena because he's an 'unbelievable good guy' and has been the top face for too long will just cheer Cena's heel turn anyway.

nah, I think everyone thinks that.

[air_raid]

Am I the only one who thinks that the crowd who hate Cena because he's an 'unbelievable good guy' and has been the top face for too long will just cheer Cena's heel turn anyway.

 

That's part of the reason I think ending the streak would be the best way to do it to try and negate that effect. Everyone seems to have such a hard-on for the streak that if someone ended it, the reaction would be "you utter cunt" - so I'd give that reaction to Cena.

[The King Of Swing]

In my eyes Cena is the only man capable of ending the streak and actually gaining anything from it other than a short term boost.