Post by Celgress on Apr 30, 2012 19:32:12 GMT -5
Hogan set to lead TNA, says it will 'focus on wrestling'
By ANTHONY SULLA-HEFFINGER
Last Updated: 10:29 AM, April 30, 2012
Posted: 10:27 AM, April 30, 2012
When you think of pro wrestling, you instantly think of Hulk Hogan.
Hogan, a figure who has transcended the sport, has nearly 35 years of experience in the industry. Naturally, it makes perfect sense that he is the man who is leading the charge in putting TNA Wrestling on the map.
Total Nonstop Action wrestling is currently the only real competition for Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment, with Hogan as one of the brand’s central figures. Started in 2002, TNA has become a prevalent brand in the world of professional wrestling and has attracted big name talents such as Sting, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle and of course, Hogan himself.
Hulk Hogan is seen onstage at Spike TV's Video Game Awards.
Hogan knows that TNA is still a relative newcomer to the marketplace and turns to the WWE as an example of how building up a brand is similar to how McMahon’s company has built up its superstars.
“The only way I could explain it to you is if I talked about John Cena,” Hogan told The Post. “The WWE has taken about ten years to build up John Cena to that Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock-type level. TNA is the same way, we’ve only been around for 10 years. It’s a very young company and to even say that it is competitive and that the WWE has a little less of a presence, that’s a major statement.”
TNA also differentiates itself from the WWE in the sense that it focuses more on the in-ring product and feels out the fans’ reactions rather than viewing itself as an entertainment company and continuing with something that has worked for decades.
“The WWE is doing billions of dollars as a company and focus on the entertainment aspect of things,” Hogan said. “They don’t want to call their talent wrestlers anymore, I get it, but we are focusing on the wrestling and really feeling the vibe. The media and entertainment business moves so fast, we’re almost going shelf to shelf.”
While Hogan wouldn’t explicitly tell The Post what the next move for TNA is, he teased several times that it will be a “momentum-shifting moment” for the industry.
“You can have a wrestling idea, but you need to have these momentum-shifting moves,” Hogan said. “We had the Hulkamania movement, then it shifted to the beer-drinking, Stone Cold era, we reinvented the business with [Hogan] growing the black beard and becoming the bad guy, what’s that next level. I have this huge monster idea that I am going to throw out there that I really think is going to change the business.”
Hogan’s reputation as one of the premier minds in wrestling precedes him, and he has essentially turned TNA on its head since joining the company in 2009. Since then, Hogan has helped to unveil a new TNA Impact! Zone, featuring a traditional four-sided ring and develop new concepts such as the TNA Fight Night and Gut Check.
TNA Fight Night and Gut Check is part of the brand’s movement to bring in new talent. Fight Night offers one wrestler outside of the brand to wrestle in front of Hogan and a panel of judges. If the wrestler impresses, he or she could land a contract with TNA. Gut Check is an open tryout for the brand as it continually searches for new talent. Hogan said that the response has been incredible and that former WWE superstars Chris Masters and John Morrison have reached out to TNA in hopes of landing a deal.
Despite his past successes, Hogan’s next move appears to be his biggest gamble.
Hulk Hogan is seen onstage at Spike TV's Video Game Awards.
“We are going to give more power to the fans, make them more involved and more important,” Hogan said. “I can’t say much more, but I can say this, I’m either going to be really right on this one or really wrong. If I’m wrong, you probably won’t see me again because I’ll be hightailing it out of here.”
Hogan’s ability to look past the current situation at TNA is important to the overall success of the company as well. Hogan believes rather than using a solution that benefits the brand in the interim, that TNA needs to look to where it wants to be in the future and work backwards from there.
“If you wanted a quick fix, right now, you would put the belt on Jeff Hardy,” Hogan said. “That would fix a bunch of stuff right now, but that is not working backwards from where we need to be. Right now, to work to that point, the belt needs to stay with Bobby Roode. He’s a guy who we are bringing up and is a constant. As we build him up it’s like a volcano that ready to explode.”
TNA isn’t the first time Hogan has gone toe-to-toe with Vince McMahon’s wrestling conglomerate. 15 years ago, during the height of World Championship Wrestling, Hogan was one of the biggest talents for the brand and led one of the most intriguing wrestling storylines when he, along with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, formed the NWO.
“I remember the last time this build-up happened,” Hogan said. “Vince McMahon had Shawn Michaels dress up as Hulk Hogan with a walker and say ‘You’re getting old brother.’ Then we came with the NWO idea and I feel the same thing now. [The WWE] is banging me on TV again, having The Three Stooges dressing up as me, showing footage of Brock Lesnar beating me last week. They’re worried about something.
“[With WCW,] we were doing three times the numbers [ratings] that WWF was doing back then. We slammed them for a couple of years in the ratings. We had incredible talent and had the two highest rated shows on TNT and TBS at the time.”
Now Hogan plays a different role with TNA as compared to when he was with WCW, shifting from being an in-ring talent, to someone who is more behind the scenes, working with Dixie Carter to improve the brand. Hogan did describe the shift as one of the most difficult ones he’s ever had to make.
“It took me a long time to come to grips with the fact that I can’t be in the ring that much anymore, to set aside that ego, it’s tough,” Hogan said. “But when I look back at the tape and see myself walking out there and wrestling, it isn’t how I want it to be so I had to realize that I shouldn’t be doing that anymore.”
In addition to having Hogan, TNA has a valuable partner in Spike TV, which televises the brand’s flagship program, TNA IMPACT! On Thursday nights.
“[Spike TV] understands the business,” Hogan said. “They know what to expect and are well aware as to how the business works. They’re supportive and are believing in us more and more every day and as we keep rolling forward you’ll see more support. They’re team players and it will help both of us to be open and take that leap of faith.”
With Hogan leading the march, it’s clear that Hulkamania is running wild on the industry once again, building TNA into a wrestling powerhouse.
“I’m excited, I really am,” Hogan said. “If we can get this thing firing on all eight cylinders, get traction and do the right thing, you never know.”
Source:
www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/hogan_set_to_lead_tna_wrestling_Do3zzGXcFS2hjXUVV742zK
By ANTHONY SULLA-HEFFINGER
Last Updated: 10:29 AM, April 30, 2012
Posted: 10:27 AM, April 30, 2012
When you think of pro wrestling, you instantly think of Hulk Hogan.
Hogan, a figure who has transcended the sport, has nearly 35 years of experience in the industry. Naturally, it makes perfect sense that he is the man who is leading the charge in putting TNA Wrestling on the map.
Total Nonstop Action wrestling is currently the only real competition for Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment, with Hogan as one of the brand’s central figures. Started in 2002, TNA has become a prevalent brand in the world of professional wrestling and has attracted big name talents such as Sting, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle and of course, Hogan himself.
Hulk Hogan is seen onstage at Spike TV's Video Game Awards.
Hogan knows that TNA is still a relative newcomer to the marketplace and turns to the WWE as an example of how building up a brand is similar to how McMahon’s company has built up its superstars.
“The only way I could explain it to you is if I talked about John Cena,” Hogan told The Post. “The WWE has taken about ten years to build up John Cena to that Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock-type level. TNA is the same way, we’ve only been around for 10 years. It’s a very young company and to even say that it is competitive and that the WWE has a little less of a presence, that’s a major statement.”
TNA also differentiates itself from the WWE in the sense that it focuses more on the in-ring product and feels out the fans’ reactions rather than viewing itself as an entertainment company and continuing with something that has worked for decades.
“The WWE is doing billions of dollars as a company and focus on the entertainment aspect of things,” Hogan said. “They don’t want to call their talent wrestlers anymore, I get it, but we are focusing on the wrestling and really feeling the vibe. The media and entertainment business moves so fast, we’re almost going shelf to shelf.”
While Hogan wouldn’t explicitly tell The Post what the next move for TNA is, he teased several times that it will be a “momentum-shifting moment” for the industry.
“You can have a wrestling idea, but you need to have these momentum-shifting moves,” Hogan said. “We had the Hulkamania movement, then it shifted to the beer-drinking, Stone Cold era, we reinvented the business with [Hogan] growing the black beard and becoming the bad guy, what’s that next level. I have this huge monster idea that I am going to throw out there that I really think is going to change the business.”
Hogan’s reputation as one of the premier minds in wrestling precedes him, and he has essentially turned TNA on its head since joining the company in 2009. Since then, Hogan has helped to unveil a new TNA Impact! Zone, featuring a traditional four-sided ring and develop new concepts such as the TNA Fight Night and Gut Check.
TNA Fight Night and Gut Check is part of the brand’s movement to bring in new talent. Fight Night offers one wrestler outside of the brand to wrestle in front of Hogan and a panel of judges. If the wrestler impresses, he or she could land a contract with TNA. Gut Check is an open tryout for the brand as it continually searches for new talent. Hogan said that the response has been incredible and that former WWE superstars Chris Masters and John Morrison have reached out to TNA in hopes of landing a deal.
Despite his past successes, Hogan’s next move appears to be his biggest gamble.
Hulk Hogan is seen onstage at Spike TV's Video Game Awards.
“We are going to give more power to the fans, make them more involved and more important,” Hogan said. “I can’t say much more, but I can say this, I’m either going to be really right on this one or really wrong. If I’m wrong, you probably won’t see me again because I’ll be hightailing it out of here.”
Hogan’s ability to look past the current situation at TNA is important to the overall success of the company as well. Hogan believes rather than using a solution that benefits the brand in the interim, that TNA needs to look to where it wants to be in the future and work backwards from there.
“If you wanted a quick fix, right now, you would put the belt on Jeff Hardy,” Hogan said. “That would fix a bunch of stuff right now, but that is not working backwards from where we need to be. Right now, to work to that point, the belt needs to stay with Bobby Roode. He’s a guy who we are bringing up and is a constant. As we build him up it’s like a volcano that ready to explode.”
TNA isn’t the first time Hogan has gone toe-to-toe with Vince McMahon’s wrestling conglomerate. 15 years ago, during the height of World Championship Wrestling, Hogan was one of the biggest talents for the brand and led one of the most intriguing wrestling storylines when he, along with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, formed the NWO.
“I remember the last time this build-up happened,” Hogan said. “Vince McMahon had Shawn Michaels dress up as Hulk Hogan with a walker and say ‘You’re getting old brother.’ Then we came with the NWO idea and I feel the same thing now. [The WWE] is banging me on TV again, having The Three Stooges dressing up as me, showing footage of Brock Lesnar beating me last week. They’re worried about something.
“[With WCW,] we were doing three times the numbers [ratings] that WWF was doing back then. We slammed them for a couple of years in the ratings. We had incredible talent and had the two highest rated shows on TNT and TBS at the time.”
Now Hogan plays a different role with TNA as compared to when he was with WCW, shifting from being an in-ring talent, to someone who is more behind the scenes, working with Dixie Carter to improve the brand. Hogan did describe the shift as one of the most difficult ones he’s ever had to make.
“It took me a long time to come to grips with the fact that I can’t be in the ring that much anymore, to set aside that ego, it’s tough,” Hogan said. “But when I look back at the tape and see myself walking out there and wrestling, it isn’t how I want it to be so I had to realize that I shouldn’t be doing that anymore.”
In addition to having Hogan, TNA has a valuable partner in Spike TV, which televises the brand’s flagship program, TNA IMPACT! On Thursday nights.
“[Spike TV] understands the business,” Hogan said. “They know what to expect and are well aware as to how the business works. They’re supportive and are believing in us more and more every day and as we keep rolling forward you’ll see more support. They’re team players and it will help both of us to be open and take that leap of faith.”
With Hogan leading the march, it’s clear that Hulkamania is running wild on the industry once again, building TNA into a wrestling powerhouse.
“I’m excited, I really am,” Hogan said. “If we can get this thing firing on all eight cylinders, get traction and do the right thing, you never know.”
Source:
www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/hogan_set_to_lead_tna_wrestling_Do3zzGXcFS2hjXUVV742zK
helped $lim jinx NXT. Woops
