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Post by The Barber on Feb 19, 2018 7:40:48 GMT -5
Hoganized TNA is what I point to when anyone whines on how WWE destroyed the WCW brand and how it would have been better if Bischoff actually did buy it instead. If Eric were to have been the one who bought WCW, what it would have been was the same, failing crap WCW was as it was imploding and what TNA became when he and Hogan showed up. Eric Bischoff doesn't know s***. His only claim to fame was someone else's idea (the nWo was a NJPW creation), using someone else's money (Turner's), and with someone else's talent (wrestlers made by Vince McMahon). I disagree to an extent. If it was Bischoff's money, he wouldn't have booked WCW like he usually did. |
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Post by Ryushinku on Feb 23, 2018 6:34:10 GMT -5
TNA pre-Hogan still had loads of problems, but it had potential and a certain stability.
I very much agree that the Hogan/Bischoff era - and let's not let Eric off the hook here so much - turned the volume on TNA's problems up to 11.
They had to try to expand further, they had to try to get in more familiar names, they had to consider live touring. I was a big advocate of that last one myself, I just foolishly hoped they would do due diligence with it first rather than completely wing it and run up huge costs as they did.
It's just that the attempts were all so bad. In reaching for that brass ring, they fell off the ladder and bashed their head off the ring steps on the way down.
Also - the mid-to-late 2009 run was good, one of the best in TNA's whole run. Always felt reluctant to credit Russo so much there, though, as it felt a hell of a lot more that he was mentally checking out and half-assing it thanks to the early 2009 failures and then the incoming regime change. And more wrestling filled the void of his reduced writing.
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Post by The Thread Barbi on Feb 23, 2018 15:29:50 GMT -5
... I'm still halfway convinced the WWE paid Hogan/Eric under the table to blow up TNA. I mean, that was "purposefully terrible" wasn't it? I can't imagine anybody not on drugs that could sit back and think "This is a great idea! I'm all for it!" The big thing is that Hogan is legitimately a terrible businessman whose every single endeavor has been a failure, whose personal finances are in the shitter, and who is too obsessed with wringing out everything he can get for himself to give a shit about actually giving good business advice. Hogan didn't come in wanting to grow TNA he wanted to grow his bank account even if it was 100% at the expense and greater detriment of the company. Bischoff's got his own flurry of missteps and the best he ever pulled off was when he had an infinite checkbook to play around with and pre-existing momentum to make something out of. They were parts of WCW's downfall for a reason. Dixie was such a money mark that she was willing to say yes to anything they wanted because it meant she had Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff run her wrestling show, compounded by her own utter lack of business smarts to ensure nobody steering the ship was any f***ing good at what they did. Agreed. Hogan got big in the 80s because he had the look and charisma McMahon wanted to start his expansion, but was also surrounded and controlled by Vince's guys - Patterson, Gorilla etc, all the while McMahon was steering his vision, not Hulk's. None of that translated into business or booking acumen for Hogan at any point. |
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