Say what you will about Hulk Hogan...
 

...but damn, that man can cut a promo.

I used to be a pretty big Hogan-hater when he was still trying to wrestle and take wins from people that he didn't need, but I have to admit that he's really won me over in his authority role in TNA. His mic work is just so passionate and believable that you can't help but root for his intentions. I think his presence in the company is already paying off for the next generation and will only continue to do more of the same in the future.

I felt compelled to say this after watching iMPACT, and if I said it to any of my real life friends, they would probably punch me in the face. So here's a thread for all of us to discuss the modern day Hulkster!

What do you think?

Hulk is the biggest star and greatest of all time. Always has been and always will be.

I marked out when he called Matt Morgan a "little bitch", and I have no idea why.

You make some very good points. My only criticism would be that perhaps there's a little too much Hogan. He seems to be at the centre of everything. Probably gets more TV time than 90% of the roster.

He is about a million times more over than anyone on the roster. The dumb thing isn't so much that he has been at the center of the main event picture so much. It's that TNA has done such a shitty job of using working with the most over guy of all time to put anyone over that he NEEDS to still be in the center of things.

Yeah, that's pretty true also. However, one of the biggest complaints in the past about TNA was that the booking was so scatterbrain. At least Hogan helps to streamline the process a bit.

The only thing streamlined about the booking is that it flows through Hogan. The Hogan/Abyss stuff should have put Abyss over huge, but it was played for comedy, then quickly dropped. The Hogan/Morgan stuff should be turning Morgan into a top-tier star, but he's still being fed to legends. The only real "rub" anyone in TNA got from Hogan being around is Bully Ray.

Now, I'm not a Hogan hater. He gets huge pops wherever TNA goes. But at this point, there are still no new eyes on the product and the top stars now are the same ones that were the top stars when Hogan came (except Ray), so there's been no discernible positive effect of having Hogan around for the company. It's not hurting TNA by any means, but I don't see how it's helping.

I actually wasn't watching around the time of the Abyss stuff. What happened there? Something about a Hall of Fame ring or something?

Yeah, Abyss was obsessed with Hogan's WWE Hall of Fame ring, and Hogan basically passed it down to him and Abyss thought it possessed the power of Hulkamania or something. It was weird.

So would you say the last few episodes of Impact were positively affected by Hogan and his promos?

I haven't watched Impact in a long time so I can't say anything about his recent work, but I remember how lackluster and irrelevant he was from day one. I wouldn't begrudge him actually becoming passionate about his work again mind you, but I'm the tiniest bit skeptical.

don't pay much attention to TNA so can't really comment on modern day Hogan outside of what I've seen has been good old Hogan quality but

pretty much this. Have always loved his promos.

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Hmmm...

He does seem a little more fired-up than usual, but it's still pretty much the same Hogan promo he's been giving since the mid-'80s. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but when he keeps talking about revolutionizing the whatever it is this week, it's hard to take him seriously.

It was sooooooo bad. Say this for Hogan. Who did he beat over his career that you couldnt say" well that guy should have went over." Goldberg beat him, Sting beat him although Nick Patrick fucked up the ending and Sting beat him in the rematch. The Rock beat him, Warrior beat him. Hogan was the biggest thing in WCW and the WWF, so unless there was somebody bigger than him it's hard to justify Hogan losing a lot of the time.

That's what made Goldberg and Warrior's victories so memorable: it's because Hogan never lost and when he did it was so huge. Hogan gets far too much crap when in reality nobody could touch him. He's done some shitty things over the years but the good far outweighs the bad. So what if he wasn't a workrate God. You mean to tell me his matches with Andre and The Rock didn't have you on the edge of your seat? Hogan vs Rock is my favourite match ever and Hogan lost, despite being even more over than The Rock and that says something because The Rock was massivly over.

I kind of want to just watch "good" Hogan promos from throughout his career now.

So yeah...

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At age 60 Hogan could return to the WWE and instantly be the most over person in the company and it's not even close. He already did when Austin and The Rock were there 10 years ago.

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unreal promo

Not at all. Hogan is excellent at what he does. It just feels disingenuous when he talks about revolutionizing the industry while changing nothing about himself.

<font color=goldenrod>Hollywood Hogan was such a fucking badass.</font>

TNA has no clue how to build people up or capitalize on someone when they're over. James Storm and Bobby Roode were both over massively during their title feud, but for some reason TNA decided to drop Storm from the picture and try to copy WWE's success with CM Punk by putting Austin Aries over. I love Aries don't get me wrong, but Storm and Roode could have been cemented as the top stars of TNA with that feud.

Modern Day Hogan, he's been through a lot in and out of the ring. From a positive point of view, it is easy to overlook all the shit he has put out or been accused of. I can honestly sit down and watch TNA and not feel that Hogan is taking the spotlight. There is plenty of camera time for others to capture their moments.

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He's been filmed through his good and bad times. Nobody is perfect, not even the Immortal Hulk Hogan/Terry Bollea.

He was the master back in his prime at backstage promos. Those backstage promos were the shit. Especially when 2-3 or more wrestlers were on camera.

As for Hogan, yeah he was good at what he did but what he did was appeal to children. TNA is trying (key word trying) to appeal to a more "mature" :roll: audience.

And before I get the "Hollywood Hogan you dumbass!" remarks that's fine and dandy, but Hogan is trying to be Hulkamania Hogan in there right now which is ridiculous.

Hollywood Hogan was fucking money and the build up to Starcade with Sting was the best ever. Even had mini-feuds with Luger and Piper, all the while Sting just lurked in the shadows.

If Hogan wants to do something for TNA he absolutely needs to be Hollywood Hogan. The only possible way he's going to have any positive and lasting impression on TNA is to be a massive heel to put over the young guys.

He is a big reason I'm still nWo. Even after all these years, and he has touched Dixie Carter, and that is alright with me.

Hollywood Hogan doesn't work if he's a face and vice versa with Hulkamania Hogan as a heel. It has to be Hulkamania Hogan, and if he's staying out of the ring then it works. People love face Hogan and that's what is making Bully and the Aces so hated. It appeals to the mature because Aces and Eights are so violent.

I never watch TNA so I'm guessing at what's happening.

Then you're taking the focus off Bully Ray if Hogan is a heel. Hogan needs to be a face in this.

What TNA should do is sign Heath Slater somehow and have Slater be the leader of Aces and Eights because he's the best promo guy in the business.

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Festus is in the Aces and Eights, I don't know why he isn't the stable master. Dude was entertaining in WWE.

That's the thing you're guessing. I watch TNA regularly. Aces and 8s are actually liked more then they're hated half the time and until Bully became the head honcho they got very little real reaction. Fact is they've beaten Hogan up multiple times already so every time they get in the ring with him it's no surprise what's gonna happen. Hollywood Hogan should have been revealed as the leader of Aces and 8s with Bully as the VP instead of D-Lo. Then you'd have a perfect vehicle to get the young guys over by being the ones to beat Hogan's enforcers.

Didn't they try this about a billion times with Fourtune and whatever shit Hogan was leading whenhe came to TNA?

Bully got one of if not the best face reactions I've ever seen in TNA. The only reason I can see that they dropped it is because of his age. Vince McMahon as the evil authority figure was the greatest thing to ever happen to WWE because people hate authority. Hogan as a heel authority figure would be money especially when someone finally kicked his head in at the end.

Flair lead Fortune. Hogan was heel for a bit against Dixie but he never really lead a stable and it was only used to have Sting go over who was essentially in the same boat Hogan is.

Plus I'm the pulse of TPWW and if I say TNA should do something regardless if I've even seenthe show then it becomes fact.

This is why the whole "UGH CENA WINS! :nono:" thing has always been fucking retarded. He's always lost more than he should if anything. The man has been on another level from anyone else on the roster pretty much since he became "SuperCena". That's what happens. You don't job your franchise out left and right. When it happens, you make it mean something. Hogan's major losses still stick out to this day as memorable because they weren't monthly occurrences.

Lol tna

I think Rock now is more over than Hogan now. If not, it's definitely close.

I don't know. Hogan would get a massive pop if he came back.

hogan would have to come back to wwe to get a true feeling for that.

This is true. At least 60% of WWE's audience is under 15 this means that most don't even know who Hogan is unless they watch TNA or saw his deal with Orton (last time I can remember Hogan being on WWE TV). Hogan would get a pop, but lets face it he's only worth anything when he's in the WWE. In TNA he hasn't really changed much if anything ratings wise save for the couple month boost they got when he signed.

they know who hogan is. don't be daft.

Dude you're what? 20s? 30s? Kids today barely know who Rock is (my nephew watches WWE and loves Cena, but couldn't wrap his 8 year old head around why the actor The Rock would want to wrestle Cena).

my buddy has a 3 year old son who knows exactly who hogan is. so that's more an indictment of your nephew than kids in general. and it's not the kids who would pop anyway, it would be the parents who bring the kids. it's not rocket science.

I think the big issue here is that nobody is a star without WWE, period. John fucking Cena could go to TNA and they'd still be floundering because wrestling is WWE and whatever WWE tells the fans to like they will like.

I just asked my 5 year old son who Hogan is. He didn't know, but he would like to know more. I've taught him well.

I'll show some early Hulkamania footage and ease him into the nWo later...

I said in a previous post that he'd get a pop, just probably not the earth shattering pop everyone seems to think. Honestly it probably wouldn't even be as big as Rocky's was.

As for your buddy's kid you're again basing all children off of one child just like you accused me of doing. I'm not saying every kid in the world wouldn't know, but in a world where American teenagers don't even know who Henry Ford is and think Lady Gaga is the first woman to ever "push the boundaries" of what's "normal" it's fair to say that most wouldn't know shit.

I always got the impression that Rock at his peak of popularity was at the very least equal to Hogan.

That said, I have no clue about merchandise sales etc. and I never followed Hogan's WWF career.

My kids don't know who Hogan is either, that said I rarely let them out of the cellar.

Hogan would get a ridiculous pop if he showed up in the WWE. He's the most recognizable wrestler ever.

I've had this arguement with James Steele. You can't compare the two eras. Totally different times.

I would agree with that, Hogan still lived during a time where "wrestling was real", but as far as general intensity goes that's what I'm talking about.

When Hogan and Rock had that amazing match I remember feeling at the time that the crowd was just being smarks when they cheer heel Hogan over Rock, because at that point I think Rock had been doing the stale super-face thing for a while and people were ready for a change.

I'd mark the fuck out if Real American started playing on Raw one night.

Hogan was also around when cable and pay per view were just starting out. Wrestlemania 1 and 2 for as big a success as they were, appeared on closed circuit television and it was a big risk for somebody to purchase the rights.


Smarks CHEERING Hogan? Now I've heard everything lol.

Stone Cold's better

at everything, than everyone.

Yep. Nobody beats his wife like the ol' Rattlesnake.

hey, he may have beaten his wife, but he was probably supper entertaining and charming while doing it.

That is pretty spot on. There was an episode where Hogan walked to the ring wielding a baseball bat to scare away A&E, and the crowd went wild.

How else could he have done it on three (documented, anyway) separate occasions? The guy draws you in.

I bet he talked about whataburger while doing it.

Ill never forget this. The NWO re-debuted in the WWF at No Way Out, during the peak of Austin's "what" stuff where crowds were saying it after every sentance in every promo. Nash took the mic and the crowd did it, Hall the same. Hogan gets the mic and the crowd goes crazy and doesn't do it once during his entire promo.

Ill say this about Austin and Hogan. Hogan's match with Rock got more of a crowd reaction than anything Austin ever did.

Austin never really got the chance to do a WrestleMania dream match like that. The comparison doesn't fit.

that match with the Rock is boring and Hulk Hogan sucks

I guarantee if they did Cena vs Austin at WrestleMania next year, it would get a Rock-Hogan type crowd reaction. And Cena isn't even at the level of Rock or Hogan at that time.

I miss Austin.

Hulk Hogan is the American Bret Hart. Or is Bret Hart the Canadian Hogan? Either way, both are the best from their country.

Kurt Angle would like to disagree with you on that front.

Hulk Hogan is wrestling, and he will forever be wrestling's biggest star ever.

But man, his reputation has taken such a hit the last couple of years. His legacy has been somewhat affected by so much drama.

And, I mean, you don't pick up your phone while getting your mushroom tip sucked. And you don't talk about how you just ate a big ass meal when it's "sexy time".

You do if you're a badass.

No worse than Ric Flair's

Love Hulk Hogan. Fuck the haters.

Fuckin' muties

Is TNA watchable yet? And by that I mean, do they still have WWE midcard guys who showed no main event potential back in the day as World champions?

Bully Ray is world champ take that for what you will. He has however been pretty damn good in the role and is the leader of the Aces and 8s which has for the most part been pretty entertaining.

TNA is never watchable.

A sample size of one always gives proper results.

I've never liked Hogan.

TNA is very watchable.

I still say that TNA, for all it's inability to push guys, is less of a clusterfuck booking-wise and more organized than WWE.

WWE just has a more talented/entertaining roster and the "big league" atmosphere.

Hogan was introduced at a time when wrestling was introduced to the mainstream and didn't know what wrestling was, so if they see Hogan punch away, they didn't care. But since wrestling brought over so many styles like lucha libre, MMA, and technicial, those guys make Hogan look like s***. Kurt Angle and Dean Malenko could outwrestle Hogan even if they were dying of cancer.

said the liar.

Lol TNA

What is WWE doing on screen now that's so much better than TNA? You do realize that Fandango and The Great Khali just had a dance-off on Raw, right? When was the last time you naysayers even watched Impact?

Did you hear how over that dance contest was? It doesn't matter what it is. It was over and thus it's acceptable.

TNA had a world title TLC match on TV and got their lowest ratings of the year. LOL TNA.

...

What are you, a sponsor? My argument was that TNA is watchable. As a fan, I would much rather watch the Full Metal Mayhem match on Impact for free than The Great fucking Khali do anything. At all.

The two segments arent really comparable just mentioning how they have failed by getting rid of most of their PPVs.

They're comparable assuming you watch WWE and deuce on TNA.

Q: Is TNA watchable?

A: Yes

Nah it's not. It's DQed from being watchable having Hulk Hogan and Brooke on.

Brother.

The best things in TNA right now are Daniels/Kaz/Aries/Roode. Any segment with them is gold.

It's not blind hate. It's somewhat viewed hate.

Hulk Hogan, no matter where he goes will always get a big pop. If people don't know him for being a wrestler (which they must be living under a rock) they will know him for something else. The amount of shit people will talk about him, people can't help but to mark out for him when enters the ring. At the age of 59, about to be 60, Hogan can always hold a crowd of people in his hand. Being GM is a great role for Hogan, though it might be more interesting if he was in WWE as a GM.
But as for TNA being watchable or unwatchable. I fine TNA to be enjoyable. Yeah it can be stupid like most of the times, but at least TNA tries different things (normally it blows up in there face) and they stick to their guns like with Aces and EIghts. It took the 9 months, but when they finally put bully as the leader of the aces and Eights it made me actually start giving a damn about the stable. Heck I look forward more to TNA than WWE these days. The only thing I care about with WWE is the Shield, Team Hell No, Punk and Ryback. Other than that, I really don't give a Damn. But with TNA I look forward to more than just a few things.