Hulk Hogan On TNA

Add this post to the many reviews of Hulk Hogan's time on TNA. Really, it comes in two parts as this review is late enough to also include the first weeks following the introduction of Hogan to Impact.

The January 4 introduction of Hulk Hogan to see TNA Impact was awesome. The only weakness I saw was Hogan mentioning he was backstage with the talent all-day long, when the show spent a great deal of time and money ostensibly showing Hogan coming to the arena in a stretch limo and an accompanying motorcade. The motorcade was complete with police escort. Other than that it did a good job of introducing new additions to the roster without giving too much away. It was more of a tease of what is to come. Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, The Nasty Boys, Scott Hall, and Sean Waldman were all introduced during the show.

It was also a good strategy to schedule this against WWE Raw on Monday nights. This gave Impact its highest ratings ever. Can't really say it was because of the Monday night maneuver, but it did help make a statement and build buzz.

The subsequent weeks started to show the storylines. Unfortunately, the Nasty Boys are back. They didn’t get over when they were in their prime and these WCW refugees suppose to add to TNA? The same with the NWO line-up with Scott Hall and Waldman reforming with Kevin Nash as The Band. There is hope that Hogan is going to split from them. Hall doesn't look like he could make it three minutes in a ring. Waldman probably will flake out in a few weeks. There is a reason Kevin Nash has been able to keep a career going in pro wrestling. Then there is Bischoff. What does he add? Out of all the WCW retreads, Bischoff is the one that needs to go.

So, after the initial hype it looks like the WCW reunion will probably end with a WCW crash.

Be sure and check out the bbusiness show The Sharktank.

Professional Wrestling And Flying

When one begins to look at professional wrestling as a business or a sub-culture, there are a number of interesting themes that arise. One I see is aviation as it affects wrestlers. Seems many professional wrestling stories revolve around the aviation industry. Commercial aircraft and private aircraft come into play. This is not to say that wrestler are flying about in private Gulfstreams. The only one who could afford to own a private jet is McMahon. I doubt even Hogan at his peak could afford a private jet, but that doesn't stop the stories.

One private aircraft story that comes to mind is Ric Flair being involved in a plane crash. It left him with a broken back but he did recover, obviously. But that same crash did leave Johnny Valentine paralyzed. The reason the wrestlers were flying was to save time and money, as they went in together for the flight.

On commercial aircraft wrestlers currently fly. WWE superstars are given vouchers to fly from venue to venue, and only the top stars like Bautista can get first class tickets. He actually has that stipulation in his contract. This is a change from the old days when wrestlers would travel via automobiles together. This made for some awkward moments when supposed enemies in feuds would be caught together. One of the most famous was Jim Duggan and The Iron Sheik getting busted for drugs while traveling together.