At a press conference this afternoon in the mall of Madison Square Garden (the Mecca of WWE) Hulk Hogan announced he would join Vince McMahon’s top competitor, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. No start date has been set but the plan so far is for Hogan to come to TNA and play an undefined role once he finishes his upcoming “Hulkamania” tour of Australia. The news surprised many, not only because TNA has the funds for Hogan’s price tag, but also the Hulkster’s history with members of TNA Management.
While in World Championship Wrestling, TNA’s head writer Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan butted heads over the direction of the company and Hulks role in it. Russo felt Hogan was old and washed up and slowly was trying to ease him off of television. Hulk felt he still had a lot to offer the company. The feud came to a head at a Pay Per View when after Hogan’s match, Russo cut a promo against him saying he was a politician who manipulated situations so he could remain on the top of the card (an act which can get you hurt by a disgruntled fellow in the ring), implied he was a racist who held back wrestlers like Booker T, and that he didn’t care about the company. Russo finished off his tirade by calling Hogan a “bald piece of shit” and that the fans would never see him on television again. It was the last time Hogan was seen in WCW and a lawsuit was filed against Russo and the company for breach of contract and slander. For awhile Russo was not allowed to talk about what happened and there were rumors swirling that Hogan would not go to TNA if Russo was still employed. But, those were all rumors. When asked today about Russo, Hogan said “I come to TNA in peace” when it comes to Russo but warned that “if anybody decides to cross that line with me, there will be a reaction” eliciting a cheer from the crowd.
When asked if he’d join TNA’s Main Event Mafia, Hogan answered, “that Main Event Mafia’s pretty heavy brother, I’m going to ease in nice and slow and contribute on whatever level I can.”
In addition to announcing he affiliation with TNA, Hulk Hogan plugged his new book, My Life Outside the Ring, a memoir about his life and struggles over the past year. When asked if the book will detail his rocky relationship with “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Hulk answered “I don’t detail my relationship with Randy Savage. I didn’t need to go there and you all know what that’s about.” When a female reporter asked about John Graziano, the Iraq War Vet who was injured in his son Nick’s car crash last year, he answered he knew “John’s going to make a full recovery” and added “he’s getting better everyday.” When told by the same reporter that John’s lawyer said he wouldn’t make a full recovery Hulk said he could care less what his lawyer thinks and that lawyers “don’t believe in the same God I do.”
Overall, it looks like the Hulkster has regained his smile and the future looks bright. One way or another, it’s an interesting time to be a Hulkamaniac.
