The Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter has been published since 1987 with first-hand, insider behind-the-scenes news on the top stories and biggest names in the wrestling industry. The following news items are from 2003 and 2004 editions of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter covering Hulk Hogan's first tease of working for TNA.

Follow the trail of news, notes, and analysis from all of the major players - Hulk Hogan, Vince Russo, Jerry and Jeff Jarrett, and Dixie Carter as TNA was beginning to build a brand and hoping Hogan would be part of the promotion. Now, six years later, Hogan has signed on with TNA after one dramatic false-start with many of the same storyline plots and twists and turns along the way. The date of each news item below corresponds to the cover-date of each Torch Newsletter issue.

September 27, 2003 (Torch #777) - Hulk Hogan appeared on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show in Florida and said that he spent some time talking with TNA officials about the possibility of working for the promotion. There is actually a good chance he will agree to make at least one appearance. Although some sources consider the negotiations to be posturing on Hogan's part, others believe he and TNA are close enough on the financial terms that he will come in for a one-time appearance.

October 4, 2003 (Torch #778) - The meeting between TNA officials and Hulk Hogan was on September 12 in Tampa, Fla. Hogan, Jimmy Hart, and Jeff and Jerry Jarrett were present. The hope is Hogan would get them a TV deal, which they still believe would be the best move for the long-term solvency of the company. Jerry Jarrett's optimism that wrestling fans and the TV industry were ready for a pay-per-view weekly series has soured, especially because the PPV distributor InDemand has been for the most part so unorganized and unsupportive despite early promises of the opposite.

October 11, 2003 (Torch #779) - COVER STORY: Hulk Hogan agrees to terms with TNA for big Nov. 30 PPV. Hulk Hogan and NWA-TNA have agreed to terms and the final paperwork is being worked through this week. The deal isn't done, but it's expected to be done. "Everything's great and looks like it'll definitely happen," says one insider close to negotiations.

The deal on the table right now would include Hogan being part of more than just the Sunday, Nov. 30 PPV. However, Hogan is conscious of image and doesn't want his first match back to be at the Nashville Fairgrounds where TNA tapes every week. "That could create the image he's on the downswing of his career," says one involved insider. Sources say Hogan would not be getting an ownership stake in TNA as part of the deal, but he would get a percentage of the PPV buyrate. The motivation for TNA, beyond their cut of the potential revenue created if a Hogan vs. Jarrett match drew a big buyrate on Nov. 30, would be to put their brand name on the map nationally. Having Hogan's name attached to the TNA logo would give the promotion a "legitimate credibility" with people who don't follow wrestling closely, but are instrumental in TNA getting outside deals done, be it advertisers or TV executives.

-- Torch VIP Members can read the entire cover story and Read Wade Keller's Take on the Hogan-TNA agreement from October 2003. Torch VIP sign-up.

October 18, 2003 (Torch #780) - Most sources believe that Vince Russo will probably take a public hiatus from the company only to make his return known once Hulk Hogan is no longer involved. The story making the rounds prior to press time is that Russo will not even be allowed to appear on camera with Hulk Hogan or even be in the same building as Hogan. Some are under the impression that this is something Hogan has demanded, but others believe AOL Time Warner attorneys have insisted that Russo not take part in a show with Hogan in any capacity. The early betting line is that Russo will not take part in the angle, but will still work as a ghost writer behind the scenes.

October 25, 2003 (Torch #781) -The latest word is that Hulk Hogan has agreed to appear on a few TNA events in a non-wrestling capacity to hype his Nov. 30 match with Jeff Jarrett. The word in the locker room is that Hogan has refused to appear on the same show as Vince Russo and doesn't even want Russo to be in the same arena as him. There has also been talk that the legal issues between the two men will also prevent Russo from appearing. However, there is at least some suspicion in the locker room that this is all a work set up by TNA officials to make it seem like a bigger deal when Russo and Hogan take part in the same storyline.

November 1, 2003 (Torch #782) - There was no formal announcement to the locker room from anyone in TNA management regarding the November 30 pay-per-view postponement. Word spread throughout the locker room of Hulk Hogan's injury via the Internet, but there were some wrestlers who felt that a meeting to discuss the situation was needed.

-- Pat McNeill's Column cover-dated November 1 looking at the post-ponement available for Torch VIP members.

November 8, 2003 (Torch #783) - Vince Russo was not backstage at Wednesday's TNA show. Wrestlers are not sure of his status now that Hulk Hogan has postponed the "Bound for Glory" pay-per-view due to his knee surgery.

November 15, 2003 (Torch #784) - Hulk Hogan had his knee surgery on Oct. 31, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The same source reports that many members of the TNA office structure now view Hogan's knee surgery as a "blessing in disguise" because it gave the company time to properly prepare for the pay-per-view event. Most in the office don't believe that Hogan elected to have this surgery simply to delay the pay-per-view. Instead, they believe he was having legitimate knee problems that required the immediate surgery. "Why would Hogan go through with the big angle in Japan and get everything started just to back out?" asked one observer who believes Hogan's surgery could not wait until after the pay-per-view.

There is also talk in TNA that Hulk Hogan is planning to work long-term with the company. There has been plenty of discussion between Hogan and TNA about working together on an overseas tour, which both parties feel would draw well because of Hogan's star power overseas. As of now, Hogan is only committed to work the pay-per-view, which is tentatively scheduled for late February. One TNA source wouldn't rule out the possibility of Hogan agreeing to return to WWE for WrestleMania XX for a major payoff, but the source added that Hogan working WrestleMania wouldn't necessarily mean he couldn't work with TNA after that event. If anything, TNA officials believe Hogan would be a bigger draw after appearing at WrestleMania XX.

The wrestlers have not been updated on the "Bound for Glory" pay-per-view plans. Everyone is still working under the impression that the show is still on, but management has not given them a date or place. The buzz backstage is that Hulk Hogan is scheduled next week to tell TNA officials how long he thinks his knee surgery will keep him out of action...

December 6, 2003 (Torch #787) - Some sources are insisting that Hulk Hogan's relationship with TNA hinges on Jimmy Hart's involvement with the promotion. One of these sources says Hogan will only appear for the company if Hart is given a top managerial position or a share of ownership. Sources believe Hart has been instrumental in leading TNA officials to the negotiating table with WGN, a cable network out of Chicago that has strong clearances across the country. When Hart attempted to secure a television deal for the defunct XWF promotion, one of his primary targets was WGN.

December 13, 2003 (Torch #788) - There are many viewpoints on the Hulk Hogan situation among TNA wrestlers and officials. Most are skeptical of Hogan's intentions, believing he is using TNA in some fashion, doing what's best for him at the expense of TNA. However, others strongly defend Hogan as doing what is best for TNA in the long run, even if they don't agree with what that is at this time. Hogan saying his knee is "not responding well to surgery" is being seen by many as a lame excuse to delay his commitment to wrestle for TNA. There has been speculation within TNA all along that Hogan desperately wants to be at WrestleMania 20, and he has now cleared his schedule between now and WM20 to leave that possibility open since if he worked a TNA PPV in February, it would rule out Vince McMahon even considering bringing Hogan in for the big show in March.

Jerry Jarrett flew to Florida last week to meet with Hogan in person in Tampa to discuss the situation and work out a strategy. One source in TNA believes the Jarretts understand they are being "played" by Hogan to a certain degree, but are using that to their advantage at this point to keep TNA President Dixie Carter excited about the potential of a Hogan appearance. The theory is, Panda will keep funding TNA as long as there is hope that Hogan will turn things around. Right now, industry sources peg TNA's weekly losses at around $30,000 per week. Panda Energy had deep pockets, but they won't keep sending good money after bad if there isn't hope. Hogan's future appearance may be being used to give the appearance of hope for a huge turnaround in the future once everything falls into place with him. Jeff Jarrett held a meeting with the TNA wrestlers last week informing them of the Hogan situation so they wouldn't be left in the dark.

-- This is one of the most-detailed Newswires on the Hulk Hogan-TNA relationship as it hung in the balance with the key players involved to keep TNA afloat six years ago. Torch VIP Members can access it right now!

December 27, 2003 (Torch #790 - One of Vince Russo's most passionate conversations with Dixie Carter right before he was ousted from the booking position in favor of Dutch Mantel (which was done in part in order to please Hulk Hogan who didn't want to work with Russo) was that she was being worked by Hulk Hogan. He predicted every move so far Hogan has made and told her that Hogan is going to do what's best for Hogan at any given time without regard for what he's said he would do in the past. There are some who believe Jarrett is fully aware of the games Hogan might be playing, but believes having Hogan as a carrot to dangle in front of Carter will assure that the funding will keep coming despite substantial weekly losses. There is also a belief, though, that Carter has shown herself to be very street smart and savvy about the wrestling industry in a short period of time and is well aware of all of the possible games being played and may be using Hogan, too.

January 17, 2004 (Torch #793) - Although the talk of Hulk Hogan signing with TNA has died down considerably, the company is still moving forward with plans to hold a Sunday night three-hour pay-per-view event. Most TNA officials are moving forward with the idea that Hogan has his heart set on appearing at WrestleMania XX and will not work with TNA before then. Some office members are still hoping that Hogan will work with the company this summer, but most believe that Hogan was simply using TNA for leverage to use in WM20 negotiations with Vince McMahon. At any rate, TNA officials are still planning to hold at least one traditional Sunday night pay-per-view as early as this summer. There is some concern as to whether Sunday night events will hurt the buyrate for the Wednesday shows, but TNA officials are said to be set on moving forward with the experiment.

Vince Russo visited the TNA offices last week and there is talk that a reconciliation between him and Jeff Jarrett is in the works. With Hulk Hogan apparently out of the picture, the door is open for Russo to return in some capacity. There is still some tension between Russo and Jarrett over the way Russo was sent home due to the Hogan negotiations, but the two sides are talking again at the very least. Since he was sent home, Russo has been very outspoken when talking to friends about the creative direction of the company.

January 31, 2004 (Torch #795) - Vince Russo was backstage at last Wednesday's NWA-TNA PPV for the first time in months. He attended the pre-show meetings and produced backstage segments. In other words, he was back to the same duties he had before he was shipped out when Hulk Hogan appeared to be part of the picture. Hogan expressly didn't want to be part of TNA if Russo were around because of the lawsuit Hogan filed against Time Warner and Russo stemming from his final night in WCW when Russo made unplanned shoot comments against him on national PPV. Now that it appears the Hogan deal is off indefinitely, Russo is free to return to his old duties. ... Hogan did not mention TNA or Jeff Jarrett during his interview on ABC's late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live last week...

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