By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Hulk Hogan was on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show on Tuesday reviewing the landscape in TNA and giving his thoughts on the current TNA product needing more time than he originally thought to get off the ground.

Hogan said he was at the Gorilla position Monday night at the live Impact taping soaking in the show and trying to figure out where the product is and where it can go.

"TNA is a great company. There's a ton of energy here, but one of the things I really had to take a step back and take note of, it really takes time to build the monster. Just like I saw Randy Orton the other night teaming with (John) Cena and he's doing this babyface match. I had to wake up and realize that Orton has been there since 2001 and it's taken that long for that monster to get up and running and the nose to pull up on this thing.

"TNA is moving so fast. I watched the show. It's definitely not the product. The show is on fire. The audience needs to warm up to how TNA is changing and how they're stepping up and how fast it's moving. I guess I just have to get off my 'this is how it is' and 'this is how it was' because the business is changing and it's all new."

Hogan parlayed that into saying the Wolfpack might be an old, stale bit that he doesn't want to be associated with, but if the group can work then "great." Bubba joked that Hogan will probably squash it with his creative power.

"I won't do that. I wouldn't do that," Hogan said. "I want this company to work too bad. If you guys do well, great. If it works great and we have run-ins, it's going to get real entertaining because you and I have never had a physical confrontation."

Throughout the radio appearance, Hogan tried to create interesting radio talk by teasing that the payoff to their tension on TV could be a fight in the ring. At least both men recognized that could be ugly, but apparently the big "dream angle" in TNA is Hogan vs. Bubba. Seriously.

"If it works, it helps all of us. If we cross paths, it's going to get crazy," Hogan said. "When these guys (Wolfpack) are on and they're in their groove and they get their momentum, they draw money. You can help these guys - not where they were before in the NWO - then it will be good for business. If it helps TNA and it helps us all work, that's what this this is all about."

Bubba joked that Hogan was in classic "Hulk Hogan" mode trying to work him by playing the babyface with a warning ahead of time that he's a target to get jumped on TV. He said Hogan could then come back later and say "I told you so" if the storyline leads to Hogan beating him up on TV.

During the back-and-forth exchange, Hogan also talked up WWE CEO Vince McMahon on the effort it took to "build the monster" known as WWE and also McMahon saving Hogan from himself in WWE.

"It's been tough because let's just say it like it is. Vince McMahon is the monster. I just had a huge wake-up call the other day because I was watching Vince's show the other day bouncing back and forth - and I am grateful for everything Vince has done for me. You have to admit that no matter how whacked out I got or how 'on' I was, Vince McMahon was always there for me. I've done some really crazy stuff. He's always been there and I'm so grateful for what he's done. He's the monster."

Listen to the complete appearance in the three videos below. The good portions pick up at the very end of Video 1, then the beginning of Video 2, before Hogan hangs up at the beginning of Video 3. Thanks to Torch reader Arron Pegg.

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