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KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER BLOG: Is a new Monday Night War imminent? Signs point that direction Oct 27, 2009 - 5:13:34 PM
Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff sign with TNA. Multiple sources say more major news is yet to come, news that could be construed as bigger than Hogan and Bischoff. There are only two possibilities that come to mind at this moment...
(1) Shane McMahon is going to buy TNA with Hogan and Bischoff/Hervey as partners.
(2) TNA will add a program on Monday Nights head-to-head with Raw on Spike TV.
I would put the odds of Shane being involved in this low, but given the timing of everything, it just cannot be fully ruled out.
However, it's no secret Dixie Carter has been told over and over for years that TNA's goal should always be to go head-to-head with Raw again some day. Signing Hulk Hogan puts them very close to having the name necessary to compete. Add Eric Bischoff in an on-air role, and then sign Ric Flair, keep Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash, bring in Rob Van Dam, X-Pac, and Mr. Kennedy, and combine it with TNA's talented roster of non-former-Monday-Night-War participants, and fans would take notice. So would Vince McMahon.
The personalities involved fit perfectly into that scenario. Carter wants to move to the next level. Spike TV would love to stick it to WWE after they left them to return to USA Network. Ric Flair has felt jilted by WWE recently. Hulk Hogan, without a doubt, has always wanted to be positioned to lead a Vince McMahon competitor, and unlike WCW, Hogan could have ownership interest and a greater stake in their success.
2010 just got a whole lot more interesting. The major players who thrive on the adrenaline of this type of scenario have lined up with a rare opportunity that TNA's established promotion and Spike TV as a TV partner provide.
Bischoff and Hogan like to make big moves. Nothing can ruled out. That's why it's even worth writing Shane McMahon as a possible player. It's also possible a broadcast network deal is in the mix.
Tonight's appearance of Hulk Hogan on "Larry King Live" on CNN tonight will reveal more hints of what's yet to come.
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