It really is a treat when Hulk Hogan does interviews, either in print or on the radio. You could write an entire book dissecting his quotes and trying to separate fact from fiction. The yarns he's been known to spin are legendary. So when I read a few of the quotes The Hulkster provided to the U.K. Daily Star last week, I figured it'd be a good opportunity to get the latest read on Hogan's state of mind in TNA.

“It’s either hold ’em or fold ’em. You’re either in the wrestling business or not. Is Dixie Carter really in the wrestling business, or this is just a hobby? You either make the move or you don’t. You’re at that point now. It’s the same place we were with WCW – you either run with the big dogs or be a little dog and stay on the porch. The destiny of this company is in her hands. It can stay TNA, a powerful little company, or she can make the decision to move on to greatness.”

I'm not really sure what any of this means. It could be a failure on the part of the reporter to provide adequate context or follow-up questions to this quote, but Hogan seems to thing there's a magic button Dixie Carter can push to immediately elevate TNA to the level of WWE. That, of course, is not reality.

I find it odd that he would publicly challenge the person in charge of the company, but he has good intentions in that he wants to see TNA succeed. But saying "the destiny of this company is in her hands" is a little much. "...she can make the decision to move on to greatness" is another puzzling quote that almost makes it sound like Carter is holding the company back.

“To limit to four major PPVs will give us a chance to make the wrestlers more important to give the fans a chance to choose who they love. I think it gives you a chance to sink your teeth into the characters and the company.”

Some of Hogan's greatest successes in the wrestling business came in WWE when they ran only four PPVs per year (sometimes less), so it's no surprise he's on board with this idea. Unfortunately, Hogan's reasoning for going to four PPVs doesn't really make a lot of sense. Giving fans the opportunity "to choose who they love" is probably not on the top five list of reasons TNA scaled back to four. I'm not even sure what that means in the context of cutting back PPVs.

“Twenty years ago most of the wrestlers who are in this business now wouldn’t even be here. They’d be bagging groceries somewhere. When I was wrestling I was a medium sized guy...The business has changed and it’s for the better. It’s more exciting because the guys can do more moves and are more athletic than we were.”

Hogan saved himself from disaster by saying the business has changed for the better with those who would've been "bagging groceries" in the past now being pushed as stars. I understand what he meant, because many of the talents in this day and age wouldn't have gotten a shot in Hogan's heyday, but there are better ways to express that feeling than how he did. He does acknowledge that the wrestlers are more athletic than he was, but as much as an admission as that seems, it's pretty obvious that is the case.

Perhaps the best part of the article? The author stating that, "There will be more to come from Hogan in the coming weeks." I can't wait.


Greg Parks has been a columnist for Pro Wrestling Torch since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @gregmparks for live Tweeting during Raw, Impact, and PPVs, as well as other bits of wisdom. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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