Why Hulk Hogan Was Booed By TNA Fans After Debut
Hulk Hogan’s TNA run isn’t celebrated very much and one Hall of Famer explained why the Hulkster’s run didn’t go well from the beginning.
The legacy of Hulk Hogan in pro wrestling was built off his initial WWE run in the 1980s and early 1990s. After jumping to WCW in 1994, he thrived there as well, but things turned a corner when he turned heel in 1996 as the leader of the No World Order.
There is also Hogan’s TNA run that started in January 2010 and lasted until the end of 2013, so it was a total of about four years during Dixie Carter’s days of running the promotion since her family owned it.
While in TNA, Hulk Hogan was in the role of an authority figure, he wrestled sometimes, he was a babyface, he was a heel and he even had his daughter Brooke Hogan on the show. Hulk was also a major power player behind the scenes with creative control and he was also paid heavily as well.
After Hogan arrived, TNA got rid of the six-sided ring that the company was known for over the previous eight years and they replaced it with a traditional four-sided ring. That six-sided ring was unique to TNA and now it was gone. It was known by TNA fans that Hogan was the main reason why the ring changed.
Jeff Jarrett was TNA’s co-founder who ran the company for many years and was still heavily involved in the company in the early 2010s when Hogan came aboard. While speaking about The Hulkster in TNA on his My World podcast, Jeff showed respect to the Hall of Famer while also claiming Hogan didn’t know what TNA was about.
“Talk about living in the bubble. Look, I mean, I’m always cache if I have to describe Hogan. I believe he’s the biggest box office attraction this business has ever produced. I think that includes Cena, I think that includes Rock, Undertaker, you name it.
Anyway, so with all due respect, Hogan not having a clue what TNA Wrestling was all about — the six-sided ring, all of that, he was so far away from who our audience was.”
Hulk Hogan Represented What TNA Wasn’t
As he continued, Jeff Jarrett explained how former TNA Owner Dixie Carter should have done a better job of informing Hulk Hogan about what TNA was.
“Again, I’ve always said, that’s on Dixie. That’s 100% on her. Why she didn’t say, ‘Hulk, this six-sided ring got us shelf space and we’ve sold a lot of licensing on it and the way we look at it and Spike looks at it. They ain’t going to tell you no for any reason because you’re Hulk Hogan but let me just give you some context on this and that.’
I mean, they booed him on night one. Can you imagine how Kevin K and Spike felt? The ‘big savior of TNA’ quote unquote that didn’t need saving, was on the right track, is gonna walk out there and they’re booing him on night one? It’s just like, guys, do y’all not see the forest? Nope, you can’t because of the trees. It was just unbelievable.
Just a total disconnect on every [level]. Poor Orlando Jordan and the Nasty Boys and Val Venis. It was just everything that TNA wasn’t.”
Meanwhile, in the current wrestling landscape, TNA presented its Sacrifice PPV from El Paso and the company continues to do well in its 23rd year as a promotion.