TNA star Hulk Hogan was hospitalized earlier today due to “excruciating back pain,” according to TMZ.com.
Hogan has had several back surgeries in recent years and was having issues over the last few days. When he woke up this morning, he couldn’t get out of bed. His girlfriend called the ambulance and he was taken to a local hospital in Clearwater, FL, where tests are being conducted.
Hogan has posted a video on Twitter of himself in a hospital room ..
Best of luck to the Hulkster, hopefully he is out of pain soon and fully recovers.
Following yesterday’s Hogan-Bischoff-Twitter debacle where a Hogan impostor claimed he and Bischoff were leaving TNA, Eric Bischoff (the real one) is setting the record straight. In comments made exclusively to Slam.Canoe.Ca, Bischoff confirmed that he and Hulk Hogan are still with TNA and will be until 2012.
“ I am with TNA,” Bischoff said. “Hulk Hogan is still with TNA. We have a contract for two years, and we plan on fulfilling our contract.â€
After Twitter user realhulk_hogan admitted to not being the real Hulk Hogan – the user claimed to be a disgruntled TNA employee upset with Bischoff’s performance and said TNA’s top stars were planning a walk-out if Bischoff isn’t removed from power. Bischoff, however, does not believe the fake Hogan is a TNA employee at all.
“It is probably a 16-year-old dweeb that doesn’t have anything better to do,†Bischoff said “I am 99% sure that there is no validity behind it and the person does not work for TNA.â€
The owner of the fake Hogan account, who has over 4,000 followers, now claims to be Christopher Daniels and is urging people to “Unfollow @TNADixie if you don’t agree with the current direction in TNA.”
— Jeff Wilen of The Daytona Beach News-Journal interviewed Eric Bischoff in his latest JAWBreaker column. Among the topics discussed include the latest going-ons in TNA Wrestling, the big names working together, the tag-team division, Bound for Glory in Daytona Beach, Tommy Dreamer playing a bigger role in the organization, Linda McMahon running for a Senate seat, Paul Heyman and Rob Van Dam.
Bischoff claimed during the interview that he pitched the EV2 storyline back in February and suggested that Dixie Carter reach out to Paul Heyman.
“The whole EV2 story line was something I pitched in February of this year,” said Bischoff. “It wasn’t a Tommy Dreamer idea. Tommy’s a great guy and has great experience. I called Paul and suggested to Dixie (Carter) and Vince Russo that we should reach out to Paul and see if he was interested in coming in. I don’t think it will happen with Paul. He is looking for something different. I don’t think Dreamer will be involved in creative. We have a solid team, with great chemistry. We’ve had great success the last couple weeks and months.”
When asked if he and Hulk Hogan plan on sticking around for a while, Bischoff replied, “We have a couple of years left on our contracts.
— According to SLAM! Wrestling, Eric Bischoff will discuss today’s confusion concerning a Twitter account believed to be that of Hulk Hogan’s tomorrow in an interview with the website.
— Ocean Center director Bob Poor hopes Bound for Glory draws 5,000 fans to the arena, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. WWE recently held a live event at the building and drew less than 4,000 paid.
— Hulk Hogan is scheduled to undergo another surgical procedure on his back tomorrow. (partial source: PWInsider.com)
— Ring of Honor wrestler Roderick Strong worked a dark match at last night’s iMPACT taping in Orlando, defeating Jalil Patel. Patel is an Indian film actor, model and singer who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films, advertisements and music videos. For more information on Patel, click here.
— Shannon Moore has launched a YouTube channel. The channel notably features videos of Moore and Jeff Hardy paying a visit a wounded soldier, as well as Moore and Jesse Neal fine-tuning their mohawks backstage at a TNA show.
Earlier today, reports surfaced that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were leaving TNA Wrestling.
A Twitter account that claimed to be Hulk Hogan (and was verified & linked to on Eric Bischoff’s Twitter page) announced that he and Eric Bischoff were parting ways with TNA Wrestling. The person claiming to be Hulk Hogan eventually admitted that he was a fake – but had ‘worked’ Eric Bischoff, Dixie Carter, Bubba The Love Sponge.
The fake Hogan wrote:
“I know you’ve heard the rumors brothers and they are true. Eric and I are leaving TNA on a mutual basis. I just got out of meetings now.” TNA has a new leadership coming in. Make sure you Hulkamaniacs still support them. TNA needs the power of Hulkamania to live on brothers.”
“Thank you Dixie and Bob Carter for the wonderful and positive experiences in TNA. Nothing but the best to you guys. Brothers, this isn’t the last of me though. You’ll be able to see me at “Hulk Hogan & Friends” events on tour soon.”
Eric Bischoff has posted on his Twitter page that the Hulk Hogan Twitter page saying that he and Bischoff were leaving TNA is a fake.He wrote:Â “The Hogan twitter site that I posted is a fake one. Hulk IS getting a Twitter page up, but the most recent post is a fake. I will post the REAL page info as soon as we get it. Sorry for the confusion. The Hulk Hogan twitter posts are fake. Hulk IS in the process of setting up a page, but has not as yet. The rumors of us leaving TNA are bogus. ”
The funny thing is – Bischoff himself is the one who announced “Hulk Hogan joins Twitter” on his own Twitter page, with a link to the fake Hogan’s page.
Dixie Carter wrote: “Recent twitter of Hulk Hogan leaving TNA is bogus. To what extreme people will go.”
The guy who is running the fake Hulk Hogan Twitter is now claiming to be a disgruntled TNA employee upset with the Hogan-Bischoff regime, writing:
“I am not Hulk Hogan, but I am a TNA wrestler who got Eric, BTLS, Jarrett, and Dixie to think I was Hogan.. I rallied everyone in to get my true message out in anonymous fashion, b/c any other way on any media platform there would be consequences. ”
“@EBischoff GOT WORKED BROTHERS! He publishes information before even verifying its accuracy. How can someone like this even try to run TNA?!” and “That piece of s*** @BTLSRadio GOT WORKED TOO!”
On the basis of Eric Bischoff’s original announcement that Hulk Hogan’s Twitter account was “realhulkhogan” – SEScoops ran with the story that Hogan & Bischoff were leaving TNA. We apologize for the confusion – this has been a wild story to watch develop to say the least!
— Jeff Hardy announced Saturday via YouTube that he and his longtime girlfriend Beth are expecting their first child. He did not provide the due date or the sex of the baby.
— Eric Bischoff said Saturday on Twitter that Hulk Hogan is considering joining the social networking website.
“Just spoke to Hulk,” Bischoff said. “He’s thinking about launching a Twiiter site! (Never thought that would come off my keyboard). What do you think?”
— The Daytona Beach News-Journal columnist Jeff Wilen conducted the following interview with Kevin Nash. The TNA Superstar discusses HardCORE Justice, rumors of Paul Heyman joining the organization, iMPACT! changing timeslots, and more.
— Many within TNA Wrestling were surprised at how removed Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff appeared to be at last week’s set of iMPACT! television tapings. While both were on hand for the production meetings they would normally attend, neither individual appeared as engaged as they have in the past.
“They are as far removed from this as I’ve seen yet,” stated one company source.
Though Hogan won’t publicly say anything negative regarding the ECW concept, he has been shaking his head behind closed doors. Observers say he looked uncomfortable while in the ring with the ECW crew in a segment that will air during this week’s iMPACT! broadcast. (source: pwtorch.com)
— Tammy Sytch (a/k/a Sunny), who performed for Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s, commented on rumors concerning a possible appearance at TNA Wrestling’s HardCORE Justice pay-per-view event this Sunday.
She wrote on her Facebook account: “Before everyone starts plastering my wall with questions or comments regarding my appearance on the TNA PPV: I will not be on it, nor have I been contacted by anyone there. Like Ive said before, don’t believe anything you read on websites.”
– With TNA’s HardCORE Justice pay-per-view just a few days away, sources in TNA say there’s little to no buzz backstage about Paul Heyman appearing at the show. While Heyman has met with TNA management in recent months, things seem to have died down as of late.
– Don’t expect to see Hulk Hogan back in the ring any time soon. In recent comments made to prowrestling.net, Eric Bischoff gave an update on the condition of Hulk Hogan’s health following recent back surgeyr. “I don’t know for sure,” Bischoff said. “I don’t even ask him anymore because I know what his reaction would be. He’d say he’s feeling perfect.” Bischoff said Hogan feels that if he verbalizes something positively, it will come true, which is why he takes that approach with his back. When asked whether Hogan’s in-ring career is over, Bischoff said, “I don’t see him wrestling again. I’d be disappointed and there would probably be a physical moment backstage because I would try to stop him.”
– Team 3D is currently negotiating new TNA contracts, as the current deals are set to expire in the next few months. For what it’s worth, neither Brother Ray or Devon are happy about the latest ECW revival in TNA.
– TNA President Dixie Carter made the following announcement on Twitter today:
“Just spoke to Dreamer. SABU is confirmed for HardCORE Justice this Sunday.”
– TNA star Hulk Hogan appeared at the Comedy Central roast of actor (and previous RAW guest host) David Hasselhoff. According to a fan report, Hogan ripped off his Hulkamania t-shirt during the roast, revealing a “Suck it Hoff” T-Shirt. The event will air on Comedy Central in a few weeks.
Here is video of Hulk Hogan arriving on the red carpet for the Roast:
— Thursday’s episode of iMPACT! scored a 1.22 cable rating, its highest rating since February 18. Overall, the show drew 1.65 million viewers.
Much of the ratings increase can be attributed to the the male 12-17 demographic, which scored a 1.21 compared to last week’s 0.97. Overall, viewership was up nearly 15 percent compared to last week’s 1.06 rating. It was also up 22 percent compared to the program’s average rating of 1.00 since returning to Thursday nights on May 13. (source: www.pwtorch.com)
— An official Hulk Hogan fan page has been set up on Facebook, according to a post made this morning by Eric Bischoff. The page features a special interactive feature in which fans can give their personal pictures “The Ultimate Hulk Hogan Makeover.” The page is located here.
— Tickets for Bound For Glory on Oct. 10, 2010 from Daytona Beach, Florida, go on sale next Saturday via Ticketmaster.
– We’ve received a ton of emails about this one …. To put an end to an ugy rumor that’s circulating online, Hulk Hogan is ALIVE and well. TNA Wrestling president Dixie Carter issued the following statement this afternoon regarding The Hulkster:
“HULK HOGAN IS ALIVE AND WELL. He did not drown. Not sure how these rumors get started. Awful.â€
– Former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Mikey Whipwreck posted a message on Facebook saying that he declined an offer from TNA to appear at next weekend’s Hardcore Justice PPV:
“For the record, I have no intentions of doing the TNA PPV. I’m happy for the guys that are doing it but its nice to see the little bingo hall company everyone “blew off†back in the day as “insignificant” is called upon every time business is in the toilet.”
— In the UK, this week’s iMPACT! will air on Bravo on Saturday at 11 p.m. and Sunday on Bravo2 at 9 p.m. The broadcast will return to its original Saturday time slot next week. The reason for the two hour preemption is due to the Live European Darts Championship.
According to The National Enquirer, Hulk Hogan’s ex-wife Linda, 50, is engaged to wed boyfriend Charlie Hill, 29 years her junior. She met Hill two years ago following her divorce from the wrestling superstar.
It would appear that the former married couple have buried the hatchet as the wrestler added his well wishes regarding Linda’s engagement.
“I’m ecstatic for her, I’m very happy for them,” Hogan said in an exclusive statement to RadarOnline.com. “I think they’re perfect for each other. I wish them the best.”
David Houston, Hogan’s attorney, echoed his sentiment, touching on the couple’s contentious split and how they’ve seemed to move on from that dark period: “Obviously, when you go through a divorce, there is a great deal of emotion and you go through your ups and downs. He was married to her for 23 years so there is a certain degree of affection and he does wish her the best.”
Meanwhile, daughter Brooke, who is one year older than Hill, bares a negative stance towards her mother’s beau.
“He is a loser,” she was quoted last year as saying. “I don’t have a problem with age; it’s more about character. Her love is not real and not right.”
The wedding is reportedly slated to take place next summer aboard Linda’s yacht named ‘Alimoney’. The article also notes that one of the places they’re registered at is Game Spot.
Check out these pictures of Linda Hogan with her 21-year old boyfriend, Charlie Hill:
TNA star Kurt Angle posted the following message Twitter this morning, putting Hulk Hogan over in a big way:
“Hulk hogan could be one of the best human beings I ever knew. I have wrestled him. Now I work for him. I love you hulkster. Kurt.”
While this is just speculation … We reported yesterday that Hulk Hogan is looking to become the next big “infomercial king” (TV product pitchman) and is already making moves within the industry to reach that goal.
TNA’s Hulk Hogan is planning his next career move outside of the wrestling industry – he wants to be “the new Billy Mays” and become the best TV pitchman around. Mays was the king of infomercials before his unfortunate death last year, pitching everything from Oxyclean cleanser to Mighty Putty adhesive putty.
According to RadarOnline.com, Hogan recently linked up with fellow reality star and infomercial king, Kevin Harrington, to promote his latest product, pumMax – a biodegradable pumice-based hand cleanser. But that’s just the beginning, as Hogan’s lawyer David Houston tells Daily Radar.
“Terry brings decades’ worth of charisma and credibility to the marketplace,” Houston said. “Billy [Mays’] unfortunate passing kind of left a hole. We all agree that he certainly has some big shoes to fill as far as Billy Mays is concerned, but I don’t think that any of us doubt that he has the ability to do it.”
“He went into a semi-retirement at one point, but after the divorce and settlement of personal injury litigation he’s putting his career back on track.”
Hogan is no stranger to being an product pitchman, having done commercials for Honey Nut Cheerios, Right Guard deodorant, Arbys and more. “I think it’s more of a continuation as opposed to a new beginning,” said Houston.
Check out these (absolutely classic) commercials featuring Hulk Hogan pitching Honey Nut Cheerios cereal and Right Guard sports stick deodorant:
— TNA Wrestling will hold what has been dubbed a “special” edition of iMPACT! sometime next month, to be taped the night following Hardcore Justice. No date for the special has been set. Furthermore, it remains unclear at this time whether the special will air in TNA’s regular Thursday night time slot.
— Former ROH Champion Xavier is backstage at today’s iMPACT! tapings in Orlando, Florida and scheduled to work a tryout match.
— Both Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff are backstage at today’s iMPACT! taping in Orlando, Florida. Bischoff, who previously said they would return this week, are taking part in their usual backstage duties.
— Eric Bischoff said on his Facebook page that he, Hulk Hogan and producer Jason Hervey will be on hand for next week’s iMPACT! television tapings in Orlando.
He also responded to a fan’s negative remarks towards Vince Russo and suggestion to join forces with Paul Heyman.
“I appreciate your comments, but you really don’t know what you are talking about,” Bischoff replied. “While Vince and I have certainly had our differences, and we still don’t agree on everything all the time, he is a very talented guy doing an amazing job under some pretty extraordinary circumstances. Lighten up and enjoy!”
— TNA Wrestling’s Director of Talent Relations Terry Taylor has begun booking former ECW wrestlers for next month’s Hard Justice pay-per-view, which will be an “all-ECW” show similar to WWE’s One Night Stand in 2005. While those contacted have are only officially scheduled for the pay-per-view, Taylor was checking their availability for the television following the event.
— TNA Sacrifice 2010 will be officially released tomorrow on DVD. Its cover art, which you can view here, features Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson and AJ Styles.
— There is talk that Hulk Hogan may never wrestle again as a result of his latest back operation. His originally scheduled matches with Abyss and Sting have been nixed.
It’s worth noting that Hogan was advertised on the official TNA website for Monday’s iMPACT!, but ultimately, did not appear. He was however mentioned in a promo by Kevin Nash.
— The actual attendance on TNA’s live event in Brooklyn, New York on July 2nd was just under 5,500 total, not 5,500 paid.
— The official TNA website has updated its roster page, adding profiles on Mick Foley and Tommy Dreamer. Dr. Stevie is now being referred to as Stevie Richards. Meanwhile, Daniels, ODB, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman are still listed on the site despite parting ways with the organization.
Eric Bischoff has posted a new blog on his official website explaining his time away from TNA this month, Hulk Hogan’s health following his recent back surgery, Batista doing MMA and more. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Taking Time Off From TNA: “The 4th is a special holiday for us as it is not only our favorite national holiday, but it’s also my wife’s birthday, (and now our new anniversary) as well as the anniversary of my fathers passing 10 years ago. My friends and family from around the country have started coming out to our place in Cody as a sort of unofficial ‘friends and family reunion and it has become a big part of our lives over the last 10 years.'”
Hulk Hogan’s Back Surgery: “Just hung up with Hulk. His recent back surgery seems to have gone well and for the first time since I’ve known him, it sounds like he is taking his doctors advice and giving himself some down time to heal properly.. I get on him like his mother sometimes, as every time he previously had a back surgery, the first thing he would do the minute he was feeling better was go down to the gym and see if the surgery worked by pushing weights around. His spirits are way up, he’s feeling great and looking forward to what’s coming up.”
Batista Doing MMA: “Not so sure about Bastista’s move into MMA. Unless he has some amateur wrestling or legitimate kick-boxing background that I am unaware of, sounds like a quick payday, but not so much of a long term plan. It takes years to develop solid wrestling skill as well as punching/kicking technique. At 40 years of age, it’s a hell of a lot of catching up to do when you are in there with fighters half your age who have been on a mat or in a dojo all their lives. That said…like Dave a lot and wish him the best.”
It’s hard to believe, but it was on this day 12 years ago that Bill Goldberg defeated Hollywood Hogan on WCW “Monday Nitro” before 38,196 fans (official attendance from the venue’s site) to capture the WCW Heavyweight Title. After beginning to falter under the weight of a resurgent WWF, Nitro won the ratings war that night. The New World Order had seemingly been toppled. All seemed right in Turner Land.
Of course, less than 3 years later, WCW was dead.
We can talk about how foolish it was for Eric Bischoff to give away his biggest pay-per-view main event and flush millions of dollars down the drain, all for the sake of a Nielsen number. We could talk about the ill-advised end to Goldberg’s streak a few months later at the hands of Kevin Nash. We could even talk about the infamous “Fingerpoke of Doom” that kicked off 1999. But it’s already been discussed. Still, it’s hard to fathom how a company that was making millions could spiral downward so quickly, forever changing the wrestling industry.
Today, we remember a key event in wrestling history. Unfortunately, it also makes us wonder … what might have been.
– It was reported here that TNA star Hulk Hogan was scheduled to undergo back surgery. Apparently Hogan didn’t have the surgery yesterday but is scheduled to go under the knife by the end of the week. We wish him the best and a quick recovery.
– TNA fired creative team member Ed Ferrara last week. Ferrara, best known for his previous stints in WWE and WCW, had been Vince Russo’s booking assistant while in TNA.
– Former WCW wrestler & booker Kevin Sullivan met with Dixie Carter when she was in New Jersey a few weeks ago. Sullivan expressed pitched the idea of him joining TNA’s creative team and has worked with many people already in TNA. It’s said that Sullivan has written out an entire year of booking for the company.
– TNA is planning for Velvet Sky to turn on Madison Rayne at Victory Road Rayne defends her Knockouts Title against Angelina Love at the event. There’s talk that Velvet will team back up with Angelina for The Beautiful People. No word yet what will happen to Lacey Von Erich.
– Hulk Hogan was not at Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT tapings because he is scheduled to undergo back surgery today, Wednesday. Dixie Carter, Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey were also absent from the tapings, according to a backstage source. Dixie doesn’t always attend the second tapings and Jason Hervey is reportedly working on a movie. No word on why Bischoff wasn’t there.
– At the TNA iMPACT tapings two weeks ago, Tommy Dreamer was showing off a potential new look backstage. Dreamer was wearing a singlet top, shorts and kick pads that gave him an MMA-style look. The potential new look for Dreamer received mixed reviews from those backstage.
– The creative team in TNA has been told to make sure Hulk Hogan appears on every episode of Impact, even if its just for a moment. Others in the company feel that Hogan should be used more sparingly, so his appearances have more of an impact.
– Ric Flair’s TNA contract was for 52 dates over a one-year period. Since he has appeared on virtually all of TNA’s television and pay-per-view events, the comany will likely have to sign him to a new contract soon. One bargaining chip for TNA in the negotiations is their ability to bring in Ric Flair’s son, Reid.
– TNA President Dixie Carter posted a comment on Twitter that TNA has a “nice surprise” for fans at Sunday’s TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view. We haven’t heard anything yet about what the surprise may be, but TNA has built a nice track record of delivering on their surprises and “major announcements” – so this could get interesting.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
– According to Dave Meltzer, the creative team in TNA has been told to make sure Hulk Hogan appears on every episode of Impact, even if it is just for a brief moment. There are some thoughts that he should be on television less, so when he does appear, it means more.
– Ric Flair’s TNA contract was for 52 dates over a one-year period. Since he has appeared on all the TV/PPV events, they are likely going to have to sign him to a new contract soon. It’s possible that TNA will bring in Flair’s son Reid so he won’t ask for more money when it comes time to sign a new deal.
– Jeff Hardy’s trial was scheduled to begin yesterday morning in Carthage, NC with Judge James M. Webb. No word yet on what happened in court.
– The feeling within TNA right now is that Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan won’t be leaving any time soon.
– Awesome Kong recently tried to trademark the Awesome Kong name so she could use it on the independent scene. Right now she’s using the Amazing Kong name until the issue is settled.
– Mr. Anderson’s recent babyface turn in TNA was a decision that was made just before the Sacrifice pay-per-view where he wrestled Jeff Hardy.
— Hulk Hogan underwent successful back surgery earlier this week. TMZ reports Hogan had bone spurs removed in a three-to-four-hour procedure on Wednesday. He left the hospital the same day as the procedure.
Flair said during a promotional tour overseas this week that Hogan wouldn’t be able to wrestle again unless he underwent successful back surgery.
— Thursday’s episode of TNA iMPACT! averaged 1.34 million viewers over the course of the two-hour broadcast. This number is up from last week’s 1.29 million viewership total. The official number is expected to be released on Monday. (source: www.pwtorch.com)
— To correct an earlier report, ODB is not engaged. Shelly Martinez, who is friends with ODB, read the online report and asked her about it. The TNA Knockout said it’s not true.