— According to Ric Flair, TNA Wrestling has signed his son Reid.

The WWE Hall of Famer is currently in the midst of a media tour helping promote TNA’s tour of the United Kingdom beginning in January 2011. During an interview promoting the tour, Flair said TNA signed his son to a contract.

The 22-year-old’s wrestling career has been sidetracked by trouble with the law. On March 4, 2009, he was arrested for driving while impaired in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, but released after posting $1,000 in bail. He was arrested again on April 26, 2009. After crashing his car, police found black tar heroin inside it, resulting in felony charges. He was also charged with driving while impaired, driving with a revoked license, and possession of drug paraphernalia, but was released after posting $15,000 in bail.

— Hulk Hogan is listed as the No. 2 trending topic tonight on Yahoo.com. Meanwhile, actor Gary Coleman, who passed away today after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage, was briefly listed at No. 9 but has since fallen out of the top search list.

— TNA has added Roxxi to its roster page.

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan had a big medical scare this week after doctors thought they found an abnormality with his heart.

Hogan is set to undergo another back surgery in the coming weeks and has been going through the usual battery of pre-op medical tests to insure he’s healthy enough to go under the knife. According to TMZ.com, doctors discovered a problem with his Electrocardiography (EKG), which monitors a patient’s heart function.

Sources close to Hulk tell TMZ.com that Hogan was sent to a cardiovascular specialist in Florida for further testing. After another extensive round of medical tests, doctors were able to medically clear Hulk who was understandably “very worried” during the whole process.

Hogan’s heart has been deemed healthy and he’s scheduled to undergo back surgery soon.

Props to f4wonline.com for some of the info used in this report:

– There has been talk of Lacey Von Erich leaving “The Beautiful People” and turning babyface.

– Taz recently talked to Hulk Hogan about bringing Mike Knox in, but “The Hulkster” reportedly had no idea who he was. Eric Bischoff, on the other hand, vaguely remembered him. Nonetheless, there is said to be slight interest in using the recently released WWE star.

– A match pitting Samoa Joe against Matt Morgan could be a late addition to Sunday’s Sacrifice pay-per-view, but a final decision had not been made as of yesterday.

— On her Facebook account, Torrie Wilson has denied Hulk Hogan’s claim last week on The Howard Stern Show that she contacted TNA officials looking for work. The former WWE Diva wrote on Friday: “Well I was told that Hulk Hogan was on Howard Stern today saying I have been calling TNA offices up and I am sorry to those of you wishing but that is not true. Heard it straight from me! If I ever went back to wrestling I feel like WWE would be my home…but I have no plans for that! Working on lots of fun opportunit…ies though and will keep yall informed on my next new venture! Love you guys!”

Wilson also noted over the weekend on her Twitter account that her chihuahua was stolen from the back room of her Texas clothing store. The puppy was returned the very same day.

— There has been talk of turning Jesse Neal heel.

— TNA returns to the Coliseum Annex in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on July 30th, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale June 18th, 2010 at 10 a.m. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

Hulk Hogan will be hosting a new weekly satellite radio show on Monday nights an hour before TNA iMPACT! goes on the air.

The first episode of “Hogan Uncensored” airs next Monday night at 7pm (EST) on Sirius XM’s Howard 101 channel.

Hogan and Bubba made the announcement on Bubba’s radio show yesterday when Hogan made an in-studio appearance to talk TNA.

Bubba the Love Sponge says Howard Stern is the one who put the show together.

As previously reported, Spike’s TV’s Upcoming Listings list an 8pm (EST) start time for the next live airing of TNA iMPACT! (April 5), an hour earlier than normal. This will give the show an unopposed hour and then hour two would go head-to-head with the first hour of WWE RAW.

The schedule lists the following two weeks starting at the usual 9PM start time.

TNA President Dixie Carter posted a message on Twitter regarding the time shift of the April 5th iMPACT!:

“To maximize viewership, iMPACT! will air on Spike from 8-10pm ET on 4/5 as to not conflict w/NCAA Men’s bball finals on CBS. PLS RT”.

You know TNA and Spike will be watching very closely to see how the show performs an hour earlier with a full unopposed hour.

Dixie Carter later wrote:

“Had a great trip to NY with Hogan. Big Spike dinner. Lots of exciting things going on.”

– Ric Flair’s son Reid is expected to be backstage a few upcoming TNA iMPACT shows. It’s unknown if he will be brought in as a wrestler or if he’s just coming in for training.

– Speaking of Ric Flair, he’s been telling people that he’s having more fun working in TNA than he has had in years because he loves playing a heel. Flair still thinks he has one big match left in him and the opponent he’s mentioned is Kurt Angle.

– TNA has cut back on scripting promos for their top stars like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Ken Anderson in recent weeks. These guys have been given bullet points, but not long written-out scripts.

– Hulk Hogan’s back  was in a lot of pain after last week’s TNA iMPACT tapings. At this time, there are no immediate plans for Hogan to wrestle again.

(Credit to the The Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)

– Former WWE stars Spike Dudley and Ken “Dykstra” Doane are at Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! tapings. Doane lost a dark match Homicide and was said to look good in the ring.

– Contrary to a previous report, the main event of tonight’s TNA iMPACT! tapings (airing next Monday night) will be Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles. We reported earlier that Rob Van Dam and Desmond Wolfe would be part of the match, but those plans seem to have changed.

– Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Scott Steiner was visiting backstage at Monday’s iMPACT! His profile was removed from the TNA website back on 2/4 and departure from the company was confirmed the following week.

– Sorta-celebrities Joey Fatone of N Sync fame and Jesse Goddarz from CBS’ Big Brother show were sitting ringside last night.

– The TNA website has added Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam and Shannon Moore to its roster page.

– ShopTNA.com is selling an autographed photo of Hulk Hogan from his return match last night for $39.99.

In an interview with TulsaWorld.com, former WWE & WCW star Bill Goldberg squashes rumors that he is headed to TNA Wrestling. Hulk Hogan recently said that Goldberg was negotiating with TNA, but Goldberg says Hogan’s full of it.

“Pardon my French, but Hulk Hogan’s full of crap because I was never in negotiations with TNA,” Goldberg said.

“Do I see myself getting back in the wrestling ring? I’m 43 years old. Do I want to be Ric Flair? Do I want to be Hulk Hogan? In the twilight of my life, do I want to be running around in my underwear trying to injure people? Absolutely not. It was a stage in my life, a wonderful stage,” he added. “Do I ever see it happening again? You never say never, but I don’t see it likely by any stretch of the imagination.”

To read the full interview, check out TulsaWorld.com.

Promoting TNA’s move to Monday nights, WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart appeared on Boomer and Carton in the Morning yesterday morning, a morning drive sports radio program on WFAN in New York City.

During the appearance, Carton recalled being in Florida for the Super Bowl and bumping into Hulk, daughter Brooke, and his 36-year-old girlfriend Jennifer. Carton commented on Hogan’s taste in women with the wrestling legend himself agreeing that at first, it was creepy to date someone who looks similar to his daughter. Hogan then said Brooke was alright with his relationship with Jennifer because she is almost 40.

Carton then claimed he has pitched “a ton of pilots” to Spike and that Hogan could be his first guest.

Following the interview, the show’s producer cracked a joke on Ric Flair getting beaten up by his wife by saying, “To be the Man, you’ve got to beat the man!”

To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here.

As previously reported, Hulk Hogan appeared on NYC radio host Jim Kerr’s “Rock ‘n Roll Morning Show” this morning and virtually confirmed that Rob Van Dam has signed with TNA Wrestling. While Hogan never mentioned Van Dam by name, studio cameras caught Hogan doing RVD’s “pointing to yourself” gesture while talking about an exciting new talent acquisition that he just heard about last night.

VIDEO: Hulk Hogan Reveals RVD Has Signed With TNA

With TNA moving to Monday nights and now news leaking out that RVD has likely signed with TNA, the logical assumption is that Van Dam is one of the “major surprises” TNA is teasing for Monday’s live iMPACT! According to prowrestling.net, people within TNA are said to be “fuming” mad that the RVD news leaked out.

Additionally, it is worth noting Spike TV has acknowledged the news of RVD signing with TNA on Twitter, writing:

RT @TNA_FANS: HULK HOGAN confirms “Mr. Monday Night” RVD has signed with TNA Wrestling!

TNA star Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart appeared on radio host Jim Kerr’s “Rock ‘n Roll Morning Show” this morning from New York City and Hogan strongly hinted that Rob Van Dam has signed with TNA Wrestling.

“We got a lot of young kids now like A.J. Styles and Jeff Hardy and we’ve got a bunch of surprises coming up with some guys that just signed – I didn’t even tell Jimmy [Hart] about it. I found out about it last night.” Hogan then pointed to himself (like RVD does when saying his name) and said, “It’s going to be really crazy.”

TNA star Hulk Hogan appeared on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” show this morning to promote his return to the ring this Monday night on TNA iMPACT!, the first night of the new Monday Night War. Hogan will team with Abyss against AJ Styles and Ric Flair.

During the segment, Hogan talked a number of topics, including his time in TNA thus far, being offered a 25-year contract by WWE before he signed with TNA, his relationship with Dixie Carter and much more.

Hogan was asked why he went back to the business if it ravaged his body. He talked about being addicted to the business and wanting to work with TNA president Dixie Carter and the talent on the roster to “make history.” He said he still gets goosebumps every time he touches a wrestling ring and wants to make TNA a legit competitor to WWE, which will raise the “water level” of the industry as a whole.

Here’s a video clip of the appearance:

St. Louis’ RiverfrontTimes.com has an interview with Hulk Hogan, who talks about wrestling against Ric Flair in a tag match on March 8th, his financial motivation for getting back in the ring. He also takes a shot at The Rock’s movie career. Hogan admits that his body is broken down, but he’s getting back in the ring because the fans demanded it, brother! Here’s what Hogan said about:

Is He Able To Still Wrestle? “Oh, I can’t, brother. I was in Australia recently and did four dates wrestling Ric Flair. The first day I ran into Ric with a shoulder tackle and knocked him down. He popped up and came right back at me. I didn’t have my footing right. I was turned in when he hit me and my right hip popped out of its socket. The pain shot like a piece of electricity to my head and right behind my ear. I felt like my head exploded. I fell and dumbed it up against the rope until I could pop my hip back in. That was my first day back. I really didn’t want to wrestle, but I got into a situation with TNA when the fans are chanting ‘Hogan! Hogan!’ It’s hard to say no. I painted myself in a corner. Now I’m fighting a tag-team match March 8 with Abyss against Ric Flair and A.J. Styles. I did that to myself, but I really shouldn’t be wrestling anymore.”

His Financial Situation Pushing Him To Wrestle Again: “I was in a situation where I was kind of lost and I happened to walk by a ring in a gym. I reached out and touched it, and I got goosebumps. I knew I had a problem, kind of like being an addict. I said, ‘Oh boy.’ It’s like driving a fast car or being on a date with a beautiful woman. So, that was part of it. The other was necessity. After the last couple years, financially, I needed to do something. I was devastated financially.”

Hogan Takes a Shot at The Rock: “I thought about moving out to L.A. and doing the movie thing cause I have seventeen movies under my belt — mostly low-budget kid movies, kind of like what The Rock is doing now. My agent said they could put me in supporting roles. I’d never be a Gene Hackman or anything, but there is work for me. But I just wasn’t into it. I needed to to work and thought why not get back to what I love, wrestling?”

– As announced on last night’s TNA iMPACT!, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair will come out of retirement on March 8th in a tag match that will see the two legends on opposite sides of the ring. Hulk Hogan will team with Abyss against Ric Flair and TNA champion AJ Styles.

– Despite the fact that he’s one of the biggest names that TNA has access to, one big name that’s been conspicuously absent in recent weeks is Sting.  The company knows that he’s not interested in being too involved in the product these days and his name isn’t mentioned too often by TNA officials.

– With the dust starting to settle from Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff’s arrival in TNA, the backstage atmosphere at the most recent iMPACT tapings was said to be very relaxed at the most recent TNA iMAPCT! tapigns in Orlando. Hogan and Bischoff seemed more down to earth and comfortable when working with the TNA talent. Some credit the improvement in backstage morale to Dixie Carter constantly telling people she wants to keep TNA a positive, fun work environment.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– It was reported a few weeks back that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff wanted TNA to stop doing live events until they got everything in TNA on the right track. Their position was based on poor house show performance in November and December. Being that TNA did great live event business in January (following the successful January 4th show), the live events were never scrapped. Jeff Jarrett, Don West and Jeremy Borash are currently in charge of live events.

– The company behind the “Hulkamania: Let the Battle Begin” tour of Australia has gone bankrupt and the expected DVD of the Hulkamania tour of Australia probably won’t be released. Hulk Hogan reportedly wouldn’t allow them to market the DVD until the promoters paid him money he was still owed for the tour. The show was scheduled to air in Australia on TV a few months ago and there was talk of another tour in China, but those plans are off.

– The new bi-sexual storyline with Orlando Jordan got off to a bad start with TNA and Spike TV officials as neither of them were happy with the way Jordan’s male companion was rubbing him in the bit that didn’t air on iMPACT. The guy with Jordan is the same guy that was with him when he got fired from WWE a few years back.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

TNA President Dixie Carter spoke to Brian Fritz of FanHouse.com this week about iMPACT!’s upcoming move to Monday nights on March 8th. Dixie spoke about what it’s going to be like competing with WWE head on every single week. She knows TNA is playing a high stakes game, but sounds ready to lead her company into battle. Here are some highlights of what she said about:

How Everything Came Together: Dixie Carter: Well, we’ve talked about a move to Monday nights for a while, since, for over a year and it just seemed like the time was right. When I knew Hulk Hogan was coming on board, I just kind of put a halt to that and just thought how great would it be for the first time he debuts on our show, to let that be the first time we go to Monday night and the timing turned out perfect.

The Pressure of Competing Against WWE: You know, I don’t think of it that way. The days that were so hard, that was pressure. There used to be a lot of pressure. I don’t feel that pressure anymore. I’ve always handled it really well because there have been some very hard times in this company. And we still that little engine that could. This is a David vs. Goliath story if I’ve ever heard it and we are just so excited and so filled with energy but don’t have such expectations that they will be failures if we don’t meet them. We need to stay steady and continue to grow this.

Hulk Hogan’s Role in TNA & Making New Stars: “It has been the best decision I ever made. I don’t think I’ve ever had one conversation with Hulk Hogan about Hulk Hogan. Every conversation I have with him is about the other TNA talent we have and how can we make them better and how can we make them household names. People are just starting to see the very tip of this man’s genius in some of these things that we are going to make stars who have worked so hard to get to a certain level and truly take that next big step.”

TMZ.com reports that Hulk Hogan and his son Nick have settled the lawsuit filed against them by the family of John Graziano, who was seriously injured while a passenger in Nick Hogan’s Toyota Supra when he wrecked it in the summer of 2007. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

It’s believed that Hulk Hogan settled the lawsuit to avoid the “media circus” that a trial would have brought and to resolve the matter in a way that’s as painless as possible” for both the Hogan and Graziano families.

Hogan’s attorney, David R. Houston, tells TMZ they are “pleased as this was in the best interest of John.”

Linda Hogan, who was also sued by the Grazianos over the car wreck, reached a settlement with the family last month.

Six weeks after joining TNA Wrestling, Hulk Hogan tells Brian Fritz of FanHouse.com that he’s just now getting a handle on how to run a wrestling promotion and admits that for a while, he didn’t know what he was doing. Here are some highlights of what Hogan said about:

The First 6 Weeks in TNA: “I’ve never really done this before and with me everything is by instinct and feel. I was just saying a second ago to someone else that it’s actually taken me this long not to be overwhelmed because when I first came in here, everybody was going oh, they’re not going to like you, the young guys are not going to accept you. This whole negative veil of tears was thrown at me that wasn’t true. The company was very receptive; they gracefully accepted me with open arms. And then I got overwhelmed. There was so just so much good stuff going on but so many other little tweaks that kind of caught me off-guard ’cause I’m just a wrestler. I’m not someone who should be running a whole wrestling company. I know the feel for it. So it’s taken me this long to actually get all four of my claws on the ground or four feet on the ground and I feel comfortable.”

Playing Politics in TNA: “Well, you have to realize – barbarically speaking – I used to lace my boots up, go out to the ring, make my money and go home if you can say it that way. Now, the network is asking for certain things and when things get successful you get input from people you never thought you would get input from that give you, kind of, suggestions that help you or almost kind of like demands of what they want that could not be what’s best for wrestling creatively. And so all of a sudden, all these monsters are coming at me and I’m wondering how to politically, gracefully massage them and make them work because sometimes I…I wear my feelings on my sleeve and I’m not real good at being political and graceful with finesse. I’m trying to get all that done because there’s a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff. But I get it now.”

Hogan also talks about iMPACT! Moving to Monday nights, his relationship with Vince Russo and more in this interview, which you can read in its entirety at FanHouse.com.

In an interview with WWE Magazine’s special 2010 WrestleMania 26 Almanac, WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin says he still has no interest in fighting Hulk Hogan, despite WWE’s repeated attempts to make the match happen at the past few WrestleManias.

“After I retired, for two or three years, they asked me, ‘Do you want to wrestle Hogan this year? Do you want to wrestle Hogan? And the answer is: No, I don’t. “I don’t care to wrestle Hulk Hogan. I don’t think it would live up to fans’s expectations.”

Austin says his match with Dwayne “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson at WrestleMania 19 in 2003 was his “retirement match.” Austin isn’t looking for one last rematch, because he doesn’t think it could be as good as their past classics.

“That was my last match, and I’m not looking for a re-match. I don’t it would be as good as what we’ve done before because we’ve both been out of the ring for some time. Could it be done? Of course. But there’s no use talking about it. … I definitely do not have any interest in delivering anything that would be second-best to what I’ve done before.”

When asked about his favorite WrestleMania match, Austin his WrestleMania 17 main event match against The Rock, but admits that turning heel and aligning himself with Mr. McMahon that night was a bad idea looking back.

“Looking back, it wasn’t the best thing we ever did,” Austin said. “Now, if I could go back, as soon as that match ended, when Vince walked up to me, I would have shaken his hand and said, ‘Watch the Stunner,’ and dropped him right there in the middle of the ring. That’s hindsight being 20/20!”

THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS FU-MANCHU MEETS THE WORLD’S LARGEST FU-MANCHU

St. Louis, Missouri (February 12, 2010) –Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling’s Hulk Hogan brings his blonde locks and fabled fu to St. Louis, home of the Gateway Arch, for the inaugural “Hogan Fu-Fest”, set for Friday, February 26. The “Hogan Fu-Fest” will be a gathering of Fu’s from around the world as TNA Wrestling and Hogan attempt to set a world record for most Fu Manchu’s in one location at one time.

“Hogan Fu-Fest” will take place at Mike Shannon’s Steak and Seafood (620 Market Street) and is sponsored by Doc’s Harley Davidson of St. Louis. “Hogan Fu-Fest” will unite fu fans from around the world for one fu-nky afternoon. The spectacle starts at 2 p.m. CT.

The best or most creative fu’s will win ringside tickets to “TNA Lockdown 2010”, the pay-per-view extravaganza from Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling, set for Sunday night, April 18 at the Family Arena in suburban St. Charles, Mo.

“The Mustached American community of St. Louis is honored to welcome the world-renowned mustache of the man himself, Hulk Hogan,” said Dr. Aaron Perlut, chairman of the St. Louis-based American Mustache Institute (AMI).

“Biblical texts suggest that it is indeed a dangerous proposition – on par with hurricanes, tsunamis, or earthquakes – to bring together the two largest mustaches in the world, worn by Hulk Hogan and the Gateway Arch.”

The AMI will be honoring the Hulkster at the “Hogan Fu-Fest” for his long-standing upper-lip hair(s).

“The Power of The Fu is unstoppable,” Hogan said. “The Gateway Arch was fu-turistic when it was built. Today it embodies the spirit of Hulkamaniacs worldwide.”

Hogan is personally inviting anyone with a real-life Fu to attend – and also anyone who is creative. “Hogan Fu-Fest” attendees are welcome to draw, build or buy a Fu for the event. TNA Wrestling also will supply fake fu’s for those who need one for the event, as TNA is hoping to set a world record at Hogan Fu-Fest.

“Even I will sport a Fu to support Hogan,” said TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter.

TNA Wrestling’s Lockdown 2010 pay-per-view extravaganza is scheduled for Sunday night, April 18, at the Family Arena in suburban St. Charles. Lockdown is TNA’s first 2010 PPV away from the company’s friendly confines of The iMPACT! Zone at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla.,

AJ Styles, the reigning TNA World Heavyweight Championship, leads the St. Louis invasion of TNA stars, along with U.S. Olympic Gold Medal
winner Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Samoa Joe and more.

Tickets for “TNA Lockdown” go on sale Friday, February 26, at www.MetroTix.com, the Family Arena box office or charge by phone at 314-534-1111.

WHO: TNA Wrestling’s Hulk Hogan
WHAT: “Hogan Fu-Fest” – Judging of Fu Manchu’s to win front row tickets to “TNA
Lockdown 2010”; Many prize giveaways, attempting to set a world record for largest gathering of Fu Manchu wearers.
WHEN: February 26, 2-4PM
WHERE: Mike Shannon’s Steak and Seafood (620 Market Street)

As reported earlier, TNA sent out a press release on Friday stating that Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan would be making a “major announcement” on Monday afternoon. It is almost certain that TNA will be announcing that iMPACT! is moving to Monday nights in March.

Following the ratings success of January 4th’s Monday night iMPACT! special, TNA and Spike have been working out a deal that would bring iMPACT! to Monday nights permanently. While there were a serious of hangups during the negotiations, most of the major hurdles of been cleared.

iMPACT! is expected to run from 9-11pm (eastern), head-to-head with WWE RAW for two hours straight. The show will not be live each week at the beginning, but it’s certainly an option down the road if the show is a success and the show generates more money.

As for what qualifies as successful, it’s believed that a 1.2-1.5 is what both sides are expecting. There is always the possibility that Spike moves the show back to Thursday nights in the event that the rating falls off significantly, but the network is said to be behind TNA and will give them some time to establish themselves on Monday nights.

(Credit to PWTorch.com for some of the information used in this report)

Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan was a recent guest on the Monday Night Mayhem radio show. Hosts Big Mosh, Blade, Todd Vincent, Chaz spoke to the Nature Boy about a number of topics and you can listen to an audio clip (MP3) of the entire interview at MondayNightMayhem.com. Here are the highlights of what Hogan said about:

How He & Bischoff’s Experience in WCW Will Help Them In TNA: “It’s not a cookie-cutter thing…you just lock down like you did when you ran against Vince with Ted Turner. I thought that would work just to work it in and make a crack, but things are different than they two-three months ago because of the economy. When you figure in the networks & the head of Viacom, and they’re watching the minute by minute numbers for 18-34, it’s not like you could just plug in the old NWO and do it like we did when we punked Vince out. It’s ever-changing moving parts, so we did learn from our mistakes; like when you get successful sometimes, you can get too full of yourself. Believe me, we are so grateful to be working with Dixie, we are so grateful to be with TNA, such a young company that’s got ‘more moves than a bowl of Jello.’ It’s not a public company where you gotta’ sit down with people to talk about votes & what we aren’t going to do. We don’t have a bunch of people that don’t know the wrestling business running the company. We have learned from our mistakes, and we are learning, almost like on the job training, because some of the stuff that worked two weeks ago, didn’t work last week, so we’re digging in and have our ears & eyes to the ground.”

When TNA iMAPCT! Will Move To Monday Nights: “All week we have been getting good news, and we are pushing hard in that direction. There’s stuff that’s already been scheduled, there’s budgeting issues, there’s shows for the new season, so it’s not like ‘Ok, let’s go live on Monday nights.’ Nothing is that easy. A lot of the fans, a lot of the ‘smart marks’ are saying we should go live Monday nights. They have no idea what it entails, I’m just now having people set me down after 30 years of wrestling and go ‘Guy, you know what it’s all about.’ Now you’re dealing with the network and the way the audience flips & changes…it’s almost like that metal that comes out of ‘The Terminator.’ Right when you think you have it figured out, it starts to mold, and manipulate, and shape. Pushing hard for Mondays, trying to get there, a lot of variables, but it looks much better than it did yesterday.”

If He’ll Wrestle In TNA: “I learned one thing in Australia, and that was I shouldn’t be in the ring anymore. The way my body is beat up, I was definitely on a wing & a prayer in Australia. I just needed to air my shorts out after the crazy divorce & legal stuff. If you could imagine jumping out of a plane without a parachute and know hopefully that you are going to land safely & being naked…that’s how it was in Australia. I needed to get out of the house, get back in the ring, and feel that love & that crazy vibe even if I was dragging a leg or limping around. I found out in Australia that me wrestling in a ring in not the place to be, so if I was to wrestle in TNA, the hardest part of my night is walking down that ramp and staying straight-faced, because my back, and my hips, and legs hurt so much. If you watch closely, I’m doing a bit of a shuffle out there, so if I was crazy enough to wrestle in that ring, they might be using a broom & a dustpan to sweep out the ring at the end of the match, so not anticipating going in the ring.”

John Cena Saying He’s Wasting His Time in TNA: “John’s doing what he’s gonna’ do take care of his family, true to his paycheck. We see John Cena all the time at the (Tampa Bay) Rays games with me & Brian Knobbs when we’re up in the box. He’s just doing what he has to do to cover his ass brother. You never know, one day John Cena may be working for me. Vince McMahon could be working for me…who knows?”

Big Changes & New Talent In TNA: “I’ve got all kinds of people from the WWE calling me, wanting to hang out, wanting to talk, wanting to fell me out. This thing is really going down. I mean whether you like it or not, I’m not looking for the players like back in the day. When I was running, we had these crazy big contracts, these big money contracts, but times have changed. At the end of the day, I’m looking for these guys who want to help me build a company. I’m looking for these guys that invest their hearts & their souls like Samoa Joe said…’whatever it takes.’ Like AJ Styles said, ‘whatever it takes, with no limitations.’ Those are the type of guys I’m looking for to build this company and step in. Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, if (John) Cena wants to play that game down the road, he can get real. I’m looking for guys who can get real with me & not a bunch of posers.”

Vince Russo: “My mother told me if you can’t say something good, don’t say nothing at all. Sometimes you have to look at the big picture, and sometimes if things get real nasty, you don’t want to step in shiznit, you want to step over it. Because I’m getting along with TNA right now, I’m not saying I get along with Vince Russo. I’m not saying I get along with everybody, but the big picture is for me to make a left-handed, back handed comment about this situation right now, I haven’t read his book, and I didn’t hear the radio interview. But all I know is if you’re gonna’ tell the truth, you gotta’ tell all the truth, not just part of it, and that’s all I’m gonna say.”

— Hulk Hogan claimed this past week on The Bubba the Love Sponge Show that he would be turning heel soon. He also said he doesn’t want daughter Brooke to become a wrestling character.

— Eric Bischoff recently came up with the idea of a ranking system for top title contenders in order to justify title shots. Fans can check out the ratings system on TNA’s Against All Odds countdown show on DirecTV.

— Starting with Sunday’s Against All Odds pay-per-view, TNA will be putting all pay-per-view events live on the company’s web site at a cost of $14.95.

(credit to the Wrestling Observer for the information used in this report)

Source: Pro Wrestling Torch

– There was some eye rolling in the TNA locker room when Hulk Hogan and The Nasty Boys had a laugh at the expense of X Division star Jay Lethal. Jerry Sags openly questioned how long TNA will keep him employed and laughed at the audacity of his “Black Machismo” character. Apparently in a tongue in cheek tone, Hogan later cracked during an appearance on The Bubba The Love Sponge Show that TNA should bring in Randy Savage to manage Lethal.

– TNA officials have spoken to the Mexican-based AAA promotion about sending Hernandez for an extended stay. While this idea has come up in the past, there are some who feel he could become a legitimate star in Mexico. On the other hand, others fear Mexican wrestling fans could turn on him once they discover that he doesn’t speak Spanish particularly well. For those curious, Hernandez is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent.