TNH rolls on we turned the calendar to twenty twelve. There we're going a
jolly old London, England, aren't we, Boss, Oh god, yes,
a troop right spot in twenty twelve. For TNA, we've made reference
about the course of the journey that they were especially strong on UK television.
They had a very strong network they were on and television clearance. They were
able to brag they had bigger numbers than w WE okay, because the station
they were on was just available in that many more homes. Of course,
no comparison when it comes to the amount of people they could draw bringing the
show to said country. But for impact, the UK was always a bright
spot. And for the first time in the first quarter February and to be
exact or January rather late January of twenty twelve, they bring their television tapings
to London. And this is all TNA capital outlay. This isn't Spike TV
paying for this. This is the Impact budget trying to find the money it
takes to bring the show on the road. Because I think you'd agree,
Boss, bringing the show on the road makes a difference. Uh sure.
I mean, if if we're talking in terms of like crowd reaction and whatever.
Absolutely and making it seem like the angles are actually clicking and the personalities
are over. Yes, I mean it's like maybe they should move to fucking
England, you know. Not the worst idea actually, considering how the real
nerve center of the independent wrestling boom came out of Europe just around the time
TNA fell from the mainstream wrestling picture and got on much lower tier television clearances
here in the United States, it's actually a hell of a thought you had
there. But they did a five thousand, four hundred and four and attendance
under January twenty eighth taping, which Meltzer reported was set up for six thousand,
five hundred fourteen, So that's a gate of three hundred and fifty three
thousand dollars, which is a tremendous gate for TNA. WOW very much embraced
so forgetting the dying days of WCW two that they were still doing really good
European tours and Australia tours. There were markets where they hadn't caught on to
the fact that WCW totally fucking sucked. In a chat the bed, they
didn't necessarily get exposed to the highest heights of WCW storytelling ability in the nWo
days, and they were still able to draw really healthy gates going over there
with some of the stars that people remembered in particular from you early to mid
nineties. WWF. Meltzer wrote, one thing positive you have to say about
TNA as their cruise ability to make a crowd look big. I've been told
it was seven thousand, and it was more than believable watching on TV,
and it could have passed the way it was shot from being a raw sellout
at a major US arena with thirteen thousand anyway, that means they couldn't have
sold more than about five thousand tickets when they made the announcement that it was
going to be their biggest live attendant in the history the company, when in
reality they were on track to come nowhere close, but five thousand and four
or four in the building was the final tally. And of course, as
part of promoting this, that's when Hogan does the interview we mentioned where he
said he was going to be in a Metallica for the Son of the UK.
He's doing British media and another thing he's saying is just just a further
help morale, right, he says, after all the times of saying the
talent in TNA this is Meltzer is equal to that of we and just need
exposure. He said, the company lacks guys who are the complete package,
like a rock and scene of type. Oh my god. Um, he
says. There are a lot of guys who can do five star matches and
do flips and crazy things, but that's a small part of wrestling, maybe
ten percent. They don't have the other ninety percent, Hogan said, which
is talking to the media and doing national TV commercials. He then pointing to
Abyss, saying that Abyss, who Hogans hand picked for stardom last year,
has the look in the work, but the problem is how he's been used
and it's not his fault. It's not. I mean, you're fucking controlling
it, dude, you brother, I have no control over so reason you're
inferring that I what do you have control? You trying to say on the
book or dude, did you who do you? Who are you talking to?
Brother? Exactly see, I didn't think that that was public knowledge.
Dude, I don't I don't book. I show up at the building and
I try to help out and occasionally put the kai bosh on Bobby rud winning
the world title and they may have End of the Biggest Show. I've never
put a kbosh or anything, brother, I just simply vote X. You
know, shared an opinion. Brother, While you're bringing brook in, Terry?
What why are you bringing brook In? Brook Who? Brook Teeney?
Are you talking to my daughter? Brother? Yeah? Why are you bringing
her in? Why are you talking to my daughter? Brother said, I'm
talking about your daughter? Why are you talking to my daughter? Haven't talked
for you? You gay? Is that the only reason I would talk to
her? What is that about? Well? How gay are you? Brother?
I've already had roommates, dude, I tell you, Terry, I'll
admitted. I went up to her on the beach with my TikTok rolling and
I said, kissing me her pass to the next person and double it.
Were you doubling? Brother? One to ten? Smash her pass? Are
you doubling? Brother? Are we talking like? Waits dude? A you
doubling? Wait? Brother? You what do you mentioned? Brother? Right
up on Terry and try to do one of those with the road microphone reels.
See how that goes for you. Brother, Bro, there's nothing real
about this. That's the problem. The reels is we're gonna hung up.
He said. It has the look and the work, but the problem is
how he's been used and it's not his fault. He said. Everything is
fixable, but you have to recate the guys. He said, the TENA
originals are so used to having five star matches and their mindset is so screwed
up. They were going to have five star matches ten years from now and
never draw any money. Brother. You don't have to have five ten star
matches. Brother. What you gotta have is is character, right, Brother,
you can have one five star match. You can have five one star
matches. Dude, which which are the two? Do you think? You
know? What? What do you? How much you know? Think about
like this? Brother? You can have one five star match, Dude,
do you have five one star matches? Brother? How much money are you
making on that one five star match? How are you making on five one
star matches? Anywhile this guy never had hardly anything above three stars, and
he can't fucking walk, okay, he can't move. There were reports kurn
Engel said that he had this well as an undertaker, brother, that's true.
I mean, come on, so, he said, they'll all they're
all second tier players, mid carters, and even if you put them in
main events, they still do the same thing. He said he hopes they
are still working with Spike a year from now, because Spike understands the product.
Melton knows the teenage contract with Spike expires in the fall. Um.
He said he hoped people like aj Styles and Bobby Rude would use their skills
outside the ring to make themselves bigger stars, and he said that in a
year, TNA will be much more competitive. It's always a year out.
You noticed that. I know, I know, there's always it's always another
year. All use one more year, dude, And I'm telling you we're
gonna be on my We're going back on Frock. So what does your contract
expire? Terry? Remind me, uh, I h one year. And
I don't brother, I'm not sure exactly the you know, the the specific
language, brother, This whole thing turns around, isn't that, brother,
I'm telling you, dude. All I can tell you, brother, is
that is a teenage's gonna to a round, Dude. We're going to kind
of bring the nose up on this thing, brother, and we got it
all figured out, dude. I loved how I don't know what it was
now, what interview it was, but Linda doing the book tour, doing
the fuck Hulk Hogan tour, still let turn the nose up on this thing,
slip into her own vocabulary, and she said it without it being a
reference to I love that. I look at Hulks phraseology. She pretends to
hate him, but then two weeks, three weeks later, she finds she's
complete. He is completely embedded in her brain. I mean, let's be
honest here, all right, that's the reality of it all, he said.
In a year, a TNA will be much more competitive because Dixie Carter
is on track and has the right feel for where the company should be going,
which means do Bischoff's fucking reality television. We got it, dude,
we got it, brother, bat. It's a London phase of the Impact
Invasion. We're told as the February second, twenty twelve Impact opens, that's
where we're going to start here tonight, TEENA Wrestling, Mike Tena says,
makes a global impact. There's a lot there, biggest audience in company history.
You hear the echoes of a real, honest to goodness arena here.
This is Wembley Arena, not Wembley Stadium, of course, but the arena
Abbi Rout is still your champion. And Bischoff, they talk about his son
his fantasy becoming a pro wrestler. Um. Bischof tells him it's never gonna
happen, and I'm disappointed in you, Um, And Garrett's talking about how
Bischoff Eric is upset with who he chose to be his trainer. So we're
building intrigue in the beginning of twenty twelve around who is training Garrett Bischoff to
become a wrestler. We noted the last time that he did the big turn
on his father at Bounded for Glory twenty eleven after revealing that he was the
referee Jackson James, but in fact was Garrett Bischoff all along. And Garrett
tells Bischoff here in the Sebary second Impact, to take it up with a
guy who's training him if he's got a problem. Eric says, you want
to can these people to think he's coming here to back you up. He's
not going to be he They keep referring to he wondering, you know,
I know who it is. Now Bischoff is sort of intimating that he knows
who it is, but he doesn't believe Garrett that Hogan would train him.
But there was a thing we didn't cover it here in our prep. There
was a segment they did once where Garrett was sort of in the gym or
the dojo training, and they did this hogy thing where Eric kind of looks
off camera because Eric is there, kind of looks off camera and does like
a wide eyed like he can't believe who he sees there. But once they
get in the ring here in this impact in London, it's almost like Bischoff
is saying, like, even though I saw that it, I don't believe
that he's training you, and I certainly don't believe that he cares enough about
you to make the trap sorry or is he rhet conning it could be?
And even if he was in the gym that day, not going to make
a trip all the way to London for you, brother doesn't see anything in
you. You're as delusional as anyone I've ever met. You know, he's
not coming here, he tells Garrett as the Hogan, chance just thunder.
They know exactly what this is setting Yeah, oh yeah they do. Suddenly
Garrett gets a cell phone call and man or those sideburns on Garrett plunging to
the Southern Hemisphere. I mean, my god, do they like is he?
Is he trying to be rock in nineteen ninety eight? I don't know,
but those sideburns start in London and they end around Bournemouth as far as
I'm And whoever was on the phone that was him, he is in the
building. Brother intrigue seeds planted. You have to tease them and bring them.
Who's the third guy, dude? Again, we're doing this again.
Who's your trainer, brother, Garrettude. I'm wondering, bro, who's your
trainer dude? Because I mean, we talked about this the office talked about
that's kind of the way we should go with a dude. I was told.
I was told that I'm going to be your trainer and storyline dude.
But I wonder if that's actually who you have in mind when you're out there
with a live microphone. I mean, are you because you know I'm just
telling you when you're out there, when you're out there thinking about it.
Brother, I can't tell who you're thinking. I'm reading the look on your
face. Dude. I feel like you're sort of wondering. I think I
kind of think you're thinking as mister Anderson. Brother. Now, are you
gonna see I don't like that look either, dude? Look me in the
eye. Brother, Brother, we had an agreement. Do you know who
I am? Brother? Do you know who your trainer is? Dude?
I came to London, Brother, shoot this angle to get you over the
top or you to really get this blocket fuel? Who SI are you on?
Brother? Now, I'm starting to wonder if you're going to go out
there and double cross me and say someone else is your trainer? Dude?
Are you are you? Brother? You've been talking to Leno? Dude?
Can I can I see your phone? Brother? What's the Burbank called?
Can you give me what's burbank? Carrother? That that was my dad called
Jay. It's my fucking phone out. Just your fucking phone, dude,
brother fish Dude, I want to see what's this fucking California number? Brother?
I see three one, Dude, I gotta flip phone. Brooks got
a sidekick? What the fuck is this thing? Dude, what is this
ship? Brother? Was was this iPhone? Dude? I think your phone
sucks? This a Burbank area code? Dude? Tell me now, brother,
what's this a one eight number? Dude? You fucking tell me what
this a one eight numbers? Brother? Are you talking? Brother? Is
this Tonight show? Dude? Is NBC? Brother? I'm gonna call it,
dude, Please please don't. I'm gonna call it. Fuck you brother,
Fuck you dude. You on your fucking chance, dude, NBC?
How can I help you? Brother? I knew this was it, dude,
I knew you. She's new your NBC brother. You're fucking trying to
get Little on my ass? Dude. You fuck you brother? Fucking BC
dude like Jay Lenow got shit? Huk Hoogan? Brother, here's everything?
Okay? Oh yeah, you fucking it. You're talking to me like you
don't know who the fuck is going on? Brother. I'm gonna tell you
right now, dude. I'm gonna fly over there right now from London.
Brother, I'm gonna kick Jay Little's as I have this number here is connected
to a Bishop Hervey. Yeah, you're damn brother, are you dude?
I'm gonna tell you who the fuck are you? Brothers? Who the fuck
are you? Dude? I want to know what an NBC you are?
Brother, n Universal Career you NBCU? Brother? Now I understand. Um.
We get calls from this number every week pitching the reality show. Is
there is there a brother? What do you what? Come? Brother?
All right, I'll tell you what, brother. You know what? I
had a show on v H one. Brother, I think it's time to
make it be. I have ever heard of micro champions up wrestling? Dude?
Brother, you don't. I'm gonna tell you, brother. Do you
know Brook Hogan? Dude? First, let me apologize for the way I
acted. Brother. First of all, I want to say that was you
know what, here's the thing, brother, I'm Terry Balaya. Dude,
you were talking to Hulk Hogan Bullers. He goes, within seconds goes,
has have you heard of Brook Hogan? Dude? He's always trying to find
a way to make that thing a success. It's like the one hang up.
It's like, so yeah, that's kind of how it goes. It's
going for reality, right, we gotta put that on the screen. Oh
my god, what did Bruce Prichard say in that gut check clip? We
played in part one in a world of reality. Oh yeah, that's where
you guys live in. Fucking fuck off. Later on this episode of Him,
Pat James, Storm and Bobby Rude finally have their rematch for the TNA
title, and Bobby Rude wins with a spear after Bully Ray interferes on Bubba's
behalf at A bit of an alliance forms between Bobby Rude and Bully Ray as
Bully steps more into the foreground as a singles heel in the TNA row.
Later on the show, here comes Garrett again. Yeah any more. They
do this production element where they follow the guys from behind through the aisle way
that certain You can't, brother, You can't do that with me, brother,
brother, you know, before we wrap this production meeting folks, and
I really appreciate the time, Dude, I just want to talk about one
one tweek we're making here on the format, dude, I noticed and production
notes Keith Mitchell, brother uh and everybody else involved on the production side,
dude, and the truck and whatnot. It looks like we're gonna put cameras
behind the wrestlers as they come through the curtain through the tunnel. Is that
right, Yeah, Terry, that's what we're thinking. Yeah, we think
it'll be a nice, yeah, differentiated kind of perspective on the guys as
they come through the tunne. I just want to brother, I just want
to put this out there, dude. Section eleven sub paragraph of you brother,
right all right? Not digging creative dude. So what do you propose
we do, Terry? You want us to stop to just scratch it all
together or just just not shoot scratch it brother all together? Why doesn't it
work for you just out of curiosity because it's none of your fucking business.
Well, your your creative control is to not be unreasonably withheld. I know
the rest of the clause. Brother, I'll tell you what, dude.
While that's correct, Brother, I'm not unreasonably withholding anything, right. All
it takes. All it takes for a finding of fact that I'm not being
unreasonable is for me to say I'm not being unreasonable. I'm actually, Brother,
it is within reasonable reasonable reasonability, dude, that I can withhold information,
brother, within reason to question. Why you would even bring up that
part? Brother? Why don't you? I mean, what's your reasoning?
Brother? How you know? Why is it what you're asking reasonable. I
don't think it's reasonable to ask me what is reasonable? Brother? Scratch the
camera, trick. Brother. So it's over, dude. Right now,
here's the people I want to see. I want to see you fucking do
it, dude, and I want to see you doing I want to see
you xerox as shit, brother, and you pass it around everybody. Everyone's
gonna know that this ship is off the table. No camera from behind,
dude, do you want to? I don't think I was born yesterday,
brother, Dude. I know Keith Mitchell. Brother. I'm looking your high
dude, and I see exactly what's going on. Brother. I know exactly
what you want, dude. And you want to go home, and you
want to tell all your families, brother, And you want to tell your
fans on Twitter, brother, and all your Facebook friends that you roll up
Hogan from behind with a fucking camera, dude, and ain't gonna happen.
I don't care how production element tell you, dude. We're not playing fucking
hide the ball anymore. Brother. Now, we're not playing the Ying and
the Yang, Brother, We're not playing it. We're not playing eat the
Tomato. Okay, dude, we're talking is down to business. Brother,
Well fuck this. If this leaves the room. At that point, Taz
though leans in, eat the tomato? Who eat for nothing? Brook Adams,
We we gotta go. You know, we got a lot of rit
tomatoes and red hook what tomato we eat? And a lot of people don't
like taz um. So here comes Garrett again. Later on this episode of
Impact Plane, leave the Garnish behind brother. Okay, dude, Facebook dot
com slash Impact Wrestling. It says on my screen case you were wondering follow
Impact Wrestling on Facebook? How desperate are they? Oh my god, that's
what matter who you talk about when they look back on TNA, even if
they were bitter enemies, Russo, Pritchard, Bischoff, Jarrett, everybody,
Dixie and fucking being obsessed with social media. Big problem. So gross.
So Garrett gets in the ring and he's drowned out by false crowd noise and
he thanks the crowd for supporting him through all this, and I'm thinking,
oh, what you fucking turn on? Your dad punched him in the face,
and you've been riding high support. There's been no support, pal like
You've come up against no adversity. If you started working a year ago,
you might have support to thank for. And then he says, without any
further ado, the man that's been training me, all right, I got
this ship for your pal, Because that reaction is one for the books.
First of all, I'm like the stone Off by saying thank you, dating
every single one of you guys for having my back and supporting me through all
that real pad noise. Yeah right, thank you, But without any further
ado. The man who's been training me, the man that I look up
to here, he's like, oh, maybe daddy is gonna squirrel a moment,
look like Gary fish All who his trainer is. He's interrupted by his
father, who's not alone, by oh, hell, I'm not coming alone
immortals Boss Eric Fishoff, accompanied by immortals mister Intensity Gunner, who, by
the way, is the individual who hospitalized Garrett fish Off with that fishes pile
driver on the concrete that was orchestrated by his own father. Garrett's look,
we've got spies with eyes in the back of their heads. He's not here,
he's not coming, so give it. If there's two of us and
one of you, why don't you give this up before you get hurts?
Hardys wah wa wa. Style was that well was l Sky was teena ten
tenequeni tenaqueni tenaquenys teenaquenny TEENAQUENNI while I was while I was whack out, Sky
was that while I was wat whole, while I was way, while I
wh wh who boo, I was that wol I was West style, I
was out. Style was why Sky was a style was wild. My my,
my mind, my mind, my mind, my mind, my my,
my mom's time. I call talk Cat, Talk Cat. You're gonna
do lean a bad way. Olay you guys. Oh, it's gonna go
some bad worse Mr Father. Now it's just follow that. So a big
pop for the Hulkster coming back to Ard and he makes a lot of hey
later about how many years it's been in the eight years of whatever he said,
since he's been there, or thirteen years whatever he says. We'll get
to the back there, yeah and uh yeah. So that was Gunner who
came out with Eric Bischoff and got ping pong back and forth between the Hulkster
and Garrett Bischoff. So Hulks trying to give Garrett the rub. And I
was just reading in the Observer here that a lot of the crowd noise there
was drowning out the booze that Garrett Bischoff received when he took the mic in
the first place. Makes a lot of sense to me. Um. But
yeah, when he parts the curtain man and the light blue bandana and the
black impact cut off shirt, that's a real pop. They're jam excited to
see him. What do they want? I want Hogan to rustle, thank
you. There's all this vintage and gear and the crowd, although they were
very confused when Garrett kept talking about his trainers. They thought I was talking
about his sneakers. But that's neither here nor they. He cuts the year
and does the hoof on both sides of the steps. You heard the you
or the rights and the who? Yeah, I know they were, they
were, They're ready for it and you heard every already. See fucking hulk
Hogan take on Gunner. Eric kind of scurries away, and there's a sign
red yellow Hogan holding a Union Jack Holcomania forever. He takes all four sides
of the ring cup in his ear to his music and that he tears the
shirt and that's working for him. Man, It worn't it boun for glory?
Against day and really, I mean it's it seriously, is like it
it gives people the warm and fuzzies. Yes, and they go totally Nazi
gives Garrett a hug and and you can tell Holk's really feeling this moment and
good for him. They power walk up the aisle talking into the camera the
whole time. Hulk pointed to Garrett like he's, you know, like this
is the man almost and then we do the Hogan on the fly backstage interview
where he's shirtless, which end it's we heard because he's also like it's been
edited, so it's not even on the fly because it's like they've got footage
like over it. But here here it is. This is a mouthful,
Yes it is. Derek Finshop goes right from wrong. He's been playing on
the wrong side of them, so now that he's crossed the line, he
knows he's got this monster target on his back. And what better way to
reinforce it than thousands and thousands of tena Hall the Maniacs right here in one
and telling him how bad he is and how bad he's gonna get his butt
kicks. So at the end of the day, you can run but you
can't hide because hear him. They're still looking for him. I mean,
if he runs in the back and hides, I wouldn't be surprised if all
these one in the whole Camaniacs grab him by the seat of the pants and
throw him right at mine and Garrett's backing feet. Did you see the look
on his face when helps he's a hit? It was like somebody else walked
over his grave. And I love it. You know what. He didn't
believe me, He didn't buy it. He wasn't thinking straight. He found
out quick tonight. I mean he's a marked man, that is what I'm
saying. And if we're gonna hunt him out, sniff him out, or
if the Hulkamaniacs have to throw him out like yesterday's garbage, is gonna end
up in my feet. So Eric Bischoff, you could about that must time
left, brother, about that must time, about the same size as everything
else you got eighteen years? Eighteen years? What can I say? We
don't need no preen up here. The love affair lives on eighteen years since
I've been out from my UK Hullkomaniacs. It's not stopping here. They're loyal
to a fault. They're with me. And when I put the hunting dogs,
which I'm gonna do in a minute, I'm gonna go back out there
and I'm gonna tell him my maniacs to sniff this dirty dog out. I'm
gonna have him sniff Eric Bischoff out. When they sniff him out, it's
not gonna get pretty because the first thing I'm gonna do is feed him to
his son, and then I'll take the leftovers. No problem. Brother.
Well you know, I don't even think TNA really understands how great they are,
their destiny, their birthrightness to me, a thousand times greater than they
are right now. I can see it. I can smell it, I
can feel it. I smell blood with TNA. They're right on the first
the cutting edge, are rolling right off the top of the mountain onto what
we call the greatest company of all time. To disclose. TNA is dis
close because they're doing everything right and there's no stopping them. Now. I
got my feet back underneath me. If I gotta be the hood onner it
that you put on the front of the ship to bust through the ice jube,
to see through the fog to feel through the darkness of the night.
I can be the guy because I smell the greatness already, and if they
don't smell them, I'm gonna take everybody at TNA and I'm gonna stuff their
heads in it, because greatness is their destiny at TNA, and that's what's
next for TNA, nothing but total greatness. Wow. I mean, he's
like, you don't fucking crack really well, maybe he maybe he did.
Maybe he knows where the bulllog got it from. Maybe maybe he knows his
dealer now. So it's like I always get kind of torn with sh like
this because I do appreciate the fact that they do need to sell. You
know, whatever company or whatever you're doing is being yeah, a big deal
otherwise, because like if you don't think it's a big deal, then why
should I think it's a big deal. But at the same time, it's
all bullshit. Yeah, Well he's trying to like he's trying to say that
every single thing that happens in TNA is like indicative of this whole thing,
you know, growing by leaps and bounds. It's like to show me,
just show me, because if it was impactful, as impactful as you say
it is. You wouldn't have to say it in such flowery, verbose,
over the top verbiage. You would just be a parent that things are clicking
and it's a good show and talent's getting over and more people are watching.
But when you have to look into the camera and basically shout what you hope
to be true into existence, signed a desperation, right. I hear a
whole Coogan there who is so sick of doing this speech already, and it's
just trying to find new ways to say the same thing. It's it's February
of twenty twelve. He signed to this company I think technically signed to like
june O nine or something like that. I mean, come on, can
you still really be saying they're that close what they're further away close to mine?
I mean, maybe he's talking about the average rating going up in twenty
eleven and down for Glory doing pretty well but relatively well, But what is
he talking about. I mean, he's saying that they're they're they're on the
verge of being the biggest company. They're not even on the verge of being
as big as they were from a visibility standpoint before you got there, I
mean substantially, so I don't know, I don't know. It's just it's
it's amazing that this is still because you know, when you're watching it over
fifty two weeks as it happens, you kind of don't realize that he said
the same thing four weeks ago, you know, But when you go on
it like this, you're like, this guy is just he's just playing the
same tune, yeah, every time from the same ship for fucking two years.
And he must feel a little extra, you know, win did his
sales because he's got that live London crowd going absolutely ab shit. It was
eighteen years is he referenced there since he claimed to have last been before his
Hulkamaniacs in London when he saw the kid that that last Hultimaniac whatever his name
was, the last Hulkimaniac. There's a fucking movie for you. That's it.
And uh and you know it's they're on the road. They're doing a
well attended television taping. The crowd is hot. London make you know,
England makes them feel like they're odd to something, always has, so I
can see why he's got an extra pepping his step a little more base in
his voice. But when you break down the composite pieces of what he's saying,
it's it's a little something like this, Papa uh bopapp I spread it
in the paper. I saw it on TV. I guess with him down
to his heat. But I'm just Wembley hearing the shirts. But now I've
torn my heart with maniac right from the very starts. Brother, where my
friend and I'll see it again. Brother, I'm zovivin will again. The
world just lost another Hulka maniac and his name was Garrett Bitchoff. They're still
coming off the London still, you know, producing shows off the London taping
Sting and Hogan and Garrett or backstage, and Holgan says, you don't worry
about what they think. Oh oh hold on, I got this because this
is another bizarre fucking segment here. You don't worry about what they think for
what they say anymore because you've made a statement. Now you're on your own,
brother. So when you're on your own, you walk no way.
Oh yeah, who I had to come in and give you see you again,
clean again, and thank you so much for making me be myself again.
Brother. I you so much weird. But thank you, your brother.
Can you give me just one second? Yeah, no problem, Thanks,
I'll getting right back on. Well, well, alright, kids on
track? Brother, he is you my friend? Have taken it to a
whole another level. Brother, turning to the general. You're leaving this thing,
brother, I am so proud to say you're my friend, brother,
and let people know how I feel because I've watched what you've been doing from
Afar. You've get trash and you get this company on track and the young
guys are finally listening to your brother and you're kidding you. Yeah, I
know, I know you got to kill him in the button stay on them,
tell you get that done. That's the most important thing. I got
one problem though, watching this thing from Afar. I don't think you really
understand what's going on. You have a target this big on your back.
You're a marked man, brother, and what you don't understand? Do you
do you understand? Oh? No, I get it, believe me,
I get okay. But what you don't get is how big is a target
you do have? Because they're coming for your brother, and they're gunning for
you, and they're going to do anything they can to try to cut your
legs out from underneath you. So I just want to let you know because
of what you did for me, and because of what this business has done
for me. Between you and this business, these are the only two things
that have ever stuck with me, no matter how bad things have got,
no matter how good things are. The business and a friend like you has
been the only thing that's ever been with me. So if there's anything you
need from me, I will do be their safe fight, go down with
you, go all the way to the top of you. Just remember to
counting me if it gets too heavy and you need some help. Brother,
I'm here for you. All I can say is you took a big load
off my plate. I mean the way to the world is off my shoulders.
And I mean that I envy you for what you did for so long.
I get it. It's tough. It's kind of like having a monkey
taking off your back. Really definitely. Thing is once this goes down,
Hey, guys, you know what, how about half a chance? You
don't give us a break? Just get out, okay, just half a
chance? You know you don't even understand something. Chance? What does that
mean? Half a chance? It is another phrase like the ball. He
started saying a phrase half a chance of what half a chance of you know,
popping a writing. Yeah, that's about all they got at this point.
And he does. I mean, he's still doing the only thing that
ever stocked me. Line he took from New York and the Wrestler essentially the
spirit of it he took from there. I think, you know, I'm
so like, why does Sting sound like a fucking idiot? You know he's
trying to keep he sound like a buffoon, Like he sounds like, you
know, he sounds like he's got some kind of a of a mental issue.
Yeah, the way he's talking, Wow, whole state Steve, It's
I mean, like Steve at a showing you know, right right now.
I know this is a little u but you guys will see the potential because
you're a young, hip couple. Take a look at this space. I
can see you guys have the right eyes for a place. Like other words,
by this piece of shit off me commission. We got well, we
got here, you know, we've got Look. I know it looks like
a two, a two and a half bath, three bedroom, but really
you can make this into a four. But only you could do it because
you guys have THEYSLI can tell you know, I can tell you guys have
been watching that HGTV. You guys know what's going on. We know what's
going on rep the carpet out and via the hardwood floor. I think you
guys, I think you guys can put the stinger in this house. I'm
feeling the sting of this fucking journey right about now. So that Hogan,
it's like all of a sudden gets paranoid about the cameraman and closes the door
because what he's about to say the sting next? What are you? What
are you doing? Dude? What are you doing? Bro? They never
find out what that is, and one think it was half a chance,
dude, And they replayed that Hogan rant from last week, that breathy rant
we just played for the hood ornament, see through the fog? What fog?
What is it? What is his metaphor? Is it? Yeah?
I'm wondering if this is the one I have here? Is this feel?
Well? You know, I don't even think TNA really understands how great they
are. Their destiny, their birthright is to be a thousand times greater than
they are. Right now, I can see it. I can smell it.
I can feel it. I smell blood with TNA. They're right on
the thirge, the cutting edge, and the rolling right off the top of
the mountain onto what we call the greatest company of all time. That they're
just close. TNA is this close because they're doing everything right and there's no
stopping them. Now. I got my feet back underneath me. If I
gotta be the hood owner it that you put on the front of the ship
to bust through the ice cubes, to see through the fog, to feel
through the darkness of the ice, I can be the guy because I smell
the greatness already. And if they don't smell them, I'm gonna take everybody
at TNA and I'm gonna stuff their heads in it, because greatness is their
destiny and that's what's next for TNA, nothing but total greatness. He smells
blood. What does he sniff in their accounting statements? I mean they are
bleeding all right. Later on the show Hogan's music Hits, they show the
most schizo crowd pans you've ever seen, because this is the second time or
whatever third time he's come out before the same crowd, so the crowd reactions
are way down from when he came out as that a revealed trainer of Garrett
Bishoff. Bischoff live in his lifelong dream, they say, of becoming a
professional wrestler. He cuts the ear to a bit of a tepid response,
and he takes his time before saying a word, pointing to all sides of
the ring. Cup in the ear, and they're going nuts again. Eventually
as Hogan takes inner stage and there's some sides they find that are totally screaming
yeah. When it's their turn, Hogan says, that is exactly what I
expected. The greatest wrestling fans in the world writer in the UK, brother
got I got this one for you too, dude, I got all these
wonderful moments. It's Cup in the air. What he do that when you
know something character is exactly what I affected from the greatest rustling hands in the
world right here in the UK. You know, I didn't know what to
expect last week when I came out here because it had been eight teen years
since I wrestled in the UK. But after last week I told Jared it's
exactly what I thought would happen. That the loyal tea, the love,
the respect, the greatest darned fans in the world. They showed up again
that they made me real the whole comedia was gonna live forever. You know,
you guys don't surprise me one darn bit, because I know what happens
when people dedicate their lives to something. I know what happens when people get
in this business and they give their blood, sweat and tears to get ahead.
And I really appreciate everything you guys have done for me. But now
I'm gonna ask you, guys one favor. Everything that you've given to me,
I want you to give to him old nice. Yeah, here's the
reason I've known Garrett ever since he was a little teeny hawkmaniac. I've known
Garrett since day one when I met his dad. In this business. His
dad, Eric Bischoff, is on one side of the coin, and his
son, Garrett Bischoff, is on our side of the coin. He's the
same, it's everybody else here in this building. Garrett fish Off is a
wholesome mediacor. The only thing Garrett has ever wanted from day one was an
opportunity to step in this ring and prove that he had the wrestling business in
his blood, and from day one his father stood in the way. I
just have one very simple civilized question, just who the hell do you think
you are? What is you the right to interfere in my family business?
Who you think you are? Brother? What do something? There is?
This day isn't about you anymore. This is about your son in his future,
okay, brother, who if I have my way, he won't have
a future. And either to you, your time is coming gone. It's
time to step aside, ride that horse off into the sunset and dream of
days gone by, and let me healing this pump. You do not have
the rights you or you don't understand this business? Quiet as well as I
thought you did, my brother, Because not only do I have the rights,
I got something called the hulk a Mania stroke. Brother, Okay,
because since I've seen the air my ways around here and I'm back in good
graces with all these hulk a maniacs here, and then you can't. I
talked to a real good friend of mine who seems to be running the shore
around here. I sat down with a Stinger brother in Sting gave me the
rights to a book a match, A match it against where we've got the
future of this business, Garrett Bishoff, because now we want to deal fun
book matches one against Gunner brother and not only are they gonna go one on
one, hey, oh, may not have to Bishop super a low blueful
behind on Hogan. Now Garret Bishops just getting rich right here by Gunner.
This was Eric Bischoffs the team playing from the outset. He told Gunner a
company needed the and we're gonna take your Hogan rule and on Garrett fish Off
from row. Wait a minute, Eric fish Off down, and Hawkin's attention
turned to the sound over the top, roping round over, really watching the
background there of his shop, and Garret fish Off for down site said on
Eric fisher Off, you want to hear more talk with the How many years
have gone by that kid? I mean, just how many years? It
just drags on and on. It's excruciating. So Gunner shoved him, Hogan
gun between him. Bishoff low blowed Hulk and then Gunner knocks down. Garrett
stomps the hell out of him. Hulk is crawling around rough roffing Hogan chant
hoof. He does the face as he pulls up on the rope. So
they go Nuts, taps Bishof on the shoulder and drops him with the right
hand. Bischoff goes down. Then he grabs Gunner by the hair, and
course Gunner acts completely paralyzed by the fact that Hogan has a handful of his
hair. And then Hogan sends Gunner out of the ring. They scoop up
Eric Hulk holds him open, and there's a fake pop as Garrett Bischoff cock
fist, cocks his fist and nails his dead. Just great stuff. You
can tell. There's no sound sweetening required. Whenever Garrett has a shine moment,
these people are working go completely insane. He's ready, He's obviously ready.
They'd run Hogan and Bischoff. Garrett that is on the fly your day,
talk about running wild, carnage, chaos, malice. He just will
not stop at anything. I thought, against all odds, would beat the
straw that breaks the camel's back. But he cheap shot at me. And
for those who would who don't have a newspaper, he says, I mean
I got that too, Yeah, I got I mean everything Hogan related this
because it's so trotrocious. You know what you're gonna stop and we can't stop
it fast enough because your dad talk about running wild, carnage, chaos,
malice. He just will not stop at anything. I thought, against all
odds, would be the straw that broke the camel's back. But he jumped
the gun on us again. He cheap shot of me. That's why he's
in the corner. And for those that don't have a newspaper, a telephone
or a telegraph or the Internet, We're gonna put it into Eric Bischoff's demise
so that you can have a future in this business. He's in a corner.
It's gonna be you against gunner, and I'm not gonna let your dad
interfere. What does it mean to put an end to Eric Bischoff's demise?
Does that not mean to keep him alive? Also? Who Internet? Or
well, my god, to get the Internet in there? I don't love
this Internet, dude. I'm you know, brother, I don't know if
it's gonna if it's really gonna con I don't know if the internet's got legs.
Brother, got Internet in that thing? Dude? What do you get?
What do you got there? Dude? Is that an internet phone?
Brother? What most of us call it a smartphone? Terry, on the
other hand, who just referred to Carnage chaos malice. It's his internet phone
brother, Carnage Chaos malice. I don't know where he gets the verbal conclusions
he can reach. Oh, he's such a fucking so clearly this is setting
up Garrett show versus Gunner at the February twelfth Against All Odds pay per view
with Hogan and Garrett's corner and Eric and Gunner's corner, and the package on
that show shows Garrett boxing and doing the pulling on the ropes thing whatever you
call those big ropes you lift and whip down and training, and Gunner comes
out with Bischoff Eric that is, he's got a wrap towel I guess from
Supercuts in his hand. We find out the towel later is for when they
feel like they've got to throw the towel in and stop the match. Yeah,
no one fucking talks about that shit. Oh for Garrett to throw in
if he needs it. The ropes are read again on TENA pay per views
and the TENA logos are everywhere, So we're a reminder for those who forgot.
Only the television show is Impact Wrestling and All Blue not the entire company,
just to confuse you. Bischoff trying to get to the camera to show
something in the front row that a fan is holding, but he doesn't get
it off in time. From Clearwater Beach, Florida, Garrett Bischoff comes out
with Hogan again, you know again, and this is it. This is
where it really got me because because they do this recap package of Garrett and
Gunner and they're treating this is where they treat Garrett like he's this scrappy underdog
kid who who worked his ass off and constantly tries to win, and you
know, we'll get these fluke wins or whatever, you know, you know
normally, you know, he gets assaulted and then he got to meet the
heroes come back like this. This could have been an interesting story, and
it could have been neat to also have it to be to be like,
you know, Bischoff's son trying to get away from his dad's shadow or whatever.
But you can't do it in a couple of months, rushing so much.
Yeah, you gotta you gotta find a way to get these people to
fully react to him as a legitimate wrestler. It's very Bischoff like and that
all of the stretching out and the subtlety, and that is all in the
misdirection. It's all in the he's the referee that we don't identify for a
year. That's what they have, a year's worth of discipline and telling that
story. But as soon as the reveal happens, the discipline goes right out
the window. Now it's like, Okay, we did our slow build,
we checked that box. Now let's have a main eventer please, And it's
like, that's not how it works, like you actually we starting a new
slow burn now right exactly. But here he is Hogan and the red and
yellow and black T shirt with the pyro shooting off and the guns, and
Garrett comes out and pants not the best pants either to wrestle in Hogan slapping
us back and whatnot on the way a nice little poperhole Cogan. Sure,
man, does it sound different back in the impact zone setting here than it
did in London? An impact Holt takes his place ringside and says to the
crowd him right here, brother Hogan, nodding like hide the ball brother.
Come on, dude, you know we gotta we gotta, we gotta hide
the ball, brother, we gotta, you know, take the fall,
dude, eat the He's the Nana's brother. Take the fall. I don't
think so, you know what, maybe you have to take the fall,
brother. What do you We don't have to do anything this sort. M
What do you do dude? For some reason, Jeremy Borash is on the
call with Mike Tenay on this one again. Garrett has leather pants with a
white and red stripe running down the side, and red and white wrist tape,
and Hulk Cogan his advisor, his trainer, hopefully not his financial advisor.
So we get underway here. Garrett versus Gunner to Nay, says,
if you think Gerret Bischoff thinks of the time you spent taking away from this
building, I think of the time you spent taking away from this building in
an ambulance. If you're Garrett Bischoff, you think about this, Okay?
Yes? Because he had been beating up an assaulted at the best of his
father and taken away in an ambulance, so it's supposed to be his motivation.
Gunner comes out with two arm dragged in a quick dropkick that sends Gunner,
pardon me, that sends a Garrett into the corner. Earl Hebner is
getting in there and presiding, trying to prevent Garrett Bischoff from swarming. Gunner
in the corner. Cut away to Hulk and he's saying things like, come
on, Garrett, don't let him get in your head, Hulk the coach,
choke the coach. Yeah, that's what we need to write. Gunner
to the waist takedown and paintbrushes. Garrett a bit or ash talks about how
Garrett Bischoff had a match in Norfolk, Virginia. Yeah, I got I
got this one here because I thought this was kind of interesting. This laps
Friday night in Norfolk, Virginia. GARTO rush the match, and you know,
I was told make sure and get videotape. Garrett wants to see the
match, You wants to study it. They went over it together after and
you know, as this continues to progress, as the training continues. You
know, he's a student of the game, there's no question about it.
And he has a great advisor. Watching videotapes. That's what it takes,
right tape. Can I get tape? Please? Oh? Yeah, here's
the tape. Study very I would like to watch tape. Please, pretty
bad punches from Bischoff. He's still got these like winging things that land extra
soft by the time they reached their destination. Yep, and his hair,
his hair is a disaster. Oh, snap in the punches, gotta work
on that. Shouldn't be on television to you get snap in your punches.
Gunner turns Garret BSh Off to the corner. They go for clean break.
Nope, Garrett Bischoff does a duck underneath in an arm drag Garrett to the
arm barn an arm ringer, and Gunner headbuts his way out of that and
whole Cogan says, get him out of there clean. Gunner to the corner,
digs his shoulder to the gut of Garrett Bischoff. Garrett's now throwing to
the gut. That was one of his spots. He would just like throw
six body shots in a row, rights and lefts. But Gunnar goes to
his gut and reigns down a shot, bringing Bischoff to a knee. Hogan
with the hoofing stash. As this turn of events takes place, Garrett hits
the robes and his dad grabs his leg, so Gunnar strikes on the distraction,
and Hogan goes over and he's pointing at Eric Bischof, with Earl Hebner
getting in front of him to stop him from attacking Bischoff with the go behind
and a duck's a flying chop. There's two or three of his own.
And then there's some come on, Garrett, it's coming out of the crowd.
He's got some supporters in Orlando. Back backslide rather sloppy for two drop
to hold to the front. Facelock goes Garrett Bischoff, and it's here where
whole Coogan's japan sensibilities kick in. Keep your base. He yells to Garrett,
old, good, good, good job, brother, don't let him
back up. It's hilarious to see Hogan like he's fucking Matt like he's on
the mat at the NCAA National Finals. You know, of course, isn't
he. Gunner lifts and gets free from the hold. Corner charge is dodged.
Bischoff rolls him up and then comes with an invertic. It gets too
comes with an invertic atomic drop, and hardly any noise from the crowd does.
He rallies him offense. Kind of sad here does see Garrett kind of
flail about, and when people just like you can't make me care about Garrett
Bischoff. You just can't do it. It's hard, you know. It
just is like you know again, they're they're forcing this guy down our throats,
and it's like, I'm sorry, he just can't do that. You
know he's gonna be You can't, you can't do it. I mean,
I understand he's been emancipated from his father, but that's not a good enough
reason for me to want to see him win wrestling matches. That's a good
enough reason for me. You want to see him punch his dad out.
But now I have to be excited about his wrestling career, and that's a
completely different matter. We haven't really addressed why I should care about his upside
as a professional wrestler rather than his personal story as the son of Eric Bischoff.
But here it is Bischof's pulled him to the corner. Buckling Rabbit lariot
by Gunner drops him big stomp by Gunners. Now Bischoff is playing baby face
in peril. He tries going to the body again if Gunner, but he
gets cut off. Hogan screams to the ref, watches shot and slaps his
hand Garrett Bischoff down in front of Hogan. He just whispers back to your
feet. As Gunner stumps the shit out of the kid in front of the
Holster, who stands there with his hands on his hips. Bischoff goes back
upstairs with some right hands. No responds as he landed these aimless punches.
Gunner lifts the knee of the gut and you can hear Eric Bischoff cackling at
his son's misfortune over the abject silence of the impact zone crowd. Gunner working
the neck, riding down Garrett very nice. Tully Blanchard styles snaps suplex by
Gunner, who they saw him upside and obviously they went out of their way
to put him over in the Bound for Glory Series tournament in twenty eleven,
even pinning eventual champion uh Well soon to be champion James Storm Robert Rude,
so they they were trying to keep Gunner hot. I don't know precisely what
they saw on the guy. He's pretty much out of the business now,
but that's good for two. Hulk keeps saying, back to your bass bula
basse. I'm thinking what Gunner charges into kind of a flapjack move. Who
picked him off like a spinebuster to Garrett Bischoff, but dropped him on his
face instead of his bat up. More bad rights from Garrett. Gunner cuts
him off with a swinging neck breaker, and Eric Paint brushes his own son
across the ropes. Hogan comes over behind Eric, turns him around and drops
him with a big right hand will pop, and then just walks away,
just fucking bodies Eric Bischoff and just walks back to his perch. Some Hogan
chance to break out his Garret Bischoff comes out of nowhere with an inside cradle
for two. Gunner stays on him. No Gunner with a hangman's noos neckbreaker.
Very nice execution from Gunner. I'm seeing some chrispness in there. For
what it's worth. Hogan says, Garrett, you've got to get back up
Christmas, Thanks, Hulk. Let's go about Christmas. Crispness, Christmas,
Let's go Garrett. Chant gets some traction as check feels like a crowd by
Gunner. All it does is breaknecks in this fucking match. Yeah, and
and hearts as well. This. You know, we've had past tena pay
per view crowds that are still somewhat hostile to the Hogan Bishop regime. They're
still channing we want six sides as ladies in the middle. By now,
this crowd, I'm assessing here it against all odds twenty twelve. There's nobody
left at the Impact Zone that would ever care enough to pipe up with like
a yeah, a contrarian chant like that, right, I mean, now
you see it. A crowd that's just like, it feels like they're they're
out of obligation, which makes no sense. But I bet a lot more
people than you would realize would say I just felt like I had to come
here. I mean, I had nothing else to do. Why Gunner raining
down punish Hogans know, I'll come a wrestling fan, absolutely nothing better to
do. TNA. Yeah, going to TNA show has kind of forced you
to really, you know, face up to the fact that you got a
problem that's a wrestling fan like you should not be going seriously, yeah you
shouldn't. You just shouldn't be Hogan screaming Garrett, you gotta fight back or
I'm gonna stop this thing. So that's the drama here that Hogan's going to
stop the fight another hangman's news attempt, but Garrett Bischoff holds out of the
rope, so Gunner takes the bump Hogan to the steps with the towel even
though Garrett blocks another neck breaker. Hogan's gonna throw in the towel as Garrett
actually has an opening to come back, like it's such a mess, Garrett,
you gotta fight back. Looks to the crowd. They're like, yeah,
please throw the towel and home, let's end this thing. But this
only serves to distract Garrett bish Off and he turns around into Gunner's DDT and
that's the one, the two, and the three, Gunner pinning Garrett Bischoff.
Here at the Against All Odds pay per view in February of twenty and
twelve, Hogan puts his hands up like what just happen? We cut to
Bischoff, Eric's face coming out of the deep like Vince at Wrestlemanian nineteen over
the apron, laughing maniacally and Hogan, Yeah, right, I know,
he does. He does do that. It's kind of forced, it's completely
forced. He's a joke and Hogan kneels over Garrett Bischoff and scowls at Eric
and Gunner and brother. That's the end of the Garrett Bischoff experiment. If
you ask me why he couldn't be put over Gunner, I don't know.
I know it does seem kind of weird, like why why can't you put
your why can't you put him, you know, put Why can't you give
him the win over this fucking client? I don't get it. Now is
after you've done the things you've done to like make Hulk Hogan his trainer.
Now is not the time to have him start losing to everybody like you've tried
to skip that step. Stick with it, right, don't now try to
build him in a traditional way after you've literally made Hulk fucking Hogan his shaman
or his sense. March forward to the March twenty second, twenty twelve Impact,
all right. They opened the show with a ref to of Bobby Rude
pulling Dixie out of the crowd at the Victory Road pay per view when he
was wrestling Sting, and then Root smack Sting with a chair while Sting is
trying to tend to Dixie. And then they show Rude getting very aggressive towards
Dixie and actually like physically manipulating her a bit, like shoving her around.
This is obviously an attempt to get Rude over the top as a title carrying
heel top star. Dixie looking more and more like Nancy Pelosi every week,
and of course stings her beloved Tna White Knight that she tries to prevent Bobby
Rude from duct taping Sting's hands to the ropes for further damage. And they
do some freeze framing because there was a strict prohibition from Spike against women on
men on women violence, which they tied my hands, Bro. I couldn't
even have a guy slap a bitch across the face, Bro, like she
deserved. So they kind of freeze framed this because they didn a pay per
view or it wasn't a problem when when Rud's getting physical with Dixie, kind
of it kind of works. It's kind of it kind of makes it seem
like, so you actually miss something if you bought the paper view right right,
if it's too hot for TV when they get back to television, and
yeah, so that's um, that's kind of the attempt to put Rude over
the top, he's still the champion, and they show later Dixie stepping out
of a back room somewhere. She's here the show opened. Then Dixie comes
out to no music, just doing the walk, biting your lips, disappointed,
But I want to give you music anyway. Oh yeah, I'm sure
you do here place inside me and out so good. Isn't it wonderful?
It's a terrific song. You want to get out there and prove people wrong
exactly, that is the spirit of it. They chant, Dixie, Dixie.
The announcers to cry Rude's unforgivable behavior. She says, over the past
six months, Bobby Rude each week has been more and more disrespected, uh,
disrespectful towards this company, the fans, each and every one of you,
everyone who loves wrestling. Fire Bobby chant breaks out, she says,
but what he did at Victory wrote last Sunday, you have disgraced this company,
this company. There does again take a shot, folks, There we
go all they have done this entire week, She says, He's talked to
attorney, so here we go outside attorneys. She made the point of saying
outside attorney's like we care about the distinction. What is the fuck me like?
You know, the in house attorney can handle this. It's a very
serious matter, my management counsel, She says, we're talking again about passing
of papers. Let her head office memorandul you know, deals, demos,
memos, meetings, bagels, croissants, coffee, you know, breakfast meetings.
Fuck those Cisco phones with the omnidirectional mics. Where she you know,
she takes a fucking stuff you know we've talked about before, where she takes
a bite of a fucking donut and she's like, oh, I'm so I'm
good. Oh my god, I'm stuffed. It's so good. Though,
where did you get those? Oh? I know, this great place.
Fuck off? So they weigh the pros and cons, trying to make the
right decision. Here she says, what decision? What you to fire Bobby
Root? Is it stings music? As she was about to say, you've
only given me one option something She's gonna fire Bobby Root, But here it
comes staying. He comes out of black T shirt and jeans and shades and
Dixie embracisting as he enters, and he says, Dixie, I've never given
you a reason not to trust me, but I want to agree. I
have to disagree that firing Bobby Rude is the answer. They'll clap, and
he says, hold on, now, I'm firing Boby Rude is letting him
get off too easy, the easy way. She wouldn't know anything about that.
I don't get the right kind of revenge if you do that, Dixie.
He says, this is what about James Storm. He's supposed to wrestle
Bobby Route for the title at Lockdown. If you fire him, you're taking
that opportunity away from him, and trust the fans into supporting him, not
actually Sting manages rather to turn the fans into supporting Bobby Rude, not being
fired. So I guess they Yeah, they didn't know what they wanted,
right what, No, fans never do. That's the thing. You gotta
remember that fans never know what they want. Yeah, we want revenge,
and Stings starts screaming the right kind of revenge and because he's afraid, I
guess that offends like some biblical tenet or something. Now, he says,
regarding other choices and decisions being made around here, I got to talk to
you about the GM position. The GM position there is one what is this
like a fuck? It's like brought to you by Monster dot Com. It's
like fucking hr on television. Very important because it's just not working, he
says. Because remember Sting has been the general manager Hogan after turning back baby
Face at Bound for Glory. The next Impact comes out in the red and
yellow and kind of gives Sting is blessing and leaves and then we just totally
transition to a future of Sting being involved in Bobby Rude's business and Hogan is
totally fucking gone. And that's that. So um Stings here to tell Dixie
Carter that he doesn't want to be the GM anymore. Says, I need
to do this publicly, and they chan't. Please, don't go like he's
going to retire again. He says, Dixie, you put all your faith
and trusting me to run this company, this company. You gave me the
ball and you told me to run with it, and I did the best
I could. And up to this point, I think I've done everything I
could possibly do. But at Victory Road, something changes within this company,
this company, at Victory Road, it came alive. Stop saying, this
company came alive, Dixie, Dixie, I came alive. I came hard,
exactly, and he realizes that he can long gonna be a part time
wrestler and energym At the same time, he says, I can't do both
as they chance, you still got it, especially if I'm going to compete
at Bobby Rude's level, and Dixie is tearfully shaking her head at this revelation.
Stings says, as a result of trying to juggle too much, I
suffered a concussion and now I've got to go home and rest. I'm gonna
get better and I'm gonna get stronger, and I promise you, Dixie,
I'm going to come back better, better than I've ever been. Dixie,
Dixie, can I promise you? Do you hear when Brooke called out Dixie
Hogan and Dixie Hogan, I'll tell you, Dixie Cargan that interview and the
hosts are pretending to know who the fuck Dixie Carter is. No one knows
the Dixie Carter is. All right, nobody knows. I promise you when
I come back, Stings says, I'm gonna put my boots on and I'm
gonna fight. I'm gonna be one hundred percent nothing else but a wrestler,
and they pop for that, and he says, I'm gonna continue because they
don't want him to be a general manager, because they don't want in general
manager because it's boring. Right, I think it's boring. It always is.
It always gets boring. If it's not boring, it's going to be
in two months. So just don't even do it. I'm going to continue
to fight for this company and for you, he says, but in a
different capacity, which means I'm sorry, man, But at this very moment,
right now, Dixie, I got to step down as GM of this
company. And Dixie says, what am I supposed to do? Oh,
she's such a little bitch. Sting says, I'm not going to leave.
Hey, run your company right. Stop relying on these fucking men to do
it right. Is there no? You actually cannot put on a wrestling show
if you don't have a wrestler walking around barking orders at people. Is that
what you're saying, he says. She says, I'm not going to leave
Dixie Carter hanging. I'm gonna let them fangs hang. However, I've got
the right man for the job, he says, somebody that knows how to
take wait for it, this company all the way to the very top.
Dixie, I'm talking about somebody that can read every single personality that comes into
this place like the back of his hand, just like a book. I'm
talking, Dixie, about one of the greatest of all times, somebody who
can devote one hundred percent of their time to be the general manager. And
they start changing Hogan. They know, they know, they know that there
can only be one storyline at DNA, and it's is Hogan in control or
not of TNA. Such a farce. We're back here already again, Dixie.
Oh yeah, Dixie, you have to let me take the keys to
the car and hand them off. You've got to let me give the power
of impact wrestling to the real Hulk Hogan. O. They pop. Dixie
looks away because she's conflicted him in the last time and the position of power.
She fucking lost the whole thing, right, and then Sting finally wanted
back for and then Stings like, can you get it back to please?
This sucks. I'm kind of done. I'm over absolutely. I mean to
say the least that we're back here is just nauseating in such a reflection of
a lack of creativity, a lack of inspiration, and an indictment on anybody
who's been entrusted with making impact wrestling interesting television show. They continue to fail.
Stings takes her by the shoulders, Dixie, look at me. You
trust me. I'm not going to let you down. Dixie. You know
how much I trust you. Dixie says, you know how much I trust
you. They chant Hogan, Chance, they chant we want Hogan, and
later backstage on the Fly, it's Dixie Carter. I don't even have response
to tell you. I don't know how I feel yet. I understand why
Sting feels that way, but I can't believe that I'm dealing with this.
I don't know what I'm gonna do. You know, she's so conflicted.
But I think at the end of the day, the thing that Dixie Carter
can trust is that the only way she can hold her head up high is
to risk at all, even if she loses. And I think that's the
way it will see to night Boss, who cares. The end of the
show, Sting comes out again to his music. She's making a face like
you're going to convince me, aren't you. All of a sudden, she's
had a change of heart. Her demeanor is completely different about what Stings about
to do, and Sting does it. He's just a second segment. Is
this is the exact same segment. They just do it again. You know
why do they do this all the time. They always fucking do this because
they don't trust that they have interesting enough talent to carry you know, however
many fifteen minutes segments make up the broadcast. They just don't. I've known
Hulk Hogan for twenty years, Sting says, and ever since Bound for Glory
last year when he cut Eric Bischoff out of his life, We're starting to
see the real Hulk Hogan. I've looked into his eyes, I know his
heart. He is the real deal. And I'm telling you that I trust
Hulk Hogan. So in that spirit, Dixie, I'm asking you to trust
Hulk Hogan. Chant Dixie says, you know how much I trust you.
It's been you and me from the very beginning. You've never let me down,
never steered me wrong. And if you believe in him, she waits,
I believe in you. We're a team. Let's do the right thing.
Let's do this, do what. I don't know what what are you?
What are you doing? Sting says, I've been going, but I've
been running with the Hulkster all day long. Sting says, he's here tonight,
Hulk. I know you're watching the back they call him Hulkamania. Come
on, I'll so the real Hull Cogan please come on out. The music
up. Wattles on Whang Poem poddles on the Impact No no, no,
no, no, no, wow wow, the Impact T shirt, blue
bandana, pyro showered, Dixie smile and Hogan, Huggan staying Huggan, Dixie
Hogan Chance. He puts the hands out like why he's going for the whole
thing? Wha stings as Hulk. It's obvious to the whole wide world that
you made the Stinger a believer. And it's obvious you made Dixie Carter a
believer. Yeah, okay, not exactly. She's only had she's only consented
to this for like the past two minutes. The rest of the time she
was in complete agony about this decision. And I'm talking about believer, and
I'm talking about a believer in Hulk Hogan Hulk standing there meditatively. A sting
continues to carry on. He says, now, I think it's only fitting
you hear it from all these people right now, and they chant Hogan and
stings as they bel leave. We all believe what is he sanna, Yes,
he gets them channing Hogan like crazy. Though Hogan stands there in the
center of the ring on Impact strokes, the foo man chew and they sign
off. He doesn't. He doesn't give an answer. We'll see you next
time. Arch twenty ninth, Impact Dixie says, Holcus agreed to meet me
offsite. Oh, this is so fucking stupid. We'll find out later.
His answer, I can't stand this fucking moment. We get we get a
hidden camera that's somehow got tremendous audio quality. Yeah, like, what are
they? What are they in? The fucking uh the conversation with fucking Gene
Hackman, Jesus Christ Hogan sh sit on a park bench and say this to
each other. Yeah, fucking picnic lunch here or something. Thanks for meeting
with me to day. I just wanted to get away from everything. And
God, I owe you that much after all the craziness. I owe you
that much. Listen. I find this pretty ironic that I'm sitting here asking
you to come back to Impact wrestling after everything that's happened. And two years
ago was a highlight in my life and my career, and you know,
things have taken a big turn here. But I'll tell you. You know
I never I never trusted Eric, and I told you that. Now,
let me just say this. We had a good run. I mean,
we had two years with some dynamic stuff going on. We had a lot
of good times and we had some bad times. I get into some bad
stuff and I don't want to put it all off on Eric, because it
takes two to tango. And I was definitely brought into the mix of this
bad stuff and I participated, so I have to own up and I had
to claim my life and stand up for what I was part of. But
you, separating yourself from that told me everything. It really did. And
I know you've been talking to Staying over these last five months since Bound for
Glory, and you know, he tells me and he believes he's like Dixie,
this is the true whole Cocon and he knows you so much better than
I know you, and I need that true whole COCD. You know I
need to have that, well, Dixie, it bound for glory. When
I saw what I had become and when I saw the path Eric was going
down, I knew I couldn't beat that. I'm not that, I never
was. That made a great decision, I know I did, and I
walked away and I made peace with you. I made peace with the fans.
I made peace with the guys, the knockouts. You know, there
was a lot of ground to cover because I left a lot of people hanging.
But you don't realize, Dixie, I'm still a piece with that,
and my life isn't. He didn't leave me peace. You did not leave
me a peaceful situation. And if you're taking responsibility, which I appreciate,
be responsible for fixing it. I mean right now, Really, you're the
only person that can do that. You know that. But I don't think
you realize how good Sting is. I don't think you understand it's not me.
I do realize that. I love Sting. I think he's fantastic,
But you heard what he said. He doesn't think he can do both.
He wants to get in there and fight. I know what Sting thinks well,
what about what I think. I mean, I think I've had in
my day. I mean, I think I was great for this business when
I was in the middle of the battle. But right now you're asking me
to step back in to a dark cloud. And I've been around a long
time. Dixie, you're asking me to step in the middle of the dark
cloud, and I have never seen anything like this. Bobby Rude, has
your company turns so far upside down? I don't know. I wouldn't know
who in the world can fix the stings. Your best shot, Well,
here's the deal. He's not going to be doing this. He said,
he needs to step away. You're my only shot. You help get me
in this situation. I have no options. I'm here, this is my
company, But help get me out of it. Please, Dixie, will
you at least think about it. Wait, you're a very persuasive lady,
or a very gorgeous lady. In your heart and your being and your soul.
It's something that it'll for me to step back in now. Now,
I mean the fans, the people in the back, the boys. You've
heard those fans last week that told me everything, that told me what they
wanted, that needs to tell you what you need to do. That this
ship has already sailed way too far without me. But in all due respect
for you and everything you've done for me and my family and this business,
I'll think about it. I will definitely think about it. Well, I'm
here because you asked me, and because Sting asked me. I definitely owe
you that much. I'll think about it. Just do me a favor.
We've got to show tonight. I know it's not a lot of time,
but if you'll at least show up there, okay, and we'll take this
further. Please, I will think about it. It's like leaning into the
wind right now, but I will be there tonight, and I'll make sure
that we put a period at the end of the sentence one way or the
other one. I'll do the best I can. I'll see you later today.
Thanks, Thanks Budd, Thanks Bud. Did you hear that too?
I can't stand that went on for fucking five six minutes. Do they tell
themselves is interesting about that? I don't know. I really don't know.
It's it's it's embarrassing, really is I mean, we're back here again.
I mean this is kafka esque. We never fucking leave this ship, you
know. But before he does something, he's got to set up a situation
where someone begs him to do it, right. He's begged to be the
old Hulk Coogan, or he's begged to, you know, just give a
give another pose for the people, or he's begged to come back and run
TNA, even though he knows he's going to do it. And I don't
know to hear Dixie in those comments you read off in part one, it
seems like they didn't script these right. So they're sitting down and try to
be like channel. They're improving what they would really say if they met with
each other in a park bench to talk business, sitting with Brett after Owen's
funeral, in the parks and in Calgary, right, I mean, are
we supposed to care if Dixie Carter feels like she has a good surrogate to
run TNA? Does she think she's like a baby face here beyond just being
a company ambassador? Does she really think like people are rooting for her to
make smart administrative decisions as part of like why they watch Impact? Sure?
Why not? Well, she says, thanks Bud, He leaves, and
she texts later on in the episode, Hogan makes the walk and its decision
time. Dixie's in the ring and invites him. Now, I'm tretty sure
I got this one for you because we need this ship. What's the decision
going to be, Hulk? Oh wait, no, I don't have this
one. I actually didn't care about this one. I was actually like,
fuck this, I don't blame you. After that said, I actually wrote,
I really can't with this shit. Like all it is is fucking stuff
just keeps getting fucking you know, just rehashed and rehashed. Yes, it's
so boring, so it reveals so much about all Coogan. It really to
naysaying. In my opinion, you have to give Hogan credit for thinking things
through. Most people being given all powerful positions would react instantly, but Hulk
thinks it through. Oh he sure does, and he always comes to the
conclusion then in cases his power, Dixie, I know, taking over for
Sting as GM is a big decision. It's a big decision for me too.
But looking back on last week, I realized I told Sting, if
you believe in him, then I'll believe in you. But what I failed
to say to him is that I do believe in you. She says to
Hulk, I want you to take this position. Do you hear these people
out here and they cheer? But I do need a decision, Dixie says,
I mean to us, and Hulk wants to thank you so much and
Sting that's the reason I'm here, all the fans. I can't say enough
what this whole ride is meant to me. He's doing another fucking speech about
this whole ride. He's always talking like it's over, but it's always just
run. But it's right. But it's no secret. We mean earlier,
we met earlier today. Like I said, I came here with a lot
of great things happening, and then I got cut up in st if.
I'm not real proud of what's he talking about? Just being a heel what
not? Trying to blame Eric Bischoff because I had my fingerprints on it too.
He gets very weird about blaming Bischoff, and even in cafabe, I
know, like it's so weird, like what are you doing? Man?
Like who it's fucking fake? Like interjects to defend Bishoff, like he's on
an actual shoot radio interview or something. I had my fingerprints on it.
Two But when Bound for Glory went down. I didn't want to be that
guy. I was made peace with Sting, myself and you and Dixie.
I've already closed the book on this part of my life. And they boo
and Sting comes out and he's got Jeff Hardy and Matt Morgan and Anderson and
Garrett with him. I don't know what that's supposed to be about. He
gets in the ring, does the pathetic outsider's finger point at Hogan while encircling
him, aj and Storm James Stormer out as well. Hardy embrace his mother
Dixie in the ring. Of course, Sting says, let's just get to
the chase here, Hulk, you're not going to deny me, deny Dixie,
and I know you're surely not going to deny all these people. The
writing is on the wall. So what's it gonna be, Hulk, Yes
or no? And yes in Unison before Daniel Brian made it a thing.
Oh it's true. Hogan does the hoofstash and he goes, are we talking
about a totally clean slate? Here we go? You guys are making this
really tough. I mean, I need to know one thing before I make
this decision. Impact Wrestling, it's got a huge dark cloud. You guys
are in really really deep with what's going on here. No matter how heavy
things are, no matter how violent, how deep the water gets, I
need to know one thing to take to my grave. Will the Stinger watch
Hulk Hogan's back? Jack? Does that even mean? They cheer? No
idea what they're cheering, but they cheer. Yeah, they have no fucking
close stinks? Is that's an easy one? The answers, yes, But
are you Hulk Hogan gonna run this and be the GM and take the keys
to the car like the eye of the Tiger kind of Hulk Hogan? And
they pop at that. Jeff Hardy nodding like it makes sense. This all
makes sense to him somehow, if it makes sense to be concerned. Wasn't
he a big heel last time? Nah? He came back and and repented
for being a drug addict, remember that after he did did jail time.
Yeah? No, I don't really don't care, Hogan says. If you're
saying that you got my back, you might as well tell everybody. Impact
Wrestling, as of this moment, has a brand new general manager brother brother,
and they pop and Dixie hugs him, and she pulls the sleeves of
her top down because she's preoccupied with making sure that her shoulders are on display.
These are important things, and Hogan says, now that the Stinger has
my back, what you're gonna do? The brand new GM runs wild on
you. Oh motherfucker my watch. I think we're back to January four,
twenty ten. Wrong about that. I just don't understand. We want to
know the future of Impact Wrestling is in good hands and whole Cogan is the
boss. Packed April fifth, they opened the show with Stinging Dixie in the
ring, surrounded by the whole roster. It's a new day here at Impact
Wrestling, Tess says, is Dixie welcomes us to introduce the man who needs
no introduction, Hulk Cogan. She introduces him here, I got I got
this whole ship for you, because you know you can't not all the wrestlers
are around the ring. I'll say, this is gonna be a different um
um this I must have done. I must have done this on a different
day, like watch this stuff after I watched stuff before, because I was
just like so over it before. Yes, I was able to record this
ship. So here we go. Let me tell all the maniacs, it's
nice to be the general manager and be back in the saddle and right here
on Impact. Brother, I hear you. You know I have to thank
the stinger, brother, because there's no way on God's green Earth, I
would have stepped in this ring without you watching my back, brother, without
a doubt. And Dixie Carter, thank you so much for the second chance.
I really appreciate it. You know, guys, we got a lot
of business we need to take care of because Impact is on a fast track
and it feels like the wheels are coming off the train. So we got
new ideas. I met with Creative today. We got a lot of new
segment, a lot of new things happening with this company. But the business
at hand right now is lockdown. So the new general manager is gonna take
care of some lockdown business right now. Brother, So a big man Morgan
and you Crimson. I'm gonna locks you two monsters in a steel cage and
this is officially gonna end at lockdown between you two. Thank you now.
On the more lockdown business, our TNA knockouts, Champ Gail, I've been
having a hard time with all the competition here at Impact Wrestling, I can't
figure out who the number one contender is. I can't figure out who should
be in the ring with you. That's why tonight we're gonna have to knockouts
Championship Challenge. I'm gonna find out who deserves to be the number one contender
and who's gonna get in the ring with our champ And we're gonna find out
tonight. To move forward with some other business, one of the things I
need to handle right now before I go any farther is I need to get
Eric bish Off out here right now. You and I need to talk about
something right this minute here. Hey, hey, heating out here? Brother,
Yeah, he telling everybody what to do. You don't tell nobody what
to do. Let me tell us something far you don't tell me. Yeah,
I'm gonna tell you something. To tell him now, because I'm the
new general manager here. They don't have bish Off here. Well, you
better get him here, and I get if you're speaking fer bishof you better
make sure he's here tonight. Rick Flair Edward Bishop back in the hospital.
He tells him, Oh, it's such a little prick. Oh, so
what do you what do you say, boss? Are you galphintized by Cogan?
Is GM? I mean, look at the electricity he's bringing, just
to this opening segment, talking about the champs, talking about the neborn contentors,
talking about lockdown, you know. And I was a kid laying my
hasbros. Roddy Piper was w WF president. Yes, and I do a
pay per view and the next night on Raw. The tradition was Roddy Piper
would come out and the next announce all the matches for the next pay per
view and that would decide my storylines and matches between that X pay per view,
right right, So that's all. That's what whole Cogan does for the
next several months. In TNAS, he comes out and he debates and announces
the next series of matches, and that's all he does all I need him
to do. So stupid, so fucking stupid. I'm so over it.
You can ask the film. That's good. You don't tell me what to
do. That's really good to do that sometimes it just happens. That's the
alchemy of the happens. Yeah, I love I love, I love Flair
telling his boss that he doesn't tell him what to do. So awesome.
So then Bobby Rude comes out in a suit with his championship and his bodyguards,
and Hogan's is nice of you to join us, he says, I'm
not really getting off on you being fashionably late. Yeah, that's good.
It's according to the champ. I'm right on time, according to the Champs.
Watch, I do what I want when I want, et cetera.
Oh, there we go, and I'm here tonight. I want to plut
you on notice. You can ask the former GM how things went when he
pushed his uh cards too much towards the champ. There's nothing nobody that will
stop me from being remembered as the most dominant world champion in history this company,
including you. And if you don't believe that, you can ask Dixie
Carter. This is my only obligation from this point forward is April fifteenth,
lockdown and I walk into the steel cage is to annihilate and embarrassed and succesfully
defend my world title and have a heavyweight championship against James Storm. So until
then, helks for the Champs. Out of here, Hogan, whoa,
whoa, whoa, my late my brother, Bobby Rude, impact champion.
Maybe he didn't hear, but things are changing around here. Brother heard again,
did you not say that to Scott Hall two years ago? This is
a different time, things are changing. You know, we're different guys,
dude. Oh, mister Anderson, come now, he's the same guy,
but he's saying the same thing now, Hulk Cogan saying this is a new
time, new day. No pop at all for that whole line. Hulk
shakes hands with mister Anderson, talking about what the fans want. The fans
want to see you, the Champion go head to head with mister Anderson tonight.
Okay, if you say so, Hulk. He just makes matches and
decides that like he had this, you know, this referendum from the crowd
to do this, you know, like he has an edict. Now he
has a mandate to make these matches. And the fans are like, what,
we didn't even we didn't even know to want that. Annoyingly pathetic Rude
explodes at the suggestion that he has to wrestle mister Anderson tonight. I don't
have to do this and tells one of his jabronis and suits tell him no,
and so the guy says no, like he isn't a power and he
goes, screw you, Hogan, and Hogan says, that's what the fans
want. And it looks like mister Anderson likes it very much. But speaking
about someone else who might not like it very much, mister Kurt Angle,
he turns to him angles at ringside with all the other wrestlers. Heard your
running your yap that you won't going to wrestle Jeff Hardy had locked down.
It's true, It's really true. You're not going to wrestle Jeff Hardy had
locked down. Jes like, brother, Well, I'm listening to the fans.
What the fans are saying, Oh my god, is that they want
Ken Anderson to wrestle Jeff Hardy tonight. No Kurt Angle, sorry to wrestle
Jeff had No one, No one wants Ken Anderson to do anything anymore.
Sorry, but this Mike tiny quote. It has taken only one meeting to
confirm that Hogan is a man of action. Okay, this is supposed to
be a meeting, is it not. Hulk sends Sting home. Just go
home and get healthy, says Flair in ner Bishoff. We have worked so
hard to get control of this place, don't screw it up. At Bischoff
starts piping up, calls himself the psychological Ninja, says, I'll put whole
Cogan in a tiny little box he'll never get out of. This is to
make this clear, This is Bischoff and Flare backstage commiserating over what Hulk Cogan
has done tonight, Bishoff Hogan, the confrontation is Nax who cares Hogan's in
the ring with Shade. It's a lame is alive and the action is going
crazy even in the back. Man. I think I got this one too
for you. You know, this place is alive and the action's going crazy
even in the back. Man. When these guys come to the back,
they are ready for lockdown, no doubt. And as we take care of
all the business here, it m tip wrestling. The man that's so conveniently
wasn't here earlier. I heard a little bird tell me he's arrived. So,
mister Eric Bischoff, come on down, my brother. That little berner
hooks to that the Twitter logo in the corner of the screen. By the
way, Wow, when you think up the history between Hope Hogan and Eric
Bischoff, guys like I need. He goes back to something like twenty years.
Who would have ever thought that he reached this point the compretation between the
two when Coogan is the boss, Oh my gosh movie. I mean,
listen to the tip to sen Hogan a bishof for best friend who their business
boss. Everything I mean, and now that's just gone. Now who knows
it's gonna have the pulp pleas? I don't know. Ironic comes to mind
that you and I are here at this point on opposite ends of the spectrum,
so to speak. I mean, who would have ever imagined, looking
back at our careers, in our lives, that someone would come to us
and says, you know, two thousand twelve, you guys are gonna be
facing each other across an arena, on opposite sides of the fence, actually
trying to undermine each other. Who would have ever thought that? Not me?
But here we are. And now that I recognize it and I realize
it, it makes sense really when you think about it, because the differences
between you and I are well too numerous to mention. Let's leave it at
back. But the one key difference, the one, the most important difference
between you and I Hulster is it. You're not a leader. You're not
the type of person that people will follow into battle. You're not the type
of person that has a vision that others will base their lives and their careers
on. Now, you're an opportunist. You tag into whatever situation is the
easiest and most likely to benefit you are hot On the other hand, I
make true leader of men, good vision, but the power and the intensity
of fortitude to make real. That's who I am. And you are also
the leader of blowing hot air into a huge room like the Impact zone.
And you also Jim Paul hot air on and on and on. And you
know something, Eric, since you're such a great leader, brother, we're
taking care of all the hawkdown business right now today. So instead of your
son, Garrett and Gunner in a steel cage, why don't we find out
what kind of leader you really are. Why don't you lead the Eric Bischoff
team. Why don't you put together Eric Bischoff's finest And you know what,
I'm gonna talk to Garrett, and I'm gonna have Garrett put together a team.
In one way or the other, We're gonna make sure that all the
business gets taken care of the hawkdown because darn rot with me holding all the
cars in the deck as a general manager, I'm gonna lay it to you
just like this, brother, If your team wins, the team that you
put together, Garrett will never ever be on the roster again here at Impact
Wrestling. But on the other hand, if Garrett's team wins, you are
gonna hit the road. Brother. And to make things really really interesting,
if Garrett's team wins, you'll never ever use Eric Bishoff name again. I
don't care if you're at the mall signing autographs. I don't care if you're
on an independent wrestling show shaking and hiding in the corner like you do best.
If your team loses, you're out of here and you will never ever
use the Bishoff name again. How about it, brother, Do we have
a deal. Oh yeah, we got a deal. You damn right,
we got a deal. Okay, Bishoff Eric Bishoff. So in Lockdown one
way or the other. This thing between you and Lockdown, Lockdown, it's
a tradition, it's a Lockdown pay per view. But the ten higher,
I mean, finally, this bishof Hogan thing comes to a head. I
mean, thank god, you know. I've been I've been wondering if and
when it's ever gonna happen. Why did Eric agree to this whole thing?
I have no mon. Hogan just says that in bishof just acknowledges and and
adheres to it. So you're not going to be able to see the word
the name bishof on TV anymore. Is that what he said? I guess,
I mean that always works. It's just so stupid. There's reports in
The Observer that they originally planned on Hogan and Garrett versus Eric and Flair for
the Lockdown pay per view, but in typical Hogan fashion, um, in
terms of the TNA run the time we get there, it's a late mocked
creative there. Sure he just couldn't do it. Who's gonna take the bombs?
Right, Bob? I'm just thinking, brother, right, what's the
deal, dude? So they're not where this thing isn't perfectly dialed in for
the hoster, so he's not going to wrestle at Lockdown. Instead, as
mentioned, it's going to be Team Eric versus Team Garrett, which can't go
wrong. It's April fifteen, twenty twelve, ten a Lockdown from the Nashville
Municipal AUDITORI in the same building. Rick Flair just had its final match in
and because it's such a hot issue, Team Gunner a Team Garrett versus Team
Eric opens the show and a lethal lockdown match, and what a joke that
is, you know, wait to wait to fucking make that thing matter.
Put Rude and Storm in a cage on last where a Rude wins in a
total fluke when James Storm super kicks him through the door and accidentally hands Bobby
Rude the victory. Yet another example of a last minute change of heart from
TENA management, much like they took the title went away from Bobby Rude the
last minute to Pound for Glory. According to reporting at the time, they
took the title away from James Storm in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee at
the last minute as well. Well, he didn't deserve it. He's just
a little bit right. So here we go. It's Lethal Lockdown Team Garrett
versus Team Erik, and Garrett is the first guy in for his team because
that's what you want to do, right right, Tess said, he's got
a him, not really. Gunner comes out to music. There's three minute
time periods in these lethal lockdown matches and rotate every two minutes until all ten
have entered both sides of five. I know you love this format, boss,
I know you love these Lethal lockdown matches are true worthy successor to the
war Games. I cannot stay with the weapons hanging from the roof on the
ceiling. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it, I
hate it, I hate I hate the fucking yes, I hate the fucking
um um the one ring. I hate the way it's done, I hate
the weapons. And you don't want to know something too? What what I
hate about this particular lethal lockdown match is that I'll tell you what we've seen,
having seen pretty much every worthy War Games match available, Yes, I
can say this. We've seen some bad ones, no question. We've seen
some bad incarnations of the war games. We've seen bad official War Games matches.
But you know what I've never seen until this, fucking until this,
uh lethal lockdown, I've never seen a boring one. Wow, And I
was bored out of my fucking minds. Fucking go. This was so fucking
lame, all right? The Garrett Garrett should not Why are they making him
wrestle the longest he should be wrestling the shortest all right, Like he should
not be in there from the beginning. He's not ready yet. I don't
know if you'd ever be ready or not, but he's definitely not ready now.
And then the whole, the whole fucking thing, it just was so
I mean, they didn't play up this very simple heat factor of it all.
You know, it's like the moment a baby face would come in to
even the odds before you know what, the heels have the advantage again,
like they just start taking over. There's no actual moment where the the you
know, having them the more men actually works for the heels. Usually.
We declined the lack of the animal double clothesline spot. They don't even forget
it, the spot you know it because they did something other than the double
clothesline, but they still do the spot where the face gets attacked by two
guys and he fights back. Here, they didn't get those spots in.
No, the only thing that was worthwhile in this in this match was aj
styles. Yeah, that was it. He was great. It was phenomenal.
Actually, as you say, no joke, yeah, no pun intended
or wherever the fucking all right, I mean he was really, really good.
He had the energy, he had the everything going for him. Well,
he can keep doing five star matches till his heart's content, but he's
still going to be in the same place he is now if that's all he
thinks there is. You know, here's the thing. He's not gonna make
any fucking money. It looks like an empty building. By the way,
it wasn't a great crowd in Nashville. It's kind of this long, horizontal
look to the building. Gunner ducks the charge and fires out and there's some
cat and mouse between him and Garrett. Dropped down drop kick by Garrett not
so great. Gunnar goozles him in the corner. Garrett comes off the middle
rope of the dropkick not too bad count down on the screen, Gunner runs
him over with the clothes line to naysays it could be the last time we
see Garrett Bischoff and Impact Wrestling because him or his dad had gone for good
from this organization. Schnefter tonight's matchup, So did I not paid off attention?
Did Hogan slap on If Garrett loses, he's out of TNA as well?
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, Team Eric here we go have the man
advantage they had wanted this past Thursday. As the countdown reaches and Bubba Bully
Ray comes out to Saboo's music, a Sabo remix they gave him in TNA.
Don't ask. It's weird. I like how they show the tunnel and
at the they follow him behind the whole time. I like that. Look.
Actually, Tests, it's fine, it's fine. Test says, strategy
is to single out Garrett. We'll see about that. And Gunner starts with
those punches to the gut. They cut him off. Bischof occasionally fires up
for a second, but keeps getting cut off. To your point, they
chan Austin Airies, not Garrett Bischoff, Yeah nor shit, And there he
is. He comes out with a cape that says the greatest man who ever
lived. The big push for Austin Airies is underway. He's ex division champion
at the time, but will be much more than that as twenty twelve develops.
He gets in the ring, goes off on Bully with right hands,
cornermount rapid fire punches, jumps off and then hits Gunner as he tries to
cut him off. Bubba hits Gunn by mistake. Ari's charges into a Bubba
boot Bubba does nkom horned another countdown. Here comes Kaz to a fucking dead
crowd. I mean they are deceased. There is no one who care,
who sucks anyway, who gives about it, and they ship on him for
his haircut. Good they should Bischoff and significant peril Garrett. That is is
Bully's standing on his throat in the bottom rope and he's whipped into a flying
gun or clothesline off the strands. Trending now, we're told on the screen
is Garrett Bischoff. Okay, I'll believe that when I see it. That's
before people were hipped to like the trend is tailored to you, like right,
I understand, Like that's how trending for everybody. That's trending for someone
in the back who is one of six people looking up TNA on their phones
on this particular riding. Right, heels are in control as the countdown hits,
AJ styles to your point, comes out to a nice pop, slams
the cage door to kass Head on the way end he's cooking with all of
the kicks and all the high flying stuff he does. Bully runs him over
in record time. Though his task calls it a running apartment building right to
the body of AJ. Another countdown, Nils comes in Christopher Daniels for the
heel side. For the Bischoff side, AJ and aries are tossed violently into
the cage wall. Garrett sent in like a torpedo, and they chant one
more time. They want Bischof to get it again. Garrett. Oh man,
this is gonna be all those fucking die Rocky dye things, isn't it.
Yeah? Yeah, They want him off the television. Okay, nope,
bubb it as a double sledge off the top. Okay, what's that
not? Okay or Garrett? Another countdown? Here comes Ken Anderson comes in,
blows some basic moves early AJ with a rather pointless double leg lifting slam,
but ends up getting stopped down because he hurt himself doing the move and
it takes a high back, double backdrop as only he can. Another countdown.
Here comes h Eric Bischoff and a black T shirt. He looks like
such a fucking mor un. It looks like such a big dash as Bischoff
is well versed in competing. What excuse me? One on Monday nights head
to head on cable shove holds up in Garrett so Bully can shop away out.
This is fucking crazy. I love this, this is I got.
I got this audio for you because it's so fucking crazy. Did you notice
where that slap was delivered to right across that Bishoff tattoo? That chuck was
on point and again the brother, what's covering body? I'm telling you,
oh my god, that's a little way to lose an ariola that it is
that it is tests Hey, you noticed despiping his trainer and shit, who's
a mile away from this ice cold lethal lockdown? Opener? Brother? Where
is he? Dude? I got deal hope in New York. This is
guy. You hear a face off with Flare Later, I got, I
got you know, brother, I just dude, I'm in New York.
Brother started dud, Sorry, who did you? What? I didn't?
Garrett kas kicked Garrett bish face? God, Eric barking? Um, what
what a fucking shit show. There's such a silence in the crowd that when
Bishoff's barking things like you'll never be me, you can hear it echo in
the building. Another countdown and Rob van Dam who just returned to Impact Thursday
night, joined the team. Who knows why he disappeared this time. I
just don't have the energy RVD with the trademark offense for all rolling thunder on
Bully Ray Bischoff cowering behind a turnbuckle for the remainder of the match, Anderson
calls for the mic. That's pretty funny, actually, I'll give him.
That was actually pretty fucking funny him him like hiding in the corner, the
corner, that's pretty funny, funny bit off a funny so that Anderson does
the thing where he reaches fall from the ceiling, but instead of the mic,
here come your favorite, Here comes your favorite roofed cage boss. I
just don't understand a ladder of trash can let a guitar, a kendo stick,
all hanging, all hanging intimidatingly from the chain link as it comes down
to form a roof over the cage at lethal lockdown, loaded with every type
of weapon like Aleko potato load I wish, And then all of a sudden,
it would appear the roof has stalled for a moment and it doesn't come
down far enough. It takes forever, and they finally just climb on the
top rope and grab at things to get them so fucking dumb. AJ Smack
and Bully with a goalie stick they put up there a golie his stick from
hockey trash can lid shots and they reference that the Predators are doing well against
the Red Wings and the playoffs. It's like, it's like again, it's
just a weird thing. I just I've never seen a boring War Games homage.
And they have a ladder at a table on top of the roof and
they don't do anything with it. RVD with an uninspired running chair dropkick the
Bully in the corner. They show welts across Garrett's back from several shots.
AJ and Aries pull Eric into the fray. Now Aries lifts Eric and slams
them down and then Bishe learns how to slap the mat on impact to absorb
the blow. It's funny to watch. RVD comes up, he's tripped.
Ari says a drop kick on Gunner into the corner and tries a brainbuster,
but Bully blocks it. Ari's charges into a guerrilla press lamb by Bully.
Ray into the wall goes Austin Aries as Bubba is cut off on the metal
rope and mister Anderson does a rolling simo and drop dropping a bubba onto Christopher
Daniel's chest. Ajan kaz are fighting on the top rope. Kaz puls across
the ceiling and just goes well and falls and bumps as they're up there,
and then aj does an elbow off the ceiling of the cage. Then RVD
is a five star frog splash on Kazarian and Bully hits a yaka's a kick
that levels Aj. It's time for big moves here in Lockdown. RD courts
a chair in a bully's face after Bully utters son of a bitch. Chris
Daniels sas RVDU with the Angels wings. Bishop is now trying to survive out
on the apron. Eric that is tas says he's literally shaking and it's now
time for Garrett to take center stage. Boss. He counters the angel his
wing from the diamond cutter. Is that what it is? I think so?
And then Eric gets in and starts smacking Garrett to no response whatsoever.
Yeah, it's truly awful. As Eric wears out his kid with a kendo
stick for no fuck, there's no problem. Yeah, no, no,
problem with this at all. I told you, I told you. Then
Garrett's back wrecked bishof just gloats forever Eric. And then you hear him go
now Garrett. Now out of the corner of his mouth, he's calling spots,
ladies and gentlemen. Eric Bischoff spots spot called. Finally he makes a
decision right. The last spot he called was scorpion death drop in the middle.
It's over in a minute, Jeff. So here we go this this
um what I'm what I'm digging though, is that is that you get um
the crowd chance for Hogan? Oh yeah, yeah right, and then you
know I'm not taking creative brother in the crowd. Then starts channing this I
missed that. I was like, are you fucking we want brook weird?
She lives in Yeah, I know she's in coming. Who I'm right now,
Brooks not coming anywhere? Brother? Are you gay? Dude? Ow
gay? On the gay scale of one to ten, a skill of one
to gay. How gay are you exacting? Yeah? Exactly. You either
are or you aren't. Terrence. So Bischoff is there gloating, standing there
waiting for her son to pick up his queue, and when he does,
he grabs a guitar. Eric turns around, takes a guitar shot to the
head, falls on his ass like a goose belly, and one, two
three Bischoff takes the fall in the new bat ells and Garrett Bishoff wins the
lethal lockdown, breaking a guitar over his dad's head and pinning him. What
a Google winners, What a fucking loser, Garrett my sene, Garrett Garrett
bullshit Garrett Garrett, Garrett group or they recall, They recall the announcers that
now Bischoff is he gone from TNA and can't use the name. It's almost
like an afterthought that fucking STIPs of the match. I mean, what a
what a tragedy he can't use the name. I'm thinking, why both stipulations?
Doesn't want negate the other? Does it matter that he can't use the
bishof name anymore? If he's fired? I know, well he can't go
to indie shows. You can't go to the flea market or ever he said,
he can't go to fucking he can't go to you know ow and fucking
can't do that anyway. So the whole baby faced team Garrett gets up.
They all raise each other's hands in the ring, and they're all holding up
Garrett's arms like anyone cares, like he's the superhero in Tony's talk about the
respect Garrett bishop ern tonight. Uh okay. Later in the broadcast, for
no reason at all, Rick Flair comes out, this is this is this
is splendid. Get a masterclass and how make people care even when they're inclined
not to? Like what a fucking I mean here? I mean, I
got it, I got the whole exchange, and I just I die.
Yeah, do you have any idea you just walk in this ring? Yes?
I do. No. Hey, hey, hey, hey hey,
I'm asking you a damn serious question. You you're in the front row,
fat boy, you know you with no teeth. You know who I am.
I am the nature boy Rick Flair whose life gets greater and bigger every
day. You know you know why? You know why? Because I'm that
damn good. That's why I am a special kind of cat. And tonight,
this guy, instead of being the touchy or the palm, is down
here telling you I'm pissed off. And when I'm pissed off, that ain't
good for who I'm pissed off at Hogan. You just won't leave me alone.
Hogan. You ended Eric Bischoff's career. Oh, he didn't have nothing
to do with them. Yeah, who wasn't even funny? That ain't funny
any man. That ain't funny to me. Buddy, you in the yellow
T shirt? You're fat too? How does your wife possibly do that with
you at night? Yes, yeah, I'm talking to you. Come on,
big man. Here comes to general manager, Here comes hold Harding.
You know you need to go motorian here in Nashville, Tennison. You're pissing
me off. No what toot the general manager's music brothers. Yeah, you
pissed me off, brother brother other guy in the screen and spits mountain at
the parts of his houses Olga Hogan, Ganging, you have pissed me off,
brother, mister Flair. As the general manager of Impact Wrestling, I
have to admit one huge fact. Okay, you single handedly are the greatest
wrestler of all time. Agreed, single handedly, single handedly. I just
wanted to come the girl the single handedly. Do you mind if I your
ringma minding it all? Because I gotta talk to you. I gotta talk
to you real quick. Valve get your ass up here and over the rope
for oh my God, holding with the stash. Smile well, mister Flair,
as the general manager of Impact Wrestling, If you've got to complaints or
some type of whim with the way I'm running this company, I suggest you
express your grievances right here and right now. I've had a problem with you
for thirty years, and I don't like the way you're running this company.
And I don't like the way you manipulate my friends like Bishop, he didn't
blowing that regulars. You put him in a position to fail. That don't
work for me. You got it, and I am. I am working
for you, But God only knows. The day I get two pissed off,
I'll just flat out kick your ass. All right. Well, since
you came out here and asked the Impact fans a question, just to start
this charade, as sees Hillvill's nothing you asked them. You asked them if
they knew who you were. I told him who I was. You got
it. I don't ask you nothing. I tell you, you ask them.
Okay, Well, I guess I need to ask you a question.
Do you know where you're at what you do? All right? Lethal lockdown
brother who said, and all is fair in love, in war, in
styling and profiling, and at lockdown. So because all is fair at lockdown,
Eric Bischoff will never be part of Impact Wrestling again. It's number one,
number two. Eric Bischoff can never ever ever you the name Bishoff again.
I don't care if he's at a flea market selling baseball cards. And
everybody in this building knows that if you and I hook up right now,
we will tear the roof off this building. So I'll suggest, I suggest,
if you got a problem with me in the way I run this company,
you better do something about it right now. Brother, you have just
really pissed me off. Fat called the bluff play great shame and hugging them
les the big shot MC knocks Flaire right on his back. Three decades of
plutus between these two days. Get back to here, Come here, come
here. He starts taking the boys. Had you're holding you? He pop
flair of the flare is taken off the jacket and the fun is it all
shoeing, swelling his shoes over the wall of the top pipe. I love
it. The many traps, a knee in the ring, Rick Flair and
being driven crozy by what happened earlier tonight to leave the lockdown with Eric Bishall
his team losing the match and and Eric bish Off being taken great from the
peck wrestling and Flair is going nuts. Then that one for you who are
gone, What do you think of that segment? I mean, it makes
no sense worsoever. This is TNA, right, exactly. You got something
no one asked for, with no build, no connection, anything else.
But it's Hogan dropping Flare in front of a non Orlando crowd and that's all.
It's the biggest pop of the show and no one cares about anybody else
on the show, right, And you got Flair just looking like a psycho
with his eyes wide open. Yeah, exactly, completely drunk out of his
fucking mind. He hits the ropes and they fade. Awhile, this is
t It's just it's it's exactly, That's exactly what it is. This is
TNA. So we moved to the next Impact, which was April nineteenth,
twenty twelve, and Bobby Ruth comes out in the suit with the championship and
a bandaged up forehead, having been super kicked out of the cage by James
Storm in the main event of Lockdown to retain his championship. When whole Cogan
pops up on the video screen and says, I want you and all the
champs out there tonight. And when he uses the name Eric Bischoff Boss,
they bleep the word Bischoff wow, because you can't use the name anymore.
That's hilarious. The stipulation was adhered to for all of one week because Bischoff
leaves tena elevated on the next Impact. So backstage, Hogan goes up to
RVD my boy, my boy, DAPs him up, thank you so much
for Lockdown and putting a bullet and that no good Eric for me. Oh
my god, I've got something really hot going on at night. Number one
Contenders match between Jeff Hardy and mister Anderson. I want to make it a
three way. I'm looking for somebody special holdings just walking around making matches.
He gets right, that's what he does. They went from like, let's
bring back the top ten system and try to make like a tournament structure that
batters to hulk Hogan walks around the Impact of the lot and just makes matches.
Dude, what blind brother? Everybody says, say no more, if
only there was a champion who never lost the title in the first place.
The first time I can remember, they tried to play off the fact that
RVD left in twenty ten without losing the belt two years later and in an
offhanded remark backstage, it could be the whole storyline for his return. It
should be right looking back, that's where they lost me. Yeah, was
when RVD went away in the fall. It never lost the belt. When
he came back, had no no uh compunction about it, no no fire
in his eye to get it back. Yep. It's like, okay,
well fuck this then, Like, if he's not going to be based that
he never actually lost the belt, then I'm not going to actually try to
watch this as I would a fan that's supposed to care. I'm gonna watch
it for the comedy show that it is. Fine. That's what you want,
that's what it is, that's what we get, that's what we deserve.
And when he says he never lost the belt, Hogan into Jacksons has
never been pinned what because he knows in his mind that that belt did not
that lineage did not stop with Rob Van Dam. He's not going to allow
that, and then he does the RVD thumbs and he puts the shades on
and he says thank you RVD, and it does this little shimmy off camera,
and then he comes out for the moment that he's asking all these wrestlers
to be in the ring. Four Austin Arry's out there opping his head to
the Hogan theme, which I thought was rather funny. That's really funny today,
says Hogan has really taken to this new role. As GM the Pyro
shower, they find plenty of people planted in the audience wearing whole Cogan gear
to cut away to, including someone who's paid to hold a sign that says
Hogan rules in the front row. Always very suspicious when Hogan, who never
wears red and yellow during most of the TNA run, attracts these people who
just happen to get front row who are always wearing sunglasses indoors. You can't
tell who they are. I mean, in a red and yellow in the
boas and holding the signs. This guy say you watch it, just says
in the camera Hogan, with no conviction at all, into the camera.
It's going on another Yeah, another Bishop special. H You've got women in
like, you know, nightclub dresses, like tight evening gown like cocktail dresses.
I should say in the crowd as well, because that's you know,
just the kind of crowd DNA attracted to the Impact Zone. I don't know
what the problem is so he can get to the ring, you know something,
Impact wrestling fans. When I'm right on the money and change is definitely
in the air starting next week, here we go. Things are changing around
here, dude. It's a special episode Nobody's Got Boss. Once a month,
It's going to be Open Fight Night on Impact. The fuck is this
shit? What is this Open Fight Night? Apparently, it's a concept in
which a piece of talent from outside of the TNA roster will get an opportunity
to come here and show up and wrestle and have a chance to tell their
story, have their match, and be judged by a panel of three judges.
This is the gut check thing. So he is conflating the Open Fight
Night concept with the gut Check challenge. That was definitely a thing with Hogan
and TNA because he'd go out there free flowing, you know, which is
bullet Prince, and he would forget to mention key things that would happen often,
and I think you've forgot to differentiate between Open Fight Night and gut Checked
on this promo. So yeah, the idea of being on the gut check
side three judges get an impact contract if you impress them. And also an
open fight Night, anybody on the TENA roster, if they get challenged,
they have to come out and fight. So that's what open fight Night is.
Anybody can come out and you have I don't know. Basically, if
you don't answer someone's challenge, you get fired. That's if you read between
the lines, that's what he's saying. Of course, if someone called out
Bobby Rude, the world champion, and he didn't come out and defend,
nothing would happen to him. So there's that. I don't now I'm saying
that facetiously. I'm not saying they said that. But the point is they
never explain what happens to somebody if they don't answer the Open Fight Night challenge.
Right, there's just some apparent leverage that the office and Hogan has over
these these wrestlers that will force them into having matches just because it's Open Fight
Night, but not every other weird. I don't know why the agents weren't
more picky about adding that clause to the contract when Hogan took the corner office.
But some things have to remain a mystery. I suppose. He says,
you called out here at Impact Wrestling, nois Yeah, nowhere to hide?
Um and uh Rude comes out, Who the hell do you think you
are? And Hogan goes, well, let me see. Do you really
want me to answer that? Hogan? Chance Root says, I'm the only
I'm the world champ. Nobody tells me what to do and when to do
it. Hogan says, you know something, champ, not only an open
fight night, is uh the whole roster going to get called out? The
champs need to be ready to step up and defend. If you get called
out, you better be ready to go. And that might just happen to
you, Uh too, pretty lady. He's pointing to m Gail Kim because
all the champions are out there and she's the knockouts chimp. Well, glad
that's happening. Gail speaks up and says, hold on, who decides this?
And help goes, uh decides this? I got I got this part
for you because this is kind of this was kind of funny to me.
Well yeah, hold on, let me see if I got the whole thing.
I don't know if I do or not. But here who decides this?
Brother? I decide? But you know something, guys, I really
want to hear what the fans have to say. So you know, maybe
you guys tweet me, you know, facebook me, because I really want
to hear what the fans want to see, and I want to find out
which champion you want to see? Go out of here me too. You
heard that they inserted tweet me in post right, No, lady again,
listen, who decides this? I decide who the fans there titled? But
you know something, guys, I really want to hear what the fans have
to say, So you know, maybe you guys tweet me, you know,
facebook me, because I really want to hear see and I want to
find out which champion you want here. You must have said twitter me or
forgot I'll altogether to the social platform that Dixie Carter is literally mushing into powder
and snorting up her nose every teneriously. So there's that, you know,
tweet Hulk Hogan and I don't know integreat social media into our content programming strategy.
That's crazy. So Devon, who's the television champion at this time?
Devon Dudley, in a baby face, agrees with everything. Hulk says he
but I'm thinking to myself, no one's going to pick you, Devon,
No one cares, he says, I consider myself fighting champion, and by
God, however, whoever you put in that ring with me, Devon says,
I will testify all over their ass. Brother. Okay, Hogan says,
I'm so glad you stepped up and testified. Ever since I was a
teeny weening little Holster, the TV title has been defended each and every week.
I couldn't I couldn't get behind this defended every week? What or toroy?
Did he grow up watching? When? Did? When did he even
know what a TV title was? Right? Was there a TV title when
he was a teeny wheennie Hulkster? I don't think so, And now it
will no matter what my brother. Of course, Devon would disappear shortly after
this, uh for for a little while, and Devon says, oh,
my brother testify and old ship. And I'm thinking to myself, you know,
if you wanted to, you know, defend your title every week.
If you were just dying for the opportunity to be called out, why don't
you just defend your title every week? Like? Why did you have to
wait for Open Fight Night? Right? Right? Anyway, Hogan said,
I promised you change. We're still doing change or I mean changes. Here.
We got an open fight night and everybody fights brother and he poses and
Austin Airis the X division champ, and Devon Dudley the television champ, are
excited and others aren't, including us at home. Who gives a shit?
Apricis is their idea. This is their big you know, re reimagining of
what Impact wrestling can be. April twenty six, Impact Hogan's backstage with the
champs, and I don't know if you have this, but I've got I've
got one quote from him that I found to be so fascinating. Holds court.
Okay, everybody's there. He's welcoming all his champions to the first ever
Impact Open Fight Night. Anyone can challenge anyone, So he revisits all the
rules and everything like that. Yeah, and this is where he admits that
all of his champions are worthy, right, Yeah, and then but his
his word choice seems a little off to me though, But here we go.
Oh, my champions can deliver. That's why you got the straps,
because everybody's carrying their load. Brother, Well, I guess it depends how
long they've been holding out, brother Gil. Kim's pretty funny that she like
grumbles under her breath like particulous. Yeah, yeah, she's not happy with
this new rule. The tag champs are Magnus and Samoa Joe, who Hogan
calls Samoa and Joe as he goes around the room and praises everybody. He
even calls him the greatest digname of all time. What a goof, and
Shoe laughs at that. I know all my champs can deliver. Everybody's carrying
the load like he just played. And I know something, mister rude,
I know how bad you want to prove yourself night after night, Gail says.
He does. Definitely, So they're all trying to angle to get someone
else to be the champion that gets called out and not them. He calls
him Samoa and Joe. He says, I really feel something. Okay,
He points to Joe and Magnus. You guys need to shut up or put
up, and Hogan says, the problem I'm having is there's so many teams
that want to challenge the champs. I'm going to listen to a lot of
whining and complaining and people stepping up to get their spot. You realize,
Boss, that part of the conceit of this era of TNA is that we're
going to prominently feature and build story around wrestlers whining and complaining backstage. It's
not just showing the backstage, it's it's showing the wrestlers being petulant about getting
their way. I think that's important. Why is it important? I think
it's important to show wrestlers who are you know that they can't have everything they
want. Oh, I see all right, you know we need to just
they need to be put in check. Hogan keeps twirling around and facing the
camera and keeps it rotating to face the wrestlers, and he's all action backstage.
Maybe it could be in machine guns Anderson and Hardy Odb and Eric Young.
Gail laughs at that one. And you know what, Kazarian and Daniels,
they smell blood. I'll let you know. He tells the champions right
before bell, Tim who you're defending against, so get ready. They're like
okay, and he says, welcome everybody to Impact. Open fight night,
Let the fighting begin. Brother. Later in the show, backstage, we
learned that this is going to be Eric Bischoff's farewell impact. Yes, we've
had to deal with a lot of easy over the course of TNH Boss A
lot, a lot, so much more than I remember, which tells you
how memorable A lot of the stuff he did actually was more than people deserve.
Strumming guitars, getting punched by Garrett, Garrett pretending to be at odds
with Hulk, making Dixie signed papers that transferred ownership of the whole company.
A Thanksgiving dinner and which he holds court and presents a toast. It's been
a wonderful ride, but on this impact, it's going to end in terms
of the on screen roll for Eric Bischoff, and of all people, someone
if we fucking sued in nineteen ninety eight for not showing up, Rick Flair
is the person kissing his ass the most seriously, was that a rib?
For that? They were getting along just fine, Flair. You know,
when Flair realizes that the shortest path between him and a five figure deposit.
Is you you're his friend? Again, It's really not complicated. And so
in this era of his life, Bischoff became his very good friend. And
and that's that's he's a transactional person, and that's that man. Good for
him, I don't you know, might as well be if you're a pro
wrestler for fox sake. But yeah, I never I never sense that anything
lingered between these two, especially after they work together at w W all those
years. Okay, so well, here he is, Rick Flair backstage,
Jason Hervey behind the camera with the on the fly style shooting. Here,
I got it for you. This is just so talking about Eric. Yeah,
I certainly am. And why are you asking me? You'd think I
know to pro party and Rick Flair fen party every day for sixty three years?
Yeah about that? Every day? Right? I haven't slipped since I
was twenty years old? How about that? Am? I thought a party
for Rag Bishoff? Not only an impact tonight, but all night long.
We're gonna rock Orlando. He's the greatest promoter in the history of wrestling and
a single handedly made Impact what it is today. Am I going to have
a party for him? Hell? Yeah? Whoa, that's the greatest promoter
ever has got to be you know, I mean, that's absolutely hilarious,
having some fun. I laughed every time I heard it. I was preparing
for this, and he says he made impact what it is today. That's
going to be a rip too. That's the problem, right exactly. So
Yeah, still to come. Rick Flair host Eric Bischoff appreciation night. They're
not bleeping it this week because they're writing him off TV. And as part
of this, Jeremy Borash, who's been under the thumb of the Hogan bishof
regime. We've seen that reflected occasionally over two years here in TNA. He's
got something to say. If this is going to be Eric Bischoff's final night,
yeah, this was I got this one too. Let's go JB all
right, here he goes, I forget. I've been here longer than anyone.
I have more seniority than anyone in this company. And I can tell
you that it's universally known from the cameraman to the sound guys, so the
wrestlers in the back, that there has not been a bigger pre to come
along in this company in the last three years than Eric Bischoff awesome, unreel
and if this is going to be his last night here and this is open
fight night, instead of oh, I don't know, getting liquored up and
going on my Facebook page and demeaning other employees, what I would like to
do is Eric Bischoff, if this is your last night, I would like
to call you down to ringside so I can look you face to face in
the eyes and extend my fist and throw it down your throat. So Bishoff,
put down your BlackBerry. It's open fight night. Get you out here
right now. Wow, it's pretty crazy. JB's fucking awesome. So I
haven't really been that impressed with him, but I was impressed with this.
Yeah, he's got that side of him where I'll just flip out, or
he's capable of flipping out if you give him the creative license to do it.
And you know, you gotta remember Borash worked under Bishof at WCW and
was there as WCW just fucking fell apart in the working for the Internet division
and doing their WCW live streaming audio show, and so he's got a lot
of um, a lot to draw from when it comes to negative animus,
towards Bischoff, and one person who worked hand in glove with in WCW in
that division was Bob Ryder, who was part of the formative team along with
Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett to start the whole concept of TNA after WCW collapsed.
So I think Borash probably kind of still looks back fretfully at how WCW
came to an end, and when Bischoff walked through the doors, I don't
doubt that he was one of the people agitating for this being a negative as
opposed to a positive. Probably the kind of person Dixie had in mind when
she had that all Hands on Deck meeting that they put on Impact right in
November twenty nine. So, yeah, he calls him out and calls him
out for being drunk and and all of that, and Bischoff comes out with
this sarcastic clapping. That's one thing about Bischoff, Like he loves to do
angles where he's humiliated. It is true, It is so true about him,
Like he does do that, and he does it really well. Yeah.
Yeah, he probably does it because he knows he's good at it,
and he knows he's going to be really good reaction from people for being humiliated,
right, and people want to see him get his but Tonay telling Tas
he doesn't have to kiss up anymore. Jeremy Borash, the ship is sailed,
Eric Bischoff is leaving, and there's not a non ad chance, and
Jab says, I like that song and I like it most when it applies
to someone like you. Bischoff is on his BlackBerry. Well, Jeremy Borash
is talking, he says. He correct him, it's an iPhone. He
corrects him, that's what it is. He takes a picture of Borash and
Boras, just put it up in your Facebook page. We should install a
breathalyzer and then that thing before you do it. Is there an app for
that? Eric, there's an app for that age? Remember that? Oh
yeah, absolutely everybody and their mom would say that. Shortly after the iPhone
came out. Um drunk tweeting about employees, he says, an app for
being an insecure tyrant, because I'm sure that's on your phone. He's so
great, He's so fucking money. Chef says, I hope you enjoyed this
fifteen seconds of fame you've carved out here for yourself. It's an iPhone not
a BlackBerry. You've freaking idiot. He loves he loves frigging this freaking not
friggin no gain right, ck freaking idiot, brother, What hey, Stinger?
Can I Sting for a second, dude. I know it's been like,
you know what, four months now, dude, almost going on five
months. But I didn't get the chance to circle back, brother, and
we circling back, dude? Are we are we cool about question? You
know dude? When we were doing the deal in um in Manchester, Bro,
I mean, god, was that crowd hot? And you know,
I'm looking back, I wonder if that was my last match. But there
was a thing you did, dude, that I did want to ask you
about at one point. You know, I'm cup in the year right Hogan
must pose and uh, you know, to get the people bring up the
volume a little bit on this thing, I I sort of you know,
pantomime, brother, Like I was cleaning the wax out of my ear,
dude, so I could tether here, and then suddenly, all of a
suny, Brother, I feel Sting's gloved finger in my ear. I'm wondering,
what's up, dude? Right, Well, Terry I didn't think anything
of it. I thought it was just a funny gag, you know,
something that little physical comedy. I just made mean gag, brother, I
mean like a joke like m you know, something that people would find funny
and amusing that I was helping clean out your ear. Just I don't know,
just something I occurred to me on the fly that I thought, Yeah,
I was right up behind you, and I thought I might as well
just you know, reach out and hook whatever I can. Who told you
to do that, dude, Oh, it's just me. I just called
it on the fly. Nobody told me to do it. I want to,
brother, I want to. I want to know exactly who's calling things
on the fly. Dude. That's the problem, Brother, who's the fly
making the call? Well, the fly on the wall is Jason Hervey.
I mean ever since you guys got here. I'm sorry, went brother,
he's been Yeah, he's been the fly on the wall like whenever we you
know, on TV when they do that net angle where it looks like you're
looking into a room your nuts. But remember when I put the red paint
on your face and started doing the joker thing and you could see it through
the blinds of the off. Remember, brother, I don't remember this,
dude. What's going on? Brother? I didn't talk to anybody well before
I put my finger in your ear? What I didn't talk to anybody of
significance before I did that. So if that's what you want to know,
that's the end. So brother, So basically what you're saying to me,
dude, is that not only did you not talk to somebody oh significance,
brother, you talk to somebody who was insignificant. Well, yeah, I
mean, you know, if I'm gonna if I want to sort of be
interrogated here, I want to make sure I cover my bases. Did it?
Can I guarantee you that there's not tape that exists of me talking to
someone before I did that? Of course not. I mean I just want
to you know, I want to protect myself and you know, make I'm
sorry, brother, let's dial this thing back in. Yeah, I'm trying
to, right, brother, Brother, I just want to I want to
brother, I'm talking man and man, dude, I got a six pack
of beer here. Brother, you're not gonna dial this thing back in,
Dude, turn the nose up on it, brother, or right. I'm
tired, of playing games, dude. I'm tired of playing Hide the Ball.
Brother. I'm tired of play Stink the Monkey dude. Okay, brother,
Yeah, so am I come to think of it, I want to
know exactly what's going on, dude. And I want to know who told
you, brother, brother staying Dude. I want him know exactly, dude,
who told you you could come from behind? Brother? Roll me up?
Pin me in front of these fans, dude, in front of whole
comania. Brother, I didn't pin you. What are you talking about?
It? Just put me? Well, you gotta stand back, dude,
all right, you gotta check yourself. I'm back in what I'm What I'm
seeing here, dude, is I'm seeing a guy who I can't trust.
Brother. And if I can't trust you, dude, it means I gotta
fight you. Brother. There's no way around it, Dude. I won't
wrestle you Staying, but I'll fight just Staying. I've done it before.
Well, Terry, if you ever need an apartment in Santa Monica, give
me a call. Other than that, I don't think we need to be
talking anymore. I'm with your brother to reach me. Talk to my journey
fucking idiot. Oh, the person I talked to before I did that Hulk
was John Gaborik won't click slams the door. Well, brother, you open
that door, dude, right now. Brother. The open Open Door Night
challenge that didn't quite work. That was halfway through. So yeah, Bischof
tells Jeremy Borash it's an iPhone, not a BlackBerry, and then Bully slips
in and bam low blows Jeremy Borash. So yeah, Bischoff loves being humiliated,
but it's JB writhing holding his crotch on the canvas. By the time
it's all said and done, Bischef says, here's what I'm going to post
on my Twitter page. He says, ref gets your ass up here.
Open Fight Night the way to kick this off and the end of my career.
So be it. And he drops down and he he hooks the leg.
Does he hook the leg? Is? Don't forget to hook the leg
and pins him. He forced it. He actually um he basically like an
accordion and folds up JB. He forces his leg down in a stress position.
You can tell he's fucking with him physically. JB is very uncomfortable being
bent in half. Like this, Oh, he's actually it's like extremely inappropriate,
but he's got to pretend to be out and knocked out at the same
time. And he slaps his head, you know, he paintbrushes him.
The Bishoff definitely was achieving more than one thing here. He was definitely like,
yeah, you lay into me and I'll lay into you, knowing that
he's actually gonna get a chance to like physically like fuck this guy around,
an asshole. Totally, You're a winner, Bischoff, it's announced, and
slaps him in the head with Bully Ray taking photos with the phone and raises
Eric's hand and he takes a pick posing with the karate stance over boor ashes
carcass. Later on, they asked Dixie backstage what she'll remember about Bischoff,
and she says she'll remember all the lies he told her and his ability to
constantly make trouble backstage, and how he took my company away from me and
came between me and Hulk Hogan and other than that nothing, Wow, all
these incredible memories. Later on, Hogan again has all the talent in the
office and Chris Daniels goes first and makes a pitch about how he lost it
lockdown, and how the Motor City machine Guns had lost it lockdown, so
why reward failure by giving them a tag title match to nine Again? These
teams are all lobbying Hulkogan and get the shot. ODB and Eric Young are
a team. They're talking about it that they're putting them down is having only
one gear. They're talking about how other teams have potty mouths, and Chris
Saban talks about how the machine Guns dedication speaks for itself, how they've won
the titles here and overseas, and we want it more. We're hungry,
Hulk, which has nothing to do with wanting the championships. They just didn't
want turkey legs for lunch again. Yes, and Hogan says, you guys
are for real. I'm on that team, no doubt. So there's a
note. There's that team for twenty twelve, no doubt you're missing that.
So yeah, I'll continue to deliberty backstage and that plays out later on.
But it's time for Bischoff Appreciation Night. They got a red carpet on the
ring canvas, they got a throne in the ring for Bischoff, a lion
sculpture. I'm surprised you didn't have a taxi dermy you know what I mean?
Yea, and a smoker for the guy. Flair comes out Bully as
well, Kaz Daniel's gunner. These are all your heels, apparently at this
point in time, always a very loosely formed version of the nWo revolving around
and circling Eric Bischoff at all times. You don't even know if this is
immortal. You don't know what the fuck this is like today's is. After
twenty five years in the industry, it's time to say bye to Eric Bischoff
and indeed Boss, I mean, for all intents and purposes when it comes
to on camera stuff that we'll be diving, It's time to say bye Eric
Bischoff and tnah, what are you going to remember the most about his TNA
run on camera? Um, well, it's actually coming up. Okay,
Flair, Tonight we are gathered not to morn, but to celebrate. Nobody
alive knows how to celebrate more than me. He says. I gotta let
you know, I gotta let you know something. This is happening on the
fly here right now. So as we're as we're doing this, as you're
doing this? I get a fucking spam text coming in says hi, brother.
That's where I responded, did you brother? Who says? Listen?
Are you John? I'm Catherine? You remember me? Just right back?
Whoa brother? Who you been to? Who you been talking to? Brother?
All right, let's go with it. What did she say? Nothing
yet? I'm waiting for response. Is Kate Kennedy? Dude? I told
to talk to my attorney's just say? Are you working for Elsie I?
Dude? LSI? Is this laser spine? Are you working LSI? Dude?
Okay, not working for Working Laser Spine Institute, Like it's a style
of working. Are you working laser spine style? Dude? Did you?
Did you try to dissuade me from having fusion? Dude? I'm gonna write,
did you dot dot dot? I've recently become interesting interested. I love
doing this? Did you? Of course? I'm saying it all day?
See what fucking happens? I mean the biggest you know, we've spent a
lot of time, you know, talking about the similarities and contrasts between hill,
Cogon and Abyss over the course of TNH. It just occurred to me,
Yes, yes, The biggest difference between the two, uh huh is
how easy it is to convinced then they don't need fusion and Holt's case back
surgery and that this is case Asians Betterson Agian brother exactly couldn't have said it
better wise. The idea is the ramifications of what was just said are whipping
through his mind faster than he can verbally express. You know, like he's
who, brother, what? What? What? Why? Why would he
say? What like that? What? What do you mean? I do
that all day? I did it today. I was just like, brother,
what something happens? Like he's addressing one person in one situation, and
then right off in his peripheral vision, something gets his attention to what that
was unexpected? Who's expecting? Brother? Probably Jennifer McDaniel, Oh sorry,
Heather clem what tonight? Flair says, We're gathered not to mourn, but
to celebrate. Nobody alive knows how to celebrate more than me. Google me.
That's my wife's favorite line. All right, Flair, come down tonight
we celebrate Eric Bischoff. If you have any knowledge of the sport of professional
wrestling, you know he has been a major impact player. No pun intended.
As they serenade Bischoff with the Hey Hey goodbye SONGA covers the ears on
the photograph of Eric that's on an easel in the ring, so the picture
of Eric can't hear the chant. He's such a good he really is,
Flair says, And people wonder why I don't like wrestling fans, And you're
the rudest most I don't line people I've ever met. My friend that a
man that has impacted TENA wrestling impacted TENA wrestling Again, that's funny. Did
he TNA impact wrestling as well? More than any of the person? Is
Eric Bischoff? And here's the music, And man, am I going to
miss that music? Beautifully mixed and sourced and so inspired? Was Eric Bischoff's
TNA fame such a farce? He comes out with a somber looking face,
and he gets in there and sits on his throne, and Flair apologizes for
the behavior of these fans and says, I'm much better off when I'm telling
the world what you have meant to me. The men in this ring,
Christopher Daniels is bringing it out of him to actually cry during this, which
is so fucking funny, and he's clearly, you know, not doing it
because he's planning on being focused on because they don't really show him, but
you can see him in the background. He's he's put an extra for working
at this point in time in TNA. He's just being so goofy. Him
and Kaz are just like such a hidden gem part of the show around now
because they're just they know it's not to be taken seriously, I mean,
and they so they brace that. They run with that, and they say
such goofy shit and do such foolish things like there's a there's a scene towards
the end of the year where they bring out of Santa and he sits in
a throne and James Storm super kicks in the Santa and Storm and Daniels and
Kaz grabbed the side of the throne and like pretend they're not doing it,
but they just help lift up the chair so the Santa could take But they're
not like they're supposed try to be a fend Santa, right right, they're
not trying to hurt him. And hundreds of fathers had the honor of working
for you. Flair, says Dixie Carter should be somewhere on her knees.
Rick Flair says, thanking you for the day you came to TNA, and
Bischoff nods along somber lea. Even though I don't like Hulggan, you're the
reason that whole Coogan is in TNA, Flair says, And more importantly,
you're the reason I'm here, and I can't thank you enough. These gentlemen
right here, I'll know what you've done for us. Is there a woman
in the audience that wants to go home and sleep with this? Do you
mind if I give this picture of you to some girls? He says,
I hope he was fans at home of impact A pre sh what Eric Bischoff
has done, the wisdom the man that was not afraid to cross the line.
Bischof starts crying, there we go, the fucking crossing the line thing
again. What line did he cross? Rick? Rick says, he crossed
the line in quote developing television programming. I agree, Gunner says, this
is a sad day for all of us, and he personally wants to thank
Eric. You've been like a father figure to me. Nothing but opportunities.
He shakes his hand and thanks him. Just on a headline actually that Gunner's
gonna be retiring from wrestling. He became Jackson Riker and NXT and then got
fired for doing something right wing on Twitter. I forget what he did,
but oh boy, yeah, um Flair and all the excitement I almost forgot.
And he opens up a green box and inside a special gift, he
presents a Rolex watch to Eric Bischoff, which Bischof said his podcast he later
gave to his son because I'm not a jewelry guy, Bully says, we
hope you wear that with pride, not do It's not jewelry. It's a
watch. It's a biscuit. And then we go a biscuit, that's what
they call rot. I fought it, I thought I fought and a biscuit
was something having with Christopher Park there is to get the fun in his name.
So like a biscuit, brother given a Rolex is a gift? How
like triple h is that? But serious about it? Right? Like?
Um would that? Um it's a special night. And uh trying to make
Rick Flair cry by giving him a couplinks. Yeah, my god, look,
I just want you to have this for me to you brother and recognition
of all of our time together on the NHS. It's beautiful. Can I
pawn it? I need? I need? How much is worth anybody?
Thousand dollars? Can I off a bookie? He calls, he calls it,
the room calls high spots. He's like, I got I got new
collateral? Can I get ten grand? Um Bullie says, we hope you
wear it with pride. And I can honestly say I've never admitted this to
another man before, but you were the wind beneath my wings. Be stupid
oric. Thank you so much, big hug. Daniel's crying, and then
the song hits and outcomes Garrett Bischoff with Jeremy Borash and some others like Austin
Airies and the Motor City machine Guns. Bischoff says, Um, a couple
of the guys, JB and myself were in the back, were talking,
and JB came up with a really good idea. If this really is indeed
your last Nightted impact dad, we all wanted to contribute, um, so
I got got a little something from us RVD chant because Van Dam's out there
too, weigh in the back, Borash says, you see we all got
together. We thought it'd be fun to contribute and Eric, while that Rolex
is nice, we thought we'd get something more symbolic of who you are.
You know, the football has a Hall of Fame and the Cowboys have the
Ring of Honor. Eric, tonight, we would like to introduce the first
person in the TNA Shed of Shame. And then so Calval, like a
game show host, gestures to a curtain, and through the curtain comes a
bright neon commode. Of course, what's they wailing up the ramp? They
start all start brawling. Garrett runs over, grabs his dad in a front
face lock with Borash, directing traffic into the crowd. Borash opens the commode.
Bischoff looks to the people, Garrett that is do you want it?
And Eric Bischoff gets tossed in barely. He just walks in. Oh I
know right, seriously, he tapped on the shoulder him. He's a toy
soldier. He's walking in there, man, And they shut the door and
there's a chain they link it shut. Garret Bischoff looks to the people,
wide eyed, asking them if they want him to push over this stop at
shit box. Garrett knock it off pal should it go over? He asks,
I'm thinking probably not. Yeah, Bischoff, pardon me. Borash leads
a countdown, and they pushed the commode over. Eric takes the bump and
they point to a ship stain on the floor that was underneath the porta potty
and they start, you know, holding their nose. Do you smell that?
And I mean, this is like fucking such a pathetic attempt to do
like a raw thing so bad. That's so bad, just is they The
execution isn't awful, but just the idea that like they're trying to be less
in TNA. It's like imposter sinder. No, I know, it's like
it's not it doesn't work as well. No, so of course the door
opens and Eric Bischoff is covered in brown liquid. He said in his podcast,
that's what I remember. That's what I remember. That's my favorite memory
of that. You're building to building towards right there. He said he doesn't
remember exactly what they used um for the ship, but he said it was
sweet whenever it was. Maybe it was chocolate, sarap or something thickened with
an agent, maybe Delo Brown not fit Finley, they wouldn't hire his ass
in twenty twelve they needed a room on pay roll for brook. Hogan today
says Eric always was known for stirring the ship. And this prove it that
Clever Bischoff screaming, you son of a bitch. We're told the reek is
horrible by Tazz and it you know, laments, how horrible away this is
for the poor man's career to end. Why is uh? You know,
I don't understand about this whole thing? Why is um? Why Why is
Taz suddenly playing heel comment? All of a sudden he's got He's defending Eric.
It's so weird, like that's been his thing, which it has not.
Like today's twenty five years in the industry, and this is the exit
for Eric Bischoff. TESSAs, forget about the silver anniversary. This is a
brown anniversary. Clever, Today's Eric Bischoff. Goodbye and good riddance. As
Bischoff continues to heave and vomit, and we sign off for Bischof's final on
camera appearance. And is it actually his final one? It is? Wow.
The the Cornerstone TV presences of the TNH journey, all of a sudden,
they're starting to fall off that's right. Steady, slow, but steady.
May Pact opens with Hogan seated at a desk looking at a memo Brother
Impact Wrestling Show seven thirty four. He says, is the title of the
memo? I think I've got this. I sure hope. So he's got
an office full of top heavyweight title challengers and it's time to dialogue and negotiate.
Let's talk about the format sheet Brother Impact Wrestling Show seven thirty four.
Tape date ding twelve, air date five twenty four twelve. And then you
guys know what this is. It's the show format. This is what makes
Impact Wrestling work, or that would be not work. I'll say Open Fighting
Night. It's kind of open everyone's eyes. And this week on Open Fighting
Night, you're gonna have a lot more changes than even I expect him.
How much you guys to take a look at this. This is what goes
on in that creative meeting or earlier in the day. I'm sure you guys
have all seen it. But that's what's supposed to happen on the show tonight.
A lot of people love that old stuff. A lot of people are
voicing their opinions on how much they love a few little changes we started,
but we are you okay with that? Yeah, I'm fine with it.
Okay, whatever you want to do, you get the bush, right,
So what's what's this four men? Well, that's what we're supposed to do.
Now, this is you know, I really can Pogan resonates the premise
of open anybody. Oh yeah, and you have to fight in there's going
to be a guaranteed title match all four men, which are all four of
you, guys. I start to grill you guys, and then eventually I
figured out the game plan, which doesn't work anymore. So we're opening this
thing up to an open form. We've got a situation with Rude, who's
on the verge of becoming the longest reigning Impact champion ever once he defends this
title here at Open Fighting Night, if he wins, he becomes you know
what I would consider the greatest champion ever here at t Andam Pac Russell.
The record is not hold about this man right here, aj Styles, who's
made a huge infert And what and what importance is that? What importance of
Israel exact reigning champion is important to me, It's important to the fans,
it's important to you know that in the stylisha of the way this business is.
Yes, I guess many times you win it? Oh yeah, I
guess what's something important about being a gold medalist? Are you serious? I'm
just saying I'm just lit medalist. At least, he is not talking to
you, I don't get. I'm just trying to tell you that it's important
to me just as much as that gold medal is important to you all.
I'm not saying it's dotty, I understand. I'm to me, that's your
op. And you know, these guys laid the groundwork and then people started
piling on over the year, you know. And I don't know the sequence
of how it happened. I'm sure you probably do, but you know,
from a curt Angle to Jeff Harry, Paul Toglan stumbling on the bandwagon and
all this momentum is pushing us into a fast forward situation that has these normal
ways we normal ways we do shows don't work anymore. I can say that
again, Yeah, should you you know, try to break this role the
roots on because I've won more titles than anybody else's singles titles. Oh you
said you won more titles singles titles, be more specific impact titles. Ten
titles that we're talking about, because that's the only ones I recognize here.
All right, you want us to convince you. I need to convince you.
Convince me why I should face Bobby Rude. Convince me a guy that's
won more tag titles than anybody, who's always been a team player, who
just as of late recently has broken out and become a main event singles competitor.
A guy that's never won the big one, a guy that's never been
the world's heavily champion. Everybody else in here as convinced me. While you
deserve a shot, let me ask you a question. You are the be
all and ended all of all business. Putting you over right now, I'm
telling you that when it comes to pro wrestling, Hulk Hogan is number one.
I've been around for twenty years. I'm not a slouch. Why do
I have to convince you why I should face Bobby Rude for the World Heavyweight
title. You know that when you look at the four of us, I
remind you more of those guys that you went to war with back in the
day than anybody here. I'm the most legit guy I'm not taking anything away
from these guys. Okay, they're all tough, but I'm the most legit.
You know, people fear me for a straight up shoot. You know,
people walk the other way when I walk in a room. Ye.
I could even intimidate you, Hogan, if I wanted to, But I
got respect for you. I'm not gonna sit here and flat my gums about
why. You know? Why is that true? Kurt? Is that true?
Is he the most intimidating guy in here? I don't believe. So
I'll tell you what. Why don't you intimidate me? Kurt? I just
gave you respect before. Okay, I could intimidate you if I want.
I've intimidated you in the ring before, I've backed down from you. As
a matter of fact, you'd probably admit that I'm the hardest, hottest hit
ind of it you've ever been in the ring with, and you know,
the most talented guy I've ever been in the ring with. Major Why do
you deserve it? Do you think Bobby inside now better than anybody just because
you guys used to be find He's been here a long time, so bye,
I've been here longer. You know that this is all about for me,
that's about any can drink. I don't want him to become the longest
reigning world heavyweight champion in Tenna history. I want that for me. It's
selfish. Yeah, yeah, it's selfish. I don't I don't care.
I want it. So all right? Should we wrestle? Who won?
You? Did Kurt beat me? So who deserves it? Right now?
You want to be a man? You think just because and I wasn't gonna
bring it up, and you know that you asked me, and I didn't
bring it up. But if you want to depend on Chris and Frankie to
help you out, then you go and told me straight up, hurt.
You told me that I just bring something up. Your plan is working perfectly
right now, isn't it. Your plan is working perfectly. You just sit
down, you don't say words. Jeff Hardy, you amongst each other right
exactly, working perfectly. Let the fast decide. You think you deserve of
a shot at the title because you're Jeff Hardy, because everybody loves Jeff Hardy,
really and it works for me and your son les me. I respect
you more than anybody in the company. What do you want? What do
you want? Everybody in here has potential to stop this thing with Bobby.
Bobby Rude is not a bad thing because as bad as Bobby Rude may want
to be in as much as the fans hate him, you have to see
the good in Bobby. Bobby Rude has locked this company down, and he's
been a constant so that we can go and explore other avenues and give other
people chances and do open fight night and gut check. There's a lot of
things that are good about Bobby Rude being champion, but as to the point
now where he's starting to control the pace of this company, that's why it
has to be stopped. As smart, we all know that, of course
he is, but he has to be stopped. So that's why I think
you can beat him. That's why I think you can beat him. I
think you can beat him, Jeff and Bully. I know that you can
beat him, but for one simple reason, one simple read. So,
you haven't won the big one yet. You've only been a single main event
guy for a year. I'm gonna eliminate you, Bully. You're not going
to get the shot. That's your final decisions. Brother. I think that's
the right decision. Feels right. Do you think in your heart that it's
the right decision? Yeah, yeah, Eric was right about you. Oh
oh shit, shit, shit shit thoughts on that it sucks. It's atrocious
and I mean that was what seven minutes long? Come on, what do
they think they're achieving? I mean, I think they're think they think they're
achieving intrigue, but they don't realize that they're achieving nothing. I mean,
lunacy. It's such a bad idea, It's so stupid. I mean,
I can't imagine the only reason you end up with something like this is you're
like forcing yourself to get a whole COVID on the show as much as possible.
Because unless that's the mission, I don't see how you ever arrive at
this being a good idea, right agreed. I don't know where they fell
in love with this notion that, you know, we need to dramatize the
way wrestlers in reality get opportunities in the business. We need to make content,
and we need to produce segments where wrestlers re enact what it's like to
politic I mean, you think wcwan in two thousands bad? You know,
I think roosterific television is bad. I humbly submit that this is just as
ass backwards. I'm not saying it's worse than Russo in terms of like his
lowest common denominator schizophrenia kind of way of doing shows. And it's pretty bad,
but it's just it's too clever by a mile. You know. They
never actually stop and say, wait, what the fuck? Like we're going
somewhere, how does this enhance getting there? How does this enhance the that
moment that we're all getting to well this and it doesn't. It's just like
these it's almost like a commercial in the middle of impact, you know what
I mean, It's like a behind It's like if the behind the scenes feature
out on a DVD, Yeah, was sprinkled in the actual movie itself.
Yeah, the movie just stops and yeah, I don't know, I don't
know. I would love everyone's going to disown it now or blame other people
for for poor execution. And maybe I don't know, maybe people somethings this
good stuff. But I would love to be able to be a fly on
the wall when they were conceptualizing this. I mean, I get it,
he trying. I mean, I will say this for it I'm not defending
it. I'm simply stating a fact that it's different. It is that it
is an attempt to be more reality TV. Yeah. Really, it really
is just like being like, I agree to produce a show with it with
Jason right right? Exactly? How would we do this? Let's do it
for wrestling? If we were doing it, if we had, if we
had, if we had Scott Bayo? Here would you know, Jason,
let's think about this. How don't we have we have all this talent.
We got my son Garrett and get we get Garrett freaking not gonna do it?
Please God? We got Hogan. You know, how would we do
this if we were pitching it with Bayo? You, hopefully Eric wouldn't exactly,
And that's the whole idea, Pal, you wouldn't be pitching it with
Bayoof. Jeans okay, oh absolutely please? He he He fucking loves the
the la business casual, all right, of wearing a fucking wearing jeans,
you know, some some nice shoes with a button down shirt tucked in with
a belt and a blazer. That's what he loves. That's his dream,
all right, moron. He doesn't want to have meetings he wants to take
meetings exactly. He wants he wants to have nothing, doesn't want to eat
lunch. He wants to lunch, yes, And he wants to dialogue,
and he wants to exactly. You know, he wants to conceive story and
plotline and desire story discipline at the end of the day, exactly, that's
what it's all about. Thanks Eric. So, Hogan's trying to recruit the
guy that can take the world title off Bobby Rude because this is a real
problem. We have a champion and impact post Hogan's arrival, that's had the
belt for more than four weeks. This is a fucking emergency. Yeah,
why are they? Why are What's He's not doing anything that bad. He's
just like Bobby Rude, that is, he's just doing whatever he wants every
week, and he's fighting. He's a fighting champion. He's defending all the
time, or at least he's wrestling all the time. So it's just like,
I don't know, just because he's antagonistic towards Whole Cogan and doesn't cow
cower under Whole Cogan's GM authority, I don't, Okay, I guess,
but what we got to do something about this guy. Qualified. You know,
I'm not saying Bobby Rude is a bad thing. He's locked this company
down, but it's to the point now where he's starting to control the pace
of this company. They're actually making a storyline at a Hogan feeling like he's
losing the ability to characterize what TNA is to be so stupid. He's all
this momentum, like the old way of doing it. What are you talking
about? Man? What are you talking about? It's hard enough to understand
what Hogan is talking about when he uses all this all these words you know
what I mean, and like a regular interview, but when he's like using
these euphemisms and essentially a promo, it is just Maddeningly, it is maddening
how hard it is to all parts. So, yeah, Bully goes away
with a puppy dog face and let's just let's call it a seed planted the
way he shoots death stare at Hulk Hogan when Hogan tells him he's not the
guy, and Bully Ray fires back with Eric was right about you? Later
on, Holkan is on the phone, Yes, sir, I made my
first cut not pretty at all. He's administrating. Of course, of course
goes up to angle. You've been on a crazy roll, this Olympic thing,
dieting, getting injured away from him packed, I only doubt dieting.
Yeah, he was trying to cut weight to qualify for the Olympic Games,
right, remember that now, And a Solar System member was really quick to
point out and I'm glad they did when we were talking in our twenty eleven
coverage around the Bound for Glory main event and cited that, you know,
part of Kurt Engle's podcast where he was talking about the fact that he was
so lean around this time because he was getting into, you know, the
condition they wanted him in for the Warrior movie. That movie was already in
the can before he started looking like this. This was attributed to and I'm
remembering it now from the research, him convincing himself that he had a chance
of making the Olympic team again in twenty twelve. I remember that. I
mean, what a goofy fucking thing to do. And that's you know,
he has a whole story about how he heard his leg in a match,
but I also read that he heard it training h you know, outside of
TNA and here's whole cooke in making reference to it on TNA television. So
to me that that adds credence to the idea that Kurt did not injure his
match doing pro wrestling, his leg, his hamstring doing pro wrestling. He
it trying to be fucking twenty years old again for some reason. And it
was so remarkable how a gold medalist, one of the more celebrated US Olympic
wrestlers of the nineties, if not ever right, his story is very inspirational.
When he won the gold medal in ninety six was a pretty big story.
Let alone the fact that he won a superstar m pro wrestling, and
no one, no one in the amateur wrestling community is covering the fact that
Kurt Angle is telling people, anyone who listened, that he's training for the
Olympics again. You would think somebody that covers you know, the national team
or somebody that covers the international circuit and wrestling, would, I don't know,
do something interview him about it. And no one, fucking no one
cares. He's a goof. He's just physically destroyed. I mean, he's
twenty years older than he needs to be to compete. He was an undersized
heavyweight his whole life, and of course he's going for heavyweight. So yeah,
this is a very strange time for Kurt Angle to say the least.
And Hogan's talking about it, and then he turns to Jeff and he says,
you've been nothing but the consummate professional since you came back. I was
listening very closely for that one. Yeah, right, got to be careful
with that one. Um Angele says, if you're the guy the fans love,
picked Jeff, if that's what you want. If you want the most
outBut a guy in the company, pick aj Styles. But if you want
the guy that we'll get the job done, pick me. I want the
most solid guy. Right now, this is all this continues to play out
that thing you just played that eight minute. It's still going in bits and
pieces throughout the course of this episode of it's still going. I couldn't.
I couldn't either. I couldn't believe how much time they took with this this
idea. Maybe if it was like one segment of show right, you could
really pick a scenario that really fits this treatment and it'd be memorable. It'd
be like the the episode of him the part of Impact every week that you
know, supposed to give us a glimpse into something we're not supposed to see.
But it's just it's just the whole show with just you know, they
throw some worker bees out there to have a fifteen minute match or ten eight
minute match and do a bunch of high spots and stuff, and there's great
matches. You're not great, not really great, but there's good matches every
week on Impact. But it's all just commercials for this shit right Oh so
embarrassing. That's why Jeff, he says, you're eliminated. I want the
most solid guy right now. You're too shaky for me right now. The
victories have been too close that you've been getting lately, and I've got to
have someone I know I can bet on one hundred percent and I need one
more piece of info. I need to feel what the fans feel. So
you know what, I'm gonna make my final decision. I'm gonna call it
out there in the ring at the last second. So he comes out and
root and angle and aj or in the ring, he says, you know,
it's been just as intense in the back here at the Impact Zone as
it is in the ring. Yeah, the fact that it's just as intense
back there is the exact problem. Hulk right. I thought it was going
to be the toughest decision. But at the end of the day, whether
it's Kurt or AJ, I can't make the wrong decision. Either wants a
great chance of becoming the new champion. And Kurt says, your track He
says, Kurt, your track record is impeccable. AJ, You're one of
the main You're definitely one of the main event guys to ever step into that
role and hold this. I'm sorry, that doesn't make any sense anyway.
So at the end of the day, I cannot make a wrong decision,
and I cannot tell a lie because AJ knows the champ better than anybody.
I'm going with you AJ on Open Fight Night. So AJ takes off a
shirt and jumps up and gets ready, and Kurt Angle isn't mad. He
DAPs up AJ out of respect and leaves, and it's Bobby Rood versus AJ
styles and they show during the match, Hogan backstage at Gorilla with drinks on
the desk, and you know, Alice Snow in the background on the headsets,
and someone comes up to Holkan says, mister Hogan, your guest has
arrived, and he's all smiles about that, and during the course of the
match, it comes down to it. AJ is distracted by the Claire Lynch
storyline and Dick, Christopher Daniels and Kassarian doing things every week to get in
Style's head, so that when he goes for the springboard for fifty splash,
he lands across Bobby Rood's knees. Bobby Rood hits the Fisherman suplex for the
one two three, retaining his title of j Styles. On Open Fight Night,
Rude celebrates with champagne and confetti. He's now officially, they say,
the longest reigning champion and TNA history. As a result of that victory and
hold, Cogan comes out and says, I know you were good. I
didn't realize how good you really were, and a Bobby Rude hands Hulk the
flute of champagne, says, I have to congratulate you, but you know
much respect, shakes his hand. Hogan says to Rude, you have done
things that I never dreamed would be possible, especially when I showed up at
Bound for Glory last year took it away from you, the we want Sting
chance starts and he says, the hard work has just begun. They totally
know what's going to be Sting. That's one thing at DNA. We heard
it when when they try to make a surprise at a Hogan's appearance on that
England House show, they're chanting Hogan the second there's any hint that there's a
mystery guy coming out. They all know I want to apologize for the later
arrival and Rud says, I don't want to wrestle anybody else, and they
bring him out. Here comes Sting. Are you so excited, dude?
What why? Let's go out? And they come back on Stings in there
and Mike Taney says, and I quote, oh my god, connect the
dots. Hogan's special guest has arrived. I'm supposed to be connecting the dots
all this time. It shouldn't someone have told me but a goof shouldn't someone
have equipped me with an official TNA bingo Connect the Dots scorecard? And Hogan's
is starting next week impact us a brand new time slot. This is when
they moved from nine to eight Eastern and next week at eight pm on Spike
TV, he says. He says the time and the date, like three
times, I got something special going on. You can't run from anymore.
Right at the start, Bobby Rude, I'm gonna surround this ring with Impact
wrestlers and we're gonna have a little fashion lumberjack match you and Sting at Impact
next week at eighty thirty first Impact. That's next. I'm so excited more
Sting versus Bobby Rude. Can't get enough. And then that match, Sting
beats Boby Rude the scoping deathlock. It's non title taps out, Hogan comes
out. That is the man that that's Impacts number one. Man. You
just got a little piece tonight. So as general manager, I'm gonna make
headline news right now. The main event at Slam of Ursary is going to
be Rude and Stinger. This program continues only this time the world titles on
the line, and this is the show May thirty first, so far as
I can tell. The first time, they start teasing Boss that Brook Hogan
is coming to Impact Wrestling. We don't know why, we don't know him.
What role later Hogan is with Taz We played that in part one,
appreciates him stepping up for the Gut Check Challenge, and then Dixie Carter comes
out halfway to the top of the hour here on this Live Impact. All
right, well I'm sorry, okay, don know huh. They make it
seem so momentous that she's coming out on this live Impact in a new time.
So does gonna ask you something? Say I noticed this. So between
April twenty six, by the way, and the and the eight and the
May twenty fourth Impact, Hogan does nothing, not really of consequence. He
just does more of it, like talking to people backstage, because now he's
doing he's not just doing these backstage segments for the World title program, He's
doing it for like three or four programs an episode. Well he's got a
season. Charge. You make a good point, because it's like when I
started kind of conceptualizing TNH, I was like, Okay, the best way
to do it so that we don't miss any gems is to just do every
Hogan segment, just comment on every Hogan segment. And as the years went,
I was like, wait a minute, this is he is on ninety
percent of these Impacts in twenty twelve when he becomes general manager. It's it's
not tenable and it's not good. You think this drags it points Oh my
god, if we did him talking to like fucking ODB or talking to like
um the Chavo Guerrero's tag team, or oh my god, here all day
and it's the same thing over and over. And then Brooke just does it
for the women. She does this for weeks and months on end, where
she's meeting in groups with all the knockouts and trying to make decisions about who
gets opportunities and hearing about bitching and complaining and cavetching. I mean, this
is what they put in the air. This is getting this thing back on
track, and you realize that this is what you want as a wrestling fan.
Yeah here I am. What can I say? But I'm looking at
these ratings for twenty twelve and it tells a much different story. I guess
those people just didn't know what they wanted back then. That's right, Dixie
gets in the ring. What a great evening. Um do I have?
No, I don't think I have the whole thing. It's hard to believe
that in ten short days, TENA Wrestling will be ten years old. I'm
so proud. No one's no one finds more reasons to mark milestones than Dixie
Carter. You know what I mean, Like every two weeks she's got some
new way of trying to make everything matters so bad. It's like she's trying
to throw shit that she thinks could matter right on the wall. If it
does matter, let's run with it. She's just like she's just stating press
releases. She's like a press release speaking machine. That's right. I'm so
proud of all the success that we've had. Every man and woman who steps
into our ring. You've made such an impact on our success in our business
and to all you fans, I don't know what else to say, but
we would not be here without you. Thank you so much. And actually,
considering how thin these crowds are getting at the impact zone, I think
you would be here without them. I honestly do. I think you would
be taking even if they weren't there. I don't think they fucking matter as
much as you think they do. A lot of them are paying a dime
to be there, but they will. On September tenth, Arlington, Texas,
as they go back on the road for pay per view, which was
a positive development but cost them a shitload of money through twenty twelve and twenty
eleven, twelve and thirteen Arlington, Texas Slam Aniversary. It'll be a special
night, she says, we will be announcing the very first TNA Wrestling Hall
of Fame inductee. Just what they need, a Hall of Fame. Wait
a minute, you say September. I thought this didn't happen sooner than then.
Um, yeah, I don't know. I wrote said September. It
did happen June June? Yeah, did she see September when she met June?
I don't know. Maybe I was spacing out. Yeah. Just what
they need, right, a Hall of Fame. God, I need a
Hall of fame. You have to celebrate who who, Who has been dynamic
in ten years, who's brought us to essentially the same point we've been in
for ten You know what I mean. It's like, I know, you
gotta wait. Basically, it's it's who's let us down the least. And
this is the Hall of Fame where they negotiate a deal with WWE, where
Rick Flair goes back to get inducted as the part of the Four Horsemen for
his second ring and they loan Christian Cage under w B contract back to t
NA to make an appearance at Slim Reversary and accept a Hall of Fame induction.
Christian Christian being the world Champion of TENA in two thousand and four,
unbelievable. What the fuck? Like? What what you guys really didn't get
much in return? What do you think you're achieving here? And and it's
famous because Christian, Like you've never seen a wrestler broadcast more that they don't
want to be somewhere than Christian And that mean wow, I mean the guy
is just trying to like, what's the word I'm looking for, poker face
his way through the whole thing. He wants to get the fuck out of
there. He is there under duress, Okay, under protest. But tonight
Dixie says, it's very special for us. We're going live all summer long
and we're kicking it off here tonight. You may have heard about some changes
going on. One relates to the knockouts. I have a special place in
my heart for the girls, as I know a lot of the guys in
here do too. That's one way to put it, yeah, right,
seriously, been a special place in their pants for the girls exactly well,
but specifically the cross thank you. So a lot of guys right now have
their hands down their pants all right, waiting, just holding, waiting for
what huh, waiting waiting to explode. Let's talk about it. Good fucking
streamers. Yeah, you know when when people celebrate, but it's a whole
different thing when Brooke Hogan comes out and the fucking im bag zone, the
whole different stream zone of impact. Ye. And how pathetic is it that
this is what Stephanie does at Wrestlingmania thirty two when she unveils the woman's title.
She's just doing the same thing. She's like, Okay, people care
about our women. I'm gonna make it about me because I'm an executive who
happens to be a woman, right and I'm gonna pretend that I uniquely allowed
this to happen, or you know, made it happen. And where would
we be think about it? This? Actually, where would we be if
Vince had had two sons? I don't know, a much different place you
think. I mean, we're triple h you know he's not married into the
fucking company, right right? You really think one of its sons is to
marry a wrestler. You know, you think someone in the locker room would
be able to politic their way into the hierarchy if the gender roles were reversed,
I doubt it, no way. You know, there'd be relationships there,
but there would also, you know, then be fourteen million dollars to
settlements we'll find out about in the Decade's correct? Fucking that's exactly right.
And yeah, so Dixie's out there. We've got the best female wrestlers in
the world, and we want to take them to a whole other level.
There's a lot of taking to a whole other level. And the show looks
exactly the same. It's like people telling you you're going up in the elevator,
but every time the door's open, it's the same floor. That's DNA.
I need someone working on that with me, she says. When I
looked around, I realized this person was under my nose. The last few
years, she's been born into the business, surrounded by the best minds this
industry has ever had, and every conversation we've had with her, her enthusiasm
and her passion for what we do, her outside the box, thinking,
yeah, that's one way to put it all these guys want to think inside
her box. Ironically, stay hand up, she says, and help me.
Welcome. Are you ready for this job? Title? Boss general manager
for Hulk is one thing. What's a Brooks title? I don't remember?
Executive in charge of the knockouts division? Brother? Is she gettig better title
than me? Can we um? Can we take five? Everybody? Thank
you? Why Dixie? Brother? Why is brook tin you got a better
title than I do? Do? E? I see? Dude? I
mean, what's going on? Are you? Are you farming? Brother?
Right? I mean, if if there's a problem with my job performance,
we can talk, Dixie. But to bring in a member of my own
family, and you know sort of you know, vault past me. I'm
left thinking, no, what am I? I'm here gesturing with my hands,
my watch hand, it's going out. You know you've been talking to
Linda, dude? Did you have you? You know? Her courage?
Is that what the sea stands for? Any? I see, brother,
brother, you've been fucking her boyfriend? Dude? Right exactly, You've been
fucking Charlie Hill. Dude. I heard you said you're gonna bring in Charlie
Hoss. Do you mean Charlie Hill. Dude, what do you how many
Charlie's you bring an in brother, Charlie Horse right now, dude, that
would have been a fucking moment and impact. You have Hogan in the ring
cutting of promo and Charlie Hill comes out of the crowd and beats the ship
out of him. Now we're talking Charlie Hill Horse right now, dude.
If Hogan was really about business in TNA, he would have had his He
would have had Linda come in and like, you know, try to fucking
ruin his life on TV. Absolutely would have been great. Done business.
She said, you're a bit grave. Heel Jesus Christ. Look at the
woman. Imagine that she comes out and like makes out with Charlie Hill every
week on TV to fuck with absolutely splints people off so much, all right,
or you could just swap out Charlie. Charlie could be there, you
know, just for but you could swap out for you know, actual rest.
She'll make out with the wrestler and everyone want to see him get his
ass beat like edge with Leda and h Brook comes out. Okay, there's
another sign in the crowd. Brook equals ratings that one brought to you by
the sign Factory Farm on retainer that the Bishop Hogan regime seemed to always be
able to surface. And Brook comes out in the IMPACTSZ to one of her
own songs, looking exactly like her mom, exactly with curled blond hair and
a tight black dress, and Mike Taney says, from television personality to recording
artist to movie roles, Brooke has accomplished so much in the entertainment business at
such a young age that all stops to accomplished. I don't know if i'd
call her rugal roles accomplishments. And the fact that she's out here and drawn
a tnheck tells you all you need to know about how much legs that thing.
She's got no accomplishments. All right, she gets another ring pack on
a chick pack on the chip's she's she's runner on fumes here. Yeah,
I think that's right. She just doesn't care, you know. It's like
that. That's the thing. I don't know if she would. If she
did care, that she'd be getting more opportunities. But I don't know.
I just I see in Brook Hogan here it's just like, all right,
I'll do it like I don't. I don't really care. Yeah, she
does seem very chill. We I mean again, you know that that seems
to be much more of a vibe than I really expected of her. Yeah,
you expect her to be a total nightmare. Dixie says, I remember
when I called and asked you if you would do this. The first thing
you said was yes, But what was the second? Brooks says, You're
gonna tell my dad, You tell my dad? O God, and then
Dixie says, he's been very supportive. It was us girl power talking about
the most important girls in wrestling business today. You've excite me when we talk
about this and looking forward to all you're going to do for us. There's
some polite applause and Brooks's Dixie, seriously, this is amazing. Thank you
so much for this opportunity. Women love that word opportunity. I've noticed in
Run they loved all the They always what opportunity like in um in entertainment,
you know, incredible opportunity, Like an opportunity came across my desk. This
opportunity I can't pass up. You know, I have a family, but
there's an opportunity. It's like, yeah, family comes second. To opportunity.
All the Butt of Murray shows, like the the Bella is like,
oh my god, an opportunity, Like I want to I want to finally
settle down and set on my white couch, but someone wants to put my
name on a bottle of wine. It's an opportunity. Wants to give me
an opportunity. It's so annoying of things. Was that for things chances to
expand my brand and oh fucking the opportunity. They mean a twice a month
zoom call, that's what they mean. Basically, Basically, an opportunity is
something that requires as little work as possible to earn money. That's when an
opportunity is come on. It's something that like you can call work, but
like you'll get the same result whether you work or don't at it because they're
just licensing your In fact, you're actually going to get more by not doing
anything exactly exactly yeah, because opportunity suggests that you didn't source it, that
it just fell into your lap, you know. So it's like how much
I mean, you deserve credit for building your name up such that anybody would
consider you for licensing. But it's kind of funny, like but it's an
opportunity. I mean, the opportunity is to get something for nothing. Exactly.
That's the opportunity. On my grind, there's I have to like spend
an hour looking at like designs of like a sweater or a wine bottle,
or floor plans or you know, Oh everybody like nods because I picked this
light lighting fixture for the office. You know, fucking get the fuck out
of here. I'm so over that shit. So thanks for welcoming. I'm
just going on a total. The engineer's nothing, she said. It's the
word opportunity. Fucking mind good. It takes, it's all. It fucking
takes opportunities. It's an opportunity for an opportunity. See if you can't like
that, tell them if you can't explain the opportunity that it's not an opportunity.
But here's the thing. Have you ever had an opportunity for an opportunity?
Exactly right, there's an opportunity to get an opportunity to do something opportunistic.
And thanks for welcoming me with open arms. I have I have an
opportunistic mentality for opportunities, that's right. And I've got guaranteed money for your
guaranteed disappointment. A wise man once said that, and thanks for welcoming me
with open arms. I guess she tells the impact, Faithful. I know
how much the knockouts mean to you. I know you're all about girl power
and you want them to be seen as wonderful, beautiful, talented women.
I love this just as much as you do. How much for that,
Dbrook, because I don't love it that much. I mean, I don't
fucking care. I mean I have listen, I don't I these women have
not elevated themselves to the level for them part that I've seen of Yeah,
what I know women can do in wrestling, Well, we haven't spent a
lot of time on the women in Tnah. She just doesn't fit. But
yeah, they were way better than ww's women in twenty ten, twelve nine.
Absolutely, they were given chances to have matches, commenced all the stuff
that WW decided to have this epiphany and do in like twenty fifteen, TNA
did six years before that. That's that's facts. Absolutely, Okay, great
love it. Yeah, it was great. I mean it was they were
putting women in main events on TV GA Gail Kim in awesome Kong had one
of the best feuds in TNA history. Men or women. Um, yeah,
so they really did. They they really took women who were just like
either weren't getting welcome to WW because they were still in the model mode over
there in terms of their hiring, or left WW because they were so sick
of it being about Like Gail Kim totally left because she was basically sick of
the objectification part of everything. And you know, just the whole attitude they
had towards the female performers, right, that's the whole Aaron, Nikki and
Bree like they like to tell the story about how they broke through that,
how they like they were hired for that exact reason. But they were around
when suddenly it was like, just keep telling yourselves that, honey. You
know, I think they did a very good job, and they were big
contributors to the industry and bringing a new audience to the table, and they
work hard and everything, but they just weren't great wrestlers, and so to
act like they ushered in the era of women having great matches, it's fucking
hiarious to me. Right, just weren't good wrestlers. I mean, listen,
we know we know who, the we know who, the who,
the the the bridge and the gap was because she's still there trying to fucking
matter, Natty Daddy. Yeah, she's the one. I mean, she's
probably the first one of this. More of the like kind of a turn
for me. Anyway that I noticed was like, oh, look, she's
a fucking you know, she's wrestling. It's a really good call. But
she saw the whole thing clearly got hired because she could do that. She's
you know, I don't say she's an ugly woman, but she's not.
She doesn't have the characteristics that they were looking for then, not at all.
And they allowed her to go out there and just work and and you
know, and now she still tries to matter, wearing her little works there,
doesn't she haven't seen her le she must be hurt. Yeah, she
took that knee in the face from Shana. She ain't it broke her fucking
nose on SmackDown. Oh wow, I don't know that. Yeah, with
a knee by mistake. And then yeah, Laddie, she did the honors
for Charlotte and NXT that match where Brett was in her corner and flair Rick
was in Charlotte's corner before Charlotte had you know, ever won a title,
and a lot of ways, that was like a passing of that kind of
guard too, now that I think about it, that that was one of
the first matches where I was like, Okay, if they want to,
they can have female mainte of enters like this. This is proving it on
a small scale before the NXT soundstage crowd. I get it. But by
the time it was over here like no, that's probably just as good of
a reaction as any two male maine of enters on main roster would get scaled
up. So very interesting to put your finger on Natty there. But um,
Brooke here says, I know I have some big yellow boots to fill.
I'm taking this so seriously. This is so close to my heart.
I just can't thank you enough. I'm gonna work my butt off. And
everyone in t Anda says thank you before we say thing, you know,
they say thank you back before we say thank you to that. Right,
we're just sitting here like waiting for a reason to care. What're you gonna
do? Like, what do we whatever? What what is she doing?
What what you gonna do? What are you saying, why what you're gonna
do? Why do you say that, dude, what you're gonna do?
Broke, what do you what? Well, she just says, We're gonna
have a lot of fun, ladies and gentlemen, Brook Hogan, and then
her song June seventh, Impact, Hogan backs, don't really sad. I'm
really sad by the way that this person did not respond back to me.
Yeah. I think they get that you're having some fun with them. You're
clearly not a senior citizen that will nail them your social security information. Hogan's
backstage, it's not careful what you wish for, it to be careful what
you accept. That's how old words of wisdom for the week. L Cogan
GM great idea. See aj what's up with that Bobby Rude dominating? Someone
has to stop him. Brooke, I love you, but you accepted the
job. You're the executive in charge. But be careful what you accept,
he says to no one all particular, and then backstage, Brooke, Oh
here I got that. Actually that that thing leading into the Brooke Okay,
yeah, yeah, I have this one here. It is it's not be
careful what you wish for, it's be careful what you accept. Caul Coke
brother, your great idea? Fixy aj? What's up with that Bobby Rude
dominating? Somebody's gonna stop him. You know something, Brooke, I love
you, but you accepted the job. You're the executive charge. I know
you're gonna do a great job, but be careful what you accept because now
it's game one. It's game on, Brooks. I love you calling my
name. Oh knock knock, Hi, girls, you look beautiful. Look
at these outfits. Oh my god, these bodies. You guys look great.
I wanted to introduce myself because I haven't had a chance to formally introduce
myself and say hi, and look at you guys face to facebook. You
guys are even more beautiful in person. Oh my goodness, thank you.
I wanted to say thank you for letting me work alongside you guys. I'm
so honored, I'm so excited, and I just wanted to quickly come in
here wish you guys good luck. I am putting you guys in a four
way match tonight to see who's going to be the number one contender. Yeah,
so that's good news. Do you guys get to do? Get out
I'm excited because you guys are tough. You right knock me out. So
anyways, I just want to wish you good luck. You guys are beautiful.
Thank you hair makeup and your girly stuff. And I'll see you out
there. Okay, thank you? All right? Oh, one more thing.
I know that I told you guys that I was going to be getting
you guys media opportunities and things kind of outside the wrestling business to make you
guys even bigger stars. And the first opportunity, even though I love all
of you guys, first opportunity, though, is going to you, Miss
velvet Um. I talked to Montgomery Gentry and they want you in their new
music videos. So yeah, she's really good. Yeah. So after after
this rins off, get all that sweat off, and pack up your stuff.
I got a learjette waiting for you, and you're gonna go shooting.
Wow, brother, thank you. How am I supposed to feel after that?
I don't. I mean, I'm trying to keep myself in check.
I'm trying to not you know what I mean. I mean, it's it's
listen, I think she's she she kind of speaks a little too much.
Okay, yep, Brook, I think she's fine. Yep, agreed.
I think she's perfectly fine. You know, she sounds like, uh,
you know, kind of a general manager type kind of first thing. I'm
the job day one in, since day one type thing. You know,
Hey, you guys look beautiful. Everyone's everybody da da da you look so
oh my god, you guys could beat me. I've only been here one
day and everyone's so nice. I feel like I'm part of the family already.
Right, So I don't mind it. I don't mind it. I
don't think I I I think it's stupid too. I don't like the music
video thing. Now. She set up at these outside of wrestling opportunities,
right, I don't get away. Sorry, I know, right, seriously,
I don't like that. I'm like, you know, how about we
do some within wrestling opportunities first? How about they matter in the wrestling ring?
Right, we go from there and then right, because I don't think
anyone gives a shit that velvet skies in a music video, here's another chance
to I've never heard before exactly exactly, guys, have another thing that'll make
you too grand and then you sign away your your likeness and rights for the
rest of your life. Right, But because we pay for your food and
brands, you feel like royalty. Let's fucking go. Yeah, I assume
there was something going on because I remember I did see a look from Mickey
James during the uh the music video thing. Um, but I think all,
I don't think she's in the room. I don't think Mickey is among
the women in the room, and that I'm pretty sure she is when she
because I'm pretty sure I remember her getting yeah when she when she mentioned the
music video. I like that. I don't know if that was I don't
know that plays out at all, but I remember, I'm sure, I'm
sure not with us, not with us. Almost it turns out that,
you know, Brooke gets fucking manhandled by Mickey or something. Does Brook belong
and Impact is it? Does it make sense to use her? In your
opinion? I mean, does it make sense to user? I mean I
think it does in what in what way do you mean? Well? To
me, it's like Impact is almost obliged to do whatever they can and exercise
any option available to them to put people on TV that you might have heard
of, you know, and not not to do corny one off angles but
like when they use the Jersey Shore people. I wasn't barish on that.
I got it. You know, It's like, these are people that someone
has heard of, that you know, that is willing to do something on
our TV show. And I feel like Brooke fit more of that category than
Yeah. I mean, if you could, if you could, if you
get the money to splurge and you can do it, you might as well.
And I mean, you know, Brooks, Brooke had a you know,
obviously a little bit of notoriety at the time. I don't know how
many more eyes she was going to put on the fucking product. Yeah,
I think it was worth finding out. It turned out to be like zero.
But yeah, you know, I get. I mean, you know
she fits in. I mean, look, look, you're desperate, She's
desperate. Come on, right, We're all good. That's right, speaking
desperate back and then Rina Hoggans music comes off and there is full flex pyro
shower. Yeah here and I got, I got. I got this to
celebrate the tenth anniversary of Impactful Wrestling Conniversary Go home rather here we go,
dude. This is a party here. It starts tonight because this is the
ten year anniversary for Impact Rustling guys, and when you talk about party and
he Impact stars in the back and all of us here. We're starting tonight.
The party's going all the way through. This weekend is Slam Anniversary and
it's ending up next week right here live on Impact Rustling. The parties on
Brothers and as a special supplies as a special gift next week right here on
Impact Wrestling Thursday Live, We're going to defend the world title right here live.
No matter who we're going to defend. Wait, brother, what is
that? Even me? Who? Huh? Bobby Rude out and in fact
or T shirt he's now the longest reigning champ. I got a great idea,
Hogan. Why don't you shut your mouth, he says, and show
me the world champs in respect? Hogan Chance going off, Hogan making the
skeptical stash face. Who over the last several weeks, he says, nothing
but disrespect. Starting a few weeks ago when I became the longest reigning world
champ in history of your company and you ruin my celebration and Hogan goes Bobby
Rude and Rude cuts him off. I'm not done. Then last week you
surround the ring with a bunch of Lumberjackson put me in there with the icon
sting and then tonight in a six man tag, only three days from walking
to the main event defending my world title against Ding Hogan. Let me tell
I'm not done yet. Wow. Now I come to find out after I'd
be sting this Sunday that I got to come back here Thursday and defend once
again Hogan. That's the way it goes. I said, I'm not done
yet, and he slaps the mic out of Hogan's hand. You see,
Hogan, I figured you out. Okay, Robert and Rude, we'll see
about that, right. Come on, dude, you hold Cogan are jealous
of Bobby Rude, he says, and Hogan goes Brother Boof looks at the
side, Hoof dash. You know even in your prime, you couldn't even
lace my wrestling boots face to the side. I Hogan loving it. I'm
the better wrestler. I'm the world champion and in world champion than you ever
were. And I suggest you get your general manager asked back to your office,
and seeing you're not an active wrestler, grabs Hogan by the shirt.
Now does Bobby Rude get the hell out of my ring Brother and stings music
hit Hogan smiles and Rude's face. Um, he comes out with the job
paint And when did he get back to Joker wearing the paint? But he
stopped doing the character? You tell me? I mean, I thought he
was done with the whole thing when he when he when you know it was
all gimmick to change Hogan back, and it was, but he just brought
the paint back. I don't know why he kept painting his face that way,
but he did, probably because he realized it was money and that it
was better than anything else he was doing it. Did didn't they come out
with an action figure with that paint? It's pretty Yeah, I don't know.
I can picture like a cardboard back card. I wonder if he just
thought it was more merchandizable. There probably was a bunch of T shirts and
stuff with Joker sting on it that they put out there because it got over.
But I don't know. So that'd be a good question asking like,
why did you keep doing the paint when you dropped the character. I'd like
to hear his answering at keeping the character was fantastic? It was, it
was it was, and I think to your point, it was just basically
like supposed to be this conceit to get Hogan to agree. Oh yeah,
they got they had an action figure, they had a few lines at this
point. That was one thing that I think they were able to do because
they had Hulk Cogan, because I don't think they had an action figure deal
before this, or a video game deal. I could be wrong about that.
They had a video game deal before they did for sure, Okay,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, because um, I'm pretty sure I
remember the Samoa jail they came out with, had the the paint on his
face that Russo put on him. But that actually was that was before Hogan,
I think. Yeah, because the first the first TNA Impact game came
out in two thousand night Holy shit, you could have fooled me, man,
Yeah, I remember, I remember, because I m do you care?
I didn't get it, but I I think I downloaded a free like
a sneak peak type thing they had. They used to do that. I
don't know if they do that anymore. Um, I should look, but
they used to do that. I used to get like a little sneak peek
on on certain certain games. You could download those like I remember I downloaded
the UFC video game with Brock. I wanted to just play it with Brock
and so you could add you had access to like four different fighters and I
just played his Brock. That's huge too, Brock. You mentioned because this
is it. We don't have size this enough. This is the time period
where UFC becomes more popular than WWE, even among wrestling fans. It was
like a five year period or so. It ended around the rise of Connor
McGregor where UFC fans kind of totally splintered off from being mostly wrestling fans who
watched UFC as far as like the fan base that made the difference between like
a huge pay per view and a normal UFC pay per view. It was
all the wrestling fans that came in, like ce him Punk got a little
bit of that when he had his first UFC fight two d. Dana was
never out of tricks to try to pull those fans in when when he needed
to. And this is the time Man Brock comes in and oh nine,
oh eight, really but oh nine. He has a huge fight against Frank
Meer. I think it was ten maybe at UFC one hundred. I think
it was two ten or nine. I'm gonna look that up. It pisses
me off that I don't remember which year it was. UC one hundred.
Their huge show was twenty oh nine. Thought so I should have trusted my
gun. But now it's like he's on an Ultimate Fighter. They did a
season of Ultimate Fighter, the reality show with him as a coach against Junior
Santos. He's the world champion of UFC. He's not just this curiosity attraction.
He's the fucking champion and he's the guy everyone's gutting for and every one
of his matches is like a million buy show, and it's just you know
that, and there you are. Right, someone didn't even watch UFC,
but Brock had had you interested? Yeah, oh of course, yeah,
I was. I mean I was. That was it? Like I I
followed. I mean, hey, you know, I fucking I a DVRD
that that K one show. Yeah, in the archives of TLF right now,
if you're curious, rights to the hot right my d I had the
hour long version that was on free TV. Amazing that I had. Yeah,
I remember, Yeah, I watched that. I was. I was
totally into it. I mean, I don't again, I don't. I
didn't. I didn't buy a fucking show. I don't think I ever watched
any of his fights live, but I would always look to find his fights.
I was into I was into him and Ronda Rousey, sure, and
so whenever they had a fight, I would try to find an uploaded version,
like on YouTube or something like that with then the week after it happened,
Yeah, I was. I was definitely. I mean again to the
extent that I would google the results, as opposed to yeah, I didn't,
I don't. I couldn't. You know, I never did any other
fucking details that people do about these things, and you know, look at
stats or anything like that. But I definitely was curious about the results.
That is one thing it's different about UFC fandom than ww fandom, Like,
yeah, you got to look up the results of a w B pay per
view you miss, but it's not you're not there to see you're not trying
to find out who won. Really, You're trying to see if it was
any good, right, That's exactly it. Like, I'm actually, yeah,
right, of course, I'm always looking at I'm always looking at people's
star ratings to see if it's something I want to go back and look at
Yeah, like you want to. We watch all that fucking shit all the
time, but specifically with aw shows, is it's something that's worth maybe taking
a look at at some point never now, And you'll read a UFC recap
that indicates the fight was, you know, very exciting with a lot of
up, and then you want to see it in the same way you want
to see a wrestling match, but you all but you get much more of
your fix just reading who won and how on a UFC. Yeah, that
a WWE or a wrestling show totally, So that says something about the difference.
Anyway, A joker Sting comes out. Rude pounces on Sting as he
rolls into the ring, gets in Hogan's face. Hogan points behind him,
a Sting is right back up, hits a spinning backfist. Someone's been watching
a UFC on Spie spinning backfist by the Stinger and then goes off on Rude
and they do a bet of a hockey fight with Sting pulling ruts T shirt
over his head, drops him of the clothesline, and Rude bails and the
insane icon they say has done it again to the World Champion. Hogan later
tells Aj Styles backstage on a cell phone that it doesn't care about all his
personal shit because AJ is going through the clear Lynch storyline. We've mentioned it
a couple of times. Do you do you know the rough outlines of the
clear Lynch deal that they did? Do you know what that is? No?
I'm knowing it? What the you're talking about? So one week on
Impact, Christopher Annuals produces evidence that AJ Styles and Dixie Carter were caught together
in like a hotel where they shouldn't have been, indicating that they had a
fling going on. And there was like doctored evidence and doctored photos of them
together and like romantic embrace and everything. Okay, And this is playing off
the idea that Aj is like a deeper religious family guy and really straight laced.
And you know they in wrestling, if they sense that you like think
you're like a decent human being, they're going to force you into storylines where
you're involved in of course, fidelity and vice. You know how that goes.
That's what's wrong with that, that's reality, correct there, And so
like Aj is just like fighting off these accusations, but these his tormentors keep
producing evidence, and Dixie is losing her shit. She's going into full method
acting of like what she would do if someone accused her of cheating on Dear
Surge, which is probably a rib to considering some of the things people said
about their how close their relationship was not sir. I was just look at
Odb's book again, and she doesn't hesitate to put the open marriage thing out
there about old Dixon, of course, but um so Dixie is the old
You're destroying families by these records. What's that old David? Yeah, old
Dixie. Yeah, pretty much old man as it were old. I'm m
to the David and the Curry man, David Gary Dan. So uh yeah.
This goes on and on, and they hire an actress named Claire Lynch.
They called her Claire Lynch, who was basically like a drug addict that
AJ Styles helped get back on her feet. He didn't fuck her, he
just helped her get back on her feet. But she's jones in again,
and huh is that legit or is it? And so the idea is that
she's manufacturing this story to extort more money out of AJ Styles. I don't
know where they would have gotten the idea of trying to extort somebody with sexually
promiscuous proof of infidelity. And I don't really know, I don't know why
that would be top of mind for folks at a company Hulkogan was working at
in two thousand and twelve. But perhaps more to come on that front.
So, yeah, Mordecai. So Claire Lynch ends up being just this dirt
worse actress. I don't know where they got her. She's just so cringe,
like she's just so overdoing it and overacting, and people like, who
the fuck is Claire Lynch? And it became so random and weird that like
Claire Lynch is like shorthand for how bad TNA was, Right, you just
say Claire Lynch. Everyone left. And so what ended up happening was there
was something that came out where there was proof that she was actually involved in
like a Popeye ride exhibit at Universal. She was like a character there,
you know, like she's hired to as a character actor. Yeah, and
it kind of like ruined the whole thing and they just dropped it cold and
they stopped using her when people realize that, you know, Claire Lynches and
Claire Lynch and she's just someone they found in the theme parked into an angle.
Oh my god. That's my supposition, based on the fact that she
worked at Universal. And so they just drop it cold one week and just
explained that she made the whole thing up and have someone come out as her
attorney and basically copped to everything that she did wrong and exonor h Aj and
the thing just disappears. But it was a very strange little moments, bizarre.
And here, you know Bischoff talk about it. You know, his
whole thing is at Hogan's thing. We've heard him talk about it too.
Is that Aj, you know, would just have five star matches for the
rest of his life and not grow t and a an inch and not grow
an inch as a performer if he was just allowed to do whatever he felt
in his heart he should be doing out there. And this, this Claire
Lynch storyline pushed him into a discomfort zone and forced him to act and forced
him to show some emotional range and do more as a character than just an
ring wrestler. And maybe it's true, I don't know, but I mean,
why who cares? Yeah, I know exactly. I mean, just
let him have his fucking five star matches. Conrad said on a podcast with
Eric he made reference to a Bruce podcast. I don't know which one he
was talking about, but he said that Bruce said at some point that it
was this storyline that got WWE actually interested in bringing in aj because they saw
more than just a super worker for for the first time. That sounds like
the kind of thing Bruce would just say to pat his buddy Eric on the
back. But maybe it's and Bruce was fucking involved. I mean, Bruce,
for Christ's sakes, is there and it's playing no small part in architecting
this from a Bookling standpoint, So you know, he's kind of in,
he's kind of obliged to like it. And then they turn around and kind
of do the same thing in w W E. Do you remember that moment,
that time period where aj Lee was hitting on John Cena and she was
like the John Cena super fan and she was like trying to Yeah, vaguely,
she was like warming up to him in a creepy way where you could
tell she was gonna like turn on him and you know, accused him of
improprieties, try to like ruin his life and be a stalker psychopath vaguely.
Yeah, they went with that around the same time. And I mean jesus,
her name is aj and on TNA, so everyone connected the dots and
just called it a copycat angle. That's funny. So that counted as a
win in TNA. You know these it's such a minor league mentality like the
copy in US. See two weeks later, I saw him use the same
camera trick on Raw. Therefore what won? Therefore what Eric? We won?
Zach won exactly. Huh. So, I don't care about your personal
shit. Aj. I'm gonna make a big announcement and it gets interrupted by
Ken Anderson. Now that I've got your your permission, mister asshole, he
calls Anderson, mister ass that's funny. I already come on down here.
Jeff gets called out Hogan's losing his voice in this episode of Impact, and
he says that the opponent that will wrestling here next to Thursday, the man
who will win this match that I'm gonna make right now, was going to
face Bobby Ruden. It's a triple threat with Jeff Hardy and mister Anderson and
a j that's Slam Anniversary. And then Rude doinks staying with a beer bottle
over the head at Slam Aniversary and beats him to retain the championship. And
it's as part of the press tour for Slam Anniversary, as they're trying to
get people to buy tickets to the show in Dallas Arlington, Texas. Yes,
it was indeed June tenth and not September tenth, Boss, And there
we go. Hogan stops by kdfatv CW affiliate in Dallas and makes this announcement
without much in the way of Hoop law, much in the way of you
know, Piro and ballyho As Russeau would say, quote, the last time
I said I was retiring, for sure, I was suckered back into the
ring one time, and I'll never do it again. Wow, unceremoniously here
in June, and we only you know at the time you shouldn't have taken
it any more seriously than any other time. Hope Cogan already pro wrestler for
that matter, says they're retired. But we have the advantage of hindsight.
We know it actually is true. Retired to the number twelve. He did
retire until he wrestles again, until he wrestles again, even though when he
showed up at Raw thirty, Kurt Engel said his podcast that Hulk was telling
people he had nerves burned, so we can't feel his legs. That's way.
He has a fucking cane, So I would not be waiting around for
that. I'm waiting for it one more time. He's gonna throw that cane
down. Jeez, he's gonna have that, you know. You know when
Flair has his next last match, it'll be against Hogan. It's gonna say
so that cane down. Cane is in no shape to take a leg drop
right now. Oh, he's too busy eating all of the food Knox County
has to offer. I was gonna say, like he I mean, you're
kidding me. Those Sunday morning pancake breakfasts at the church, shit are just
like he can't or you know, she's loving that chicken fried steak. Mister
Mayer, mister mall, don't do that. Don't make that side of me
come out. Hello, mister Mayer. Oh if it isn't the mayor where
we are, Oh my goodness, hey, would you like mister mayor,
I'll give you an extra double stack, do you want some biscuits for your
face, you fucking pig? Is that what you want? How about we
want some extra extra maple syrups. Yeah, let's go, baby, mister
Mayor, there's enough butter in that pan Velma's come on, Susie, you
fucking cut mister Mayer's some more fucking pancastle. Susie's heart. She doesn't understand.
She just started here. I understand family from what is it? Guatemala?
You know she she doesn't have her papers yet, mister Mayor? Where's
your Wall Stream Journal? Kane forces himself to read the Wall Street Journal.
You know, you know he doesn't understand a look of it. You know
that he doesn't know what the fuck's going on. He just needs to be
He just needs to be seen reading it at some point. You know,
why does extream media cover the Gary Johnson nomination at the Libertary at the Libertarian
Convention? That's what he wants to know, Kane, look at the thing
of his face. Oh god, it's fucking such a goofball, bald head.
Was space space and his teeth that you could fucking unload an ocean and
fucking more for him? Man, life after you gotta respect it. Hey,
you know someone's got it. Yeah, maybe he'll be president Kane at
some point. I'm sure the thought has crossed his mind. Mister mayor,
you can run for president. You're so handsome. Have another pancake? Can
you put your big red extra extra? What say that extra extra bacon?
Well, now he's got the title of his bi agraphy when he's on a
campaign for extra bacon. My story in politics, extra bacon, mister Mayor.
I never hesitated to take a set in it if it meant locking down
votes, right, if it meant winning over taking a second or a third
help in a bacon. Yeah, if it meant if it meant securing one
more vote, helping one other person, I had that bank. Mister Jacobs,
I understand this diner tab when you're campaigning, But how do you explain
the amount you spent it this diner before you ever ran for office? Is
that research when you were eighteen years old? I mean you've actually kind of
you're actually cut down on the cost. It looks like, hey, you
know when he goes, he goes back, gets goes to the diner to
a half lunch. You know he's got like a like a like a like
a smidge of some kind of meat on his face, you know, has
h'm wiped off. He goes back to fucking run down. He uh.
He shakes hands at a polo at the Little Legal the day. Absolutely,
he goes, yeah, totally goes show up there all any any yeah,
any kind of American thing. He always shows up anything. Anything the Liberals
want to take away, He goes, yeah, folks they want to take
away baseball. Folks that want to take away this third order of hash Browns
that's coming. I'm telling you right now. The Democrats want to take away
pancakes. Do we want that? Is that American? Or is it american
to have another stack? Or is it american to eat as many pancakes as
you damn well please? And the the bisquick on your head. My name
is Kane, and I am the mayor. He's not running, he's he's
coming, and there's not a second season. He does that speech and then
he says, but my name is Kane, which which it's not, and
I am the mayor. What's the fucking problem, bitch TNH got it?
Fucking Kane. Oh jesus, I'm packed. June fourteenth, Austin Airis wins
an Ultimate X match and says after afterwards, I'm not satisfied with this.
Hogan comes out. I hear all the hood law when you come out here,
brother, when you're going, I've already where you're going. I've already
been. I know what it's like to be the main event. This is
way too important. Um the chant the named Hogan, he says, because
they're chanting Hogan Hogan when he wants them to be getting excited about Austin Airis.
So No, he doesn't, So he says to him, this is
great, too important. Chant the name hogans. You know what they do?
They chant Terry. Oh my god, that's funny. It's just like
once, but it's hilarious. The one thing I've never done is got the
kind of goosebumps I got now that I get when I've seen you wrestle.
Brother, you by first. This is the new RVD. This is the
new Bobby Rude, this is the new who else has he got the Jeff
Hardy? You know what I'm thinking, dude. You know I'm thinking,
awesome, brother. You know what we could do? Dude? You know
how you know how You're not hook up, brother, all right, I
kind of fight for you against against you know you. I'm on your side
against a rude brother. But you know what you down the line, brother,
I think you'd turn your back on me. That's what I'm thinking,
turn heel on mean brother. Oh really, Terry, that would be an
honor. Oh man, I thought that, what do you see happening in
the match? Well, brother, I don't know. I mean, I'm
not saying at you. I'm just saying that you all have you know what
do you? Oh? I didn't want to presume anything. I thought you
meant we were gonna work where I want to wrestle you. I don't want
to pressure, but pressure on you to wrestle. I know, brother,
what do you? What do you? What are you saying? Dude?
What do you? How do you mean? Well, you were saying,
what do you do a program together? And that Brother, I didn't say
a program. I said, you turn your back on me, Dude,
I said, you turn heal against me? Bro, I thought you said
you turn your back towards me. You get the fuck out of my office
right now. Brother, You're done. You're fucking fired, dude, Get
the fuck out of here. Brother, this is fucking belt. David Houston
will be calling you momentarily false life. I say a word again, I'm
gonna fucking kick your ass. Turn. I'm gonna turn my back to you,
like I don't know what you're trying to do. I know you're trying
to steal whole Commania around the Boston. You want this fucking Austin Mania branch.
Dude, Let me let me, let me tell you something, brother,
dude, I'm not playing. I'm not playing hide the ball and I'm
not playing I'm not playing kick you know, kick the man over in his
fucking chair. Bro, I'm not playing hide the ball, dude. I'm
not trying to play kick the man over in his chair, kick the man
in his chair. I beged you like a stick figure, just kicking the
silhouette of an office chair, and overgoes the man. Yes, Terry,
you didn't come here for this bullshit. You came here to try to elevate
these this talent and help them get the rub and here they are coming to
Dude, I'll get the world taler on my own, which two years now.
Terry, Okay, you've done enough sacrificing. You've stepped in there.
When your doctors told you no business doing it. You've you've gone, You've
undergone three hundred backs done. Dude. It's about time, if I If
you ask me, Terry, after the only thing around here that seems to
have any life is whole Coogan, Dude that maybe it is time to put
down the GM clipboard. Maybe it is time to step back out of the
board room. Maybe it is time to put a little more faith into that
ten tons of year in your back. Maybe it is time for the Hulk.
Whoever wins the next world title match, Dude, whoever wins that,
brother, I win the title. That's fucking right, Terry. You can't
even walk, no, brother, I don't. I'm just saying, you
go in there against fucking Robert Rude. Man, you pin Robert Rude,
Brother, I get the title. Have you had enough of pretending you go
in there with Robert Rude, Brother, Robert Rude pins you, dude,
I get the top? Yes? Have you had enough of pretending these Jabronis
can really captain the ship? Terry? People want to see Hulk Hogan with
the title. Brother. It's enough of the ship fuckers. Let's get the
strap on the Hulk. Start let's really start to jet pack this thing.
Strap it on Jack Well, but no, he's this is the newest baby
face that He's gonna raise the hand and endors right right, austin Aries the
X division champ at the time. He says, you, my friend,
have taken this thing to a whole other level. Oh my god, I
will stake my reputation, everything I know and believe in forget this pound for
pound crap. You're the greatest thing I've ever seen in this ring. Oh
my god, and Aris goes, who am I'd argue with the Immortal Hulk
Coogan. I want to be the man. You want to be the main
event, Hogan says in the general manager. And if you want to be
the main event, so bad. I can make that happen at Destination X.
But you got to put your money where your mouth is. I'm willing
to book the world's heavyweight champion against austin Aries on one condition, Hogan says,
I cannot have one man as a champion of both divisions here in TNA.
So the way it goes, I'll book the match with you against the
world champion at Destination X, but you have to give up the X division
title to do it. You win the main event at Destination X, you
become the World heavyweight champion, you lose, and you walk away with nothing.
I will say this is pretty effective and something they still continue to do
for years where the one time a year at Destination X instead of being a
pay per view of just like exclusively X Division matches and this totally separate Head
and the Beast. This sort of like glimpse into what TNA should be,
which didn't serve him so well when it compared more favorably than they would have
liked to the buy rates of their main roster shows the year before the conceit
of Destination X, becomes the X Division champion, can go for the Gusto
and try to win the Big Belt, but they have to put their their
X division title up for grabs, you know, vacated essentially to get that
chance right right, and you know, spoiler alert, not only Disostinaries accept
that, but he wins the fucking world title. It was a huge twist.
People were not expecting it. Ton of bullishness on Austinaries. This is
still no matter what TNA was always, We're going to basically pick the ring
of Honor World Champion. We're gonna pluck him. That's the whole business model
of Impact Wrestling, if you ask me, is we're going to build around
Ring of Honors. Next top guy in Austinaries was that he's coming off for
World Time and running r Wage where he proved to be a multi dimensional performer
and had wonderful man So they bring him in and put the strap on him,
and that brings the end of the title reign of Bobby Rude, which
again was a record reign in terms of, you know, the typically truncated
TNA world title reigns. And just like that, they hand the ball to
Austin Airies And did he not? Did he never win the belt back Robert
Rudin. I don't think he did. Wow, No, I don't think
he did. I could be wrong, but I don't believe so. And
uh oh it's not too hard to look up. I know. I'm just
by ten a world title history. It was. It was surprising when they
did it. It was an inspired move. People didn't necessarily think they would
go all the way with the guy. Yeah, that was it. Wow,
that's it. Well, I have two times, but he won their
World Time A right, Well, I have him winning U I have him
winning on October twenty six on Impact, which was after Bound for Glory,
and I don't have him after that. Do you let me take a look.
I'm sorry, Wow, you know what I'm What I do in my
mind is I just end tna after after holding after Spike. Oh, it's
off Spike by the end of twenty thirteen, and then I feel like a
guy of Bobby root stature leaves the company and goes to U an XT,
which he does, but not before winning the belt one more time. Thanks
very much. There you go, and he gets for a while too,
eleven days there you go. Yeah, yeah, beyond our timeline here at
TNH but point well taken. Yeah. So yeah, Austinaries wins the belt
and it's a galvanizing moment. But I gotta say, when you look at
the ratings patterns, it just wasn't successful. People just were not interested in
seeing him be the standard bearer of tna UM. And he loses the belt
to Jeff Hardy pretty quickly. But it doesn't really mark a It doesn't mark
something that draws renewed interest. Even though it was a surprising thing to do
to put Austinaries over for the strap and have whole Cogan call him the greatest
thing I've ever seen in this ring. Um, now here's a conundrum,
Austinaries. I believe every fan in the Impact Zone, every fan that watches
Impact, we leaving you, brother, and we know you can do it.
And Ariuss hope, I've busted my tail for this and you want me
to just hand over the Extevation Championship. No, I don't want to become
I want you to become greater than you already are. Brother, You and
the Match of Destination next you become our champion, and that is great to
personify. Ari said that I'll be the greatest man that ever lived, and
Hogan says, you call yourself the greatest man that ever lived. I want
you to prove it to me. You have one week to give me your
decision us and Arius is fair enough. Later on this Impact, Brooke is
with Gail backstage. Thank you for coming to meet me. Of course,
I have a lot of stuff that's going on good and you got some new
stuff to catch up to speed on. Hey, next week is open fight
night, I know, and the title is going to be defended you're thinking
about four girls four No, no, no, I'm the longest training knockouts
champion. Yeah, I'm the most dominant champion you've ever had in this company.
I should be the number one contender, absolutely, But now that I
know how you feel about it, I won't include no minute. That's you
know what, missus Hogan brook Can I tell you Broke? Sure, I
know you're getting your feet wet with this whole knock Us division thing, but
honestly, I'm just gonna catch hip to speed and I'm gonna lay. I
have a rematch clause in my contract, so just what you know, I
don't need your help. You're right, you absolutely do have a rematch clause
in your contract, But Gail, you should read it a little bit closer,
honey, because it doesn't say when you're gonna have that rematch, and
I actually get to decide when that happens. So, now that you're not
going to be part of Open Fight Nite and you don't know when your rematch
is going to be, enjoy your vacation, right, Hye. Wow?
She Brooks good because she saw that coming and she was lawyered up. That's
right. She knew the contract inside out brother. That's that's Hulk. That's
a stage of life. Hulk is act man. He's loving lawyers. He's
like learning under he's under the learning tree of lawyers. He's suing everybody.
He's constantly dealing with attorneys. And he likes this game. I mean,
come on, he is. He's the ultimate when it comes to when it
comes to law. No one knows better than Hogan in the wrestling world.
Yeah, as far as wrestlers who have like used the legal system to achieve
ends, he's he's one of the best. Yeah, he's always looking for
a reason to sue, you know, absolutely, especially in this time period.
And a lot of this is that a lot of this you know,
administrator TNA character that Hogan was doing is I think probably it's not too much
of a stretch to connect it to how much lawyers are in his life right
and informing his world view. And if he's you know, he's carrying on
like a lawyer would like, arguing the finer points of how things are worded
and contracts and formats and meetings and all that shit, and we're just subjected
to it, unfortunately, and Brooke getting a taste of it as well,
at the show close, they say, last Sunday Night, Dixie announced the
first member of the TNA Hall of Fame, and that man is this gentleman.
And they go all the way back in a montage just Stings TNA run
to June eighteenth, two thousand and three, which was the first time Sting
wrestling TNA, and we got I got, I got that package for you.
Excellent, the whole package they do for Sting. Nice. Here we
go game the Icon. Sting, in my opinion, wrestling's biggest star today,
professional wrestling icon. There's no other way to put it. Who's competed
at the highest level for several years against the best in the world. I
love Sting. I think this thing has been a huge part of this company,
has made it a high successful. A lot of fans, a lot
of followers been hanging on to watch Sting and it's the only way you can
watch thing. I think anybody who's followed wrestling for the last twenty five years
realizes what Sting has done. He is the icon. The man knows how
to go in here, number one, to perform, number two, how
to wrestle. He's always given on you the ten percent He's always going out
there and bust this behind and he's always one that when he had the franchise
is the icon. He's somebody that you know us again, part of the
influence of why I wanted to come here, to be able to work alongside
of Sting. It's Crimsing is you know, I'm a huge fan of his
and getting to no Sting on a personal level, he's just a great human
being and he's always there to help the There are a lot of guys that
you see come along and do great things. I got to getting the ring
with an icon. They've meant the world to me. I constantly tell him,
you don't understand how good you really are. You don't know you know
how good things are when you hit that building, when the fans you.
I mean, his talent is unmatchable, his timing is uncomparable, your presence.
Everything that he has is all the working girl. So if you have
a sham, still live forever. Fucking Trevor Rabin's score from Armageddon? Is
it really? No? It sounds like it though, definitely a rip off
of it, definitely an AI derivative version of it. Yeah, Yeah,
it was cool. So that Sting to become the first Hall of Famer.
And do they still they still have a Hall of Fame? Do really?
Yep? They put Ken Shamrock in and Rock sent a video in two years
ago. Rock showed up on Impact. What yeah in video form? Are
you serious? He shot a video? He did it right after he shot
his video endorsing by for President, because you could tell it was the same
clothes in the same setting, the same background. Whatever. God, and
uh yeah, so he's doing He's doing cameos for inventually essentially literally. There's
also the Jericho of TNA UM cameo because they used his song Enemy in the
music video from Fozzy as the opening montage for one of their pay per views,
and of course the music video has Chris Jericho all over it. So
you watched this TNA show and Chris Jericho's on the screen. Wow. Um.
They also put um this year. Last year, rather, they were
able to get a deal with WWE, where I remember when Mickey James came
out on a Rumble and she was called the Impact Women's Champion. Yes,
they were able to use footage of ww's actual royal Rumble on their Impact show
on a Holy shit, that was a real trip to see clips of the
actual rumble courtesy of re Wait. How can they call him? How can
they? I'm looking out now, how can they call Sting a one time
NWA World champion? Um? Probably the international. They probably decided to call
that the NWA. I mean he was NWA champion a few times. Um
really just saying yeah, but he beats Flare at ninety it's beat fast.
Yeah, because they didn't make the w w World title to ninety one when
he leaves. That's right, that's the belt I associate with Sting. It's
the w w W World title, not the big goal. But yeah,
there it is. So why are you asking? Why did they they put
him down as an as a one time Did he win the NWA World Championship
in in TNA? No? Oh he didn't. Oh yes he did,
Yes he did. He won that fucking luther as the the Harley Race belt.
Yes he did. I could picture him hoisting it up at bound for
glory right now. So I'm yeah, they hadn't called it the TNA world
title yet, not Yeah it was. It was the it was the fucking
license plate belt. So weird. Yeah, they don't call it the NBA
yeah, well they you know, originally he was in Watna the company and
they right remember that they dropped the affiliation really with the Alliance, but they
kept the belt. I feel like that makes any sense. It doesn't really,
but I mean they call him NWA World Headweight Championship under Jim Crocker Promotions
one time. I mean, yeah, it's this, you know, it's
technically the same lineage, but whatever when I call that a t AA bell,
who am I? Who am I? Exactly? Who are you?
Who am I? So that there's the uh, the tip of the captives
Sting and it's it's actually really fitting because one of the things that keeps coming
up is a card AW might play when they go to Wembley Stadium in August.
Is Sting's retirement match before this massive crowd. Yeah, and um,
he's ready to retire. He's been very public about that. It has just
done remarkable things in AW in terms of just the risks he's taken in matches.
It's really it's so stupid. Really, yes, it's how he has
yeah, you know, how he has been able to last. I mean
he's like he's old school and this is like Nick Backwinkle type shit, Yeah,
totally great example. I mean he's sixty four years old, this guy,
and here he is right with hulkoken in TNA in twenty twelve, and
Hulkokean can't even move and he did not even a tenth of what Sting did
physically in the ring in terms of risk taking and high flying and bump taking
right right, and Stings still going and Hope can't even get out of the
car without a cane, and Sting is still coming off balconies, landed on
four wrestlers, He's doing plaunches, he's he's doing these things in a control
to one off manner. But he's even the fact that he can even entertain
the notion, let alone execute on it. It's just right. I mean,
we're seeing a special talent here in TNH. I mean Sting will go
down as the hero of the journey because sure, no question, this is
where we actually come the thing. You know, Hogan, A bunch of
workers he is, and that in that package you just played, he does
put his finger on it. This is finally how good Sting is made manifest
Like, yeah, he's finally getting a chance to show how well rounded he
is in the in the TNA presentation, which is as much spotlights he received
in WCW. It was never it never came at a time when he was
um incentivized to put forward this much depth of a character. You know,
he was just doing a backstage hit, backstage promo and hitting the ring and
and yeah, he was a pretty poor promo in his earliest days as World
Champion, he was. But man, whenever he got this good, it's
probably the same time he was silent for fucking two years. You know,
it could say a word to express the first place. So this is this
is specially here. You know, he's only six years younger than um,
than Hogan too. That's something. It's remarkable that again, that he's able
to do that he's able to do as much as he has done, and
that he does, I mean, it's it's nuts. Yea. He still
gets good at airtime on the Stinger splashes. He yeah, he wrestles in
a long sleeve and pants and everything. But I just I'm just blown away
by what he's been able to do and how how much of a career he's
been able to carve out outside of WWEB, from w W to TNA to
AW He's found a way, you know, to have a path where he
can be a legend and make great money in the business without having to work
for WWE. Of course he did for a couple of years, and I
wonder if he would have gotten hired if it wasn't for all the TNA stuff
we're watching right now, right you know, if you're gonna say aj Styles
got in their radar, he Sting got in their radar too, because Pritchard's
back there. He's working with Sting for the first time. He's becoming acquainted
with Sting. Well maybe he touched touch paths with him in UM in Mid
South or Dalla the Dallas days, but um anyway, you know, this
is really him seeing what Sting can do and working closely and when he goes
back to WWE, yeah, you know he's gonna put in a good word
triple ah. It is so crazy that how how really they never got They
got a couple things out of them, but really not a good, a
good real round, nothing close to what it should have been. It just
it was just it was just confirmation. It's a lot like how Vince us
Dusty and and in eighty nine and ninety. You know, it's like it
was just confirmation that the thing, the only thing standing in the way all
along was some personal hang up Vince McMahon and Vince McMahon only had about the
performer, right. It probably has a lot to do with them being presented
as the baby face counterpart to your hull Hogan. And you have to hate
that guy right right, You have to see only flaws in that guy.
You have to or at least you have to emphasize one fatal flaw. You
know. I'm sure Vince had a shorthand thing to dismiss hiring Sting year after
year after year, just some sort of like belief he had about his lack
of ability in a certain department that could easily be disproved. But no in
that room is going to do the work to convince Vince McMahon that actually Sting
isn't is limited. And when he brings in Sting and gives him that fake
voice, when he that tells you all you need to know, there's something
about the wasting talks that pisces off Vince McMahon. I mean, hey,
pisses me off too. I get it. I don't I don't like it,
but you know it, um, again, the way he's booked here,
it just it all works, all works, that's correct. Well,
he's just this guy that like he wears non WWE on his sleeve, like
he's just yeah, oh totally, He's a guy you can point to to
say, this guy made it as a superstar and pro wrestling without Vince McMahon.
In a weird way, I wish he never actually came into WWE for
that period of time. Looking back on it, I absolutely wish it didn't
happen for him. I'm glad it happened, but it didn't. It didn't
help. It would have been It would have been kind of cool for him
to be able to say that he's like the guy yeah, like in a
weird way, I would I would have liked this to happen that he he
never goes to WWE, he retires in a w and then and then gets
brought in interduction to the Hall of Fame. You go, that would have
been better for me. Did he get induc w Hall of Fame? He
never did, did it? That's why they brought him in. Yeah,
that's why they brought him and we were there, We were there. Did
the whole kitten kaboodle. That's right. What am I saying? See,
I was thinking he's got it later, but yeah, it was like part
of the deal. It was, it was it. I mean it was
like two years after two WrestleManias after he was in because they brought him in
and he for the video game tie in as well. That was a big
deal because he was brought back Warrior. That's why they brought back Everybody Savage
too for that like one off engagement they did with him in the studio Brett
to some degree, like you bring him in for the video game and on
the Hall of Fame and then didn Corectum. Yeah, no, no,
it was kind of It's kind of funny that he has these, you know,
because here was a guy. Remember he gave an awful speech. Yeah,
that's why it didn't remember it. It was so bad. And I
found it to be so odd because, you know, because he's a guy,
like you've said, he just you know, he wasn't a fan.
He didn't like grow up with it. It was it was a means to
an end, so to speak. But it's like you watch him here,
it's so different, it is. I mean, he talk about this character
is like this is me. This is how I was in the locker room,
you know, like I do voice. He's alive. He's alive here
and it's so much fun. I haven't watched enough a W to know,
like in terms of him cutting promos and stuff, to know what what he's
been like. But he doesn't talk bubb us at all in a W.
He hardly ever time. He's just like, he's like Darby Allen's you know,
trainer, Darby Allen's mentor. Yeah. Yeah, and it's been very
successful. I think they could do something really cool with that. When he
when he exit stage right, you know, finally hands it off to Darby
like you've you've learned all I can teach you kind of thing. Yeah,
he may should. Maybe you shouldn't wrestle Darby. I don't know, Oh
say that a way to do it? They should have some kind of a
should you should give me the opoint? Rob there? Yeah? Very interesting?
Um so JB welcome staying to the ring. He comes out in his
red T shirt and well, I guess it's obvious. Lammiversary twenty twelve is
going to have done in history of one of the greatest nights I've ever experienced.
In pro wrestling, and you could you say, how could it be
so great? When Bobby Rood did what he did? And the two weeks
leading up, I had one goal to take a big, huge chunk out
of Bobby Rood's hide, and I did that. But to be the very
first inductee into the TENA Hall of Fame, I can't even tell you what
it means to me that you deserve a chance, thank you, Staying,
et cetera. Sting says, I got to tell you something. I stood
up on the stage at Slammiversary next to all the great talent, and I
realized so many others just as deserving, if not more than me, were
next to me. It should be receiving such an honor. So I want
to say thank you to some people. And he only gets to shout out
Jerry and Jeff Jarrett because they started TNA again. Jarrett's involved in the Indian
venture at this point in time, Ring King, and he says, and
he's about to keep going with thinking who he needs to thank, but this
is wrestling and it's all about heat, and he's attacked and blindsided by three
complete strangers. I had no fucking idea. I was like I literally I
was like, what the fuck is this? Guys? Three Google goods and
leather vests and jeans, and there they look like thieves in the night and
they're attacking sting to abject silence from the Impact zone, who actually wanted to
have a moment here with the stinger right right now, it's just going to
be an angle the guys. They don't know and who the fuck are these
guys? And the announcers are certainly stiling it that way, and stings crawling
around in his stomach as they lay into him, and Tony is lamenting.
On a night where we pay tribute to Hold, they have to deal with
this. Where's Hogan? Where's Hogan? They chant for him? Where's everybody?
Never too far from the whole emotion of the show being is Hogan going
to come out and save the day? Or what? Right? Right?
That's never too far away, And they just keep prominent pummeling him as they
put the credits up for the end of this Impact episode, and we're left
to ponder, what, what the hell is? What the hell is this
all about? What the hell is this all about? That's the question that
might be the thought that crossed Hulk Hogan's mind and another flash point of two
thousand and twelve that we buy design saved for the very end of this week's
episode of tnh oh It's not a small development March twelfth, Pardon me.
March seventh, twenty twelve. TMZ dot Com a sex tape featuring legendary wrestler
Hulk Hogan as surfaced and TMZ has learned it's currently being shopped to a major
porn studio. We've seen a portion of the granny footage featuring Hulk getting undressed
and a naked, unidentified brunette lying on a bed. The woman is not,
it says in all caps, his ex wife Linda or his current wife
Jennifer McDaniel. In the clip, Hulk pulls his shirt off and brags to
his companion, I started to work out again. Hulk then runs his hands
through his blonde hair like he always does the best part Hulk's thong shaped tan
line. It's unclear when the tape was shot, but Vivid hancho Steve Hirsch
tells TMZ he was approached with the tape very recently by a third party.
So far, no word on whether hirsh or Hey, I'm a big fan
of that love. Third parties can't confirm nor deny it was me, but
can confirm that I am third party. I can confirm that I am a
third party candidate for the President of the United States of the Jesse does it
to the Hulk story again takes the spotlight. So far, TMZ reported no
word on whether hrsh or anyone else has made an offer to buy the tape.
Hulk did not have an immediate comment. Hulk says the tape was secretly
filmed without his permission and now his lawyers on the rampage. This is a
follow up claiming we will take all necessary steps to enforce both civil and criminal
liability. This is the point of no return and the Hulk Hogan story and
the TNH journey. March twenty twelve. It's all about the existence of a
Hulk Hogan sex tape. Boss. You think about Paris Hilton, you think
about Kim Kardashian, you think about Pamela Anderson yep. You think about people
who kind of get thrust into a higher level of pop culture celebrity because tape
exists of their crotch, and Hulkogan is now part of that elite company.
It is a complete narrative shift around what people see when they look at Hulkogan,
and it's never gonna wear off, and it's never gonna go away.
And it happens in twenty twelve. And something else that happens in that fateful
month of March hits the Tampa Bay Times and it reads, lest the cast
of spring Breakers take up all our time and energy. The Juice Legal Department
has obtained details of shock Jog bab Bah the love sponge Clem settlement with his
ex wife, who actually signed her name in court papers. Who's Heather don
the love sponge Clem. Imagine the name change forms she's going to have to
fill out. Actually, if every thirteen sentlement agrees, she is changing her
name back to Heather don Cole. So it won't be that big of a
deal. Neither was her alimony and papers filed at the Panella Circuit Court.
Heather will receive fifty six months worth of alimony starting March first, totaling one
one hundred and fifty dollars per month. That's not a lot for a guy
who claimed annual income. The paper reports in two ten of one point five
five million dollars maybe that's why she also got a one time payment of twenty
grand. Two Heather had listed monthly expenses of more than sixteen grand, including
a thousand dollars per month for vacations and fifteen hundred per month for entertainment,
a thousand for cosmetics and sunduries, and fifteen hundred for clothing. That's more
than the Juice has spent hunclosed in the last year. Sorry to say the
juice is the name of this column. He also has to kick in a
couple thousand dollars to her IRA account. She made thirty grand working form at
Buba Radio Network, a job she can still have through late twenty sixteen when
the alimony runs out unless she remas before then. Bubba still has to pay
for her health insurance too. Heather also gets a raft of cooking utensils and
equipment, plus the couple's Chevrolet Suburban and shell Chevy Silverado. That leaves Bubba
with just a Harley in a two thousand and one and two thousand and three
day wu to get around two day Woo's Really at least he has three jet
skis. Is this whole Coken's alimony or this Bubba the luft Spudge's alimony.
Jesus Christ, do these two have a lot in common? Or what I'll
say? In fact, Bubba also has two hundred grand and Rock and Roll
in sports memberabilia, contributing to assets worth two point nine million dollars. Bubbo's
a reported current business income of thirty grand per month. He owns or has
invested in companies like Clem Racing, Bubba's Bean's Iron Works, which he co
owns with manager Thomas Bean, and BRN Travel. The forty five year old
already has to pay forty five hundred a month in child support for son Tyler,
from a previous relationship. Heather thirty seven, has a daughter named Julia
from a prior relationship too, but she and Bubba have no children of their
own. What he has is a house worth nine hundred thirty six grand with
a six hundred five thousand dollars mortgage, plus a vacant lot valued at four
hundred forty four thousand, with a loan of five hundred and eighty four grand,
contributing to two million dollars in obligations that net worth dropped really fast.
Bubba and Heather are both responsible for their own legal costs, though, and
both have agreed not to talk about each other in public. That was caused
for consternation in a series of contempt motions filed because Bubba would go on to
show and say things like I hope to Fox she loses her engagement ring,
a bauble he said on air cost seventy three thousand dollars but was valued at
fifty grand. The pair married January two thousand and seven first Baptist Church of
Saint Petersburg in a relatively traditional wedding featuring Hulk Hogan is the best man.
Howard Stern and several members of his on air crew attended, as did former
Chicago Tribune CEO Randy Michaels. The judgment was proved February twenty third. The
reason for the divorce was irreconcilable differences. Bubba Nay Todd Alan Clem has said
he worked all the time with more than a million five an annual come that
much is obvious. So Boss, a week after news finally hits that a
whole Coogan sex tape exists and we know who shot it, Bubba and Heather
resolve their divorce. Wow, what happened? Well? A lot in time.
But let me just convey this as we wrap up TNH this week.
This is a series of statements of facts from one of the many filings in
the legal volleys back and forth between Hulkogan and Gawker Media, which, as
we've talked about in the earlier installments of TNH, published the actual videotape or
at least an excerpt of it, of Hulkogan absolutely going to town on Bubba's
wife. And this lays forward a fact pattern that I think will prove instructive
and important context. As we round third in our TNH journey, we go
to the court papers. In or about early twenty twelve, the Cox defendants
illegally obtained a copy of the surreptitious recordings of plaintiff at being Hogan inspired with
one another to use and disclose the contents of said recordings to harm plaintiff and
obtain an improper economic benefit. So that's in or about early twenty twelve.
So it's not just the UH, that's just the news media that picks up
on it. In twenty twelve it is shopped around for the first times and
twelve Jesus, I'd like your help, boss, And continuing to convey this
fact pattern. Oh my god, paragraph twenty six, if you could.
In or about early twenty twelve, the Buckwall Defendants, Cox Defendants, and
Davidson Defends conspired with one another that were sued for extorting allegedly Hull Coogan into
you know, pay us or this tape gets released, essentially conspired with one
another to use and disclose the contents of the illegal recordings of plaintiff to cause
him harm and obtain an improper economic benefit, and in further an in further
instant thereof sold information relating to the surreptitious recordings of plaintiff to media companies,
including among others, TMZ dot Com and the Dirty dot Com, which information
included still still images and or portions of the audio and video recordings of plaintiff
video recordings. Brother, would they recorded everything I said to Heather? Dude?
M wait a second? Brother? Whoa dude? I don't care if
people see my cock, but I hear people pure about my cock. Brother.
Tmz dot Com reported on such information starting on or about March seven,
twenty twelve, and the Dirty dot Com reported on such information starting on or
about April nineteen, twenty twelve, which reports included still images from the surreptitious
recordings of plaintiff, as well as information regarding the contents of the audio portions
of the surreptitious recordings. During twenty twelve, Lloyd and Caulta communicated repeatedly regarding
the formulation and execution of a plan to release the surreptitious recordings of plaintiff,
including their strategy for releasing portions of same to media outlets, for the purposing
of causing substantial economic arm to plaintiff, among others, while also furthering their
own radio broadcasting careers. Lloyd and Calta were acting within the course and scope
of their employment by Cox when they engaged an act of in furtherance of the
scheme and conspiracy to use Hogan was also in the scope of his cock.
Absolutely, I think they have a lot of company in that regard to use
cocks were engaged and disclose the contents of the serrupitious recordings of mister Bolia and
let's see if we can enlist the boss one more time. And some or
all of the acts were committed committed at Cox's office located in Penella's County,
Florida, and or with the knowledge and consent of Lloyd and Culta's immediate supervisors
ETE twenty nine take it away. In or about late September twenty twelve,
Burton, in his capacity as a talent agent employed by buck Walden Associates and
acting on behalf of and in concert with cult a client of buck Walden Associates,
communicated with A. J. Delirio. Why is his name impi?
Why is his name also in? But that is? That means so going
forward we're just going to call him Delirio, not AJ Delirio, Delirious yes,
who was then the editor in chief of gawker dot com, a popular
weblog owned by A Gawker. In those communications, Burton stated A Delirio that
a DVD was being sent to Deliria on Gawker containing a large portion of the
surreptitious recordings of plaintiff. Within days of these communications, certain of the buck
Wall defendants, Cox defendants and or Davidson defendants, or someone acting in concert
with them or at their direction, sent to Delirio and Gawker a DVD containing
a little more than thirty minutes of surreptitious recordings of plaintiff, including video images
of him fully naked and engaged in consensual sexual activity with miss Clem, and
also including oral communications between plaintiff, miss Clem and mister Clem. Burton,
acting on behalf of and in concert with buck Hole defendants, Cox defendants and
Davidson defendants, knew and intended a Delirio would publicly disclose content from the thirty
minute video. Delario edited the surreptitious recordings of plaintiff contained within the thirty minute
video into a one minute and forty second highlight reel video, which showed plaintiff
fully naked, receiving oral sex, and engaged in sexual intercourse. The video
also included plaintiff's private oral communications with miss Clem. Delaio and Gawker included English
subtitles to the video to ensure that viewers understood every word spoken by plaintiff and
miss Clem during the one minute and forty one seconds of their private encounter.
On October fourth, twenty twelve, Gawker posted the one minute, forty one
second video to the Internet, along with an incidental narrative description of the contents
of the thirty minute video, including portions not contained in the one forty one
video. At least seven million people watched the minute forty one second video on
the Internet. At around the same time, Lloyd contacted De Luio using the
alias Jim Gennaro, to discuss additional surreptitious recordings of plaintiff in October twenty twelve,
the Davidson defendants acting on behalf of it, in concert with the Cox
defendants collectively the extortionists. Filing reads so you can tell each side of the
aiolists comes from yeah contacted Council for Plaintiffs seeking to extort money from plaintiff,
that being whole Cogan. The extortionists threatened to release the entirety of the surreptitious
recordings of Hogan if Plaintiff did not agree to make a very large payment in
exchange for all copies of the recordings. Davidson, representing and acting on behalf
of and in concert with the other extortionists, specifically stated to Plaintiff's council that's
certain of the surreptitious recordings that were created illegally and obtained illegally by the extortionists
contained insensitive racial remarks which could have the effect of causing great economic harm to
plaintiff if released publicly. Initially, the extortionists demanded one million dollars. Davidson,
representing an acting on behalf of and in concert with the extortionists, also
told plaintiffs counsel that the extortionists, who acted in agreement with and the assistance
of the Bukwald defendants, arranged for a thirty minute video to be sent to
Gawker as a quote shot across the Bow as part of the scheme to extort
money from plaintiff. The extortionists and the Buchwald defendants agreed and worked in concert
with one another to send the thirty minute video to Gawker and de Lario in
further rents of the scheme to extort plaintiff with the surreptitious recordings promote Lloyd and
Cult's broadcast careers while injuring the career of a competitor, and caused substantial economic
harm and severe emotional distress to plaintiff through the release to Gawker and De Lario
of the thirty minute video. So are they saying, boss that by releasing
the video, not only are they harming the Hulkster, they're harming Bubba the
Love Sponge as well a competitor. Oh my goodness, Is it Bubba to
Blaine or is it Bubba's position in a world equally as shark infested as the
wrestling business that's to blame. Plaintiff's Council contacted local law enforcement agencies for assistance
in investigating and prosecuting those involved in the recording, use, exploitation, and
disclosure of the surreptitious video. However, local law enforcement advised Plaintiffs Council that
the statute of limitations for any violations criminal violations under Florida law had expired because
the recordings were made in two thousand and seven. Plaintiffs Council then reported the
extortionist's threat to the Tampa, Florida Office of the FBI oh May. FBI
subsequently set up a sting operation, which occurred on or about December fourteenth,
twenty twelve, at a hotel as Clearwater. After all the parallels the sting
operation in Panellis County. On that day, the extortionists followed through on their
plan to use the surreptitious recordings to extort money from plaintiffs. Specifically, the
extortionists turned over what they represented double as Council were all copies of all syrup
tis recordings of plaintiff and the possession of the extortionists in exchange for a check
from Plaintiff's council in the amount of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in a
commitment to make subsequent payments of an additional one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for
a total extortion payment of three hundred thousand dollars. Plaintiff and his counsel,
David Houston, appeared at the Clearwater Beach Hotel that day. Hogan himself appeared
with his counsel and met mcdavidson and Burbridge, representing an acting in concert with
the other extortionists and in furtherance of their conspiracy for the execution of a purported
settlement agreement and the exchange of all the copies of the surreptitious recordings from extortionists
to plaintiff and a one hundred and fifty thousand dollar check from plaintiff's counsel to
the extortionists. High stakes meetings, with the FBI listening in mosties, continued
to regale the solar system if he could. Starting at paragraph thirty six,
the FBI recorded the activities of the participants Plaintiff Houston, Davidson, Burbridge,
and the polygraph examiner who was working undercover for the FBI in a room at
the hotel The hotel the hotel room next door contained several armed FBI agents who
recorded the activities in the adjacent room and prepared to make an arrest of the
extortionists. When Houston handed the check to the Davidson and Burbridge representing the extortionists,
several FBI agents entered the room with guns drawn, arrested Davidson and Burbridge,
and immediately removed plaintiff and Houston from the room. Continue police on May
nineteen, twenty fifteen, for the sole stated purpose of discovery and the prior
action to determine whether plaintiff knew he was being recorded by mister Clem. In
two thousand and seven, Gawker filed a separate federal lawsuit against the FBI under
the Freedom of Information Act to obtain documents and information relating to the aforementioned FBI
investigation and operation styled Gawker Media Llc at All versus Federal Bureau of Investigation,
US District Court, Middle District of Florida, Case number blah blah, blah
blah blah. In particular, Gawker sought to obtain other portions of the surreptitiously
recorded video of plaintiff which were not at issue in or nor relevant to the
prior action. As the prior action and the Gawker FBI action progressed, it
became clear that Gawker misrepresented the reason why it was seeking discovery of the FBI
extortion investigation and operation. Gawker, having become aware through discovery and the prior
action that other surreptitious recordings ceased during the FBI sting operation purportedly contained racially insensitive
statements by plaintiff, used the Gawker FBI action to try to gain access to
peep to video and or audio footage of plaintiff making such statements, so Gawker
could use such statements against plaintiff to destroy him publicly and as leverage to try
to force plaintiff to settle or drop his claims heading into a jury trial.
In the prior action, thank you. During that we can queen and cut
it there. So twenty twelve is when the real sharks start to come out.
FBI guns, drawn, extortion, TMC articles, sex tapes, radio
market competition run absolutely rampant. This is Hull Coogan and TNA Brother and this
is Bubba the Love Sponge. While excised from the TNA wrestling picture, not
excised from Hulk Cogan circle. He's still going on the radio. He's still
buddying up with his pal, and he knows that he had his way with
Bubba's wife on several occasions back in two thousand and seven with Bubba's approval.
But what Hulk didn't know was he was being recorded, that Bubba knew who
was being recorded as well. But is he the bad guy in all this?
After all we just read from court pleadings. Was he extorting or was
he just being careless and put the materials in the hands of people who were
prepared to extort. It's a tangled web, but it all starts coming up
from underground to the surface in the year twenty twelve. And we leave you
with some recent comments from Bubba the Love Sponge himself in an interview he conducted
with a platform called Concrete. It's available on YouTube. Looking back on the
Hogan saga that starts to become public, it becomes something we have to grapple
with when we look at Hulkegan himself in twenty twelve, Bring us out with
Bubba. All the people that extorted Hogan got away with it because I was
the victim. Because I'm a bad guy, the loudmouth. I'm the guy
that lesbian Tuesdays, no panties Thursday, Redneck Monday, Spectics, squirrel,
you know, squirt, Olympics shoot ping pongs out your pussy ping pong and
that guy doesn't make a good victim. We'll see you next time on TNH.