The Hogan Effect - 2011

Regardless of any preconceived opinions, Hulk Hogan is still arguably one of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling.  Many fans now in their 30's, 40's, and 50's look back on what many consider the "good ol' days", that included Hogan and company.

However, those days are long gone and to some they weren't that great either.

Putting aside the past rivalries and backstage issues that included Hogan in the 1980's and 1990's, things seem just as heated at times in this era as well.  Over the past year, Hogan has found himself in more than one controversy.  Hogan has endured a continued war of words with his now ex-wife Linda, having the Ultimate Warrior create a video piece called "Karma is coming to collect" which ran down Hogan's entire life in a negative way, and he has also seen some controversy in his current wrestling role.

Ah yes, professional wrestling.  Where it all began.



Over the past two years, Hogan has been involved with TNA/Impact Wrestling.  While, Hogan's true role in the company has never been revealed, it is widely accepted that he along with former WCW President Eric Bischoff have input in the storyline direction of the company. 

Which leads to Hogan's current controversy, Bobby Roode.

Now while not every fan knows who Bobby Roode is, he has been a solid in-ring performer and up and coming star in professional wrestling for many years.  Roode, who has been with Impact Wrestling since 2004, has survived the wave of talent that has come and gone in that time frame.  Roode has worked mostly as a tag team wrestler during this period and became a main fixture of the show.  Bobby Roode really became a relevant player in professional wrestling during 2011 as he won the "Bound for Glory" tournament to determine who would face the World Heavyweight Champion at Impact Wrestling's self-proclaimed "biggest show of the year".

It almost seemed inevitable that the up-and-coming Roode would dethrone the legendary Olympic Gold Medalist and World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle live on Pay-Per-View.

As most by now know, this did not happen.

Rumours began to swirl that Hogan lobbied for Roode not to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.  Rumours also circulated that Hogan felt Roode was not ready for a run as World Champion.

Now, while this site is not dedicated to rumours, we feel this is a relevant news story.  With Roode losing in his World Championship match, the company built up a star only to fail on their biggest show of the year.

The biggest kicker in all of this?  The World Championship has since changed hands on a taped edition of Impact Wrestling free of charge.  The title changed hands to a wrestler who had been the exact same shoes Roode was prior to winning the World Championship, only without the monster push.  (Read the RSS feeds on the right hand side of this page for spoiler alerts)

Whether this all rests on Hulk Hogan's shoulders is irrelevant at this point.  Unfortunately for him, he is now being blamed for another resentful moment in the wrestling business.