TNA is a company with a complicated history, and throughout that history various names in the professional wrestling business have worked for the company. TNA thought they landed a huge get when Hulk Hogan agreed to work with the company in 2009, and he brought Eric Bischoff along with him.
The pair debuted in 2010, and when people found out that Hogan and Bischoff were joining TNA, it seemed as if there was a chance that they were going to try and recreate the success of WCW, but it didn’t happen that way.
Eric Bischoff recently appeared on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, and he explained that he was much less involved with the business aspect of TNA, and he was only there to oversee creative for Hogan (H/T to WrestlingInc for the transcription).
“We didn’t try to do it again in TNA. The only reason TNA hired me was because they had no choice. Dixie Carter wanted Hulk Hogan, that was obvious; but Hulk Hogan didn’t trust anybody in TNA,” Bischoff said. “When I say trust, I don’t mean to be devious or malicious or anything like that, but he didn’t trust their judgement or their ability, nor did he trust Vince Russo in any way, shape or form. Terry [Hogan] made it clear that if he was going to go to TNA I had to be there to kind of oversee whatever creative was involved with Hulk Hogan. That was my only job; I didn’t go to company meetings; I wasn’t part of any financial discussions, but role was really to oversee creative as it related to the Hulk Hogan character.”
Bischoff went on to say that over time he was given more influence over creative, but the company itself was run by the Carters, and he had no control over anything other than creative.
Most fans seem to feel that TNA was at its best a few years before Bischoff and Hogan joined the company, so for that reason their run with the promotion isn’t remembered fondly.
You can listen to the full episode below.
