Matt O’Brien writes and maintains the Wrestleview.com poll every two weeks.
In the most recent poll on Wrestleview.com asking how the presence of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff has affected TNA, the results are as follows.
For the better 20% (658 votes)
For the worse 65% (2,095 votes)
Not at all 15% (492 votes)
Total votes: 3,245
It was a little over twelve months ago the wrestling world was told Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were going to TNA. They had everyone’s attention. Hogan was one of the biggest names in wrestling history. Bischoff was the guy who had Vince McMahon beat for some time. They were on their way to take TNA by storm.
When they made their first appearance in the Impact Zone, the look of TNA began to change. Gone was the six-sided ring that TNA had implemented to separate themselves from other wrestling organizations. The likes of Sean Morley, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, and the Nasty Boys, were now integral characters on Impact. They were followed by Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Ric Flair, and Mr. Anderson. There was no denying TNA had undergone a facelift.
Yet even physical changes to not hide the lack of change within. Fifteen percent of voters believe that regardless of all the characters that have come and gone since the arrival of Hogan and Bischoff, regardless of the return of the traditional ring, the company is still the same TNA.
Those that believe that TNA has not been affected by the presence of Hogan and Bischoff are in the minority. The majority of voters believe that TNA has been affected for the worse by Hogan and Bischoff. Many are upset with the way the TNA favorites have been handled in the past year such as AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. The X Division no longer has the focus it once did. The Knockouts division has seen a dramatic shift. The talent is still there, but some of the favorites are gone. Impact was moved over to Monday nights where it suffered greatly in the ratings. The TNA that they had come to know and love had been replaced by a pet project of someone they do not want there.
Twenty percent of voters had a positive view of the Hogan-Bischoff era in TNA. They feel that they have affected TNA for the better. They like the addition of the stars brought in. They like the way TNA has utilized the ECW talent brought in. For these voters TNA has become a better place since Hogan and Bischoff have arrived. There are those that are glad the six-sided ring is gone, that new stars were brought in, that they took a chance and moved Impact head-to-head with Raw. They were happy to see the signing of former ECW talent, the creation of the contender rankings, Sting becoming a heel, and the slow revelation of THEM. If there is one thing that Hogan and Bischoff have managed to prove throughout the past year, it’s that one wrestling fan’s meat is another’s poison.
We would like to extend out thanks to all those participated in the poll and hope that you will vote in our newest poll on Wrestleview.com asking which WCW star(s) you would most like to see inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Matt O’Brien
Columnist, Wrestleview.com
mattman5436@yahoo.com