Hulk Hogan Unveils Reason Behind TNA Wrestling Departure

Hulk Hogan’s career undeniably shaped the landscape of professional wrestling, but many people don’t necessarily consider him to be the best booker in the business, especially when he was in TNA. In fact, Hogan has now revealed why he left TNA Wrestling during the early 2010s.

When Hulk Hogan joined TNA Wrestling in late 2009 alongside Eric Bischoff, there was a lot of excitement for what the new Hogan-Bischoff would bring to the table. When Hogan and Bischoff joined TNA, other big stars followed, like Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, The Nasty Boys, and even Bubba “The Love Sponge.” Despite bringing in these well-known names, TNA missed its chance to grow because it focused too much on older stars past their prime, instead of developing fresh talent.

TNA started strong by getting its highest-ever TV rating when it went head-to-head with WWE’s Monday Night Raw on January 4, 2010. However, the company couldn’t keep up that momentum, even after changing their unique six-sided ring to a traditional four-sided one. A few weeks later, TNA tried going head-to-head with WWE permanently, but the plan failed. The ratings dropped, and TNA soon moved back to Thursday nights. Hogan would ultimately leave TNA in 2013 and fans felt he helped ruin the company in a big way.

While speaking to the PBD podcast, Hulk Hogan talked about his reason for leaving TNA Wrestling. Hogan stated that the work itself wasn’t boring, but the schedule was demanding. Dixie Carter aimed to compete with Vince McMahon, and Hogan advised her that to keep up, TNA would need to go live on Monday nights, tour on the road, and secure a steady flow of funds. Realistically, it would take around $50 to $70 million to match WWE’s resources. Though it was exciting at first, the needed financial support didn’t materialize, and he realized it was time to step away. When his contract expired, he chose not to renew.

Just a few days later, while at the Park Meridian Hotel in New York preparing for another business matter, Hogan received a call from Triple H. He shared that Vince McMahon heard about Hogan’s decision and wanted to talk. Triple H asked if Hogan might be interested in a return, possibly to wrestle The Rock. Hogan saw potential in the idea, and after discussions, they reached an agreement, leading to his WWE comeback.

“Eventually, I started working on a show out of Universal Studios called Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which was owned by Dixie Carter, with Eric helping to produce it. I stayed there for about four years. They wanted to renew my contract, but by that point, I was done and ready to relax.

It wasn’t that the job was boring—it was just a constant grind. Dixie wanted to compete with Vince, so I told her that to do that, we’d need to go live on Monday nights, hit the road, and bring in consistent funding. Competing with Vince would need an influx of $50, $60, maybe even $70 million just to keep up. For a while, it was exciting, but the financial support didn’t come through, and it no longer made sense to continue. So, after four years, when my contract was up, I decided not to renew.

A couple of days later, I was at the Park Meridian Hotel in New York, preparing for a business deal or an appearance when I got a call from Triple H. He said Vince had heard I didn’t re-sign and wanted to talk. Triple H asked if I’d be interested in returning to wrestle with The Rock. I said it could work, and after some talks, we agreed on a deal, and I went back.“

For the record, Scott Steiner once told Dixie Carter that Hulk Hogan would run TNA out of business. Regardless, TNA Wrestling is now thriving thanks to its ongoing partnership with WWE and fans couldn’t be happier about the company’s growth after years of uncertainty.

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