TNA Champ

Hulk Hogan noted during a recent interview with Fighting Spirit Magazine that he was not happy with Jeff Hardy missing TNA's recent UK Tour.

"Dixie Carter runs the company, but if it was up to me and it had been my decision, Bobby Roode would have been a great champion to have right now," Hogan said. "The (UK) tour plus a champion makes sense; a tour with no champion doesn't make sense. [But] I choose my battles; some people look at the picture differently to how I do."

Source. NoDQ.com


So is Hogan saying that Bobby Roode should be champion? Didnt he say a year or so ago that he didnt want Roode as champion or is this just for the purpose of the Tour?

I think he means that Roode should have been the champion for the tour seeing as Jeff Hardy wasn't going to be there.

In the run up to Bound for Glory 2011 he said that Roode wasn't ready to be World champion, if I remember rightly one of things he said was that he'd have Roode billed as being from California or Nebraska or something instead of Canada.

Bear in mind though that Hogan was turning babyface at the end of his match with Sting so he didn't want to be overshadowed by a babyface Bobby Roode title win, which is what had been scheduled all along until it was mysteriously changed to a Kurt Angle title win. In hindsight it's worked out better for Roode but I'm pretty sure that wasn't Hogan's intention at the time.

I'm not sure what purpose it would have served the ongoing storylines, if Hardy had come over.

I get that having the champion on the tour gives it some added prestige, but given that they've been looking for a No.1 contender for the Lockdown title match, Hardy would only have been doing "exhibition" matches and filling slots in the shows, rather than having any meaningful fights.

I think the UK tour has been the perfect way to showcase the Brits on the roster, including the Boot Camp newbies. Maybe they thought that would help strenghten their UK fanbase more than seeing Hardy in some non-title matches?

The guy who should have got the title was Chris Daniels.

He won the right to fight Jeff before the tour started and lost. They should have rewarded him for his brilliance over the year by giving him the blet, even if it was only for the four weeks whilst over here. It wouldnt have done any harm to give Bully the win over Daniels in the last match of the tour, setting up the Hardy match at Lockdown (althought that wouldnt work if Bully is to turn and reveal himself as the leader of aces and 8s)

And as for Hardy, even though he wasnt on tour, the majority of the kids in attendance had the hardy face paint on.

I can see what Hulk was on about - the champ should always be on a tour like this. He is the face of the company whilst carrying the belt.

isnt he not allowed in the u.k though at the minute due to his drug history or something? swear i read something like that somewhere. might not be true though

Thats the point I think Hogan is making.

If they knew he wouldnt be allowed ahead of time, the last show before the tour was a title match where he was taken out. They should have had the belt change hands on to Daniels.

Its poor form by TNA management. A tour (which is the biggest thing in their calender year unlike with a WWE tour) and the champ isnt on it.