Hulk Hogan To Replace Daniel Bryan As WWE SmackDown General Manager?
A potentially problematic appointment.
Although the announcement that Daniel Bryan had finally been cleared to return to active in-ring competition rightly dominated last week's wrestling headlines, reports that WWE had held comeback talks with Hulk Hogan made waves over the weekend, and it now looks like the two situations may be linked.
According to Cageside Seats, Hogan may replace Bryan as SmackDown General Manager when the current authority figure returns to a full-time wrestling role. This will likely necessitate vacating his on-air management position, and thus, WWE would need to find an appropriate successor.
Hulk's return would pose several problems. His image remains dented following the Gawker trial, and he'd be replacing one of the most popular GM's in recent WWE history. This would make putting him on television every week a divisive choice, but Hogan wouldn't be universally rejected, as some might see the appointment as a wrestling legend retaking his rightful place in the business.
It's worth nothing that this is just a rumour, and should be treated with a hint of cynicism. Nonetheless, Hogan has spoken openly about his desire to return to the company on several occasions, and is probably the biggest name WWE could conceivably use to replace Bryan.