10 Fatal Mistakes That Destroyed The TNA Brand

2. Dixie Begs Hulk

Jenna Morasca
ImpactWrestling.com

Hulk Hogan had been a babyface, heel and babyface again in a tumultuous three years with TNA, and left very little desirable behind.

During his final programme with evil heel stable Aces & Eights, Hogan made amends with Sting after the two had been locked in a power struggle the year prior. He did increasingly less on the show in the summer months though, and had only one major angle to work in the run up to the company's WrestleMania equivalent Bound For Glory in October.

Dixie Carter had turned heel that summer, abusing AJ Styles for his perceived disrespect and gradually morphing into another tired retread of the evil authority figure, and TNA's immediate future appeared to promise a battle for supremacy between the millionaire and 'The Hulkster'.

On television and in real life, Hogan just wasn't all that bothered anymore. Set to depart the company ahead of a glorious return to WWE in early 2014, Hulk's final segment couldn't have made the company look any more pathetic.

After initially issuing Hogan with an ultimatum, she then literally got her knees and begged him to stay after he turned down a working relationship with her. The message, intentional or otherwise, was abundantly clear - TNA needed the stars far far more than they needed TNA.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett