ERIK WATTS SPEAKS OUT ON HULK HOGAN JOINING TNA, THE TNA NAME WHO WILL BE GONE BY THE END OF THIS MONTH, WHY NICK HOGAN COULD BE A BLACK EYE FOR WRESTLING, AND MORE By WorldWrestlingInsanity.com
His old stomping grounds have just gotten a yellow and red makeover and now the question everyone is asking is…Watts-cha gonna do, brother, when the only ClubWWI.com audio show so controversial that it has to be powered by MEGAWATTS runs wild on you? That’s right. Erik Watts has returned to his ClubWWI show for a 39 minute edition that fans of the former TNA DOA have been waiting for.
With Hulk Hogan heading to Total Nonstop Action, fans have wondered about Erik’s opinion on it. As one of wrestling’s most polarizing figures, Hulk’s TNA presence has brought up a ton of emotion from fans and stars alike. Watts talks about all this with James Guttman and tons more in his latest ClubWWI.com audio including: Hulk Hogan’s Chances in TNA, The First Time Hogan Stood TNA Up, Jeff Jarrett’s Reaction, The “Bischoff Factor,” The TNA Name Who’s On His Way Out The Door, People Wanting Hogan To Fail, Former WWE Stars Shooting, What Dallas Page May Have Done To Get Himself Heat in WWE, The Purposely Tanked Alliance vs. WWF Storyline, Nick Hogan’s Car Accident, Brooke Hogan in TNA, When Hogan Used TNA To Leverage a WWE Deal, Indys with 15 Guys on The Roster…and Five of Them Booking The Show, Undertaker: The Person, Kevin Nash, The D.O.A. Position, Thanksgiving With The Watts Family, and More
Right off the bat – the big question – Hulk Hogan. What’s Erik’s thought on it? James asks and Watts answers. He speaks about the first time Hulk was supposed to come to TNA, how he stood them up for leverage with WWE, Jarrett’s reaction to it, and more. Then he addresses the Hulkster’s latest stint with the company for ClubWWI listeners…
“I’ll say this. As crazy it may seem, if they do the Hogan deal correctly, TNA will make more money than they ever made because this is the fist true launching pad where they can try to say they’re on the same level with WWE, even though they’re not. I mean, WCW, I don’t know if people remember, were getting pounded in the ratings wars. It wasn’t even close. Then they brought in (Scott) Hall, (Kevin) Nash, and Hogan, and then went head-to-head Monday night….If they can do this with Hogan and they can go to Monday nights and truly try to make a ratings war, which will be easy because even if you’re not a fan of Hogan, people are dying for a product other than WWE. I think they’d make WWE’s writers feel more challenged.”
Erik goes in-depth about the relationship between WCW and WWF during the wars, what TNA really needs to do TV-wise to be competitive, what TNA needs to do in-house to be competitive, the placebo effect that Hulk could have, possible WWE jumps to TNA, and more. Then, in a topic that has come up many times on ClubWWI.com, he addresses Hulk’s kids. Fans are worried that this could be his chance to give Brooke and Nick a push to the top at TNA’s expense. Claims of nepotism aren’t anything new to Erik. In the case of Nick Hogan, though, there’s a gorilla in the room. His car accident that left his friend John Graziano in a vegetative state is something that many fans won’t soon forget. Although Erik speaks out about how Nick doesn’t deserve sole blame for what happened, it’s the fans who have to be convinced…
“People gave me a hard time because of who my dad was. Same with Dustin Rhodes. But when you’re talking about the fact that if (Nick Hogan wrestling) doesn’t go so perfect that his name is cleared and everyone’s behind him and goes, ‘Oh damn. He deserves a second chance and pulled it out.’ It would be the biggest black eye in the world to promote a problem like that with someone who paralyzed his friend in an auto accident.”
Watts goes on to talk to ClubWWI.com members about how Brooke could contribute to TNA, how she could be used, a personal story of a car accident he once had, Hogan’s other associates coming in, “The Bischoff Factor,” former WWE stars shooting in TNA, and more.
As the show comes to a close, Erik makes mention that WWE is missing the boat by not bringing in former ClubWWI.com guest, Road Dogg aka B.G. James, and “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn to reform the New Age Outlaws. Guttman points out that Billy is still under TNA contract, but Watts thinks that statement may not be true soon enough…
“Just so you know, the tombstone has been set on the man we’ve been talking about. I don’t want to be the person to say it. I could be well out of bounds, but I don’t see him being there past the end of this month.”
James responds that it looks like they have a new potential guest on the horizon and Erik agrees. Remember, Erik Watts not only joins over 200 stars on ClubWWI.com including everyone from Jesse Ventura to Samoa Joe, but also other superstars in hosting his on audio. Other shows feature Bull Buchanan’s “Bullpen,” Paul Roma’s “Glorious,” D-Lo Brown’s “Lo-Down,” Orlando Jordan’s “Club O.J.,” and show archives from Tom Prichard and Ivory.