One circumstance is very similar to the debut of TNT Monday Nitro on Sept. 4, 1995. WWE has a boring, trite product. If TNA does the right thing and puts Bischoff in complete control, there are holes he knows how to exploit.
Will Bischoff have complete control? No. But Hogan will. There’s NO WAY Hogan would have signed with TNA otherwise. Hogan isn’t working for Vince Russo. Vince Russo is working for Hogan. That won’t last long. Kevin Sullivan is used to tolerating and doing quick rewrites as demanded by Hogan. He’d be the logical pick as booker.
Some speculate that Hogan and Bischoff have a short-term deal based on selling Hogan’s book and getting Bischoff’s entertainment company a foothold with Spike TV. But a Monday night show indicates a long-term commitment.
The problem is, WCW gained a Monday night foothold by having better matches and cooler characters. Hogan can’t provide the former and isn’t the latter. TNA doesn’t have the budget to steal a parade of high-profile names from WWE. Can TNA afford to go live? That was a big component of Nitro’s success.
