The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
Since taking over control of the National Wrestling Alliance back in 2012, promoter Bruce Tharpe has worked tooth and nail to try to re-establish the once pinnacle of championships to it's former glory. To date he has been extremely successful in doing so in Japan where he plays the role of an on screen villainous manager leading the NWA. Although he has yet to make as large of an impact in America, the internet has given many fans access to the NWA.
But, he has yet to get the same momentum going in America. In fact his greatest success has been in getting American fans interested in the NWA's past through the website nwaclassics.com. I've often wondered what it would take to finally re-establish the once great NWA in the U.S. The obvious answer is a great event. Unfortunately, the NWA name is not the draw that it once was in the West. In fact it is seen as a dead promotion by most fans in this country. No matter how good your product is, it means nothing if no one sees it and no one in America is going to pay to see an NWA event full of wrestlers that are unknown by the main stream when there is so much content from the glory days available on the internet. What the NWA would need to make such an event successful is something... or someone who can draw fans to said event. That man is Hulk Hogan.
Say what you will about his age, injuries or how Hogan doesn't fit with the NWA's traditional history, but the fact remains that he is still the biggest draw in the sport and his legions of loyal Hulkamaniacs are chomping at the bit to see him back in the ring... something that Hogan continues to say that he wants to do. Featuring Hogan as the main attraction for their first major event in America in nearly 3 decades would be a stroke of genius by the NWA. Using Hogan's star power and return to the ring to draw the fans in, and then showcasing younger wrestlers with fantastic skills and wrestling as only the NWA can bring to get them to stay and keep watching.
The timing couldn't be better. With Hogan currently gone from WWE he is a free agent. And the amount of publicity he has been getting can only help the NWA. Especially because despite the best efforts of his detractors, almost all of the response toward Hogan from the people has been positive. The time to make the move is now.
Now understand, I am not suggesting in any way that Hogan become the new standard bearer for the NWA nor am I suggesting that he become the new face of the company. His job would be to draw as many fans as possible both in attendance and on PPV/network streaming (both nwaclassics.com and NJPW World) to this one event. Although Hulk Hogan would be billed as the main attraction, the true show will be in the rest of the card. Athletically Hogan will surely be upstaged by the younger talent. But that's OK. He's supposed to be. We want him to draw in new viewers to see the NWA and see all of it's new talent. This is an investment to help the NWA make a much needed splash in America. After Hogan wins the title at the end of the night (you have to send them home happy or they won't come back) he can quietly drop the title soon after.
But, he has yet to get the same momentum going in America. In fact his greatest success has been in getting American fans interested in the NWA's past through the website nwaclassics.com. I've often wondered what it would take to finally re-establish the once great NWA in the U.S. The obvious answer is a great event. Unfortunately, the NWA name is not the draw that it once was in the West. In fact it is seen as a dead promotion by most fans in this country. No matter how good your product is, it means nothing if no one sees it and no one in America is going to pay to see an NWA event full of wrestlers that are unknown by the main stream when there is so much content from the glory days available on the internet. What the NWA would need to make such an event successful is something... or someone who can draw fans to said event. That man is Hulk Hogan.
Say what you will about his age, injuries or how Hogan doesn't fit with the NWA's traditional history, but the fact remains that he is still the biggest draw in the sport and his legions of loyal Hulkamaniacs are chomping at the bit to see him back in the ring... something that Hogan continues to say that he wants to do. Featuring Hogan as the main attraction for their first major event in America in nearly 3 decades would be a stroke of genius by the NWA. Using Hogan's star power and return to the ring to draw the fans in, and then showcasing younger wrestlers with fantastic skills and wrestling as only the NWA can bring to get them to stay and keep watching.
The timing couldn't be better. With Hogan currently gone from WWE he is a free agent. And the amount of publicity he has been getting can only help the NWA. Especially because despite the best efforts of his detractors, almost all of the response toward Hogan from the people has been positive. The time to make the move is now.
Now understand, I am not suggesting in any way that Hogan become the new standard bearer for the NWA nor am I suggesting that he become the new face of the company. His job would be to draw as many fans as possible both in attendance and on PPV/network streaming (both nwaclassics.com and NJPW World) to this one event. Although Hulk Hogan would be billed as the main attraction, the true show will be in the rest of the card. Athletically Hogan will surely be upstaged by the younger talent. But that's OK. He's supposed to be. We want him to draw in new viewers to see the NWA and see all of it's new talent. This is an investment to help the NWA make a much needed splash in America. After Hogan wins the title at the end of the night (you have to send them home happy or they won't come back) he can quietly drop the title soon after.
"But, who would Hogan face?"
That's a good question. Lately I have been a supporter of Hogan facing only fellow veterans in order to protect his injuries by working a "less is more" style. But in an event of this magnitude Hogan is going to need an opponent who can carry him through the match, take a lot of bumps and make him look really good while also being big enough, colorful enough, charismatic enough, well experienced and known well enough to be seen as a credible opponent for the legendary Hulkster. That's why I choose "Ironman" Rob Conway.
Conway's status as former NWA World champion (he'll have to win it back of coarse so that he can drop it to Hogan) and his previous exposure in WWE makes him a prime candidate. He is in fantastic shape and has been around long enough that he knows how to work a match that will make his opponent look great while still protecting him to avoid further injuries. His time in the NWA is more than sufficient to give him credibility with the NWA base and his WWE exposure makes him known well enough to the casual fan that a great angle can be built between he and Hogan to serve as a proper main event.
Conway's status as former NWA World champion (he'll have to win it back of coarse so that he can drop it to Hogan) and his previous exposure in WWE makes him a prime candidate. He is in fantastic shape and has been around long enough that he knows how to work a match that will make his opponent look great while still protecting him to avoid further injuries. His time in the NWA is more than sufficient to give him credibility with the NWA base and his WWE exposure makes him known well enough to the casual fan that a great angle can be built between he and Hogan to serve as a proper main event.
"Who would Hogan drop the title to?"
Off hand, I don't know. That would depend totally on who the NWA wants to push. But in the end it would be irrelevant to Hogan's winning of the title. Again, his job is to draw fans in for that one night so that fans will tune in and see all of the stars and the great action that the NWA has to offer. As a result, everyone on that card will get the Hulk Hogan rub via greater exposure than ever in America. After the event he can drop the belt either in a match or he can put the title over big time by saying that the NWA World title is still the most important championship in the world and he want's to retire on top. The NWA can then have a huge tournament to put the next champion over. Perhaps Hogan could even participate in a few 6 man tag team matches as champion before dropping the title in order to help the NWA get a TV deal in America. Either way his participation in this event would do wonders for the NWA and could help to re-establish the brand in America.
In addition, This would not have to be a one and done deal with the NWA. While he could never be a full time performer again, he could become a regular special attraction. Going back to the formula of only facing legends and working easy matches, the NWA could become a nice place for Hogan to end his career. There are even several defunct titles from the NWA's past that could be resurrected just for Hogan to win. Since they are not being used anyways it wouldn't matter how frequently or infrequently he defends them (I will write further blogs about these). It would all be about show which is something that Hogan does better than anyone else. Perhaps Hogan and Mr. Tharpe could even work on a deal that will allow Hogan to sell NWA merchandise (particularly a DVD of Hogan's matches) from the Hogan's Beach Shop store.
I have long wanted to see Hulk Hogan win the coveted "10 pounds of gold". He has had opportunities in 1979, 1982, 2003 and even 2009 but it never "officially" came to pass. Seeing the greatest wrestler of all time with the famed Domed Globe belt around his waist would be a dream come true for myself and Hulkamaniacs all over the world. And it could still happen, if the right people are reading this blog. Hey, Mr. Tharpe?
In addition, This would not have to be a one and done deal with the NWA. While he could never be a full time performer again, he could become a regular special attraction. Going back to the formula of only facing legends and working easy matches, the NWA could become a nice place for Hogan to end his career. There are even several defunct titles from the NWA's past that could be resurrected just for Hogan to win. Since they are not being used anyways it wouldn't matter how frequently or infrequently he defends them (I will write further blogs about these). It would all be about show which is something that Hogan does better than anyone else. Perhaps Hogan and Mr. Tharpe could even work on a deal that will allow Hogan to sell NWA merchandise (particularly a DVD of Hogan's matches) from the Hogan's Beach Shop store.
I have long wanted to see Hulk Hogan win the coveted "10 pounds of gold". He has had opportunities in 1979, 1982, 2003 and even 2009 but it never "officially" came to pass. Seeing the greatest wrestler of all time with the famed Domed Globe belt around his waist would be a dream come true for myself and Hulkamaniacs all over the world. And it could still happen, if the right people are reading this blog. Hey, Mr. Tharpe?
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