Flair and Hogan returning to the ring!

[$heriff Tom]

Well, its official, the "retired" Ric Flair and the legendary Hulk Hogan will both return to the ring on the first of the weekly TNA Monday night offerings, March 8th.

Flair will be teaming with Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Hulk Hogan and "The Monster" Abyss.

Im happy to see this, Flair is a Hell of a performer, even if this dumps on the HBK retirement match pretty much. Hogan is VERY limited, but thats all he needs to be at this point. Abyss and AJ will carry the haul.

[MSBNYY]

I would guess Flair is the heel?

Do the fans accept him as a heel at all?

[$heriff Tom]

The fans are still cheering for him in some regards, but Flair is doing his best to aggravate them, and Styles is helping to that end.

Yes, Styles and Flair are the heels here.

[grover]

Ok, so long as it's that week only, and that's it.

[thecaptain15]

Ok, so long as it's that week only, and that's it.

Why Grover? Now that they unretire that would be 2 less Obama checks that would be needed to be sent out....

Flair back part time is great news for me.....


Also did anyone realize between 3 hours of programming on Raw and ECW this past week there were a grand total of 6 matches combined.....

TNA is so far and way the better product these days..hopefully "The Fed" will step it up now.....though I am not holding out hope with this NXT BS....

[grover]

I noticed when I was FFing Raw and I realized I was at the end. Wow, that was pure garbage.

WWE is putting out a shit product at the moment. The best part was the Bret Hart leg crush, and that was because it was ANOTHER car accident angle and it was cheesy as hell.

So, I can deal with Flair and Hogan coming back for a minute. Hell, it's just going to be a goofy compliment, more slapstick than wrestling.

[$heriff Tom]

Hogan will be making scant apperances, but Flair may be making more. Flair is willing to mix it up, and he gets a reaction no matter what he does. He's also in better shape, Hogan is having trouble moving around. Flair created all the action in their Australia bouts. Some are wondering if we may see Hogan vs Flair one on one, in the cage, at Lockdown, and this is a warmup for that.

[grover]

I'm ok with it so long as the younger, more interesting talent is not buried.

I know it's inevitable for TNA to keep the same type of programing with the hopes of drawing WWEs audience because it's almost impossible. Sure, fans want to see great wrestling, but they want substance behind that wrestler. Remember, guys like us are the minority, so as TNA draws rating expect way more mic work than we're used to seeing on the program.

Quite honestly, I've already noticed it. What remains to be seen is if they over do it like WWE has been.

[cactusjames]

Good, by the end of this hogan will be a bigger joke and Flair will make it official the best of all time isn't he, but the one and only Shawn Michaels. Shawn would never do this. And Flair is going to embarrass himself cause he's as limited as Hogan. Fuck, his body of work alone should seal it but this will put the stamp on it. I mean his was a HOF before he retired and then after a four year break with a broken back has another Hall of Fame worthy career. He's without a doubt the best worker WWe has ever had and if Flair wants to shit on it, go for it. shawn sent you out with a 6 star match. As awesome as AJ is he's no HBK and never will be.

Put it like this, Ali should have retired after the 3rd fight with Frazier. He didn't and looked stupid against Spinks and Holmes. Naitch should have been happy being Frazier in his match with Shawn and been happy with that. now he wants to come back and get schooled by guys like Abyss and Hogan, which is sad if Abyss, especially Hogan who's never been good enough to lace Flair boots, make Flair look bad. If you wanna come back to look bad for that fucking guy, you're a dummy and nowhere close to the greatest wrestler of all time. Shawn did what Naitch will have to do, job to a guy who can't even do the lamest finisher is history anymore. The difference is HBK was still able to look good and show up Hogan in a loss, Flair can't do that at this age so it's going to tarnish his legacy in my mind.

And please Tom, there was no action in Aussie land, it was all comedy.

[MSBNYY]

What are you talking about Shawn would never do this? How can you claim that? Michaels has an ego the size of Hogan's easily, and he's just not there yet in age. There's no reason to think that Michaels won't be one of those guys going until he dies.

You really can't compare a boxer to a wrestler. I think Ali had several good fights after Frazier, and I think the George Foreman fight was one of them. But that said, your point is fair. Ali should have retired earlier. Though to his credit, he did last 13 rounds with Holmes in his prime.

As for Hogan, even if he were 90 years old, he will be more loved than HBK in his prime.

[cactusjames]

No way, when he gets the proper send off, not getting laid out by Tyson on the way out the door, the only time he'd come back is for a Mania match, the special attraction. Plus after this run, why would he want to take any more chances and put more strain on his back? If he gets a 3 day send off, which aside from Flair the only two who are likely to get it are Taker and Michaels himself, he's not going to come back for more runs like this. He never thought he'd go much further past 2002 so he won't want to do more to the back.

And the Foreman fight was not after the 3rd Frazier fight. He fought Foreman first, which was the Rumble in the Jungle then The Thrilla in Manila, Ali/Frazier III.

[MSBNYY]

HBK did not have to come back from his back injury at all. Had he stayed retired, his run would still be remembered and he'd likely be a HOFer by now, very similar to Bret Hart.

So the only reason he could have possibly wanted to come back was because he loves this stuff and everything that goes with it. Why else put yourself at risk like that?

If you are at the top of the industry, AND you can still draw, AND love it, and Michaels (at least for now) is all three, then it's hard to walk away.

Hogan and Flair are legends. But beyond that, they can still draw, and while neither can physically do what they did in their 30s, they can still work a match and a crowd.

[$heriff Tom]

James, balls is right - you cant speak for Michaels here. If anything, the guy is selfishly trying to protect his spot - its pretty much already confimed he is taking off from after Mania through the summer, as he always does, to rest up to come back AGAIN.

Know what? Cant begrudge Flair here. I just like seeing this guy on TV. Hes a master of his trade. He wants to wrestle, go wrestle. The one concession Flair has made is that he wont ever have a "retirement match" again. In this business, people just dont stay retired.

I have not seen the Flair / HBK match since it happened. Im going to watch it again, along with Flair vs Hogan in Australia, to gear up for Flairs return to the ring.

[heartybooooo]

I never understood fans telling people to retire. He should do it as long as he wants and as long as someone will write him a check for it. And Flair is a great star and a great worker. The fact that he is willing to job still, is why he is so loved and respected in the industry. And Flair paved the way for HBK, so show some respect.

[MSBNYY]

I really hated the retirement match because we all knew it wasn't Flair's last match. Just like Foley didn't retire either. Wrestlers don't really stop until they are forced.

[cactusjames]

LOL hold the fuck up, so a guy who spent 2 years in the main event would have gone down as the best ever when he went out in 98? malarky. Hof career yes, but we would not be talking about him being one of the best EVER, OF ALL TIME, if he didn't come back. Nothing against the job to Austin which was needed, but the fucking guy gets laid out, and that would have been fine seeing him like that, that would have been fitting for him? The last image we see of HBK is flat on his back?

I don't blame him one bit for coming back, and if he would have sucked in 02, he wouldn't have stuck around. Yeah it's ego, you guys are retarded sometimes. The fucking guy has been putting on better matches than everyone in the company the past 8 years and how many world title runs does he have in that period? ONE.

And I never said anyone should retire, all I said is I'm glad Flair is shitting on his sendoff. Don't matter if you want him back or not, the 3 day sendoff is meaningless now. Maybe Naitch will give his HOF ring to some retarded kid too.

[MSBNYY]

Nothing HBK has done since he got back compares to what he did before he left. He is NOT one of the best ever. He will never be Hogan or Flair. Not even in their leagues. He won't even be a Rock, HHH, Austin or Cena. But he will be a HOFer, and would have been had he never come back.

I think at this point, even if the last image was that job to Austin, no one would care or remember, except die hard HBK fans. HBK will be remembered mostly for throwing Jannetty through the window, a stellar IC title run, his time as WWE champ, DX, and his feud with Hart.

If he would have sucked in 02, McMahon would have let him go. He wouldn't have left on his own accord.

Do you really think HBK isn't driven by the same ego that many main eventers have?

[grover]

HBK: Top 5, all time, hands down.

Honestly, to me, I'd rank them Flair, Hogan, HBK only because I was a big Hogan fan since I was a kid.

Some rank HBK right behind Flair due to his work, which ranks far above HHH, the Rock, Austin, ect. You'll find more all time great matches with HBK than most.

Don't be silly now.

As for ego, everyone in the back has an ego. EVERYONE.

[cactusjames]

Thank You Grover. For all the shit I get for having HBK blinders, Balls is just as bad with hating HBK.

And yes, I rate best wrestlers of all time based on work alone, not being an attraction. Not to say drawing isn't important but just for me personally, I rate best of all time based on the work in the ring, and I'm a huge Flair fan, but Michaels is better, Flair says it himself. And it's not being biased, for me I found far more suspense it a HBK match. But that's not important here, that's just how I would put the top two.

But as far as HBKs career being better then, you are out of your fucking mind officially. He's had arguably a better run now with less belts then when he was desperate to look as good as possible and win as many belts as possible. Now he just wants to put guys over, and the guy put a ladder over for fucks sake. His match with Shelton on Raw, not just cause of the finish superkick out of nowhere, the match itself was a gem. That's a perfect example of a match he can have on Raw, with a talented worker. With a broken back thank you.

His 8 year run since coming back would put him in the Hall, and I agree with you I love the run back when he'd go heel, that's what I grew up on. But to act like his run now doesn't compare is astonishing.

He has way better guys to work with now and the matches are way better. But still, a match between two of the oldest at last years Mania, and the match with Flair the year before shows he can get it done with anyone and everyone after thinking he'd never be in the ring again. Keep fast forwarding Raw and acting like you know a career.

[$heriff Tom]

HBK is certainly amongst the top 5 in the last couple of decades. Id put him behind Hogan and Flair, and right with guys like Austin and Angle and such. To deny his accomplishments and talent is ridiculous and I wont partake in that.

Another strong suit for him is having great matches with a wide variety of opponents, and always putting on "a show."

[grover]

BTW, LOL @ the Hogan/Abyss exchange last night.

Man that was cheesy.

[sean]

that was terrible. If were talking top 5 of the last few decades, you have to include Benoit in there, despite the grizzly way it ended. He'll forever be remembered as the sick fuck that killed his wife and kid, but he was one hell of a wrestler

[MSBNYY]

But Grover, I'm not talking just about in ring ability, which HBK has no doubt. It's the whole package. There's a reason HBK hasn't had the belt that often. He can't carry the company. Whether you blame HBK or not, the WWE was the clear second place organization when HBK had the belt.

Austin, The Rock, and the other guys I mention, dwarf HBK in the ability to draw. I don't hate HBK at all. I actually respect his work. I just don't put him in the category of the best of all time.

I can't believe I didn't mention Angle, but I guess that's because Angle went to TNA and like it or not, better product or not, TNA is by far the second place fed.

Had Angle stayed in the WWE, he'd be on par with HBK by now. But HBK>Angle as of now. Probably forever.

To say HBK is not a Hogan, Flair, HHH, Cena, Rock or Austin is hardly diminishing the guy's accomplishments. Top 10? Maybe? Top 5? No.

[grover]

>My face when you compared HBK's ability to carry a company to people who haven't wrestled in 6+ years

>Implying that to be the considered best ever you have to carry a company, which puts John Cena in best ever level

>Implying that HBK's ability to put up a match of the year at the drop of a hat doesn't keep people watching

Go watch American Idol.

[sancho231]

Umm this match with Abyss(dave Sullivan) & Hogan(Hogan) vs Flair(JJ Dillon) and AJ Styles(Tully Blanchard) sounds fuckin awful. frist of all of all the guys to pick to get a rub from Hogan they push shitty garbage wrestler Abyss?? fuck why not sign Axl Rotten?that guy is a shitty version of Foley, only at this point he could fall on those spikes they had at the bottom of the pit in mortal combat and nobody would give a shit. its been done before. I mean of all the young guys to work this match... Abyss????oh man it really is WCW all over again. no way i want to see Hogan limp around the ring and everytime i see Flair bump its painful to watch. Don't need to watch it, i mean im gonna watch it any way but why? TNA fuckin blows

[$heriff Tom]

Abyss is better than he is being credited for here. Yeah, hes been clowning recently, but he's a TNA fixture, is a very good brawler, and can even wrestle a tad. He had some very good matches in TNA. Yeah, the plotline here is goofy but marks like me are enjoying it. Hey, lets see where this goes before we kill on it.

[cactusjames]

Funny how the ability to "carry a company" only means being in first place, cause keeping it afloat and doing whatever possible to make sure the company doesn't go under doesn't count as carrying the company. Do you understand Balls, it's arguable but widely accepted if it wasn't for HBK WCW might have won and bought Vince out. You can't blame him for being in second when you take into account the moves and things WCW were doing. HBK was the one who said let's make it edgier, let's push the envelope. If not for that attitude, no pun intended, guys like Austin and Rock wouldn't had the chance to take the ball and run with it. Michaels 100% deserves credit for carrying the company when of not for someone with his talent, Ted turner might on the WWF library right now.

And come on Grover, you don't put Cena up there with HBK and Flair? He's obviously better because he has his own version of the people's elbow. Cena is so over, he's better than anyone who came before him.

Also, it isn't a company decision to keep the belt off him, anyone who knows wrestling knows he doesn't want to win titles anymore because he's so over he doesn't need a belt to be over dummy.

And let's do a modern comparison, what's a better storyline, Hogan giving his ring to some retard who works at Burger King or seeing how in the hell HBK gets Taker at Mania? HMMMMMMM.............................