AJ Styles has opened up about Hulk Hogan’s failed stint in TNA.
The Phenomenal One recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as his recent foot injury, how long he plans to continue wrestling, his time in WCW and more.
During the talk, Styles also opened up about Hogan’s run with TNA. The former World Champion noted how the company had been steadily growing until the point they brought the Hulkster back into the fold in 2009:
“They hired Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. I believe Eric was trying to do the right thing, to see where we’re at as far as getting more eyes on us that we’re growing. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way it was supposed to. We lost a lot of money.”
He Was Embarrassed: AJ Styles
Ultimately for the company, however, Hulk Hogan’s tenure proved to be a disastrous move. While he was part of some memorable moments during his early run, Hogan’s involvement mostly led to sub-par stories. During the 4-year run, TNA would distance themselves from all the traits that made the company popular in the first place, resulting in a steep decline in popularity.
Talking about Hogan’s work with TNA, AJ Styles said that he was mad at the WWE Hall of Famer for not promoting the product like he was supposed to. Per the former IWGP World Champion, however, he now realizes that Hulk was probably embarrassed to talk about the promotion:
“I think I was kind of pissed at Hogan at the time, because I was like, why doesn’t he talk about TNA? Why is he not helping us? He’s not advertising at all. He never talked about TNA. I was pissed, but I now realize I think he was embarrassed.
It was embarrassing to him to talk about that, so he didn’t. I think Dixie was trying to do some things, and it was just they keep butting heads, so it just kind of fell apart, and when it fell apart, they lost a lot of money.”
AJ Styles also noted that talents were asked to take pay cuts due to the company’s poor financial condition after Hogan’s run ended in 2013. This ultimately led to his own departure from the company when his deal expired a year later in 2014.
