Suspect this will turn out to be total BS. Sinclair is a big deal and they are quite happy with ROH as content for their syndication network. Jim Cornette and Brian Last were examining a "what if?" scenario, where AEW tried to buy ROH, for a ready made roster and Cornette pretty much nixed the idea as being remotely possible. Anthem isn't throwing money around like AEW and they haven't exactly improved the circumstances of Impact, which makes it all rather unlikely. Until it is reported in the Wrestling Observer as "serious negotiations," it is probably fanboy BS.

It's excellent clip Cody and thanks for sharing it ... Jim Cornette is a sound man with a sound mind. He should run WWE.

Hogan's role should have been putting guys over; Vader, Sting, Rude, you name it. He was done and was too lazy to actually work, in the ring. Long gone were the days in New Japan and the AWA, where he';d work his butt off or get eaten alive. He got lazy in the WWF except when up against Piper or Savage) and was worse in WCW, since they gave him a ridiculous contract to do nothing but say, "Brotha!" a lot, and promote that trainwreck of a tv show he had (in tenth rate syndication markets). Vader should have beaten him decisively and left him laying.

Hogan was a selfish worker, who only cared about his own status and payoff. Flair cared about putting on the best show and "making: guys, to set up new opponents. In fact, probably to his detriment. he sold too much for guys he liked, but weren't in the right place to be a contender and probably sold too much in his matches with actual contenders. The difference was that the NWA World Champion was there to draw a house for the member promoter and make the local star look that much better, to build business after the champion left and create even bigger business when he returned, for a rematch. The WWF format was that the babyface champion would face and, ultimately, defeat the next challenger. They especially liked ethnic champions, because they drew big crowds in a market where the media looked down upon wrestling. Ethnic papers didn't have the same prejudices and would give results and advertise crowds and Italians turned out for Bruno and Puerto Ricans and Latins for Pedro Morales. Heel champions were there to transition the belt and rarely held it long, until Billy Graham, who was super over and more of a "tweener." Backlund became the odd man out, as he wasn't an ethnic babyface and more closely fit the NWA model. However, Vince Sr loved him, he had legit amateur credentials and could work. crowds loved him and he sold out MSG and other arenas in the territory. The problem was, he was kept on top, with many of the same guys, for too long. They probably should have transitioned before 1984 (probably 1983, as he was still strong in '82).

Hogan was the all-encompassing superhero that fit Vince Jr's idea of a champion: a muscleman superhero who knocks off everyone thrown at him. They'd feed him monster and dastardly villain after another, leaving them used up and mostly useless, afterward. Hogan didn't have many repeat programs, except with guys like Savage and orndorff, who made him look good. With guys like Bundy or Studd, Hogan was doing the work. orndorff was a 100 times the worker Hogan was, had better psychology, and could play both heel and babyface equally well. Hogan had the look.

Funny enough, one of the alternates to Hogan was Kerry Von Erich. While he didn't have Hogan's strength on promos, he had the charisma, a better body, and better looks. Women drooled over Von Erich and guys respected him because he was convincing in brawls and was a legit athlete (never an Olympic hopeful, as stated in World Class propaganda; but, a natural athlete). Vince actually featured his title win in the first issue of the WWF magazine. He came courting (at least, metaphorically, if not directly); but, Fritz was doing well and Kerry wouldn't leave family. Kerry only went there after World Class was pretty much done.

When Hogan came to WCW, i was all about looking out for number one. He only looked to jobbing to Goldberg because of the crowd at the Georgia Dome. They could have done even bigger business had they gone for a PPV show; However, Hogan ensured that he got the belt back. The only reason he turned heel, in the first place, was because the NWO was turning out to be way more over than he was. Hogan was getting booed by WCW crowds and wasn't drawing (no one really was, until the NWO angle set things on fire). So, he turned heel to be with the NWO and be at the center of attention (and Hall and Nash were smart enough to know that Hogan could manipulate Bischooff to their benefit). He wasn't about to return the favor to Flair, though he did eventually, when business was going downhill. Warrior was brought in for Hogan to get his win back. Hogan was that childish about losing fake wrestling matches. Flair didn't care. With or without the belt, Flair was the element that made WCW work; always was, always would be. Whenever things went south, they came crawling back to Flair to save them. Flair just wasn't as shrewd behind the scenes and spent way too much time dealing with guys like Jim Herd and Bischoff, who couldn't recognize what they had. Vince could and did and used Flair well and Flair always worked his butt off for hi; but, he was also never comfortable in the WWF/E, stylistically. He was used to more competitive presentation, making guys into stars and having great matches with them, building a great card from top to bottom. He was the guy pushing to make stars of Pillman and Austin, when everyone else ignored them as mid-card guys. Vince saw the same thing Flair did and made superstars of them.

Hogan's tenure at WCW was by far the worst thing that ever happen because of the NWO farce that went on for a better part of 2 and possibly 3 years and over 50 wrestlers in either NWO and NWO Wolfpack. I turned on to WCW Nitro every so often and stopped watching WCW Thunder and he was the main reason why WCW stinks. In reality, I really wanted to take Sting's Baseball Bat and clobber Hogan, Nash, and Hall silly. That's how I hated the New World Order and I really despise Eric Bischoff more than ever.





Defacing this Title Belt is the most shocking thing that Hogan done in his entire career!

Around the time I started watching US wrestling, Sting was a member of the Four Horsemen. He had joined the faction in 1990 when they were good guys. By early 1990, he had been kicked out of the group. By the summer, he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair at The Great American Bash in a heated and exciting match.

Although I only started watching US wrestling in the late 80s/early 90s, I soon became aware of the history of various promotions. And that led me to becoming very aware of the history of the dastardly Four Horsemen. I could not appreciate them in their prime, but I certainly appreciate them as far as historical context is concerned. While some incarnations have been inferior to the original, the "brand" itself is a strong one. And thanks to the likes of Blu-rays and the WWE Network, one has become more than familiar with the Four Horsemen.

So when I began watching WCW, I knew some of the historical context pertaining to the Four Horsemen - and it certainly felt strange to see Sting as part of the group even though they were faces at the time. From a storyline perspective, it all made sense. And led to the world title bout between Sting and Ric Flair. Still, it never quite felt right for a clean-cut winner like Sting to be part of a group that had a rather dark history. Faces though they were at the times, they had made their name as villains. It felt a little like seeing a clean-cut superhero joining a band of anti-heroes or vigilantes. It never felt quite right, despite the logical progression up until The Great American Bash.

Having followed US wrestling since the early 90s, I have to say that the Four Horsemen were never the same after the early 90s. I could never really muster up enthusiasm for the 1993 incarnation. The 1995-97 incarnation served a purpose, I guess, but it was never the same as what came before, especially if we use the photocopy of a photocopy analogy.

Long live the Four Horsemen, though! And no matter how brief his tenure, long live Sting's membership of the group!