By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

In a new interview, Hulk Hogan spoke in-depth about what went into his recommendation that Robert Roode not win the TNA World Title at last year's TNA Bound for Glory PPV, which set in motion Roode's heel turn and current heel TNA World Title run.

"It was my opinion, and it was a simple gut feeling to do what was best for the company," Hogan claimed to the Daily Star newspaper in the U.K. “I was sitting watching Roode’s parents saying what a great son he is and his wife saying what a great husband he is and his kids saying what a great dad he is.

“He’s the ultimate good guy. He’s going to win the belt! But, then what? Who does he wrestle? So, I sat back and thought, ‘You guys have just done one of the best old school wrestling angles I’ve ever seen.'"

Hogan said he figured if TNA turned Roode heel, then it would "give him that extra spice – then he’ll have everyone to work with, rather than throw him out there and set him up for failure."

Hogan said he expected to be viewed as the bad guy offering his recommendation, but claimed, “It was just me trying to take a step back, throwing in my two cents. They didn’t have to do it – I didn’t make anyone do anything. It just makes sense.”

Hogan also acknowledged people in TNA still view him as a threat even though he's not wrestling full-time or on the roster - "'Hogan didn’t give Roode the belt, he’s a no-good SOB, he never let anybody win, he did it all for himself.'" Hogan said his response is, "You get to a point where you go, 'Thank God they’re thinking that way!'"

Link: Hogan's full interview with Patrick Lennon can be read at DailyStar.co.uk .

Caldwell's Analysis: Hogan's line, "He’s the ultimate good guy. He’s going to win the belt! But, then what? Who does he wrestle?" gets to the heart of TNA (and WWE's) inability to long-term plan and the pitfalls of 52-weeks-per-year, year-round TV wrestling. Instead of taking four months during the Bound for Glory Series to establish a line of credible, main event-level heels in addition to Bully Ray to have compelling, strong feuds with Roode to see if anyone could knock Roode off the top of the mountain, TNA moved in the opposite direction, dabbled in a Roode vs. James Storm program that could have brewed for a year, and essentially had to start over with Roode as heel champion.

Roode is doing well in his role, but, at the time, the audience was ready to get behind a strong, credible, dynamic, honorable lead babyface since TNA was short on strong protagonists who had not turned heel and face repeatedly. If TNA set up the next line of opponents for Roode, then he would not have been "set up for failure," as Hogan suggested. So, perhaps it was merely a self-fulfilling prophecy - "Well, we didn't set up strong heels for Roode to work with after winning the BFG Series, so we have to turn him heel now."

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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