By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Hulk Hogan pointed to TNA World Hvt. champion Bobby Roode, A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels as the next wave of top TNA stars in an interview with Sports Vibe in the U.K.

"There are a lot of talented guys but the wrestling part in the ring is only ten percent of this business and they have to learn more than just that," Hogan said. "There's a lot more to the business than having a five-star match, there's the media cross over, being in character, knowing when to break character, knowing how to deal with a locker-room full of men or knowing how to deal with a room full of kids that have cancer."

Hogan said he believes the younger wrestlers need to "figure that out," remove a mindset of "I'm a TNA Original," and "look at the bigger picture" to be more like Roode, who Hogan pointed to as his vision of a top star.

"One guy that is doing that is Christopher Daniels, he's starting to step out of that mold," Hogan said. "When I see Daniels and shake his hand I say 'Good morning, superhero.' I call him superhero because that's what he's going to be. He's got the look, he's got attitude, plus he's so smart and is really stepping up."

Hogan, who is now in his third year with TNA, also talked about a "slower burn" in TNA compared to WCW, which influenced how he arrived in TNA with Eric Bischoff in January 2010. Hogan also claimed he had a "great idea" putting A.J. Styles and Ric Flair together when he first started in TNA.

"Once we got here, and no disrespect intended, there is a chain of command. There is a check and balance system so instead of the company getting hot-shotted with a great Hulk Hogan idea, the check and balance system is in place to make sure everything moves along at the right pace and that we don't do something too big, too fast that we may not be able to follow up with," Hogan said.

"There are a lot of safety precautions in place and now that I've learned the system, I'm trying to work through it gracefully, but still be pushy because I want things to happen fast."

As for his future in TNA, Hogan said he's settling into a "backseat" role rather than trying to take over the Creative aspect with his ideas.

"I think I'm going to be more focused because the last couple of years I've had eight back surgeries and as long as I can stay healthy I can really stay dialed in and help the company more," Hogan said. "Things aren't like what they use to be. It's a new era and a new age and I don't have the luxury of lacing the boots up and doing it myself and that's what I'm used to, doing it myself, but I'm getting used to taking a back seat a little bit."

Link: Hogan's full interview is at SportsVibe.co.uk .

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

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