Hulk Hogan's Potential WrestleMania 32 Bout Has to Be a Tag Team Match

Hulk Hogan stepping into the ring at WrestleMania 32 is an insane idea, but making sure he's in a tag team contest tempers that insanity.

If Hogan is dead set on making a comeback, the only feasible way to do it is to make him a glorified manager. He's in no condition to work a singles match. Propping him up in the corner and making a cameo in the bout is the safest, smartest way to incorporate a 61-year-old man into a wrestling match. 

This conversation pops up again because Hulkster is on the campaign trail once more, lobbying to wrestle for WWE in spite of all the obvious reasons that he shouldn't. And Vince McMahon is reportedly open to the idea.

Speaking at a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, (h/t PWInsider.com), Hogan said that he told McMahon he wanted a match at WrestleMania 32 when the annual spectacle heads to Arlington, Texas. Hogan also noted that WWE's head man told him, "I look forward to it."

Hogan talked more about this idea in a recent interview. The Hall of Famer told Brian Fritz of Sporting News, "So in my mind, it would make sense to have [a] world title match, my next run start there or my retirement match happen there. If you're in my brain you're thinking oh my God, I better be ready just in case they let me do it."

Forget the idea of him winning or even competing for the WWE title. That's a delusional idea that McMahon would quickly swat down. Anything other than a tag team match where he only hops in for a few brief moments feels like a long shot. 

At this stage in his life, it makes little sense for Hogan to compete. He's old—as in "eligible for the senior discount at Applebee's" old. Surgeons have taken knives to his knees, hip and back. 

The risk of him getting hurt or worse between the ropes is high.

But Hogan is clearly headstrong about returning to action. He refuses to let this "one more match" conversation end.

He's still one of the most recognizable faces in wrestling history. Nostalgia and curiosity would pull fans in should he make an unlikely comeback. On his blog, Hall of Famer Jim Ross writes of a Hogan match at WrestleMania: "It would be a nice, nostalgic, special attraction type of bout that I'm sure many fans would be curious to see."

The problem is how little Hogan has left to offer physically. 

Sting's recent collision with Triple H needed a wealth of bells and whistles to compensate for the veteran's limitations: an invasion from D-Generation X and nWo, weapons and theatrical entrances involving Terminator soldiers. 

The Stinger, though, is in much better condition than Hogan. The Hulkster is six years his senior. Beyond that, Hogan had a back surgery in 2009 that was so bad that he sued the Laser Spine Institute over it. He told Bang Showbiz (via SowetanLive.co.za), "They'd cut so much bone away the new doctors didn't know if they could piece it together."

If WWE wants to showcase Hogan in spite of his health, the only logical move is to have him share the in-ring load.

Weighing in on the possibility of Hogan competing at WrestleMania 32, former WWE Creative member Kevin Eck writes in his blog, "I would think that it would have to be a tag match with limited involvement from Hogan." He's right on here.

Have Hogan stand on the apron for the most part. Use his name power and his ability to sell tickets. Have a younger, more sturdy wrestler work 90 percent of the match. Then have Hogan come in and do a big boot, a leg drop and call it a day.

David Liam Kyle/Getty Images

It's the only sensible way to go about this other than of course having Hogan not wrestle at all. 

Andre the Giant often worked very little in the late stages of his career when his body began to fail him. He would be the imposing figure in the corner. Someone else would take the bumps and suffer the bruises.

Hogan following in Andre's footsteps is McMahon's only option for a Hulkster match at The Show of Shows. 

PWInsider.com's Dave Scherer sums up the situation perfectly. He writes what many fans have to be feeling: "I don't want to see him wrestle a singles match. Too much could go wrong."