Devil's Advocate Series Part II: Hulk Hogan Is Better for TNA Than Ric Flair

Welcome to Part Two of this five-part series. in case you missed the first part, you can read it here.

Part Two will cover two legends of the ring.

One man is considered an icon amongst fans, where even as a heel he is still cheered and respected. The other was at one time a hero to children everywhere, who later turned heel and shocked the world.

Currently, both men are in the hot seat: Hogan with the fans and Flair with the talent backstage. However, one of them is actually better for the company they both work for, and that man is Hulk Hogan.

Over the years, Hogan has fell in and out of grace with fans. About a year and a half ago, he came to TNA and changed the company completely. Long gone was the six-sided ring and hard push of both the X and Knockouts divisions.

Instead, we saw washed-up wrestlers step into the ring and embarrass not only themselves, but the organization they worked for.

Some of Hogan's cronies caused so many issues that several of TNA's talents were moved to ask for their release, while others made an impact with their gimmick and gave nothing of substance in the ring.

On the same night of Hogan's debut, his nemesis, Ric Flair, also debuted for TNA.

Flair's impact was felt immediately. After a short-lived, in-ring feud with Hogan, Flair transitioned into manager mode. He picked AJ Styles as his protege and created his own faction.

Flair had an epic promo feud with Jay Lethal and even worked a short program with him. One year later, Flair would go on an overseas tour with TNA and cause some issues regarding his appearances and pay.

Soon after, rumors ran wild of Flair owing money to younger, lesser paid wrestlers in TNA. The debt stemmed from him living the Flair lifestyle and still going out to party with "the boys" even though he couldn't afford it.

This was step one of Flair's fall from grace with fellow wrestlers backstage.

Flair has not been on tour or TV for a few months now due to recovering from surgery. He recently made his return by going on tour during the July 4th weekend.

That's when more heat continued to build; this time at TNA's Base Brawl tour in Brooklyn, NY. Bleacher Report featured columnist Adam Wells reported about Flair's latest antics.

Essentially, the locker room, which at one time supported Flair, is now not too keen on the 16-time champ. On the flip-side, Hogan, who was on the same tour at different dates, has both fans and talent pleased with the legend.

In fact, it appears Hogan has checked his ego at the door and really wants fans to buy into TNA's kool-aid.  According to canoe.com, Hogan was readily available to VIP fans for two autograph sessions, while Flair only attended one.

Hogan also recently talked about who he thinks is the next star in TNA, and he has put his stamp on Matt Morgan. One would believe that he is working with Morgan backstage in order to get him to the top.

Yes, Hogan takes up TV time that could go to others, but he is helping build the new TNA brand. Even at his age, "The Hulkster" is still a household name that is recognized worldwide; maybe even more so than Ric Flair.

He also seems to be learning more and more about the behind-the-scenes business and will hopefully make a difference.

It appears that Hogan has the respect of not only management, but the wrestlers themselves. If he continues to go on tour with TNA and give fans the VIP treatment, he may just take TNA to another level.

On the other hand, it appears as if Flair is just there for a paycheck and nothing more.