TNA Bound for Glory 2011 Results: The End of Hulk Hogan's Immortal?

Hulk Hogan and Sting’s epic rivalry came to a head when they finally stepped into the ring to face off one on one.  

The threat of Hogan’s stable interfering in the match was ever-present, but that did not stop fans from clinging to the edge of their seats in anticipation of Sting getting the victory that he so richly deserved.

Of course, that was 1997.

TNA’s Bound for Glory saw the two legends in a match that can only be described as a very weak attempt at recreating the past.  

The heat between the two men has always been there, simmering just under the surface, since the moment that Hogan first entered the company.  Sting’s bizarre character change as of late provided a new spin on the feud, and it all led to their showdown on Sunday night.

But, unlike the possible end of the nWo that did not come back in '97 with Sting‘s victory, it looks as though this time around, fans will not be disappointed.

Hogan has once again turned face, helping Sting dismantle Immortal, one by one, after their match. For all intents and purposes, the faction that has been controlling every aspect of TNA for months has seen its last day.

After all, when the leader goes down, the rest are sure to follow, right?  

Fans want it, and the company needs it to happen, mostly because the heel group has been so dominant for so long that it has become stale and needs to end.  It’s the right thing to do—and now, apparently, it has.

But then there’s Ric Flair.

Flair is the x-factor that the original nWo did not have in 1997.  His character’s ego and thirst for power in TNA is rivaled only by Hogan’s, and with Hulk being out of the picture, there is a new alpha male in Immortal.

Could the faction possibly continue past Sunday night?

TNA is seemingly obsessed with the heel stable concept.  They have done it so many times, and while common sense says the time has come to wrap it up, the question is, will they actually go through with it?

With Flair at the head of the group, it could potentially go on for a long time to come.  Hogan and Sting’s renewed alliance would most likely be aimed at their destruction, but without the proper backup, who knows how long until they would fall?

The fact is, while Hogan’s heel turn with the nWo was brilliant, an unexpected move that turned the pro wrestling world upside down 15 years ago, that was then, this is now.

Fans who hated Hogan have grown up.  They’re older, more mature in their tastes, and their nostalgia for those days of the business have never been higher.

We have seen it in WWE with the return of Degeneration X, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. These are names that helped Vince McMahon overcome WCW and made for some of the greatest moments that the industry has ever seen.  Fans want to pay respect to that era.

Hogan is no different, as evidenced by fans’ reaction even back in 2002 when he faced The Rock. They unexpectedly turned him face, and WWE was smart enough to follow their lead, leaving him in that role.

But TNA returned Hogan to his heel persona very early on in his run and kept going back to that character at every turn.  Now, perhaps, they see the benefit of having him as being the baby-face ambassador that he probably should have been all along.

Hulk Hogan’s career in the ring has been over for quite some time, but if he’s going to be in TNA, then he needs to be utilized properly.  To fully become a face, he needs a heel as big as he is to rebel against, and he has that in Ric Flair.  

With Hogan being out Immortal, a group that has run its course, TNA can now focus on their product and how best to use Hogan to sell it to fans.