Hulk Hogan Joins TNA Wrestling

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- "Hulkamania" is back! The biggest name in professional wrestling history, Hulk Hogan, is joining Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling (TNA), the fastest rising wrestling organization in the world, and home to one of cable television's highest rated shows for young men, "TNA iMPACT!" The announcement was made today by TNA Wrestling in conjunction with Spike TV at a press conference held in New York City.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CLTU020 )

"Hulk Hogan is one of the world's top pop culture icons and the biggest superstar in the history of professional wrestling. We are truly excited to welcome him into the TNA family," said Dixie Carter, President of TNA Wrestling. "Our goal is to become the world's biggest professional wrestling company. Hulk defines professional wrestling and we look forward to partnering with him in a variety of ways as we continue to grow TNA globally."

"I'm thrilled to be jumping back into the world of professional wrestling," said Hogan. "My fans have been asking me to return to the business for many years on a full time basis, but the timing or the opportunity has never been right until now. TNA Wrestling is a great company with an already excellent fan base, business and broadcast partner. I firmly believe now is the time for some change at TNA as they are positioned to jump to the next level in their development and I'm here to work with Dixie to help make that a reality."

Through Hogan's partnership with Bischoff Hervey Entertainment Television, the deal with TNA was negotiated by longtime Hogan colleague Eric Bischoff. Additionally, BHE TV has inked a first-look deal with TNA and will be working with the organization to develop new programming extensions of the TNA brand.

"Hulk Hogan adds yet another level of star power that positions TNA iMPACT as Spike TV's version of 'Must-See TV' on Thursday nights," said Kevin Kay, president of Spike.

Hogan most recently penned an autobiography with Mark Dagostino, "My Life Outside The Ring" with St. Martin's Press.

About Hulk Hogan
HULK HOGAN (Terry Bollea) is one of the most sought-after, instantly recognizable celebrities in the world. He is a twelve-time professional world wrestling champion - six titles with WWE and six with WCW -- and the winner of the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991. He has appeared in several movies, including "Rocky III," was the co-host for NBC's "American Gladiators," and is the executive producer, judge, and host of "Hulk Hogan's Championship Wrestling" on CMT. Hogan is a frequent guest on every major talk show, such as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," "Larry King Live," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "Live with Regis & Kelly," "The Today Show," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and "The View."

About TNA Wrestling
"Cross The Line" to TNA Wrestling. TNA Wrestling is the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Join the TNA World Heavyweight Champion "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Sting, Mick Foley, "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe, "The Boss" Bobby Lashley, "The Blueprint" Matt Morgan, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division inside the six-sided ring of "TNA iMPACT!" every Thursday night (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on Spike TV.

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, TN.

About Spike TV
Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is Spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press

About Bischoff Hervey Entertainment
Based in Los Angeles, Bischoff Hervey Entertainment has created and executive produced reality television projects for NBC, VH-1, CMT, Tru-TV, A&E, and E! networks, including "Scott Baio is 45 and Single", "Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant", "Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling", "I Wanna Be a Hilton!" and "Billy Ray Cyrus...Home Again".