Scott Steiner Warned Dixie Carter About Bringing Hulk Hogan to TNA (Impact Wrestling)
TNA Wrestling, now known as Impact Wrestling, tried to take its next big step in the pro wrestling landscape back in 2009 by signing Hulk Hogan to a full-time contract. The signing was shortly followed by TNA moving weekly episodes of Impact to compete directly with Monday Night Raw, the abandoning of the six-sided ring and the arrival of many of Hogan's old associates like Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair, The Nasty Boys, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. By mid-2013 Hogan was gone from the company and Impact had retreated back to Thursday nights. And while the company is still around to this day under new leadership and putting on a solid product, its audience is but a small fraction of what it was bringing in on Spike TV.
Jeff Jarrett's latest My World podcast briefly mentioned former TNA President Dixie Carter's decision to bring in Hogan and how Scott Steiner explained to her behind the scenes that it would be a costly mistake. Though he was one of the founders of TNA, Jarrett had been sent home from the office at the time of Hogan's arrival.
"I was on the outs. Dixie sent me home. He (Scott Steiner) went and had the conversation with Dixie, looked her in the face, and said, 'Do you think you made the right decision sending Jeff home?' It was straight up, no string attached, no frills, no political b.s. He said, 'Dixie, we're running a business here. Do you think you made the right decision?' Obviously, I wasn't there, but Scott said she couldn't get away from him quick enough," Jarrett said. "It got uncomfortable and Scott didn't want to be uncomfortable. He looked Dixie in the eye and said, 'Hulk Hogan will run you out of business. He will put you out of business."
"I had been sent home," he added. "The Main Event Mafia was disbanded. Hulk had come in, promised her the moon, got rid of the six-sided ring, and this and that. So it was clearly Dixie and Hulk leading the charge. Scott Steiner went up to her and said, 'Do you think you made the right decision? We're making money and the ratings are good.' He understood how fragile the dynamic could be. He didn't want to come off screaming or hollering. He said it low-key."