The very first Monday in 2010 was a very big deal for professional wrestling. After Vince McMahon claimed that Bret “the Hitman” Hart would never return to the WWE, the announcement was made that, in fact, he was wrong. The best there ever was, is and will be made his grand return to the WWE and received one of the biggest ovations in the history of pro wrestling. On that night he would come face to face with Shawn Michaels for the first time since the infamous Montreal Screwjob, and they “hugged it out” in front of the WWE Universe.
But TNA Wrestling also vowed to make it big in the year 2010, and they needed a big statement to prove to wrestling fans that they were serious. And to compete with WWE and the return of Bret Hart, TNA did something previously unimaginable: they got Hulk Hogan. Regardless of how you feel about the Hulkster, or what he’s done with TNA in the past three years, that moment was magical. It was the greatest thing TNA could have done to compete with WWE, and even though the new attempt at the Monday Night Wars was a colossal failure, for 20 minutes they knocked it out of the park.
Hulk Hogan in a TNA ring with the original nWO, Sean Waltman and Eric Bischoff? Sting in the rafters? The return of Bret “the Hitman” Hart to WWE and Monday Night Raw? 1/4/10 was one of the best nights of pro wrestling in recent memory, and served as a good launching point for a new generation of the business.
