Hulk Hogan returning to pro wrestling

Hulk Hogan is returning to the profession -- but not to the organization  -- that made him a household name.

Hogan is coming out of retirement to join TNA Wrestling (the name sounds dirty, but it actually stands for "Total Nonstop Action"), the outfit behind Spike TV's Thursday night series "TNA Impact."

“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 and business. I firmly believe now is the time for TNA to jump to the next level in their development and I’m here to help make that a reality.”

His specific role will be "announced in the near future."

For years Hogan was the best-known performer for World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WWF eventually purchased WCW and became World Wrestling Entertainment). Hogan had a fairly successful VH1 reality series, "Hogan Knows Best," which concluded in 2007. Then he co-hosted NBC's revival of "American Gladiators."

“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 biggest professional wrestling company in the world. Hulk defines professional wrestling and we look forward to partnering with him in a variety of ways as we continue to grow TNA worldwide.”