This will probably sound stupid but I saw someone at the local lake use it on a senko. It looks sufficient and easier than the traditional way so here goes....

Can I use a weighted hook for Texas rigged plastics (originally for paddletail swimbaits) or should I stick with the ORIGINAL way of weighting a texas rig with a bullet head pegged?

Sometimes showing them something that falls a different way, looks a little different, etc is all it takes to get fish interested. Give it a shot and see what happens... you'll probably do at least as well as the "original" way.

It will work, I have fished plastics that way.

The original Texas rig setup works best in heavy grass, but otherwise the "other" way works fine.  Especially if you want to swim a lizard or worm.

Using a weighted hook with a Senko causes the bait to generally fall horizontally thru the water column.

Placing a light weight on the line causes the Senko to fall head first generally vertically and faster than when a weighted hook is used.

I've found that at times the bass will react to one type of fall to the other.

I fish a lot of dense lay down wood that is under water. Using the weighted hook allows for a slower fall and also seems to reduce snags as the lure is more horizontal in the water than when it is nose down.