5 ways Hulk Hogan's heel turn changed pro-wrestling
July 7th, 1996.
WCW Bash at the Beach saw the company sending in three of its top Superstars to battle The Outsiders, who seemingly were sent by the competition to destroy WCW. The main event of the night featured Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage taking on Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, with the heels stating that although the third member was in the building, the duo was capable of defeating the babyfaces without his help.
During the closing moments of the match, Hulk Hogan came down to the ring amidst a sea of cheers, which soon died down as Hogan joined forced with Hall and Nash in possibly the greatest heel turn of all time. Today, this incredibly important moment completes 23 years, so let's take a stroll down memory lane and see how it changed pro-wrestling forever.
Also read: 10 worst WWE/WCW promos of all time
#5 Hogan's waning career was revived
By the mid-90s, Hulk Hogan wasn't the megastar he once used to be. The 80s saw Hogan get featured in the first 9 WrestleMania main events in some capacity, and he became the biggest Superstar in pro-wrestling. As the 90s kicked off, Vince began looking for a young gun to replace Hogan, and after several failed attempts like Lex Luger and Warrior, he chose to go with Bret Hart.
Hogan went to WCW, but the aura of the American hero was fading at a rapid pace. After multiple attempts at convincing Hogan to go ahead with the heel turn, Eric Bischoff succeeded. Hogan turned heel and his popularity suddenly skyrocketed again, with his heel persona becoming a hit with the new generation of fans.