Hulk Hogan recently offered his perspective on significant heel turns in professional wrestling, including his own iconic shift at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996, and drew comparisons to a heel turn by John Cena, during an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” Hogan delved into the mechanics and reception of his transformation into a villain.
Reflecting on his move to join the nWo, Hogan stated, “I think when, you know, Eric [Bischoff] and I pulled that off at the Daytona Bash at the Beach, I think it was really real, really organic because, when Scott Hall came in and then Kevin Nash came in, it actually looked like they were still working with the WWE – or WWF – so all of a sudden, when I came down as the third man, nobody knew more about that organization than me.”
He described the intense fan animosity, remarking, “That was so intense that you could feel in that building how much hatred they had for me for turning and destroying all the kids.” Regarding John Cena’s heel turn, Hogan commented, “The turn with Cena was good, but I think they were just two different things at two different times.”
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Hulk Hogan further elaborated on why his 1996 heel turn became a legendary moment, emphasizing the narrative build-up. “The reason it worked was because that turn was part of a storyline. Scott Hall came down. ‘My big buddy’s gonna come next week.’ Kevin Nash shows up. Then, for weeks, the whole story was ‘who is their third man?’ When Hulk Hogan came down, in his red and yellow, and Randy Savage is just – was laying down on the mat – everybody assumed Hulk was there to make the save until he wasn’t. If Hulk Hogan would’ve turned spontaneously, it still would have had a major implication, but because it was part of a story, it has become legendary and everything else is compared to it.”
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