30 years Later, Hulk Hogan’s Heel Turn Is Still Considered One of Wrestling’s Greatest Moments

The term “lightning in a bottle” or “perfect storm” has been used across film, sports, and pop culture to describe moments that may never be replicated. Whether it was the 1998 Yankees, the original Olympic Dream Team, Rocky, or Michael Jackson, they all had a significant impact that will never be forgotten. On July 7, 1996, Hulk Hogan created a moment in wrestling that may never be replicated.

Leading up to WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-view (PPV) on that Sunday, the wrestling company made some bold moves no one saw coming. First, one of WWE’s hottest talents, Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), was not re-signed. After his contract expired on a Sunday, he appeared on WCW Monday Night Nitro the very next day. This move was brilliant and left fans wondering what was going on. Back then, social media wasn’t part of the wrestling industry like it is now, so fans really thought it was some sort of takeover. Was Vince McMahon so bold as to send one of his top guys to the arena to disrupt a WCW show? This was the question on everyone’s mind.

Credit to McMahon, who at any point could have destroyed the narrative by exposing it, but he didn’t. That may have been for one or two reasons: His ego told him that WCW wouldn’t ever be competition, so let them have their moment or let’s see how it plays out. Whatever the reason, the story played out for weeks, and what gave it more depth was Scott Hall’s big reveal that Kevin Nash, known as Diesel on WWE, was joining him to take over WCW.

Hall and Nash disrupted WCW’s live programming for weeks and would eventually challenge the three biggest names in the company (Macho Man Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger) to a match at Bash at the Beach. Hall and Nash said that the mystery third person who would join them would be revealed at the PPV. This buildup had the industry buzzing, and fans couldn’t wait to see who it was.

I was sixteen at the time and working at F&J Deli (Delicatessen) up the block from my house in the Bronx, New York. I grew up a ‘Hulkamaniac,’ and wrestling was everything in the Gonzalez household. The owner of the deli, Danny, was also a wrestling fan, so when it came to seeing the PPV, we headed over to his house after closing the store for the day, hours beforehand. We were talking among ourselves and with customers at the deli who were also going to tune in to find out who the mystery third person was. It was a big deal in New York, which is a big wrestling market, so the buzz was everywhere, even though the event wasn’t taking place there.

Finally, we sat down in Danny’s living room to watch the PPV, and when the main event came, there was still no reveal. The match began, and it was three-on-two as Nash and Hall did their best to hold things down. Then there was a moment when Hall and Nash were double-teaming Randy Savage, and down the ramp came Hulk Hogan to save the day, or was he? On commentary, Bobby Heenan almost spoiled it when he questioned which side Hogan would be on. What do you mean, which side? There was only one side, as Hogan was a career good guy. The comment went mostly ignored as Danny and I were like, ‘Okay, here we go,’ thinking Hogan was about to do the good-guy thing.

Hall and Nash would clear the ring, leaving Savage laid out on the canvas and Hogan in the ring. The crowd went wild as the hero was there to save the day. Then Hogan would touch the corner with his back and deliver the leg drop heard around the world. The shock across the arena was unimaginable. Danny and I looked at each other and said, ‘Whaaaaaaat!’ Hogan would deliver another leg drop and invite Hall and Nash into the ring.

Still in shock, Gene Okerlund would interview Hogan afterward, and Hogan would tell Okerlund that the fans needed to shut up before they could hear what he had to say. The trio of Hogan, Hall and Nash would be showered with beer, popcorn, food and whatever fans in the arena could find. Hogan would famously say, “You can call this the New World Order of Professional Wrestling.” Little did he know that at that very moment, the wrestling industry would change forever.

Danny and I were in shock, and the next morning at the deli, all anyone talked about was Hogan turning heel, as it was all over the newspapers and major media outlets. It was a moment in wrestling that crossed over and made international headlines.

30 years later, the impact of Hogan’s heel turn can still be felt as the night the wrestling industry would be flipped on its head.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is a 2x award-winning writer, International Boxing Hall of Fame voter, founder and publisher of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms, including online, network TV, and promotional companies. He is an alumnus of an American Public University and a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, and contributed to The Ring Magazine, FanSidedMMA, and ProBoxTV.

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