Hulk Hogan has spoken about the doubts he had before turning heel at WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-view in 1996 to form the New World Order.
In a 2021 interview with Sports Illustrated, Hulk Hogan explained that he was not worried about playing a villain, having learned from some of the best heels in wrestling history.
“I knew I could work as a heel because I’d watched so much of Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson and ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham and The Great Malenko,” Hogan said. “They’d chop, kick and beat the crap out of you, but then they’d backpedal, cross their heart, and drop to their knees the moment the babyface would make his comeback.”
While confident in his ability to portray a bad guy, Hogan admitted he was concerned about whether the timing was right for such a drastic character shift.
“For me, the problem was the timing. I didn’t know if that was the right timing to do it,” he said. “It wasn’t as intense as it was from ’89 to ’91, but there were still people who loved me as a babyface. I was so focused during that stretch with doing movies, and I still wanted to come back in the red and yellow. Eric [Bischoff] had mentioned the idea to me, and I thought I could be a really intense heel. But turning, after all we’d been through to reach that point, it really concerned me.”
Despite his hesitation, Hogan’s heel turn, siding with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and delivering a Leg Drop to Randy Savage, is now considered one of the greatest and most shocking moments in professional wrestling history.
What Did Hulk Hogan Say Was One Of The Best Heel Turns He’s Seen In A Long Time?
Hulk Hogan spoke about what he believes was the best heel turn he’s seen in a long time and said that John Cena’s heel turn on Cody Rhodes at the 2025 Elimination Chamber earned that accolade. Hogan commended the work of Cena, The Rock and Rhodes in making the turn work successfully.
In other WWE news, more information has been provided on Rusev’s return.
In a new interview, Hulk Hogan has revealed original plans for the WrestleMania 1 main event.