#1.) Heel turn and NWO formation
When Bash At The Beach 1996 had come around, Hulk Hogan was two years into his WCW run and it seemed to be the same Hulkamania that people were growing tired of. WCW decided to finally pull the trigger and turn Hulk Hogan heel, a move that was unimaginable at the time.
Hogan had been the biggest babyface in all of wrestling for over 15 years, so for him to take that step and join the “outsiders” was nothing short of shocking. In his first heel promo, he insulted the crowd and everyone for taking him for granted. He would then establish the NWO with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall and the face of pro wrestling would change forever. WCW would constantly beat WWE in ratings for a long time. Hogan’s heel turn took WCW to new heights and it prompted WWE to change their programming, eventually starting The Attitude Era.
The rest as they say, is history. But it’s hard to fathom that a heel turn could have such impact on an entire industry.
