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Hulk Hogan joining The Outsiders in 1996 at WCW Bash at the Beach marked the beginning of a new era. Mick Foley recently admitted he was jealous after seeing the Hulkster's momentum after turning heel.
At the time, Mick Foley had just wrapped up stints in Japan and ECW to join WWE. Foley played the role of a heel and recalled that he had to work really hard to become a compelling bad guy who drew actual heat.
However, Hulk Hogan's turn blew everything out of the water and even overshadowed WWE's programming as the nWo was formed. During the latest episode of Foley is Pod, the WWE Hall of Famer looked back at Hulk Hogan's heel turn that stunned all The Hulksters around the world.
"Envy! Because I had, you know, worked so hard to be a heel for so long, and that was just, you know, epic heat. I felt bad for all the little Hulksters. I knew there were going to be some tears that night around the globe. But we have it already in the can with WWE on Most Wanted Treasures, the two-hour nWo episode where we go in-depth about that." [From 12:50 to 13:17]
The historical importance of Hulk Hogan's heel turn
When the former WWE Champion first showed up at Bash at the Bash, everyone assumed he was out to help the babyface. However, the WCW fans witnessed one of the biggest swerves in the business' history.
Hogan joining Kevin Nash and Scott Hall led to the formation of the New World Order, a faction that skyrocketed WCW's ratings as the company began beating WWE for several weeks in the Monday Night Wars.
Mick Foley acknowledged that Hogan turning to the dark side changed the course of professional wrestling as it was intended to do.
"Going back to The Hulkster's turn, yeah, it was clear that it was going to be a big driving force in wrestling, and it definitely was," Foley added. [From 13:31 to 13:42]
Check out Mick Foley's thoughts on Jade Cargill possibly winning the women's Royal Rumble in 2024 here.
Please credit the "FOLEY is POD" podcast and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use any quotes from the article.
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