WWE: Nobody Expected Iconic Hulk Hogan Moment, Arn Anderson Says (Exclusive)

Hulk Hogan was one of wrestling's top fan favorites before shockingly turning heel at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996. In an exclusive interview, Arn Anderson reflected on the iconic industry-changing moment.

Hogan joined forces with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the villainous New World Order (nWo) faction. On the same night, Anderson teamed up with Chris Benoit in a losing effort against The Giant and The Taskmaster.

Anderson told Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter that nobody expected Hogan to become a bad guy at the event.

"He influenced another change in the business. Who would have thought Hulk Hogan would have turned heel on that particular situation? Nobody saw it coming. It might have taken some [convincing] because he was such a huge babyface, and his merch sales and all that stuff was so hot." [5:12–5:35]

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Hogan passed away on July 24 at the age of 71 after suffering a heart attack. In the video above, Anderson explained why today's wrestlers should appreciate the two-time WWE Hall of Famer's influence on the business.

Arn Anderson addresses the impact of Hulk Hogan's heel turn

The surprising incident occurred at the end of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall's match against Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Sting. Hulk Hogan arrived late to the ring before hitting Savage with a leg drop, turning heel in the process.

While The Hulkster's character change was a risk, Arn Anderson believes it marked a positive turning point in wrestling history.

"It might have been, for a minute, hard to convince him to do it, but once he was on board he went with it and it worked. It carried not only our company, but it carried the entire business. Made people want to watch. Something brand totally new." [5:35–5:57]

Anderson also shared an important piece of advice he once gave to Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

Special thanks to TMart Promotions' The Gathering for allowing this interview to take place. You can check out Arn Anderson's podcast, The Arn Show, on YouTube.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart