10 Gimmick Changes That Saved A Wrestler's Career
5. Hulk Hogan To Hollywood Hogan
After initially coming into the company with a tonne of momentum behind him, Hulk Hogan's run in WCW was as stale as a day-old beer by the time 1996 rolled around. Having defeated everyone that stood in his path, the fans were growing tired of 'The Hulkster's' shtick as the unbeatable babyface.
Hogan's cartoon antics were nothing new to long-time wrestling fans and the red and yellow was clearly on life support by '95. Luckily for Hogan, two WWF main eventers were about to breathe new life into Hulkamania with a dose of '90s monochrome.
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash left the WWF in April '96, making their successive WCW debuts shortly thereafter. Dubbed The Outsiders, Nash and Hall were booked to face the team of Sting, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger at Bash at the Beach. Professing to have a mystery "third man" for the night, the eventual revelation of Hulk Hogan as that conspirator was simply groundbreaking.
Instantly turning heel, Hogan ditched the red and yellow of Hulkamania for the black and white of the nWo, re-branding himself as Hollywood Hogan. Despite his advancing years, the reinvention made Hogan the hottest act in wrestling once again and saw WCW become the biggest company in the wrestling world.