10 Iconic Wrestling Moments That Weren't Meant To Happen
8. Hulk Hogan's Incendiary WCW Departure
In 2011, Hulk Hogan once notoriously tweeted that we were all "jabronie marks that don't know it (sic) a work when you work a work and work yourself into a shoot, marks."
The man was probably bang in the midst of a Bash At The Bach PTSD flashback - because the events of July 9, 2000 were equally incomprehensible. Wrestling, at its essence, is meant to symbolise the eternal struggle between good and evil. With Vince Russo grasping the pen, good was evil, evil was good, and good was evil again in the space of one über-sh*tty episode of Nitro. Nothing made sense.
Bash At The Beach 2000 was his disaster-piece.
As soon as the bell rang to commence the WCW World Heavyweight championship match between Jeff Jarrett and Hulk Hogan, the Chosen One chose to immediately lay down on his back. Hogan motioned for a microphone. "Is this your deal, Russo? That's why this company is in the state it's in - because of bullsh*t like this." Nonetheless, Hogan pinned Jarrett for the gold. This was a worked shoot angle designed to lay the foundations for a later Russo Vs. Hogan programme. Russo, however, alienated Hogan to such an extent, in his explanatory promo, that the Hulkster filed a lawsuit.
"I came back [to WCW] for the guys behind that curtain that give a sh*t about this company!" he screamed. "And let me tell you who doesn't give a sh*t about this company: that godd*mn politician Hulk Hogan. Hogan got his belt and he went the hell home, and I promise everybody or else I'll go to the godd*mn grave: you will never see that piece of sh*t again."
So, in an attempt to simplify matters: Russo shot himself into a shoot. Jim Cornette mourns the inclusion of those last three words.