10 Things We Learned From Eric Bischoff’s Podcast: New World Order

3. Sting Wasn’t Sold On Being Hogan’s Backup

Bischoff stated on the podcast that zero WWF stars were considered for the role of the nWo's third man before Bash At The Beach 1996. If true, that means no Shawn Michaels, no Bret Hart and no Davey Boy Smith deals were discussed.

It's at that point Eric rubbished claims made by Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller that WCW were talking to any WWF stars under contract.

Instead, Bischoff disclosed that Sting was the only backup plan he had for Hulk Hogan should the iconic babyface refuse to turn heel. Going even more in-depth, Eric admitted that Sting wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of playing second fiddle, and he wasn't sure himself whether or not a heel turn was for the best.

A career babyface, like Sting had been up to that point, was well within his rights to have reservations. Hogan did too, albeit with the luxury of being Bischoff's first choice for the gig. Sting didn't have that, and the role of substitute if things went wrong irked him a tad.