10 Things You Didn't Know About WCW In 1996

10. Hulk Hogan Nearly Rejected Turning Heel

In the Summer of 1996, Hulk Hogan had a huge decision to make. Eric Bischoff had approached the 'Hulkster' about the possibility of him turning heel. In Hogan's mind, this represented a tremendous risk. Ever since he had swept through the World Wrestling Federation in the early-to-mid-80's, Hulk hadn't been rogue. As the biggest babyface in the entire industry, Hogan was lithe to give up the substantial merchandise revenue and acclaim from fans. In reality however, the man's standing had fallen by '96, and there were some boos audible long before he did form the nWo with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Bischoff helped sell Hulk on the idea of freshening his stale character. According to Bischoff, there were several periods during their discussions where Hulk Hogan nearly got cold feet on the idea. It would have been easy for the guy to simply run his red and yellow 'Hulkamania' schtick into the ground, but he was willing to take the chance in the end. Wrestling may be very different had he elected against it.