10 Wrestling Heel Turns That Never Should Have Happened
4. Hulk Hogan (WCW, 1999)
Split into two distinct factions, WCW's New World Order positioned Hollywood Hogan and Kevin Nash on opposite sides. Hogan was in charge of the more traditional nWo Black and White, whereas the cocksure Nash dripped in cool as he headed up the popular nWo Wolfpac. Things had to come to a head.
The 4 January 1999 episode of Monday Nitro would host the big showdown between New World Order faction leaders. Fans were willing to reinvest in a babyface Hogan, and watching the episode makes that abundantly clear.
Instead of giving fans the pay-off they wanted, WCW ruined the story by having Hogan gently poke Nash in the chest, allowing the big man to take a dramatic bump and Hulk to pin him.
The warring sides of the nWo were brought together with this joke of a match. Any babyface momentum Hogan had created for himself instantly evaporated and WCW's storylines were right back at square one. The creative team completely ruined any chances of a babyface Hogan going against his old nWo buddies.
Swerving their own audience became a WCW trademark, yet it was rarely to the benefit of the overall product. This was a classic example of that.