10 Wrestling Heel Turns That Totally Saved Careers

Professional wrestling wouldn’t be half as big as it is today without Hulk Hogan’s rise in the ‘80s, but his popularity was on the downswing by the early ‘90s. The jeers started when he petulantly helped Ric Flair eliminate Sid Justice to win the 1992 Royal Rumble, and his WWE run gradually unravelled thereafter. The larger than life superhero act was wearing thin, and Hogan departed shortly after dropping the WWE Championship to Yokozuna in 1993.

Hogan signed for WCW one year later. It was a huge coup for the company, but Hulk was working the same stale act, and it didn’t take long for the shine to wear off. Fortunately, Hogan underwent a complete character makeover in 1996. He was revealed as the New World Order’s “third man,” thus beginning one of the most famous storylines of all-time, and reinvigorating ‘The Hulkster’ for a new generation of wrestling fans.

Hollywood Hogan would once again revolutionise the business, just as he’d done in the ‘80s. Sure, his best years as a performer were long gone, but the nWo’s formation helped swing the Monday Night Wars’ in WCW’s favour, and prolonged Hogan’s career for much longer than anyone had thought possible. He’d changed the course of wrestling history for a second time, and it all stemmed from his famous turn.