WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart spoke with Justin Barrasso of Undisputed about various topics, including Hulk Hogan’s decision to turn heel at WCW Bash at the Beach in 1996.
Hart said, “When the whole thing was suggested, Hulk thought long and hard about it. I remember we got together. Hulk turned to me and said, ‘Whatta ya think?’ I reminded Hulk of an old saying. I said, ‘Hulk, if you do what you’ve always done, you’re going to have what you’ve always had.’ When everything is running smoothly, you keep doing it. That’s no different in wrestling or a restaurant. But once people quit coming, you need to change the menu. We took a hard look at his merchandise sales, and we could see everything dipping. Let’s face it, you can only go so many red-and-yellow t-shirts. It was time for a change, and Hulk knew it.”
On the timing of nWo:
“The timing couldn’t have been better. You had Nash and Hall, who’d just come over from WWE, and they were red hot. Plus it was so important to have Randy involved–don’t forget he’s the one who Hulk hit with the leg drop. From there, it all just clicked. It all worked beautifully. The NWO, it worked so well with Hulk, Nash, Hall, and Bischoff. It got so popular. Baby, it still works. Those t-shirts are still selling. But the popularity hurt them, too. Pretty soon, the boat almost sunk because there were so many members of the NWO. You had Ric Flair, Diamond Dallas Page, and Sting against 30 people. It felt like there was no one else left for them to fight.”
On fans still wearing nWo shirts:
“Look around at any WrestleMania and you’ll still see NWO shirts throughout the crowd. NWO shirts and Stone Cold Steve Austin shirts, for years that hasn’t changed. It was a risk, but Hulk was willing to take it.”
