5 ways Hulk Hogan's heel turn changed pro-wrestling

Modified Jul 08, 2019 07:44 GMT

The moment that changed professional wrestling forever, resulting in a string of memorable moments

#1 Pro-wrestling became cool again

Professional wrestling witnessed a boom period in the 80s, with the Rock 'N' Wrestling Connection in full swing. By the mid-90s, fans were tired of WWE's product and ridiculous characters like The Gobbledy Gooker and Nailz. WCW wasn't doing any better, as Hogan's superstardom had died down and his babyface persona wasn't working with the fans. His heel turn kicked off a chain of events that made pro-wrestling fun to watch again.

Also read: 6 NXT Superstars WWE didn't use correctly

For the next three years, both companies battled in a rating war, famously dubbed as "The Monday Night War", with both Bischoff and McMahon trying to come up with exciting storylines and intriguing matches to bring in the fans to watch the shows. This resulted in Raw and Nitro garnering millions of viewers on a weekly basis. Suddenly, wrestling had become cool again!

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Israel Lutete