WWE: The heel epilogue

Hulk Hogan joins the NWO

Even when you go back in time, the biggest heel turns were the ones that happened when the fans expected it the least. Everyone remembers the Bash at the Beach ’96 in WCW, not because of the PPV itself, which was mediocre at best, but because of the ending of the PPV. Hulk Hogan, who was the biggest babyface in professional wrestling history turned on the fans and WCW, thus joining forces with The Outsiders.

If it were someone else, such as Ric Flair or Savage/Luger, it wouldn’t have been as impactful. Although Hogan was the biggest star at that time, the timing and the execution of the turn gave a perfect example of how the bad guys provide the necessary ‘spice’ in professional wrestling.

But a psychological turn doesn’t happen with a superstar saying something against the crowd or the host city, but by understanding the fans’ mentality and using it against them. The perfect example of that being the Bret Hart – Steve Austin double switch at WrestleMania in ’97.

Not only did it create sympathy for Austin in the minds of the fans. It kick started the Steve Austin era in the WWF. Austin went on to defeat Shawn Michaels the next year at WrestleMania and became the face of the WWF, and also the biggest superstar in the history of professional wrestling! If it wasn’t for a perfect protagonist – turned – antagonist like Bret Hart, it’s hard to imagine that happening. So in a way, Austin wouldn’t have been the same if it wasn’t for a Bret Hart or a Vince McMahon.

The best storylines are the ones involving the best bad guys, and professional wrestling would’ve never been the same if it wasn’t for them. There wouldn’t have been a David if it wasn’t for a Goliath. Professional wrestling is a lot like movies/fiction; for someone to become a hero, they’d need a perfect villain, and the same applies to professional wrestling. Characters like Jake Roberts and The old Undertaker fascinated me, along with the likes of Owen Hart and Mr. Perfect.

While some needed a character for people to hate, there were others who could do that by being themselves. These are the guys the fans love to hate, and these are the performers that make professional wrestling interesting.