July 7th, 1996, Daytona Beach, Florida, was the home of World Championship Wrestling’s Bash at the Beach. With Hulk Hogan’s hiatus, the main event featured the biggest stars in professional wrestling, as the Macho Man Randy Savage, “The Total Package” Lex Luger, and the man they call Sting were set to defend the honor of WCW.

Their opponents? Two outsiders named Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, along with their mystery partner. As the WCW faithful started to lose hope, their savior, Hulk Hogan, marched down to the ring. Hulkamaniacs cheered as the red and yellow looked to run wild. Then, the unthinkable happened…

The Build Up to the Infamous Hogan Leg Drop

In the spring of ’96, the Monday Night Wars were in full effect. WCW’s Monday Nitro would go head-to-head against its rival, the WWF’s Monday Night Raw. Former WWF Intercontinental Champion and fan favorite Razor Ramon made a shocking debut in the middle of a mid-card match on Nitro. The former “Bad Guy” Scott Hall dropped one of the most memorable promos in wrestling history. Before the days of social media and instant access, fans really did “know who he was, but didn’t know why he was there.”

Hall would show up regularly, teasing the arrival of one of his friends. WCW made sure to blur the lines for fans, insinuating that he was not part of the active roster, and left them to question his employment with the company. After weeks, Hall would reveal his surprise as the former WWF World Champion known as “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel would join his partner in crime. The real-life Kevin Nash teamed up with his fellow Kliq member to create the tag team duo known as the Outsiders.

Hall and Nash would terrorize the WCW locker room for months leading up to the July Pay Per View, Bash at the Beach. They would tease a third member of the group, and they were here to take over the wrestling company from top to bottom. The buzz around “who is the third man?” was the talk of the wrestling world. Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger put their differences aside to align for the good of WCW.

As the match unfolded, team WCW looked down and out. With little to no hope left, the fans erupted as the legendary Hulk Hogan stormed down to the ring. The red and yellow looked to run wild on the two outsiders. As Hogan hit the ring, Hall and Nash scurried away in fear of the ultimate Hulkamaniac. Then the unthinkable happened! Everyone’s childhood hero would drop his famous leg drop on his former Mega Power teammate, the Macho Man.

Hogan Tells Fans to “Stick It”

After multiple leg drops to the Macho Man and an unofficial three count, “Mean Gene” Okerlund stepped into the ring to ask his long-time friend why he would betray the WCW faithful. The Hulkster would have a change of attitude. Instead of telling the little Hulkamaniacs to take their vitamins and say their prayers, this version would tell them all to stick it! Hogan referred to his new union with Hall and Nash as the New World “Organization” of wrestling. As the ring filled with trash, the NWO was officially born!

The NWO would go on to be one of the most influential wrestling factions of all time. The success of the group helped WCW dominate the ratings war on Monday nights for 83 consecutive weeks. The traditional red and yellow look from the Hulkster was dead, and a new, cooler, all-black “Hollywood” Hogan was introduced to the world.

Final Thoughts

Back in ’96 and the years before the popularity of the Internet and social media, wrestling leaks were damn near impossible to get. The surprises and shocking returns were what wrestling fans adored. The moniker of anything can happen at any time was in full effect. Hogan’s heel turn was something fans thought they would never see. This is still considered one, if not the greatest of all time. Twenty-nine years later, John Cena’s turn is still being compared to the Immortal Hulk Hogan.

Even though the NWO would eventually get somewhat out of control, the initial crew made a wrestling impact that may never be duplicated. So whether your favorite member was one of the original three, Scott Norton, Buff Bagwell, Stevie Ray, or even Disco Inferno, without the Hogan turn, we as fans wouldn’t have witnessed any of its success.