THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL
July 7, 1996.
That date will have its 29-year anniversary on Monday. That was a very significant day in professional wrestling history. July 7, 1996, was the date of World Championship Wrestling’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-view. It also was the day that the biggest name in wrestling — Hulk Hogan — turned heel (became a bad guy).
That also was the night that Hogan and former World Wrestling Federation/ Entertainment superstars Scott Hall (Razor Ramon in WWF/E) and Kevin Nash (Diesel in WWF/E) formed one of the biggest heel stables in wrestling history — the NWO (New World Order). Over the next two years, the NWO clashed with several WCW superstars such as Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Sting and Diamond Dallas Page, to name a few.
The premise of the NWO was essentially to give wrestling fans their so-called “dream matches” of Hogan vs. Sting, Luger vs. Macho Man Randy Savage, etc. The NWO was made up primarily of former WWF/E superstars as well.
The events leading up to the Bash at the Beach’s Hostile Takeover match were unusual and interesting. On the May 27, 1996, edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Hall walked down from the seats and into the ring to announce that he and his friends (who were not present at the time) were declaring “war” on WCW.
Later that night and the following week on Monday Nitro, Hall made appearances to antagonize WCW president Eric Bischoff. Two weeks after Hall’s initial appearance, Nash appeared on the scene.
Together, Hall and Nash issued challenges to WCW and even told Bischoff to bring three of the best wrestlers for a match. They also announced they had a third wrestler in their corner.
Bischoff held a lottery to select three wrestlers
to represent WCW against Hall, Nash and their mystery partner at Bash at the Beach. The three selected were Luger, Sting and Savage.
Before the match, Hall and Nash walked down to the ring together without their partner, which drew the ire of ringside announcer Mean Gene Okerlund. They informed Okerlund their partner was in the building and ready to go when they needed him.
Luger, Sting and Savage then entered the ring and the match began. Two minutes into the match, however; Luger suffered a kayfabe (scripted) injury and Team WCW was down to just Savage and Sting after Luger was carted off on a stretcher.
The match continued for another 20 minutes before all four men were down on the ring. That’s when Hogan walked into the ring with the crowd erupting in cheers as they assumed he was going to save Sting and Savage.
As Hogan walked toward the ring, commentators Dusty Rhodes and Tony Schiavone were proclaiming, “Hulk Hogan was in the building.” The third commentator, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan — known for making sarcastic remarks during matches — replied with a subtle spoiler alert, “But whose side is he on?!”
Schiavone blew off Heenan’s comment as Hogan climbed into the ring and ripped his tank top off as he stared down at Hall and Nash. Hogan then turned around and delivered the first of three leg drops to Savage to shock the crowd and the wrestling world.
It was at this moment the mystery partner was revealed as Hogan. Hogan, Hall and Nash then announced to Okerlund after the match they were going to “take over the wrestling world.”
In the months to come, it certainly seemed that way. Hogan became the WCW world champion, Hall and Nash won the world tag-team championship, the NWO expanded with other former WWF/E superstars such Ted DiBiase, Sean Waltman (Syxx in WCW, X-Pac or 1-2-3 Kid in WWF/E), Mike Jones (Virgil in WWF/E, Vincent in WCW), Big Bubba Rogers (Big Boss Man in WWF/E) and Mike Rotunda (Irwin R. Schuyster in WWF/E), a few undercard WCW wrestlers such as Marcus Bagwell and Konnan, and Savage, who jumped ship and joined the NWO in February 1997.
During Hogan’s postmatch interview at Bash at the Beach 1996, he said “the name Hulk Hogan became bigger than the sport of wrestling itself.” He also said that “if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff would still be selling meat out of a truck in Minneapolis.”
During the NWO era (1996-99), several “dream matches” took place such as Sting vs. Hogan in Starrcade 1997, numerous Luger vs. Hall or Nash matches, Flair vs. Savage, etc. WCW even beat WWF/E in ratings for nearly two years during the NWO era.
A week prior to Hall’s debut on WCW, he and Nash were involved in another controversy. In their final WWF/E appearance prior to leaving the company for WCW, they were involved in the MSG Curtain Call incident following the conclusion of an In Your House pay per view event at Madison Square Garden.
Then-WWF/E world champion Shawn Michaels defeated Nash in a steel cage match in the main event of that pay-per-view. Following the match, Hall — a face or fan favorite — joined Michaels in celebration.
Minutes later, Hunter Hearst Helmsley — Triple H — joined the celebration as did Nash once he got up from lying down on the ring floor. The issue with the celebration was Nash and Triple H were heels, and they broke character to join Hall and Michaels in the celebration.
Outside of ring character, Hall, Michaels, Nash, Triple H (Paul Levesque in real life) and Waltman were known as “The Kliq.” A year after the formation of the NWO, Michaels and Triple H formed D-Generation X in the WWF/E.
D-X started off as a heel stable but quickly became fan favorites. The Kliq has had several reunions at WWE events.
I haven’t followed wrestling in years — it’s just not the same. But I will never forget the shock of July 7, 1996 — the day Hulk Hogan turned heel.
Chlapek is the area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at jason. chlapek@granitemedia partners.com.
A vintage-style Hulkamania T-shirt from Hulk Hogan's World Wrestling Federation days, before he turned heel during World Championship Wrestling’s Bash at the Beach in 1996. Adobe Stock photo
