Hulk Hogan’s jump to WCW in 1996 is one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history, but it almost didn’t happen the way everyone remembers. According to Konnan, a key figure in the formation of the New World Order (nWo), Hogan was initially approached to join the group as a heel *before* making his official move to the rival promotion.

Speaking on the 83 Weeks podcast, Konnan detailed how the idea originated with Eric bischoff. Bischoff wanted to shock the wrestling world by turning hogan heel and having him join forces with scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who had already begun their campaign of disruption in WCW. The plan was to have Hogan attack Randy Savage, solidifying his heel turn and aligning him with the nWo.

“So, the original idea was for Hulk to turn on Savage,” Konnan explained. “And then join us. That was the whole idea.Eric [Bischoff] was realy pushing for it. He thought it would be huge. But Hulk was really hesitant.”

Konnan revealed that Hogan’s reluctance stemmed from his fear of alienating his fanbase. Hogan had built his career on being the ultimate babyface,and he worried that turning heel would damage his connection with the audience. He wasn’t convinced he coudl successfully pull off a heel turn and still maintain his drawing power.

Ultimately, Hogan decided against joining the nWo at that time. Rather, he eventually turned heel on his own terms, joining the group later in 1996 after months of speculation and build-up. This change proved to be a massive success, revitalizing his career and helping WCW win the Monday Night Wars.

“he was afraid of losing the kids,” Konnan said. “He was afraid of losing the fanbase. He was like,‘I don’t know if I can pull this off.’ And Eric was like, ‘Trust me, you can.’ But Hulk was just really hesitant.”

While Hogan’s eventual heel turn and nWo membership were hugely triumphant, it’s fascinating to consider how different things could have been if he had accepted bischoff’s initial offer. The wrestling landscape might look very different today.