It was a simpler time for wrestling: good guys were heroes and bad guys were villains. The ultimate hero of the 1980s and first half of the 1990s was Hulk Hogan and he was the epitome of sportsmanship and

But that all changed on July 7, 1996 at Bash at the Beach. The Outsiders and a mystery partner were battling against a team of WCW’s top stars. The mystery partner had not shown up to begin the match, and when WCW’s Lex Luger was stretchered to the back, fans thought that he would re-emerge as the third Outsider.

At the end of the match, Hulk Hogan, missing from WCW for several months, ran down to the ring, seemingly to help his fallen WCW comrades, and long time friend Randy Savage. Instead, he dropped the big leg drop on Savage, revealing himself to be the partner of Scott hall and Kevin Nash.

Hogan proceeded to give a memorable interview, where he bashed the fans for not supporting him in recent months. He told of a “New World Order” of professional wrestling that would take over.

The nWo turned out to be a huge development for WCW, and catapulted the promotion to a record 80 week winning streak on Monday Night. In addition, it revitalized the sagging career of Hogan, and made the nWo a cool brand name that fans could relate to.

More than the nWo, Hogan’s turn was the story. In the late 1990s, major wrestlers turn all the time, and while there is some interest, it isn’t completely shocking. Hogan’s turn was completely shocking. Here was a man, who, for over 15 years, was a role model for children and parlayed his success in wrestling into a movie career and charity work, wholly based on his wholesome persona.

Once Hulk Hogan could turn bad, anyone could. Perennial good guys Sting and Bret Hart have since turned evil, and many others have turned bad and back countless times. The days of a wrestling changing face as a huge shock are over. But in 1996, no one saw the Hogan turn coming: not internet fans, not casual fans, and it turned out to be one of the best moments of the 1990s.