Hulk Hogan’s heel turn in WCW took his career to even greater heights, and his friend and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart played a role in convincing him to take that drastic step. 

Hogan becoming a bad guy in WCW and joining Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the nWo is regarded as one of the greatest heel turns in pro wrestling history. Hart said in an interview with “Undisputed” that Hogan had to make the change because merchandise sales were falling and it was time for “The Hulkster” to pivot.

“When the whole thing was suggested, Hulk thought long and hard about it. I remember we got together. Hulk turned to me and said, ‘Whatta ya think?’ I reminded Hulk of an old saying. I said, ‘Hulk, if you do what you’ve always done, you’re going to have what you’ve always had.’ When everything is running smoothly, you keep doing it. That’s no different in wrestling or a restaurant. But once people quit coming, you need to change the menu,” he recalled telling Hogan. “We took a hard look at his merchandise sales, and we could see everything dipping. Let’s face it, you can only go so many red-and-yellow t-shirts. It was time for a change, and Hulk knew it.”

Hart added that everyone involved in the heel turn was the right fit, while the timing of it was also perfect. While the nWo’s popularity reached stratospheric levels, Hart believes it ultimately worked against the group because almost everyone, barring a few stars, joined it at some point during their WCW careers, with very few opponents for the group.

Hogan’s heel turn was originally pitched during his time in WWE, but Vince McMahon ultimately rejected the idea for one of his most beloved babyfaces. Eric Bischoff and WCW ultimately benefited enormously from Hogan’s turn, which helped begin one of the promotion’s most successful periods in the ’90s.