9. Eric Bischoff Talks About Hulk Hogan Initially Facing Difficulties While Being A Heel In WCW

During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Eric Bischoff discussed Hulk Hogan’s heel run in WCW as the leader of the nWo. Bischoff talked about the difficulties Hogan faced initally after working as a top babyface for more than a decade:

“Hulk got very comfortable in that heel role, but initially, it was very hard for him. He was so unsure how the fans would react after being so familiar seeing him as a babyface for so long. There was a big part of Hulk Hogan that loved being a heel, and once he connected to that character, and once the audience connected to that character, he thoroughly enjoyed it. Hulk, as a top babyface for nearly 15 years, had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest heels in the business. He saw a lot of things that he filed into his ‘heel folder’, and that included drawing from ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, and Roddy Piper.

He’d had the opportunity to work with some of the best heels in the business, and he filed a lot of that away. There was also a part of Terry Bollea’s real personality that he brought to the table that allowed him to let loose.”