A recent episode of the “No Contest Wrestling” podcast featured Eric Bischoff sharing behind-the-scenes insights on how he persuaded Hulk Hogan to adopt a villainous persona and become part of the nWo as the enigmatic ‘third man’.
Although Hogan eventually warmed up to the idea, marking a crucial moment in wrestling history, his initial reaction was less than enthusiastic. Bischoff revealed that he had to convince the wrestling superstar, who turned down the idea at first.
Bischoff expressed, “Approximately eight months before Hulk Hogan transitioned into a villainous role, I paid a visit to Hulk in Florida in the middle of the week. I was keen on discussing the potential of him turning into a heel since his traditional ‘red and yellow’ persona was not garnering the responses it used to. We were all witnessing the decline, but nobody was willing to confront the issue. So, I went down there with the determination to persuade Hulk to embrace the heel character. […] I chose not to reveal the identity of the third man, not out of distrust, but out of the playful nature of Hulk. When elated, he simply can’t keep a secret. I probed, ‘Hulk, I don’t know. Who do you reckon it should be?’ He gestured, stroked his beard, and replied in his typical style, ‘You’re looking at him, brother.’ Hearing this, I could hardly contain my excitement, knowing this was a game-changer.”
This episode served as an intriguing peek behind the curtains of one of wrestling’s most historic moments. You can watch the full episode below.
[embeds the video]