Latest news with #MondayNightWar
New York Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Wrestling managers are enjoying a new golden age
A new golden age of wrestling managers is here. The role and art form that kept many employed and on screen in the 1980s and early '90s started to fade away after WWE won the Monday Night War, transitioned into the only game in town and saw its women presented on par with the men in the ring. Vince McMahon began to question the need for managers to some extent while running WWE in the early 2000s. However, if you are in your 40s, you grew up during the time of Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Mr. Fuji, Miss Elizabeth, Sensational Sherri, Paul Ellering, Paul Bearer, Sunny, Jim Cornette, Chyna, and even Harvey Whippleman, to name a few. They were some of the most entertaining things on wrestling programming and essential elements to a performer's presentation and storylines.
New York Post
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How Hulk Hogan authored one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history
These days, wrestling fans are more or less in on the act. But there was a time that fans were so enraged by an unforeseen twist that they peppered the men in the ring with trash, disgusted by the ultimate act of betrayal. Hulk Hogan, who died Thursday morning at the age of 71, turned heel — wrestling parlance for a hero transforming into a villain — at WCW's 'Bash at the Beach' in Daytona, Fla. on July 7, 1996 in one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history, aligning himself with fellow ex-WWE stars Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to form the New World Order (nWo) faction that completely changed the industry and pop culture. Advertisement Hogan had been the ultimate good guy for 12 years, a larger-than-life All-American icon who implored fans to take their vitamins and say their prayers. So when he marched down to the ring that night in Daytona during the main event between heroes Sting, Randy Savage and Lex Luger vs. Hall, Nash and a mystery third man who had yet to appear, fans cheered as they thought he was going to help fend off the bad guys. Advertisement As Hogan made his way toward the ring, Bobby Heenan asked on the broadcast, 'Whose side is he on?' 'What are you talking about?!' Dusty Rhodes responded incredulously. Hogan then hit his signature leg drop on longtime rival Savage, leaving fans stunned as he high-fived Hall and Nash. 4 Hulk Hogan turns heel by hitting a leg drop on Randy Savage at Bash at the Beach 1996. YouTube/WWE Vault Advertisement 4 Hulk Hogan (c.) celebrates alongside Scott Hall (l.) and Kevin Nash (r.) at Bash at the Beach 1996. YouTube/WWE Vault 4 Hulk Hogan (c.) talks to Gene Okerlund alongside Scott Hall (l.) and Kevin Nash (r.) at Bash at the Beach 1996. YouTube/WWE Vault As fans threw garbage into the ring, WCW backstage reporter Gene Okerlund asked Hogan, 'What in the world are you thinking?' 'Mean Gene, the first thing you need to do is to tell these people to shut up if you want to hear what I've got to say,' a mustachioed Hogan, in red pants and a yellow bandana, said as boos rained down upon him, formally turning his back on the fans. Advertisement Hogan declared that he, Hall and Nash were 'the future of wrestling' and that they were going to 'destroy everything in our path.' Hogan began to wear black wrestling gear and added a black beard to his blond mustache as he and his ever-expanding group took over WCW. 4 Hulk Hogan in 1997 sporting his all-black villainous look. Corbis via Getty Images The formation of the nWo flipped the wrestling business on its head. The black nWo shirt with white lettering became immensely popular and WCW ended up beating WWE in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks until April 1998. WWE then took the reins in the 'Monday Night War,' and WCW began to spiral. WWE later bought WCW in 2001, and Hogan returned there with the nWo in 2002.
The Herald Scotland
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Hulk Hogan dead aged 71 as wrestling star passes away
Hogan had undergone surgery recently, with former WCW executive Eric Bischoff saying he had experienced an 'adverse reaction'. After signing for what was then the World Wrestling Federation, he helped usher in the professional wrestling boom of the 1980s. Hogan headlined eight of the first nine editions of Wrestlemania, and his match against André the Giant in 1988 drew 33 million viewers on television. He later pursued a film career, appearing in features such as Rocky III, Suburban Commando and Mr Nanny. Following that he signed with the WWF's rival World Championship Wrestling, igniting the so-called 'Monday Night War' between the two firms. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and is survived by his children Brooke Hogan and Nick Hogan.
