Post by OGBoardPoster2005 on Feb 22, 2024 22:07:28 GMT -5
25 years later and its still perhaps the most baffling double turn in wrestling history.
Backstory:
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were the two biggest names in Pro Wrestling in the 1980s. Hogan held the WWF Championship for 5 years in the decade while Flair was NWA Champion numerous times throughout the 80s. In 1991 Flair jumped to the WWF and destabilized Hulk's bubble causing Hogan to lose the WWF Championship and his WWF career to decline. Ric used this opportunity to seize the belt and springboard himself to 2 WWF Title reigns.
Fast forward to 1994 and Ric has returned to WCW where twice more he's become World Champion beating Barry Windham to regain the NWA Title and later Vader for the WCW Championship. Hulk Hogan, meanwhile left the WWF after Wrestlemania VIII and returned a year later to initially aid his friend Brutus Beefcake against Ted DiBiase and IRS in pursuit of the Tag Team belts, only to surprise the fans by beating Yokozuna for the WWF Title at Wrestlemania IX.
Hogan's reign was short-lived, however and after King of the Ring 1993 he made his way to WCW where he started appearing on TV that March leading up in segments with Mean Gene on the set of "Thunder in Paradise". There the challenge was set and Hulk Hogan was on his way to WCW to face Ric Flair for the WCW Championship.
Low and behold, at Bash at the Beach 1994, Hogan debuted in WCW and beat Flair to win the WCW Championship. This started a ripple effect where Hogan destabilized Flair's life much like Ric had to Hulk in 1991. For the next year and half, Ric and Hulk would feud and face off for the WCW Championship numerous times before Hogan along with Randy Savage beat Ric Flair and the Alliance to End Hulkamania at Uncensored 1996.
Fast forward to Bash at the Beach. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had debuted in May and June of 1996 and promised to destroy WCW from within. During the Main Event between them against Luger, Savage and Sting they promised a third man and they delivered as Hulk Hogan returned to WCW and turned against the fans, joining the nWo.
Hogan as leader of the New World Order would begin to terrorize WCW with the help of Hall and Nash, beating The Giant to win the WCW Title at Hog Wild and even facing off with Flair at Clash of the Champions after Flair and the Four Horsemen became involved in the situtation. After Hogan, Hall, Nash and the Fake Sting would defeat Flair, Arn, Sting and Lex at Fall Brawl 1996, Flair and Hogan rarely would face off with Flair focusing his attention to Hall, Nash and Syxx and Hogan towards Randy Savage and Roddy Piper.
Fast forward to 1998 and Ric Flair has been fired by Eric Bischoff. The Four Horsemen are honored by JJ Dillon one night and an encounter between Bischoff and the fired Flair sparks a feud between the two throughout the Fall of 1998. Bischoff would defeat Flair at Starrcade but Flair got revenge on Nitro beating Eric for the WCW Presidency.
This moment would cause the nWo, having split several months prior to reunite and place Hollywood Hogan back in a position of power as WCW Champion with President Flair going after him with the goal to bring down the nWo and Hogan once and for all.
During this, Ric's son David debuts and becomes a target by Hogan, Bischoff and the nWo. Flair and Hogan would face off at Super Brawl IX with Hogan beating Flair after David turned against Ric.
In the build up we had seen the levels of pain that Hogan and the nWo was subjecting Ric to. They had come to WCW, taken away his World Title, destabilized what was Horsemen Country and hijack a company that was once his. Ric had enough and challenged Flair once more to a First Blood Steel Cage Match with Ric's career on the line versus Hogan's WCW Championship.
The anticipation was there and the match began. It was a very physical, intense fight that one last time saw the two bring their A game against one another. What made the match odd though was the lead up of Charles Robinson being a life long Ric Flair fan and being reluctant to let his hero go down.
During the match Flair bleeds early and Hogan oddly panders to the crowd, which suddenly is cheering Hogan. Hogan tries to pin Flair a few times before realizing Flair is bleeding. He petitions to Charles Robinson who lets it go while Tony Schiavone explains that Charles thinks Ric still has fight in him, while Tenay corrects him by saying its a First Blood match, but its referee's discretion.
They fight on a little more before Hogan gets cut open and suddenly the stipulation is seemingly out the window. Flair gets the upper hand and constantly taunts David about becoming a 14 time champion before Hogan Hulks up and gets the upper hand again. Arn Anderson runs in from the back, wipes out David, throws Torrie to the floor and hands Flair a tire iron before Flair hits Hogan, and pins him with a fast counted Figure Four.
The next night Flair would turn against Benoit and Malenko and officially be a Heel while Hollywood Hogan becomes a sympathetic babyface having been screwed out of his title.
So...what happened here? The 83 Weeks episode did not talk much on it because supposedly Eric was on vacation during a lot of the build, but Meltzer reported at the time that Flair wanted to go back to being a Heel and Hogan was interested in being a Face again and so they got together and made the call. Watching the match I can believe it but I can't think of a stranger way to conclude the nWo angle than a double turn with Flair screwing Hulk out of the belt and the nWo seemingly forgtten after having just returned in January.
Your thoughts?
Backstory:
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were the two biggest names in Pro Wrestling in the 1980s. Hogan held the WWF Championship for 5 years in the decade while Flair was NWA Champion numerous times throughout the 80s. In 1991 Flair jumped to the WWF and destabilized Hulk's bubble causing Hogan to lose the WWF Championship and his WWF career to decline. Ric used this opportunity to seize the belt and springboard himself to 2 WWF Title reigns.
Fast forward to 1994 and Ric has returned to WCW where twice more he's become World Champion beating Barry Windham to regain the NWA Title and later Vader for the WCW Championship. Hulk Hogan, meanwhile left the WWF after Wrestlemania VIII and returned a year later to initially aid his friend Brutus Beefcake against Ted DiBiase and IRS in pursuit of the Tag Team belts, only to surprise the fans by beating Yokozuna for the WWF Title at Wrestlemania IX.
Hogan's reign was short-lived, however and after King of the Ring 1993 he made his way to WCW where he started appearing on TV that March leading up in segments with Mean Gene on the set of "Thunder in Paradise". There the challenge was set and Hulk Hogan was on his way to WCW to face Ric Flair for the WCW Championship.
Low and behold, at Bash at the Beach 1994, Hogan debuted in WCW and beat Flair to win the WCW Championship. This started a ripple effect where Hogan destabilized Flair's life much like Ric had to Hulk in 1991. For the next year and half, Ric and Hulk would feud and face off for the WCW Championship numerous times before Hogan along with Randy Savage beat Ric Flair and the Alliance to End Hulkamania at Uncensored 1996.
Fast forward to Bash at the Beach. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash had debuted in May and June of 1996 and promised to destroy WCW from within. During the Main Event between them against Luger, Savage and Sting they promised a third man and they delivered as Hulk Hogan returned to WCW and turned against the fans, joining the nWo.
Hogan as leader of the New World Order would begin to terrorize WCW with the help of Hall and Nash, beating The Giant to win the WCW Title at Hog Wild and even facing off with Flair at Clash of the Champions after Flair and the Four Horsemen became involved in the situtation. After Hogan, Hall, Nash and the Fake Sting would defeat Flair, Arn, Sting and Lex at Fall Brawl 1996, Flair and Hogan rarely would face off with Flair focusing his attention to Hall, Nash and Syxx and Hogan towards Randy Savage and Roddy Piper.
Fast forward to 1998 and Ric Flair has been fired by Eric Bischoff. The Four Horsemen are honored by JJ Dillon one night and an encounter between Bischoff and the fired Flair sparks a feud between the two throughout the Fall of 1998. Bischoff would defeat Flair at Starrcade but Flair got revenge on Nitro beating Eric for the WCW Presidency.
This moment would cause the nWo, having split several months prior to reunite and place Hollywood Hogan back in a position of power as WCW Champion with President Flair going after him with the goal to bring down the nWo and Hogan once and for all.
During this, Ric's son David debuts and becomes a target by Hogan, Bischoff and the nWo. Flair and Hogan would face off at Super Brawl IX with Hogan beating Flair after David turned against Ric.
In the build up we had seen the levels of pain that Hogan and the nWo was subjecting Ric to. They had come to WCW, taken away his World Title, destabilized what was Horsemen Country and hijack a company that was once his. Ric had enough and challenged Flair once more to a First Blood Steel Cage Match with Ric's career on the line versus Hogan's WCW Championship.
The anticipation was there and the match began. It was a very physical, intense fight that one last time saw the two bring their A game against one another. What made the match odd though was the lead up of Charles Robinson being a life long Ric Flair fan and being reluctant to let his hero go down.
During the match Flair bleeds early and Hogan oddly panders to the crowd, which suddenly is cheering Hogan. Hogan tries to pin Flair a few times before realizing Flair is bleeding. He petitions to Charles Robinson who lets it go while Tony Schiavone explains that Charles thinks Ric still has fight in him, while Tenay corrects him by saying its a First Blood match, but its referee's discretion.
They fight on a little more before Hogan gets cut open and suddenly the stipulation is seemingly out the window. Flair gets the upper hand and constantly taunts David about becoming a 14 time champion before Hogan Hulks up and gets the upper hand again. Arn Anderson runs in from the back, wipes out David, throws Torrie to the floor and hands Flair a tire iron before Flair hits Hogan, and pins him with a fast counted Figure Four.
The next night Flair would turn against Benoit and Malenko and officially be a Heel while Hollywood Hogan becomes a sympathetic babyface having been screwed out of his title.
So...what happened here? The 83 Weeks episode did not talk much on it because supposedly Eric was on vacation during a lot of the build, but Meltzer reported at the time that Flair wanted to go back to being a Heel and Hogan was interested in being a Face again and so they got together and made the call. Watching the match I can believe it but I can't think of a stranger way to conclude the nWo angle than a double turn with Flair screwing Hulk out of the belt and the nWo seemingly forgtten after having just returned in January.
Your thoughts?