What if Bash at the Beach 1996 went different

[snowdogg438]

At Bash at the Beach 96 Hulk Hogan told the fans to stick it and joined the NWO turning into the biggest heel in wrestling. But what if the crowd that night hadn't turned on Hogan that night? What if instead of filling the ring with garbage and booing Hogan out of the building they would have embraced Hollywood Hogan and the NWO as the new face of wrestling and cheered them as babyfaces no matter what they did? Would the NWO still have made the impact they did? Or would they have failed?

 

[WCW_Sting]

Actually, some did embrace it, although it was probably because they were idiot rednecks who cheered for heels no matter what. If you look pretty much dead center on the front row, there's a guy in a white ECW shirt who is clapping and cheering the entire time Hogan is talking. A security guy even took his sign away for some reason.

Not to knock your thread, but I don't think this is a good or realistic "What if?" topic. Hulk Hogan was the babyface of all babyfaces at the time, and Hulkamania had been "running wild" for twelve years (not counting those months when he shaved his moustache, wore black, and went to the "darkside" or some bullshit). I remember being nine-years-old and watching WCW Saturday Night following Bash at the Beach and seeing that Hulk Hogan was "the third guy" for the first time. I can't ever remember being in such disbelief before or after that day, and I know I was only one of millions of others. It just could not have happened any other way because of who and what Hulk Hogan was to professional wrestling.

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

I feel fans did embrace it. They were so sick of the super-hero, take your vitamins and say your prayers baby face of all babyfaces that Hogan was. Soem were upset the moment it happened but look a few months down the road where everyother person was wearing and NWO shirt.

It was the most perfect turn, storyline and swerve of all time.

 

[Agent-67]

The fans did embrace it. I was one of them. I am not a redneck however. They were just the hottest thing in wrestling. I mean you went from watching Mantar, TL Hopper, The Yetti, etc, to a hip type of angle. Listen to the fans, by the time war games 96 arrives its almost 50-50 for the crowd. When Hall used to do his survey the nWo won a lot of the times. nWoites are the most loyal fans. You hit that music or show those three on TV and the place will explode.

 

[Upgrayedd]

I embraced it and I'm not a redneck. Actually, I'd say at the beginning (before Sting got red hot) that more of the "rednecks" were cheering for WCW while the "cool" crowd was cheering for the nWo. Hall and Nash always got cheered and Hogan got cheered in certain cities. For example, the first time Nitro came here to Chicaco (in January 1997) when Hogan was heel he got a HUGE pop. The nWo was super over in Chicago.

 

[bulldog76]

Fans embraced Hall and Nash. Hogan somehow managed to stay heel. It was funny hearing them talk about it. Hall and Nash could do no wrong yet Hogan could die for all anyone cared; even though they were doing the same thing.

Had the fans not embraced the idea of the nWo, WCW would have died sooner. WCW fans seemed like they were already turning on Hogan.

 

[WCW_Sting]

Apparently there is some confusion about my reply. Allow me to clear it up.

Do all of you think I've blocked out the image of a black sea of nWo shirts in the crowd on Nitro every week? Do you think I've forgotten all the people who shouted "N...W...O" to the top of their lungs during a Scott Hall survey?

It goes without saying that the fans eventually did embrace it...at least I thought it SHOULD go without saying since snowdogg's question was what if the fans embraced it IMMEDIATELY...AT Bash at the Beach...RIGHT AS it was all happening. Again, it goes without saying that the fans eventually did embrace it. We all remember.

I wasn't calling any of you "idiot rednecks." I'm from the South and at wrestling shows, drunk rednecks always cheer for the "bad guys" to get attention. I guess it's not that way everywhere. Sorry for making a generalization.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Had Hogan not taken the role as the third member of the nWo, then Sting would have (Eric Bischoff tells in his book, Controversy Creates Cash, that he initially wanted to Sting to be the third member of the nWo, but Sting was wary to turn heel). Personally, I think this could have been just as successful, as it has always been my belief that Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were responsible for the success of the nWo, and that Hogan's only real contribution to the group was that fans were shocked over his heel turn (that is to say, had Hogan turned heel with anyone else, it is my belief that it just flat out would not have worked).

But, had Sting joined instead of Hogan, that would have left us with the same red and yellow Hogan that people were growing tired of. Furthermore, Hogan would have more than likely been the one to initially challenge the nWo, and he would have won out over them and shortened an angle/faction that was hot for about two-and-a-half years. In the end, I think things turned out for the best. But, I definitely don't think that Hogan, over the long-term, was primarily responsible for the nWo's success. I think Sting could have done just as good of a job, and, had he been the third member of the nWo, he probably would have been given that little extra nudge that would have put him on the same level of success as Hogan, Austin, and The Rock.

 

[Henry Hill]

if the fans had immediately embraced the turn it would have created a wcw attitude era. which eventually happened anyway. maybe the nwo would've been more exclusive since it had become more popular maybe syxx/xpac/sean waltman wouldve gotten a better rub and stayed in wcw preempting the mid card dx from forming. the immediate impact however would've probably made the wcw writers do whatever they could to make the crowd despise the nwo which would have definately crossed the "attitude" lines

 

[jsanders78]

I see where you are trying to go with this. Embraced is the wrong word to use here. That particular night - and long into the angle - the heel turn by Hogan drew the heat is was supposed to, but the angle was still embraced, evidenced by the obvious success it had. There is always going to be "that guy" - and anyone who has been to a live event knows who im talking about, or they may even be him , who goes against whatever everyone else is doing in the crowd. But you can tell from the amount of garbage thrown into the ring that night and the many subsequent nights there after that the heat on Hogan from the fans was there.

I distinctly remember the Nitro, I believe it was in Chicago, where Luger torture racked Hogan and won the belt - the ENTIRE BUILDING WENT NUTS (only to lose it back to Hogan at Road Wild the following Sunday) You couldn't ask for a better reaction.

But to answer your question - had the fans cheered and not thrown garbage, etc into the ring that night - I still think the angle would have been successful - we just would have been deprived one or wrestlings greatest images. The success of the angle was because the "mixing" of WWF/WCW stars on one show - and making it appear as if one was invading the other.

 

[Kid A]

I feel fans did embrace it. They were so sick of the super-hero, take your vitamins and say your prayers baby face of all babyfaces that Hogan was. Soem were upset the moment it happened but look a few months down the road where everyother person was wearing and NWO shirt.

It was the most perfect turn, storyline and swerve of all time.

yeah i agree. i was always under the impression that everyone(outside of the hero-jocking little kids) loved NWO...everyone who was sick of the same old thing that is...it brought the rockstar lifestyle to wrestling. these guys did what they wanted when they wanted. it was one of the realer soap operas in wrestling at the time and i think it went over well before they blew it. i def think the fans embraced it tho..