Eric Bischoff Recalls ‘Dark Side’ Hulk Hogan In 1995, Says There Was No Plan

On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff talked about a peculiar moment in WCW history: Hulk Hogan’s short-lived “dark side” persona in late 1995. Hogan began appearing in all-black attire, including a black bandana and neck brace, and cutting darker, more intense promos.

Bischoff noted that there was no plan he knew of, and that he didn’t even know it was going to happen. You can check out some highlights below:

On If Hogan Was Thinking About This Period When He Agreed To Turn Heel:

“Maybe. I never thought about it till you just laid it out that way, but maybe.  And I don’t remember any discussion, it’s like he showed up wearing all black. ‘What? I just saw him backstage. He was wearing his jeans and his cut-off T-shirt. It was red, it was yellow and he had red shoes on. He looked like a rodeo clown, but a big, strong one.’ ‘No, he just went on his black stuff.’ ‘What? I don’t — ‘And Jimmy too.’ I mean, wow.”

On why he thinks Hogan did it:

“So I don’t remember how or why that happened or why it just disappeared. I could have — here’s my guess. Hulk is getting a little, he’s feeling it out. He’s getting a sense that maybe it’s time to do something. And he just decided he was going to go out there, and throw a little chum in the water and see what happens. I would put a lot of money on that. Because there was no creative end game discussed. Like, I didn’t even know it was going to happen. So that’s my guess.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.