Eric Bischoff Says the nWo’s Lasting Success Was All Hulk Hogan

On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff argued that, as good as the Bash at the Beach angle would have been with any top star turning heel, it only became a phenomenon because it was Hulk Hogan. Hogan was a founding member of the group, turning heel and joining Scott Hall and Kevin Nash at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996. You can check out some highlights below:

On the Role Hulk Hogan Played in the Angle’s Success:

“It’s all Hogan. It would not have been the same. I don’t want to sound like I’m crapping on everybody, but if it would have been Sting, it would have been good. If it would have been Lex — although I didn’t even think about it until this afternoon — it would have been good. It could have been good if it would have been Randy. It could have been good, but we wouldn’t be talking about it 30 years later, and nWo merchandise wouldn’t be flying off the racks at WWE.com.”

On Scott Hall:

“Scott was so perfectly positioned. He was a guy who didn’t need a belt, didn’t need to be a champion to be an extremely valuable character. I think Scott enjoyed being a jack of all trades. You could plug Scott into any situation — plug him into the main event, he’ll kill it. Put him in an opening match, he’ll kill it. Put him in an angle in the middle of the show, he’ll kill it. He was so good at everything he did that it was easy for Scott to take a passive role, because he’d just pick his shots and kill it. In many ways, he was cooler than his personality — he had that cool vibe, there was just nobody cooler than Scott Hall. But as cool as that character was, he was even cooler when it came to ring work. When it came time to control that ring, Scott was in complete control and felt so comfortable. I don’t know that Scott’s career would have really changed trajectory in any way.”

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