Some moments are so obvious we know they’re going to go down in history right away, and this day in wrestling history if no different. July 7, 1995 saw the birth of the greatest faction in professional wrestling history.
Good things come to those that wait
For weeks leading up to WCW Bash at the Beach, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall had been promising a third man was going to join their team They pair had recently come over from the WWE as invaders (storyline) that wanted to take over WCW.
At the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, the main event pitted the Outsiders (Nash and Hall) and their mystery partner vs. Team WCW (Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger).
Their mystery partner didn’t show, but Team WCW’s edge ended there as Lex Luger was injured early in the match. This led to the announcers speculating that he would be the one turning heel. This made sense, but there was another option, as we found out.
Near the end of the match, Savage was down in the ring with Hall and Nash ready to finish him off. Suddenly, Hulk Hogan ran out and the ducked out of the ring.
Everything would be okay. Our hero of the 80s and everything would be fine; we’ve seen this a thousand times before. Nothing new, right?
Well, history has shown the error of that as Hogan hit Savage with a leg drop.
He then hit with it again, then dispatched of Sting and the referee, he hit Savage with it a third time.
Lifelong Hulkamaniac fans lost it and showered the ring in boos and trash. Mean Gene Okerlund managed to get into the ring for the promo of a lifetime (special thanks to IMDB.com.
The interview
Gene Okerlund: Hulk Hogan, excuse me. Excuse me. What in the world are you thinking?
Hulk Hogan: Mean Gene the first thing you gotta do is to tell these people to shut up if they want to hear what I’ve gotta say.
Gene Okerlund: I have been with you for so many years for you to join up with the likes of these two men absolutely makes me SICK to my stomach! And I think that these people here and a lot of people around the whole wrestling world have had just about enough of this man and this man and you want to put yourself in this group? You’ve gotta be…kidding me!
Hulk Hogan: Well the first thing you’ve gotta realize brother is that this right here is the future of wrestling. You can call this the New World Order of wrestling brother. These two men came from a great big organization up north and everybody was wondering about who the third man was. Well who knows more about that organization than me brother?
Gene Okerlund: I’ve been there and done that. You have made the wrong decision in my opinion.
Hulk Hogan: Well let me tell you something, I made that orgainization a monster! I made the people rich up there. I made the people that ran that organization rich up there. And when it all came to pass, the name Hulk Hogan, the man Hulk Hogan got bigger than the whole organization brother! And then Billionaire Ted amigo, he wanted to talk turkey with Hulk Hogan. Well Billionaire Ted promised me movies brother. Billionaire Ted promised me millions of dollars. And Billionaire Ted promised me world caliber matches. And as far as Billionaire Ted, Eric Bischoff and whole WCW goes, I’m bored brother. That’s why I want these two guys here, the so called Outsiders, these are the men I want as my friends. They are the new blood of professional wrestling brother! And not only are we going to take over the whole wrestling business, with Hulk Hogan, the new blood, the monsters with me. We will destroy everything in our path Mean Gene.
Gene Okerlund: [refering to the increasing garbage being thrown in the ring] Look at all of this crap in this ring! This is what’s in the future for you if you want to hang around the likes of this man Hall, and this man Nash.
Hulk Hogan: As far as I’m concerned, all this crap in the ring represents these fans out here. For two years brother! For two years, I held my head high. I did everything for the charities. I did everything for the kids. And the reception I got when came out here, you fans can stick it brother. Because if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, you people wouldn’t be here. If it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff would still be selling meat from a truck in Minneapolis. And if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, all of these “Johnny come latelys” that you see out here wrestling wouldn’t be here. I was selling the world out brother while they were bumming gas to put in their car to get to high school. So the way it is now brother, with Hulk Hogan and the New World Organization of wrestling brother, me and the new blood by my side. Whatcha gonna do when the New World Organization runs wild on you? Whatcha gonna do?
[Grabs Mean Gene]
Hulk Hogan: What are you gonna do?
Gene Okerlund: Hey, don’t touch me! Don’t touch me, I’m going to see the lawyers! Tony, Dusty, Bobby, Dammit let’s get back to you!
Tony Schiavone: All right. We have seen the end of Hulkamania. For Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, for Dusty Rhodes, for “Mean” Gene Okerlund, I don’t know…I’m Tony Schiavone. Hulk Hogan, you can go to hell! We’re outta here. Straight to hell.
Aftermath
This single moment launched WCW and the nWo into the stratosphere and nearly toppled the mighty WWE. It also rejuvenated Hulk Hogan’s career as his popularity had been falling at that point.
Amazing the legacy a single this day in wrestling history can carry.
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