Lex Luger On How He Knew Hulk Hogan Had The Makings Of A Great Heel

WWE Hall of Fame 2025 inductee Lex Luger has praised Hulk Hogan’s promo abilities, revealing that he always believed the wrestling legend had the potential to be a top-tier villain.

Speaking on his podcast Lex Expressed, Luger recalled how Hulk Hogan’s natural confidence as a fan-favourite made him a prime candidate for a heel turn long before it actually happened.

“He was so good on the mic and so confident in himself,” Luger said. “I always felt a confident babyface could be an arrogant heel, a really good, arrogant heel, and I always thought, ‘Boy, Hogan, if he ever wanted to, he would make a great heel or bad guy.’ But I never thought that I would see him do that because the red and yellow and his character was so set.”

For over a decade, Hulk Hogan was synonymous with his heroic “red and yellow” persona, embodying the ultimate good guy in professional wrestling. However, in 1996, he sent shockwaves through the industry when he turned heel at WCW’s Bash at the Beach, betraying Randy Savage and aligning himself with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to form the New World Order.

The moment became one of the most significant in wrestling history, transforming Hogan into Hollywood Hogan, the ruthless leader of the nWo. His reinvention not only revitalised his career but also played a crucial role in WCW’s dominance during the Monday Night Wars.

Luger’s insight highlights the foresight some in the industry had about Hogan’s potential as a villain, even when he was at the height of his babyface popularity. Ultimately, the gamble paid off, cementing Hogan’s legacy as one of wrestling’s most iconic figures, both as a hero and a villain.

How Many Days Did Hulk Hogan Once Claim He Wrestled In A Year?

Hulk Hogan once claimed that he wrestled more than 365 days in a year, stating that his years were longer than everyone else’s on the planet due to his travelling between multiple countries to wrestle in a day. Hogan claimed that because he often travelled from New York to Japan to wrestle just after he’d finished wrestling at an event in New York, because of time zone differences he actually gained hours in a day. However, due to time zone differences between the United States and Japan, if Hogan had travelled as he said from the States to Japan, he would have actually lost time rather than gained it.

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