Former WCW booker, Kevin Sullivan, talked with David Penzer on the Sitting Ringside podcast where he reflected on the Monday Night Wars, Hulk Hogan, and more:
On Hulk Hogan being in WCW: “I fed (Hogan) monsters because it made (Hogan) feel secure with me. We didn’t become ‘characters’ until Hogan got there. It was the worst time in my life professionally coming to the ring because I felt like I was coming out of the clown car”.
On Hogan’s agent reacting to the decision to turn Hogan heel: “Hogan’s agent Peter Young cried; actually, cried to me that I couldn’t turn him [Hogan] heel until 2:30 in the morning. Everyone was telling (Hogan) not to turn heel because it wouldn’t work; it worked great.”
On when he knew Hogan needed to turn heel: “One night in the old Chicago stadium, (Hogan) did an interview with ‘Mean Gene’, and they were booing (Hogan) out of the building. I told (Hogan) he needed to turn heel, Hogan said, ‘Absolutely Not’! I knew he had to turn heel. The pop wasn’t there. He [Hogan] didn’t look the same. (Hogan) was a bald man, who was thin at the time.”
On having to convince talent to put people over: “David, you know this story. I walked into a room with Sid Vicious, 6′ 9″, with a babyface that was 5′ 8″ at best and asked him to put Chris Benoit over clean. (Sid) b—hed and moaned and said, ‘why am I putting a midget over’? Sid said, ‘What is wrong with you?’ Sometimes it not as easy as it sounds.”
On his early reactions to Goldberg: “I beat Bill Goldberg on Nitro with Steve McMichael when he wore the Falcons Jacket and the red tights and red boots. After that I kept (Goldberg) off TV for eight weeks, shaved his head, gave him the Mike Tyson short boots, the black tights breathing fire like a dragon, and put him on the winning streak!”
