The Rock v. Hollywood Hulk Hogan
WrestleMania X8
March 17, 2002
March 17, 2002
2002 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year
"That was a match for the ages." -Jim Ross
On July 9, 2000, Hulk Hogan was humiliated, disgraced and forced out of World Championship Wrestling.
Less than two years later, he was headlining WrestleMania X8.
It was under similar circumstances that Hogan had left the World Wrestling Federation almost a decade earlier. He infamously challenged and defeated Yokuzuna for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania IX, minutes after Yokozuna had defeated Bret Hart for the title in the main event. A few months later, Hogan was decisively defeated by Yokozuna in the rematch, and quietly exited the company.
After a hiatus from professional wrestling in the United States, Hulk Hogan signed with World Championship Wrestling on June 11, 1994. It was one many rebirths he would experience with WCW. None was more impactful than his transformation into Hollywood Hogan, leader of the New World Order.
While he was breaking the rules, fans grew to appreciate Hogan once more. Aside from a brief return to his red and yellow ring attire, he stayed in the black and white of the nWo for the remainder of his years in WCW.
That's how Hollywood Hulk Hogan entered WCW's Bash At The Beach pay per view on July 9, 2000. He was advertised to challenge Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Title. No one could have predicted how the match would play out.
That was Hogan's last appearance in WCW, but it was not the last time his name would be mentioned. Later that night, a seemingly exasperated Vince Russo spoke his mind about Hulk Hogan and the night's events in perhaps the foulest, most vulgar manner possible inside a professional wrestling ring.
It doesn't quite matter whose side you choose to take in Hogan's unceremonious departure from WCW television. He had left the company in disgrace. It wasn't long after that WCW was purchased by the WWF. Hogan was one of a number of top level performers for WCW who cashed AOL/Time Warner checks for sitting at home, while the WWF forged ahead with the less than satisfying Invasion story line.
On November 14, 2001, Hulk Hogan finally returned to the ring. He wrestled one match for the fledgling XWF, a sort of placeholder promotion that formed during the dark years between the collapse of WCW and ECW and the launch of TNA. There were some established stars, and some future ones, on the roster. Hogan's only match for XWF was against Curt Hennig, who was accompanied to the ring by Bobby "The Brain" Heehan. Tony Schiavone and Jerry "The King" Lawler were on commentary. It's a rare combination of talent to see and hear in the same place at the same time.
The match wasn't much, and Hogan appeared to be dealing with physical limitations, but that didn't seem to matter to the WWF. Less than two months after his one and only match in the XWF, Hogan signed on to reform the New World Order with original members Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Not many fans saw it coming when Vince McMahon revealed his "nuclear option" in his power struggle with Ric Flair. In my eyes, this is one of McMahon's all-time great performances.
Vince McMahon's announcement was at the very end of an episode of SmackDown! that was recorded on January 22, 2002, but fans were forced to wait before seeing Hogan, Hall and Nash in the flesh on WWF television. It was a rare display of patience on the WWF's part that built anticipation for the nWo's arrival. At first, it almost felt like a bluff by McMahon. It felt impossible, but on an episode of Raw on February 4, 2002, the reality of the situation came down like a hammer.
A couple more weeks of teasing finally culminated at the No Way Out pay per view. The three men perhaps most responsible for WCW's long run of domination in the Monday Night Wars returned to the WWF.
The New World Order's first minutes in the World Wrestling Federation were brilliant. After being hyped as the poison that would kill the WWF, Hogan, Hall and Nash were polite, apologetic and humble.
I really love when Hogan says, "God bless Vince McMahon". Then, follows it up with the equally disingenuos, "God bless all of you", and closes with the perhaps slightly more honest, "God bless America". A scene as absurd as the New World Order in a WWF ring deserved the extra layers of manipulation.
Despite the seeming innocence of their words, the streamlined, reunited New World Order was a serious threat from the very start. The night after No Way Out, Hogan and The Rock were put on a collision course for a titanic clash at WrestleMania X8. Most just remember the classic confrontation where the match is made, but that's just the beginning. There's nearly thirty minutes of action that unfolds, and it includes one of the great nWo beatdowns in history.
WrestleMania X8 was a big success for the WWF. At that time, only WrestleMania X-7 had drawn a higher pay per view buyrate. The match between Hollywood Hulk Hogan and The Rock was clearly the main attraction, but it was not the main event. That spot was reserved for the WWF Undisputed Championship match between Chris Jericho and Triple H. You wonder if the people in charge at the time would have rethought their decision if they had known how Rock-Hogan would play out. It's one hell of a ride. It may also be the signature match for the great fans in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The match was almost immediately panned as a terrible display of technical skill, but it didn't matter. Hogan's greatest asset (and The Rock's as well) is his ability to manipulate a crowd and generate the desired reaction. Some wonder if Hogan went too far in getting the fans in Toronto behind him. Was the set-up for this match a miscalculation on the WWF's part? It's hard to say.
The true miscalculation may actually be what came after WrestleMania X8. After being embraced by fans once again, and returning the sentiment, Hogan's stock was high once again. The WWF decided to cash in by pitting him against the newly crowned champion Triple H at Backlash. Hogan won. It was a damaging loss for Triple H, who had just come back from a severe injury, and was promoted heavily on his way to regaining the title.
Hogan's time holding the WWF Championship was a disappointment. Over the coming weeks, it became apparent his body was breaking down. He lost the title to The Undertaker a month after his title victory.
Hogan still had plenty to give professional wrestling. You can even argue there were better matches than the one at WrestleMania X8 still to come. Still, his match against The Rock stands as a milestone, marking Hogan's return to the side of training, saying your prayers, taking your vitamins and believing in yourself.
This match is a great example of how fans can make a match memorable, but it's also a hard lesson on the perils of nostalgia as a promotional tool.
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