19. WRESTLEMANIA X8
It’s fitting that this show was largely booked around the “Immortal” Hulk Hogan, because WrestleMania X8 has always felt like one of the early Manias, remarkable for one match and one match alone. Hollywood-Rock is a fascinating story for me, not so much because of the match – which was technically fine but not spectacular – but because of Toronto and the 68,000 fans packed into the SkyDome.
There’s a lot of different ways you can look at this one, and it seems nobody (other than the two men in the ring) really have the full story. Some say Hogan went into business for himself, forcing his way back into the babyface spotlight despite booking heading into WrestleMania. Hogan claims he and The Rock changed the pacing on the fly because the Toronto crowd wouldn’t have bought the original plan.
Going back to watch the match, I don’t personally see a conspiracy. I actually don’t see that they changed much of anything – most of the big spots were worked as if Hogan were the heel, but the crowd reacted opposite of the norm. Hogan beating Rock with his belt only for Rock to come back and do the same is inherently a babyface comeback spot. Ultimately does it matter? They both left as babyfaces, as the run-in from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash was obviously planned to set the icons up as equals, regardless of what happened between the bell-to-bell.
The main event match between Triple H and Chris Jericho for the WWF Championship was also decent, as was The Undertaker putting the streak on the line against the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, but neither really lived up to the hype. The rest of the card was pure filler, elevated slightly by an incredible crowd and atmosphere.
