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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 17, 2022 14:58:56 GMT -5
Hard to believe Wrestlemania X8 is 20 years old today. Hogan and Austin may not have happened as most fans wanted, but Hogan/Rock put on a classic. Considering neither were considered “ring generals,” the match itself was above average for there work, but the real story was the atmosphere and how Hogan and Rock had the fans eating out of there hands. From the opening tie-up with Hogan out-powering Rock, to Hogan “hulking up” before ultimately falling to Rocky, the fans loved everything they did. I’d argue no 1v1 WM match outside of Austin/Rock at X7 created such a unique and entertaining atmosphere (not even Rock/Cena IMO).
The rest of the card is interesting in that we got some “dream” matches, but everything seemed to just be “ok” compared to its potential. Taker/Flair and Austin/Hall were decent, but I think they’d have been classics had they happened in 1997/98. RVD/Regal, Christian/DDP, Edge/Booker T, and Angle/Kane were all matches that sounded good on paper, but for one reason or another, none of them delivered a memorable moment. The women and tag title matches were also nothing to write home about.
As for the main event, it wasn’t the worst match ever, but considering Jericho was booked as a distant third wheel in the feud, and having seen some classics put on between these two back in 2000, this match just ended the show on a flat note for a lot of people. Not a terrible match, but not one of the standouts these two put on in the years prior.
Overall I enjoy WM18 as a mid-tier Wrestlemania. Outside of Hogan/Rock, nothing memorable really came out of the show, but it’s still a fun ride to sit through.
Anyone else got any feelings on Wrestlemania X8 now that it’s hit 20 years old?
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Mar 17, 2022 15:06:35 GMT -5
I remember it fondly. I just remember how weird it was not having a ladder match with the Hardys, Dudleys or E&C at it. Being that was a staple for the past two years at Mania.
Hogan vs. Rock was a better choice than Hogan vs. Austin. Austin was a brawler who likes to exchange fast fists. Where as Hogan can no way do that. But with Hogan vs. Rock, it was really sports entertainer vs. sports entertainer. Just a really fun match that the crowd was super into.
The Jericho vs. Triple H match wasn't great, but that's because it was more about Triple H vs. Stephanie with Jericho just there. The match they had on Raw two weeks later where Triple H beat Jericho and Stephanie in the handicap match where Triple H pinned Stephanie should really have been the main event at Wrestlemania X8 that year.
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Post by hbkjason on Mar 17, 2022 15:08:32 GMT -5
This being 20 years old makes me feel old!
Rock Vs Hogan I feel was a far better match than Austin would have had with Hogan during this time. It has been said a million times, but this should have closed the show.
Triple H Vs Jericho was ok, but their match at Fully Loaded a couple of years earlier was far more exciting. It was also insane how jakked Triple H got during this run he looked so badass during his entrance.
The show in general is decent but not great in my opinion.
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Post by ASR (therockisback) on Mar 17, 2022 15:30:39 GMT -5
Can’t believe it’s been 20 years, some real childhood memories.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Mar 17, 2022 15:52:09 GMT -5
Austin & Hogan would've been a flop. Rock & Hogan was what we needed and it was possibly one of the greatest WM matches of all time.
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Post by The Brain on Mar 17, 2022 17:50:00 GMT -5
Rock/Hogan no question should've went on last.Toronto was on 🔥! No surprise looking back they gave Hogan a nostalgia run following this. Also this is the final Mania with the F in
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Post by Grenouille on Mar 17, 2022 17:56:48 GMT -5
The first of HHH's WM main events that fell flat after being upstaged by things earlier in the show.
Rock/Hogan was great. I remember itching to get home from school the next day to re-watch the tape from the night before.
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Post by TKO Propagandist on Mar 18, 2022 2:00:08 GMT -5
4.5 star match. Utterly breathtaking
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X-27
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jan 28, 2019 22:28:39 GMT -5
Posts: 2,237
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Post by X-27 on Mar 18, 2022 6:03:19 GMT -5
I remember waiting all day long just to see RVD win the Intercontinental title and to see Rock/Hogan. Good times.
Arn's spinebuster was also a highlight.
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Post by ¡Twist Of 45 and 47! on Mar 18, 2022 6:22:16 GMT -5
It has one of my favorite Undertaker matches, his borderline squash match against Ric Flair. JR and King, mainly King, were gold throughout the entire match. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this match.
As for Rock and Hogan, I didn’t think much of the match itself but the atmosphere and crowd really elevated it. Hogan hulking up is one of my favorite moments ever, seeing the crowd go absolutely mental. It was then followed by my favorite (a night of many favorites) call by JR “he beat Andre The Giant with that move. In one sentence he put over Andre as this almost mythical like being, Hogan as being the one to beat him, and Rock being the one to kick out of the Leg Drop.
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Deleted
Joined on: Nov 27, 2024 6:47:26 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2022 8:09:27 GMT -5
Watched it last night. Great match! The only thing that would have gotten Hogan booed(maybe!) is if he came down with a sign that said "Bret Screwed Bret". Otherwise no way was that crowd going to boo Hogan.
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 18, 2022 10:49:29 GMT -5
It has one of my favorite Undertaker matches, his borderline squash match against Ric Flair. JR and King, mainly King, were gold throughout the entire match. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this match. As for Rock and Hogan, I didn’t think much of the match itself but the atmosphere and crowd really elevated it. Hogan hulking up is one of my favorite moments ever, seeing the crowd go absolutely mental. It was then followed by my favorite (a night of many favorites) call by JR “he beat Andre The Giant with that move. In one sentence he put over Andre as this almost mythical like being, Hogan as being the one to beat him, and Rock being the one to kick out of the Leg Drop. One of the most overlooked lines of all time. Makes me cringe hearing a great line like that and then today being beaten over and over with “ITS BOSS TIME!”
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Post by K5 on Mar 18, 2022 11:01:16 GMT -5
it's so weird how rocky was so huge, but this is really his last major win of his run. by august he'd do the job for lesnar, which was the true realization that the company was moving on following his hollywood departure.
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Post by The Brain on Mar 18, 2022 11:33:34 GMT -5
I remember waiting all day long just to see RVD win the Intercontinental title and to see Rock/Hogan. Good times. Arn's spinebuster was also a highlight. I popped huge for this
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Deleted
Joined on: Nov 27, 2024 6:47:26 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2022 13:57:37 GMT -5
It has one of my favorite Undertaker matches, his borderline squash match against Ric Flair. JR and King, mainly King, were gold throughout the entire match. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this match. As for Rock and Hogan, I didn’t think much of the match itself but the atmosphere and crowd really elevated it. Hogan hulking up is one of my favorite moments ever, seeing the crowd go absolutely mental. It was then followed by my favorite (a night of many favorites) call by JR “he beat Andre The Giant with that move. In one sentence he put over Andre as this almost mythical like being, Hogan as being the one to beat him, and Rock being the one to kick out of the Leg Drop. One of the most overlooked lines of all time. Makes me cringe hearing a great line like that and then today being beaten over and over with “ITS BOSS TIME!” You cringe at that? I go like this when I hear that🤮 Lol
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Post by cordless2016 on Mar 18, 2022 14:17:21 GMT -5
it's so weird how rocky was so huge, but this is really his last major win of his run. by august he'd do the job for lesnar, which was the true realization that the company was moving on following his hollywood departure. It always felt strange to me that this seemed like Hogan “officially” passing the torch (after not giving it to Bret and not being around when Austin got red-hot), yet within 6 months Rocky was passing it off to Lesnar. Despite still wanting to be a part-time worker, Vince seemed more than willing to move on from Rocky fairly quickly once he realized he wouldn’t be a full-time performer any longer.
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Post by The Brain on Mar 18, 2022 14:20:21 GMT -5
20 years later and I still echo Jerry Lawler from this event...
''What the hell is a booger red?''
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Post by ¡Twist Of 45 and 47! on Mar 18, 2022 16:48:55 GMT -5
20 years later and I still echo Jerry Lawler from this event... ''What the hell is a booger red?'' “I’ll tell you tomorrow”
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Post by LA Times on Mar 19, 2022 8:29:46 GMT -5
I had to throw away all my VHS cassettes when I moved 7 years ago, but one of the few I kept was Wrestlemania X8.
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Post by The Brain on Mar 19, 2022 16:02:09 GMT -5
I had to throw away all my VHS cassettes when I moved 7 years ago, but one of the few I kept was Wrestlemania X8. When we watch this down the line in RWN, I expect you to pop this in the ol' VCR and join us finally lol
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