10 Most Shocking Kick Outs In WWE History
3. The Rock - WrestleMania 18
Hulk Hogan's return to the grand stage of WrestleMania in 2002 was a thing of beauty. Built as the ultimate showdown of past meets present, the billing of "Icon vs. Icon" was far from hyperbole. The match that had once graced the pages of WWE's own Raw Magazine as a "dream match" was an incredible reality.
With an unavoidably split crowd that eventually became vocally pro-Hogan as the match progressed, to say the atmosphere in the SkyDome was electric would be a serious understatement. If WrestleMania was usually filled with electricity, the atmosphere in Toronto that night was borderline nuclear.
After 13 minutes of action, Hogan kicked out of The Rock Bottom - which in itself could have been included in this list - and began to "Hulk up" as only 'The Hulkster' can. From there, came the familiar three strikes and the big boot, before Hogan dropped the biggest Leg Drop of his career, to the soundtrack of a truly thunderous crowd.
With an excited Jim Ross on commentary, his impassioned reminder to the fans that "He beat Andre the Giant with that move!" made the moment the ultimate false finish. When The Rock kicked out, it left the hopeful crowd crestfallen. Their moment of hope for Hulkamania had been dashed by the resilience of 'The Great One'.