10 Most Surreal WWE Matches Ever

2. The Rock & Steve Austin Vs. Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall & Kevin Nash - RAW, March 11, 2002

Austin Hall RAW
WWE

How many days away were we from WrestleMania X8 when this absolutely ridiculous match took place?

Six. Six days.

We know this because Messrs. Hogan, Nash and Hall repeated this tidbit constantly in their pre-match promo. This minute-long segment could not have acted as a more fitting symbol of their failure; the nWo, who threatened the very existence of WCW, were reduced to shills in the WWF.

The match itself was a real curio, more than it was a classic. The five biggest drivers of the Attitude Era in the driver's seat towards the Road to WrestleMania, this surefire PPV-seller was thrown away on free television by the tag team-allergic Vince McMahon. Austin Vs. Nash - ending in a schmozz with the barest physical exchange between the major players - surely would have sufficed. Given that it was a popcorn break punch-up, there was little to really see in terms of content - but furrow underneath, and it's never anything less than interesting. Hogan's selling for Austin's offence (a crazy sentence to write) was dismal.

Purposefully so: Austin rejected the mooted 'Mania match, and the inner cynic can't help but feel that Hogan loved crumpling to the floor like a sack of sh*t whenever Austin went anywhere near him.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!