Another Triple H main event at WrestleMania which fell flat occurred at 'Mania X-8 in 2002. The response 'The Game' received from a sold out Madison Square Garden upon his babyface return in January had been thunderous, but that reaction was nowhere to be found on the grandest stage pro wrestling can provide. It also didn't help that the then-WWF booked Undisputed Champion, Chris Jericho as an afterthought loser. There can be no doubt about it, the showpiece match at WrestleMania X-8 was Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock. The capacity crowd inside a rocking Toronto SkyDome were hyped up to see generations collide, but less so to see Triple H vs. Chris Jericho. The build had been sub-par at best. Jericho had been portrayed as a minion of Stephanie McMahon, and the feud seemed to revolve more around she and Triple H than the champ. Had 'Mania X-8 concluded with Hogan vs. The Rock, it would have been a much better supercard. WrestleMania is one show that richly deserves to be ended on a high note, but that wasn't the case here. Instead, fans struggled to get into the main event, and Triple H's big babyface triumph felt a little muted.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
