10 Times WWE IGNORED The Fans (... And Got It Right!)

9. Hollywood Hulk Hogan's WrestleMania X8 Opponent

Lita Edge
WWE.com

It's not so much that fans were against seeing the Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8, but more the majority of wrestling fans were hoping instead to see 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin be the one to challenge the nWo man at 2002's Showcase of the Immortals.

In terms of billing, Hogan vs. Austin would've been one of the biggest matches in history, featuring a pair of talent who many view as the two biggest names the industry has ever seen. Yes, the Rock was a huge star in his own right, but truth be told, the Texas Rattlesnake was always just ahead of his long-time rival when it came to the popularity stakes and to piercing the mainstream back then.

Rumours persist to this day that Austin vetoed any such Hogan match during this time, but one has to imagine the then-WWF could've forced the issue if they really wanted to. Whether that involved merely throwing a bunch more money the Bionic Redneck's way or not, this is a contest that would've happened if the promotion was adamant on the matter.

Instead, the market leader decided to pair Hollywood up with the Great One, and the rest is history. Would the Toronto crowd have reacted the same way to Austin as they did to Rock? If so, would Stone Cold have been happy to heel it up in the same way Rock did on that night? Regardless, the People's Champion proved to be the perfect foil for Hulk at WrestleMania X8.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.