10 WWE WrestleMania Moments That Meant NOTHING In Hindsight
8. The Big (?) Man Is Back! 2.0
At least Vince McMahon knew Hulk Hogan was f*cking off in 1992.
Strangely enough, WrestleMania VIII's main event didn't see the Chairman needling 'The Hulkster' to pay respect to the 'time honoured tradition' that apparently justified screwing Bret Hart five years later, but it was again 'The Hitman' on the wrong end of Vince's bullsh*t at the climax of 1993's WrestleMania IX when Hogan once more prepared to make a rapid escape.
Hulk Hogan winning the WWE Title from Yokozuna minutes removed from the sumo star's tainted win over Hart was a political play for the ages from Hogan, not least because McMahon could attempt to monetise the moment with encore orders plugged to death on the (taped) post-WrestleMania Monday Night Raw.
Beyond whatever buys that re-airing drew, the scene lost all it's shock and awe when Hogan went virtually A.W.O.L with the gold in the subsequent months. Taking it off to tarnish in Japan away from prying eyes, Hulk didn't once appear as champion in front of a live WWE crowd before laying down for Yokozuna (and not Bret Hart) at June's inaugural King of the Ring pay-per-view. McMahon was finally through with his now-yellow (rather than golden) goose, and the WrestleMania IX embarrassment went locked away for years as a result.