15 Biggest Political Power Plays By WWE Talents
11. NWO At WrestleMania X8
When Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall returned to the World Wrestling Federation in February of 2002, anticipation for potential dream matches hit an all-time high. With WrestleMania X8 right around the corner, fans expected that members of the nWo would clash with the tops stars of the WWF in 2002, namely Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.
As it turned out, Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock and Steve Austin vs. Scott Hall (with Kevin Nash in his corner) were two of the marquee match-ups for WrestleMania X8. Given the excitement and buzz surrounding Hogan, Hall, and Nash's returns to the WWF, Vince McMahon initially decided to have WrestleMania end with the nWo going over. Once this became known to Austin and The Rock, however, both men made a political power play.
It probably didn't take much to convince McMahon that the WWF superstars should be going over the nWo superstars on the grandest stage of the year. Even though Rock and Austin were surely meant to win the ultimate war had the original plans been followed, the two Attitude Era icons made sure their hands would be raised at WrestleMania (and not the WCW defectors that were once Vince's key rivals).