25 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever

3. Icon Vs Icon (February 18th, 2002)

Hulk Hogan The Rock
WWE

It was tough to ignore the cheers directed at Hulk Hogan when he appeared on WWE television for the first time in nine years alongside Scott Hall and Kevin Nash at February 2002's No Way Out pay-per-view. It was downright impossible to miss the 'Hogan' chants as he stood face to face with The Rock in a legitimately gripping clash of ages.

Arguing each other's relevance to the legacy of the business, the iconic performers timed their looks and comebacks to perfection as the audience gleefully ate from the hands of the two greatest crowd controllers in industry history. "This...is a moment" uttered Jim Ross with truth and sincerity completely vacant from the forcefully constructed tributes of 2018.

It was strong enough that WWE were able to edit the completely wasteful (and out-of-place) stunt show that followed. Without any of Braun Strowman's understated understanding of irony, Hogan, Hall and Nash battered Rock after the spine-tingling tête-à-tête, locked him in an ambulance then smashed the vehicle with a truck. This costly production couldn't have been less necessary.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett