5 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE WrestleMania VIII

2. The Beginning Of The End

Article lead image
WWE.com

Vince McMahon played fast and loose with the truth for much of 1992 as scandal enveloped his organisation, but the political gymnastics required to get Hulk Hogan through WrestleMania VIII in one piece showed more flexibility than 'The Hulkster' himself was ever capable of.

Months of external strife had led to weeks of internal uncertainty, and by the time the 'Show Of Show' arrived, one of Hulk's yellow boots was already out the door. Typical of the time, WWE didn't bother to say anymore than was absolutely necessary.

Hogan didn't officially consider it his retirement match but the implication was laid on thicker than a 1999 Sid-in-WCW promo. In Justice, McMahon at least had somebody Hulk's size to give him a solid sendoff.

Or so they thought...

Advertisement
 
First Posted On: 
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