Hulk Hogan: 5 Awesome Matches And 5 That Sucked

2. Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock €“ WrestleMania X8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOcJam18DVs Icon vs. Icon With only the sexuality and violence remaining on the tail end of the Attitude era, WrestleMania 18 was the perfect place for Hulkamania to return to PPV, even though it had now clad itself in a black & white feather boa as part of the nWo in WCW. Hogan's positioning as a merciless heel was integral to the power of why this match was special, as his dastardly antics in the video package set the tone for the bout as perfectly as one ever has. The stellar promos from both men provided a near-Shakespearian narrative that quickened the pulse of all in attendance, way before the bell had even been rung. As a result, once again, the battle was set to be an epic of ridiculous proportions. The angle was simple; to pit two of the greatest of all time against each other, past versus future, icon versus icon. Entering the show, Hogan was supposed to be a heel, but it soon became clear that in reality, Hulkamania was still alive, and he would have to play the good guy. The crowd's excitement was the reason that this match is already scrawled in the history books as 'legendary'. Near-falls and big moves were punctuated by some of the most eardrum bursting reactions in WWE history, elevating a collision €“ which wasn't even necessarily that good at face value €“ into the realms of awesomeness. Highlights of the match were always the loudest, most so when Hogan pulled off an impactful rock bottom, covering The Rock for a heart-stoppingly close two and three quarter count. But eventually The Rock managed to power through, hit The Peoples Elbow and score the pinfall in one of the most rapturously received matches of Hogan's career. Not bad for a 50 year old.