WrestleMania X8

WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania X8
	Promotional poster featuringHollywood Hulk HoganandThe Rock
Promotion	World Wrestling Federation
Date	March 17, 2002
City	Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Venue	SkyDome
Attendance	68,237
Buy rate	860,000
Tagline(s)	Icon vs. Icon; The Absolute Best Ever; The One and Only
Pay-per-view chronology
←Previous; No Way Out	Next→; Backlash
WrestleManiachronology
←Previous; X-Seven	Next→; XIX

WrestleMania X8(also known asWrestleMania 18) was the 18th annualWrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view(PPV)eventproduced by theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF). It took place on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2002, at theSkyDomeinToronto, Ontario,Canada,the second WrestleMania at that venue afterWrestleMania VIin April 1990. The event marked the final WrestleMania event held under the WWF name and theAttitude Era,as the company entered the Ruthless Aggression Era in April and renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) a month later. It was also the last WrestleMania held before the introduction of thebrand extensionjust a week after the event. The record-breaking attendance for the SkyDome of 68,237grossedapproximately $6.1 millionCAD($3.9 millionUSD).^[4]WrestleMania weekend also included WWF Fan Axxess at theCanadian National Exhibition'sAutomotive Building.^[5]The stadium, now renamed Rogers Centre, won't see a major event until 2025 whenElimination Chamber: Torontowill be held.

This WrestleMania would beHulk Hogan's first WrestleMania appearance in nine years, and his 10th overall. He competed in the first nine WrestleMania events, main eventing eight of those nine (an all-time record) (WrestleMania IVwould be the only non main event pay-per-view for Hogan). AfterWrestleMania IX,Hogan left the WWF in late 1993, and signed with rival companyWCWin 1994.

Eleven matches were contested at the event.The RockdefeatedHollywood Hulk Hoganin themain attractiondubbed "Icon vs. Icon", while in the final match,Triple HdefeatedChris Jerichoto win theUndisputed WWF Championship.In other prominent matches on theundercard Stone Cold Steve AustindefeatedScott Hall,The UndertakerdefeatedRic Flairin ano disqualification match,andRob Van DamdefeatedWilliam Regalto win theWWF Intercontinental Championship.

Production

Background

WrestleManiais considered theWorld Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) flagshippay-per-view(PPV) event, having first been held in1985.It has become the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April.^[6]It was the first of the WWF's original four pay-per-views, which includesRoyal Rumble,SummerSlam,andSurvivor Series,which were dubbed the "Big Four",^[7]and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs, along withKing of the Ring.^[8]WrestleMania 18, stylized as WrestleMania X8, was scheduled to be held on March 17, 2002, at theSkyDomeinToronto, Ontario,Canada,marking the second WrestleMania at that venue afterWrestleMania VIin April 1990.^[1]

Storylines

The Rock(left) poses to the crowd before his match againstHollywood Hogan(far right)

The main feud built up in the lead to the event pittedThe RockandStone Cold Steve Austinagainst theNew World Order(Hollywood Hogan,Kevin NashandScott Hall) with the main attraction being promoted as The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, billed as an Icon vs. Icon, face of the company generational match.

The Rock's involvement with the nWo started after his win overThe Undertakerat No Way Out, when a photo request from Hogan forhis sonturned into a trade of insults.^[9]On the following episode ofRaw,The Rock interrupted Hogan's address to the crowd and challenged Hogan to a match at WrestleMania. When Hogan accepted and shook hands with his future opponent, The Rock kept the hold on and hit theRock Bottomon Hogan. Before The Rock could leave the arena, Hall and Nash ambushed The Rock. Hogan, Nash, and Hall then attacked The Rock with a belt, a hammer, and all three of their finishers, concluding the assault byspray paintingthe nWo initials on The Rock's back. With medics attending to The Rock and loading him into an ambulance van, the nWo furthered the attack by forcing the medics to retreat, chaining up all possible exits of the van, and driving a semi-truck into the van with The Rock trapped inside. Stone Cold Steve Austin's involvement also commenced at No Way Out, when after having their gift of beer refused, the nWo interfered with Austin's Undisputed WWF Championship match against Chris Jericho, helping Jericho to retain the title before spray painting the nWo initials on Austin's back.^[9]Austin finally got his revenge on the February 21 episode ofSmackDown!when, after the nWo had given a half hearted apology for their attack on The Rock, he chased the nWo out of the ring with atire iron.Austin managed to catch Hall and attack him with the tire iron, but Hogan and Nash saved Hall from being run over by Austin's pickup truck. After the nWo found their limousine spray-painted "What?" by Austin, the latter kidnapped Hall and closed the show by embarrassing him in the middle of the ring with "3:16" spray-painted on his back. On the following episode ofRaw,Hall challenged Austin to a match at WrestleMania which Austin accepted afterward. The feud between Austin and the nWo continued back and forth for the next couple of weeks with Austin attacked by Hall twice with acinder blockand awrench,while Austin fired anetgunat Nash before beating down Hall. On the March 7 episode ofSmackDown!,The Rock made his return and immediately challenged Hogan for a fight. Nash and Hall held Hogan back, leaving Hall to challenge for a match instead. Rock's match with Hall ended in a three-on-one attack by the nWo. The nWo's attack was stopped by Austin, however, who saved The Rock with the aid of a steel chair. On the March 11 episode ofRaw,Rock and Austin took on the nWo in ahandicap match,resulting in Hogan pinning The Rock after aleg drop.

Chris Jericho,theUndisputed WWF Champion

The secondaryfeudleading into WrestleMania X8 involvedTriple Hagainst theUndisputed WWF Champion Chris JerichoandStephanie McMahon.At theRoyal Rumble,Jericho defeatedThe Rockto retain the Undisputed WWF Championship on the same event where Triple H earned his opportunity to compete for the Undisputed WWF Championship at WrestleMania by winning theRoyal Rumble match,last eliminatingKurt Angle.^[10]The following night onRaw,Triple H interrupted Jericho and warned that he would prove him that he's worthy enough to be in the main event. Meanwhile, some hostility between Triple H and his wife Stephanie was starting to show, with thefaceTriple H tired of Stephanie'sheelcharacteristics. In order to recover their relationship, Stephanie suggested onRawthat the two should renew their wedding vows on the following week. At first Triple H refused, but Stephanie revealed that she waspregnant,making him change his mind. To further prove it, the two met a doctor on the next episode ofSmackDown!withultrasoundimages. On the February 11 episode ofRawjust before the wedding, Triple H was met with a phone call by his mother-in-lawLinda McMahon,who had sent him a video tape revealing that the doctor was in fact an actor and that Stephanie was not pregnant. At the wedding, Triple H turned on Stephanie and attacked her along with her fatherMr. McMahon,saying that their marriage was now over. During these weeks, Kurt Angle was given a match with Triple H's WrestleMania title shot on the line atNo Way Out.In revenge for the ruined wedding, Mr. McMahon granted Stephanie the chance to be thespecial guest refereefor the match. At No Way Out, with clear bias from Stephanie, Angle defeated Triple H for the title shot.^[9]The following night onRaw,WWF co-ownerRic Flairgranted Triple H a rematch with Stephanie barred from the ring, enabling him to regain his title shot at Chris Jericho. On the February 21 episode ofSmackDown!,Jericho met with Stephanie and put their differences in the past, ending with Stephanie accepting Jericho's proposal to be his new business partner. To further the feud, Jericho later speculated that he ended the marriage by causing Triple H'squadriceps muscleto (legit) tear during theirWWF Tag Team Championshipmatch on the May 21, 2001 episode ofRaw Is War,thus diverting Triple H's attention to his wife. Under the divorce settlement for the two, the assets would be split between them "fifty-fifty" to Stephanie's disgust. Among the assets were Triple H's first wrestling robe, Stephanie'sCorvette(which Triple H later gave to her with half of it cut off) and Triple H'sbulldogLucy. Stephanie managed to win Lucy in the settlement and later on the March 11 episode ofRawsent Jericho to walk the dog. Displeased about this, Jericho tied Lucy to a limousine and ordered the unknowing driver to buy some air fresheners, running Lucy over into a critical condition by accident. Wanting retribution, Triple H stormed into the arena and tried to attack Stephanie, but he was met with twosledgehammershots to his recovered leg by Jericho. On the following episode ofSmackDown!,Stephanie noted that the sledgehammer shots had left Triple H's quad in a condition that one false move in his WrestleMania match could reinjure his quadriceps once again. At the end of the show, Triple H and Jericho had a brawl in the ring that almost ended with aPedigreeon Stephanie. However, Jericho saved her and locked theWalls of Jerichoon Triple H, leaving the show with the advantage.

Another major feud for WrestleMania X8 was the rivalry between The Undertaker and the WWF co-owner, Ric Flair. The feud started over The Undertaker's ambush on The Rock during the buildup to No Way Out, with Undertaker giving The Rock achokeslamand aTombstone Piledriveronto a car. Shortly afterward, Ric Flair openly detested The Undertaker's actions. At the No Way Out event, Flair interfered with Undertaker's match against The Rock, finally hitting Undertaker with a lead pipe to aid The Rock in victory.^[9]Far from pleased over this result, The Undertaker challenged Flair to a match at WrestleMania. Flair refused, stating that he is an owner and no longer a wrestler. However, Undertaker tried to convince Flair by attacking select members of Flair's friends and family. Following a match on the February 25 episode ofRaw,Flair's friendArn Andersonwas ambushed by The Undertaker during hisroad agentduties. The Undertaker followed this the following week by attacking Flair's sonDavid,threatening that the rest of Flair's children would follow. Upon this attack, Flair accepted the match on the March 7 episode ofSmackDown!.Later that night, the two ended up brawling into the audience, resulting in Flair punching out a fan by accident. As a result, Flair was arrested to Undertaker's delight. On the March 11 episode ofRaw,Flair's rival co-owner Mr. McMahon asked for an emergency board meeting with the WWFboard of directorsciting that Flair's attack of a fan was unacceptable and that either he or Flair should have absolute authority and power over the company. With Flair still keen on taking on Undertaker at WrestleMania, CEO Linda McMahon had no choice but to give Vince total control over the company. Despite this, Linda also stated that the ownership situation would also be reviewed after WrestleMania with a final decision. To add further insult, Mr. McMahon booked David Flair in a match against The Undertaker on the March 14 episode ofSmackDown!.The Undertaker almost gave David aLast Ride,but was stopped by Ric Flair who saved his son with some steel chair shots.

Event

Other on-screen personnel^[11]
Role:	Name:
Commentators	Jim Ross
	Jerry Lawler
	Carlos Cabrera(Spanish)
	Hugo Savinovich(Spanish)
Interviewers	Jonathan Coachman
	Michael Cole
	Lilian Garcia
Ring announcer	Howard Finkel
Referees	Mike Chioda
	Jack Doan
	Brian Hebner
	Earl Hebner
	Jacqueline
	Jim Korderas
	Teddy Long
	Nick Patrick
	Chad Patton
	Charles Robinson
	Mike Sparks
	Tim White

Before the pay-per-view event aired began,Mr. Perfect,Lance StormandTestfacedRikishi,Scotty 2 HottyandAlbertin six-man tag team match onSunday Night Heat.Rikishi won the match for his team after pinning Mr. Perfect following aBanzai Drop.

The actual pay-per-view started with a live performance of "Superstar"by rock bandSaliva(Josey Scott,Wayne Swinny, Chris D'Abaldo, Dave Novotny and Paul Crosby).^[12]After that,William Regaldefended hisWWF Intercontinental ChampionshipagainstRob Van Dam.Twice in the match, Regal tried to usebrass knucklesto set up thePower of the Punchon Van Dam, but on both occasions Van Dam kicked them away. Van Dam won the match after aFive-Star Frog Splashto win his first Intercontinental Championship.^[13]

TheWWF European Championshipmatch between the championDiamond Dallas PageandChristianfollowed. Christian executed aneckbreakeron Page and^[14]Page performed aroll-upon Christian but neither man scored a pinfall. Page won the match after aDiamond Cutteron Christian.

TheWWF Hardcore Champion Mavendefended his title againstGoldustin aHardcore match.The match ended when both Goldust and Maven knocked each other out with trashcan lids.Spike Dudleycame out and pinned Maven for a three count. Under the title's24/7 rules,Spike became the new champion.^[12]^[14]His celebration was short-lived, asCrash Hollychased Spike through the crowd with Maven and Goldust following suit. In a promotion for the show's main event, rock bandDrowning Pool(Dave Williams,C. J. Pierce, Stevie Benton and Mike Luce) made a live performance of "Tear Away"with a video package playing in the background. After the performance, the show cut to backstage where Crash Holly and Spike Dudley continued to fight.Al Snowtried to interfere by driving agolf cart(along with refereeTheodore Long) towards the two but ended up crashing into some boxes.^[14]Spike successfully fought off Holly by throwing him into a steel door, but ended up getting kicked byThe Hurricanewho swung off a rope. Hurricane then pinned Spike to become the new Hardcore Champion.^[14]

Next,Kurt AnglefoughtKane.During the match, Angle executed Kane's signatureflying clothesline.Confidently, Angle tried another, but Kane countered with a clothesline of his own. Later on, Kane attempted aTombstone Piledriver,but Angle grabbed Kane's mask, distracting him enough for Angle to execute anAngle Slam.Angle applied theankle lockon Kane, which was stopped when Kane reached the ropes. With Angle still holding the foot, Kane used the other foot to perform anenzuigiri.A top rope attack by Kane was prevented when Angle rushed to the corner and executed abelly to belly suplexon him.^[12]Kane tried achokeslambut Angle reversed it into a roll-up using the ropes to win the match.^[13]

The Undertakerperforms theTombstone PiledriveronRic Flair.

After that,Ric Flairtook onThe Undertakerin ano disqualification match.The match started with a brawl outside the ring with Flair's back getting smashed into the ring post.^[13]Undertaker triedOld Schoolbut Flair pulled him down. Later, Flair locked Undertaker in afigure-four leglock,which Undertaker countered by executing a chokeslam.Arn Andersoninterfered and executed aspinebusteron The Undertaker. Flair pinned Undertaker for a near-fall and Undertaker locked Anderson in aDragon sleeperbut Flair hit Undertaker with a chair. The Undertaker retaliated with abig bootand failed to perform aLast Rideattempt due to exhaustion, but Undertaker executed theTombstone Piledriveron Flair and pinned him for the win. The Undertaker then acknowledged hisWrestleMania winning streakfor the first time by holding up his hands with his fingers outstretched to show his ten straight wins.

In the sixth match,EdgefacedBooker T.Booker T gained the advantage early on in the match. However, Edge recovered by countering Booker's top rope attack with ahurricanranaand followed this up with aspinning heel kickoff the top rope. Booker T executed aScissors Kick,for a near-fall while Edge delivered a spear for a near fall. After performing his own version of Booker'sSpinaroonie,Edge won the match with anEdgecution.Backstage, a cautious Hurricane was interviewed byJonathan Coachmanabout winning the Hardcore Championship. The Hurricane's sidekick,Mighty Molly,appeared and suggested the two should go to their Hurri-Cycle. Just as Hurricane headed to that direction, Molly smashed a frying pan onto the back of his head and pinned him to become the new Hardcore Champion.^[11]

Next,Stone Cold Steve AustinwrestledScott Hall.WithKevin Nashin Hall's corner, Austin was left having to fend off both wrestlers.^[11]The nWo's teamwork enabled Hall to give Austin anIrish whipinto an exposed turnbuckle.^[12]Austin executed aStunneron Hall but Nash pulled the referee out of the ring to break the count and attacked Austin. Austin delivered a Stunner to both Nash and Hall but another pin attempt on Hall was prevented when Nashelbow droppedthe second referee.^[14]Hall'sRazor's Edgeattempt was reversed by Austin into aback dropoutside of the ring. Eventually, Nash was forced to leave the stadium by WWF officials. Hall then executed a stunner on Austin for a near-fall but Austin retaliated with two stunners for the win.^[13]

The Hardy Boyz(Jeff Hardy,top andMatt Hardy,bottom) perform thePoetry in MotiononBillyin theirTag Team Championshipmatch

After that, afour corners elimination matchpitted for theWWF Tag Team Champions,Billy and Chuck,against theAPA,The Dudley Boyz,andThe Hardy Boyz.For the Dudleys' entrance, Saliva performed their theme, "Turn the Tables",live.^[14]The APA were quickly eliminated whenD-Von DudleypinnedBradshawfollowing a3Dfrom both Dudleys.^[11]^[12]The Dudleys then set up a table outside.^[14]Stacy Keibler,valet for the Dudley Boyz, tried to distractJeff Hardy,by showing him her thong, but Hardy spanked and kissed her before shoving her off the ring apron. The Dudleys tried to go for aWhassupheadbutt,butBillypushed D-Von off the top rope, sending him crashing through the table outside.Bubba Ray Dudleywas then given aTwist of FatebyMatt Hardyfollowed by aSwanton Bombfrom Jeff. Matt then covered Bubba Ray to eliminate The Dudley Boyz. Billy and Chuck retained their titles when Billy hit Jeff with one of the tag team title belts, enablingChuckto pin him. Backstage, the battle for the Hardcore Championship continued when Mighty Molly ran straight into the top half of adutch doorshutting. Christian then pinned her to win the title.

In themain attraction,The RockfacedHollywood Hoganin a match dubbed as "Icon vs. Icon".^[15]Despite Rock portraying afaceand Hogan aheel,the Canadian crowd cheered Hulk Hogan over The Rock instead.^[12]^[13]During the match, The Rock applied theSharpshooterbut the referee was down and unable to acknowledge asubmission.The Rock released the hold and tried to revive the referee, but Hogan hit alow blowand aRock Bottomfor a near-fall.^[14]The two tried their respective finishers, theRock Bottomand theleg drop,but eachkicked out.After two moreRock Bottomsand aPeople's Elbow,The Rock pinned Hogan and won the match. After the match, the two shook hands with respect. As The Rock left the ring, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall came and attacked Hogan, ending Hogan's involvement in thenWo.The Rock returned and saved Hogan from further attack. As a sign of respect, The Rock stopped Hulk from leaving the ring and asked him to pose for the crowd,turningHogan into afacefor the first time since 1999.^[12]Hogan gave an interview in 2013 which indicated that he and The Rock changed the thrust of the match on the fly based on the crowd's response.^[16]

In the penultimate matchJazzdefended theWWF Women's Championshipin atriple threat matchagainstTrish StratusandLita.Near the end of the match, Trish attempted aStratusfactionbut Lita threw her out of the ring.^[14]With Lita by the corner, Jazz followed and delivered afisherman superplex,allowing her to pin Lita and retain the title.^[13]At the parking lot, Christian was getting ready to leave the stadium in a taxi. However, Maven pulled Christian out and quickly pinned him to win the Hardcore Championship. Maven then hopped into the taxi and left, leaving him the final Hardcore Champion of the night.^[13]

An attendance record setting 68,237 fans at theSkyDomefor WrestleMania X8

In the final match of the evening,Chris Jerichodefended theUndisputed WWF ChampionshipagainstTriple H.For his entrance, Triple H had Drowning Pool perform their version of his theme song, "The Game",live.^[12]With Triple H's leg bandaged, both Jericho andStephanie McMahongave numerous shots at the leg during the match. Triple H outsmarted the two by dodging Jericho's attack, causing him to collide with Stephanie, who was standing on the apron.^[14]Outside the ring, Triple H went for thePedigreeon Jericho through an announce table but Jericho countered into aback body dropthrough the Spanish announce table. Stephanie tried to hit Triple H with a chair when refereeEarl Hebnerinterceded. Stephanie pushed Hebner aside but was met by aPedigreefrom Triple H. Jericho then struck Triple H in the head with the chair while Hebner was attending to Stephanie for an unsuccessful pinfall attempt. Jericho then tried aPedigreeon Triple H, but the latter reversed it into acatapultinto the turnbuckle. Triple H executed thePedigreeon Jericho and pinned him to win the title.^[13]

Reception

WrestleMania X8 was met with a generally positive critical reception. Writing forSLAM! Wrestling,John Powell gave the overall event 7 out of 10 stars, which was a lower rating than theprevious year's event.The main event between Chris Jericho and Triple H for the Undisputed WWF Championship received the highest rating out of all the matches on the card of 8 out of 10 stars, the match between The Rock and Hollywood Hogan received a rating of 7 out of 10 stars, the match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Scott Hall received a rating of 6 out of 10 stars, the no disqualification match between The Undertaker and Ric Flair was rated 7.5 out of 10 stars and the four corners elimination match for the WWF Tag Team Championship between Billy and Chuck, The APA, The Hardy Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz being rated 5 out of 10 stars.^[17]

According to Chris Jericho, he tried to not be the last match of the card despite being the Undisputed Champion. According to him, the true main event was Rock vs. Hogan and Triple H and he could not follow that match.^[18]The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan match would go on to be well praised over the years as one of the most iconic wrestling matches ever, as well as being namedPro Wrestling Illustrated's match of the year 2002.^[19]^[20]Mike Chiodaexpressed his thoughts on the match, stating, "Did I know it was gonna be so legendary back then? Hell no, I didn’t know. I didn’t know a few years later. We thought something was gonna at some point top that, and I don’t think at some point since 2002, since Rock and Hogan, has really topped that."^[21]Cody Rhodesconsiders it the greatest match ever.^[22]

Aftermath

Triple Hwon theUndisputed WWF Championshipin themain event

After WrestleMania, the WWF board of directors made their final decision over the control of the company. Due to the conflicts between Mr. McMahon and Ric Flair making bad business, Linda McMahon proposed abrand extension,essentially splitting the entire WWF roster into two separate entities, named after their two major television shows,RawandSmackDown!.Vince took control of the SmackDown! brand while Flair controlled the Raw brand. Adraftwas held with each owner would get a total of thirty picks between the wrestlers. The draft was held on the March 25 episode ofRaw,while the brand extension officially began on April 1.

Triple H's feud with Stephanie would conclude on the March 25 episode ofRawwhen he defeated her and Chris Jericho in atriple threat matchfor the Undisputed WWF Championship. By pinning her, Stephanie was forced to leave the WWF in accordance with the match stipulations. Triple H's feud with Jericho would continue with Jericho andThe Undertakerinterfering with Triple H's championship match atBacklashagainst Hollywood Hulk Hogan and costing him the Undisputed WWF Championship.^[23]Triple H would finish his feud with Jericho in aHell in a Cellmatch atJudgment Dayand challenged The Undertaker for the Undisputed WWE Championship atKing of the Ring,but lost after interference from the returning Rock.

After the reaction during his return match, Hogan was quickly turned face. Until the brand extension separated both parties, The Rock and Hollywood Hogan feuded with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, with the latter two having had expelled Hogan from the nWo. On the finalSmackDown!before the brand extension, the team of Rock, Hogan and Kane defeated Nash, Hall and new nWo member X-Pac in a six-man tag match. The Rock left shortly after the WWF draft for three months to go on a media tour to promote his movie,The Scorpion King.

Stone Cold Steve Austin no-showed the following two weeks, claiming to be burned out. When he returned, on the April 1 episode ofRaw,the show was centered on which brand he would choose. Both McMahon and Flair would attempt to win his signature, with Austin eventually choosing the Raw brand. After being drafted to Raw, Austin would get himself involved in the feud between The Undertaker and Ric Flair, fighting Undertaker at Backlash for an Undisputed WWF Championship shot, which he would lose.^[23]The storyline itself evolved into a feud between Austin and Flair, with the nWo's involvement on Flair's behalf.

WrestleMania X8 was the last WrestleMania held before the introduction of thebrand extensionon March 25, which split the roster between theRawandSmackDown!brands, where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.^[24]It was also the last WrestleMania held under the WWF name, as the company was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May.^[25]^[26]

Results

No.

Results^[1]

Stipulations

Times^[1]

1^H

Rikishi,Scotty 2 HottyandAlbertdefeatedMr. Perfect,Lance StormandTest

Six-man tag team matchwithJacquelineasspecial guest referee