"I hit The Rock in the head with a hammer!" – WWE legend was bemused when fans supported him over Dwayne Johnson
One of The Rock's most memorable WWE moments came in 2002 when he faced Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18. Two decades on, Hogan has reflected on how fans sided with him instead of his opponent that day.
The much-anticipated match pitted the villainous Hogan against one of WWE's top fan favorites at the time. At the start of the match, the crowd instantly made it clear that they wanted The Hulkster to win.
In a Ringside Collectibles video, Hogan recalled how he viciously attacked The Rock in an action-packed segment on the February 18, 2002, episode of RAW. He felt certain after that moment that fans would boo him at WrestleMania:
"Dude, I hit The Rock in the head with a hammer!" Hogan said. "I put him in an ambulance, I put chains around the ambulance, I get in a semi-truck, I ran him over in the ambulance, and they still cheered me. How dirtier could you be? I didn't have a gun on me at the time, but I did everything I could to get heat and they still cheered me." [7:11 – 7:31]
The Rock defeated Hogan in front of 68,237 people at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Following the event, the popular Hulkster turned babyface and began wearing his trademark red and yellow attire again.
Hulk Hogan faced The Rock as two different personas
A year after their WrestleMania 18 encounter, Hulk Hogan lost another match against The Great One at No Way Out 2003. On that occasion, the six-time WWE Champion donned his red and yellow colors instead of his dark nWo gear.
The Rock vs Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 is everything a 5 Star Match SHOULD Represent.
From the drama, to the story, to the electrified crowd hanging off every move, gesture & facial expression from either guy.
Masterpiece. https://t.co/blf2y0TyQV
Hogan achieved huge success performing as a babyface and a heel. Looking back, he still cannot decide which character he preferred:
"I have people ask me all the time, 'Did you like the red and yellow run better or the nWo Hollywood run better?'" Hogan continued. "It's a toss-up because two times we reinvented the wrestling business, and it wasn't just a little teeny blur. It was like a crazy burst of energy like a lightning bolt." [7:34 – 7:52]
In the interview, Hogan also revealed that two of his legendary opponents refused to lose matches against him.
Do you have any memories of Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Ringside Collectibles and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.