The Rock & Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania 18 wrestler Interviews
Superstars rave about Rock vs. Hogan by Phil Speer and Seth Mates
TORONTO -- As the epic battle between The Rock and Hollywood Hulk Hogan got underway Sunday at WrestleMania X8, the crowd was so loud that the backstage area was literally shaking. Most World Wrestling Federation Superstars had already gathered around a monitor to watch the match, and the ones that didn't did when they felt the intensity level. Just as the match concluded, WWF.com grabbed several superstars to get their immediate reaction to the match.
Undertaker
Wow. I don’t know if the match was as big as the crowd. Who in the world
would have thought Hogan would get a reaction like that? Maybe anywhere else
in the world he wouldn’t have, but on this night, he definitely let the
world know, and the world let everyone else know, that there’s still some
life in Hulk Hogan. Was I surprised they were booing Rock? Yeah, I was surprised,
but you have to almost liken it to – and this is taken from Rock, because
this is what he used as an analogy – if Mike Tyson had faced Muhammad Ali.
If Tyson in his prime started fighting an aged Ali, you know what, people are
going to root for the underdog in that, regardless of how impressed they are
with Mike Tyson. That’s still a hero of theirs that they grew up with.
On one hand, I was definitely surprised by the reaction that Hogan got. On the
other hand, it’s a compliment to his legacy. And it’s a compliment
to Rock’s class, the way he handled himself in such strange, adverse conditions.
Hopefully everybody will benefit from this, and there will be bigger and greater
things for everybody.
Matt Hardy
It was unbelievable. And that shows you how much Hulk Hogan is respected. After
all he's done, he went out there and he busted his ass working with The Rock.
Rocky can definitely go, and Hulk showed that he's still got it in left in him.
The crowd was so intrigued during the whole match. As popular as Rocky is, it
was really incredible to see Hogan cheered over The Rock for part of the match.
Awesome deal altogether -- that's all I can say to sum it up. That's what WrestleMania
is all about.
Test
It was probably the coolest match I've ever seen. Fan reaction-wise, so little
was done to get such a reaction. It really kind of sent chills through your
body watching it.
Bubba Ray Dudley
I'm as surprised as everybody else to see the crowd split right down the middle.
Hogan was as much of a fan favorite as Rocky was. Rocky was as much of a heel
as Hogan was. It's interesting because they definitely are the two biggest names
in the history of the World Wrestling Federation, if not sports entertainment
period. And they went out and they stole the show. In my own personal opinion,
leading up to WrestleMania, I thought to myself that Hogan definitely had something
to prove to the world. And I think he proved it tonight because it's not easy
to go in there with Rocky and go full-tilt the way that they did. And the most
important thing was that the people were entertained and they got all their
money's worth. I don't think they ever sat down. I think it's great for the
wrestling business. I think something brand new just happened in the wrestling
business.
The Hurricane
The way the people reacted before they even locked up, I think that's everything
that a sports entertainer could ask from an audience. (Fans) were just going
completely crazy. They were probably a little more excited to see Hogan -- it's
the first time he's wrestled on a World Wrestling Federation Pay-Per-View in
nine years. Even at the end, the crowd came with Rocky as he won, and then to
see them (Hogan and The Rock) together -- the crowds are as happy as they can
be right now. That's what we want to do is make the crowd happy. And those two
guys did it.
Booker T
It was a great match. It actually lived up to all the expectations. Hogan went
out and pulled his end of that match. He could have easily came out on top;
he had all the Canadian fans behind him. I know Rock is probably going to have
to see a therapist after tonight, as far as why did the fans turn on him the
way they did. But all in all, it was a great match, but the better man came
out on top -- the younger man came out on top.
Maven
I made sure I was in front of a TV, sitting down and watching it. I would have
kicked myself if I had missed it. I’ve been a wrestling fan since I was
5 years old, and I’ve always been a Hulk Hogan fan, and a Rock fan as well.
Seeing those two matches up today – as a wrestling fan, as someone who
works for the World Wrestling Federation -- it sent chills down my spine. It
really did. It brought out goose bumps.
Mighty Molly
During the match, I sat on the edge of my seat and my jaw just dropped at the
fans' reaction. I was so excited -- me being a Hulkamaniac growing up. I absolutely
loved the match. It was so entertaining, and they gave the fans everything the
fans wanted to see. It was just awesome.
Lance Storm
I think more than anything I was completely amazed that they actually booed
Rock. Never in a million years did I expect it. I knew Toronto would cheer Hogan,
but never in a million year did I think they would boo Rock. Unbelievable emotion
in the match. They both worked so damn hard. I was happy when the crowd finally
popped for The Rock at the end. It was one of the most emotional matches that
I've ever seen I think. It was unbelievable.
William Regal
It was one of the classic matches of all time -- the most heat I've ever seen
any match get. Incredible. It was a thrill to watch. Incredible. It really was.
Sgt. Slaughter
I think Hulk Hogan showed the world that wrestling is going to be here forever
(and) that it's time for Sgt. Slaughter to maybe go in the trunk and get the
combat boots back out. It just was a thrill and a great lift for all of us.
Lilian Garcia
It was amazing. I got chills through the whole thing. I wasn't sure what kind
of match to expect, and that thing could have gone for another hour. It was
great, full of energy, and it was just a moment to remember always.
Teddy Long
I thought it was one of the most phenomenal matches I've ever seen. I've watched
Hogan for many, many years; I've watched The Rock since I've been here in the
World Wrestling Federation. Both of these guys are tremendous athletes. It was
just too close to call. I wouldn't have said Rock would have been the winner,
and I wouldn't have said Hogan would have been the winner. But as we all saw,
The Rock came out the winner. But you've got to give it to Hulk Hogan. What
a great match he had! And the guy has been out of the ring for a while. To see
him perform tonight, you would never know that he's had this big layoff. I think
it was one of the greatest matches in the history of WrestleMania -- like Hulk
Hogan and Andre the Giant.
Tazz
I didn't know how good it was going to be because The Rock moves so fast in
the ring, and Hogan has more of an older style -- a slow, methodical-type pace.
And it's no secret that Hogan's up there in age. It's obvious he was in great
shape -- he's got a lot of muscle on him and all that. But I just didn't think
it was going to be that good of a match. I sat back and I watched it, and I
thought it was totally awesome. I loved it. Never in a million years did I think
it would be anywhere near that good. At the end, when Hogan started flexing
and Rocky had him do all the Hogan poses, I got goosebumps. I mean, I'm a New
York guy. I grew up watching Hogan doing all that stuff. It was totally cool.
And the other thing is, during the match, people weren't digging Rocky as much
as they were digging Hulk. I guess it's a respect thing. And WrestleMania VI
(the last WrestleMania in Toronto) -- people remember that and they respect
Hogan for it. But Rock went out there and busted his ass and had a great, great
match. Hogan busted his ass. From a rating 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, in
my book I give it a 20. I mean it. It was awesome.
Rob Van Dam
I thought it was great, man. I couldn't believe the reaction. Everything they
did, the crowd was with them, and it just brought something out of me too watching
it. It was like a really good feeling. It was like way back in the Hulkamania
days.
Sharmell Sullivan
That match was amazing. It was tremendous. It was mind-boggling. You have two
living legends here battling it out in the ring and giving each other proper
respect at the end of the match. I thought it was great.
X-Pac
I thought it was off the charts. I wasn't surprised that the people were for
Hogan at all. I don't even know how to describe it, but I had goosebumps. It
was unbelievable. And it was technically a very sound match. I maybe saw one
little bumble in there, but nobody goes through a match without a bumble. Listen
to the people. That's how I judge a good match -- by the crowd, not by what
the moves are. It was just phenomenal.
Jerry Lawler
I think it was so much better than probably anybody expected it to be. It was
literally like we talked about (on commentary during the show). It really was
a dream match. You'll never get to see Barry Bonds play against Babe Ruth. You'll
never see Muhammad Ali fight Mike Tyson. But we did get to see The Rock and
Hulk Hogan. And it was truly in that same realm of importance. And the match
not only lived up to, but far exceeded what anybody hoped it would be. There's
an old saying: youth must be served. But also the reaction from the fans showed
that it's not so much about youth and energy. It's more about a personality.
It's more about charisma. And it's more about the character. Rock may be someday,
but so far there has never been one like Hulk Hogan. And I think the fans appreciated
that tonight. I don't think they wanted to see the passing of the torch yet.
I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it like a fan. It was a lot of fun to call, and
it was a lot of fun to watch.
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