Why did it go down like this at WM18?

[ZLT-truth316]

So at Wrestlemania 18 there was or rumor had it was that we were supposed to have Stone Cold facing Hulk Hogan but b/c neither can agree on who would win so we had instead Hogan vs. The Rock and Stone Cold facing Scott Hall.


So my question is this how come Hogan had no problem losing to the Rock but not Stone Cold?


And if this thread was made before or something similar to this I apologize

 

[Wickpeeka]

The Rock was more over in the main stream (movies and such) than was Stone Cold. I believe Hogan saw a loss to The Rock as passing the torch from media star to media star rather than a loss to another guy whose appeal was largely to the pro wrestling fan base. Hogan saw Rock was on his level with a good opportunity of surpassing him on the main stream level - which Rock has gone on to do with his acting career.

 

[shafe_41]

Austin was being punished by facing Scott Hall. WM18 was just after the time Stone Cold up and quit the WWE for a short time because he wasn't happy with the way creative was booking him. So a long story short, he cried like a bitch, and walked out on the WWE. So who's the next big thing after Austin? The Rock. That's why we got Rock/Hogan. Again, that's in a nutshell. Wikipedia and countless wrestling sites and other fans will give you a more detailed version of the story if you so choose to hear it.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

So at Wrestlemania 18 there was or rumor had it was that we were supposed to have Stone Cold facing Hulk Hogan but b/c neither can agree on who would win so we had instead Hogan vs. The Rock and Stone Cold facing Scott Hall.


So my question is this how come Hogan had no problem losing to the Rock but not Stone Cold?


And if this thread was made before or something similar to this I apologize

It wasn't a problem of who would go over, Austin knew that Hogan wouldn't play his role (the one of the heel) and would try to outface whoever he fought. Infact if you go back and watch the Rock/Hogan match you'll see that's exactly what he did.

Even at the end, Hogan shaking his hand and his subsequent face turn wasn't planned, Hogan did it on the spot. Austin didn't want to be the foil for Hogan's self imposed moment of glory

 

[donfryeismyhero]

Austin was being punished by facing Scott Hall. WM18 was just after the time Stone Cold up and quit the WWE for a short time because he wasn't happy with the way creative was booking him. So a long story short, he cried like a bitch, and walked out on the WWE. So who's the next big thing after Austin? The Rock. That's why we got Rock/Hogan. Again, that's in a nutshell. Wikipedia and countless wrestling sites and other fans will give you a more detailed version of the story if you so choose to hear it.

Ummm I think you got your facts a little backwards. Austin "up and quit the WWE" the day after WM 18 only to return a few weeks later during the first WWE Draft. But basically the reason Rock was choosen over Austin was because like TS stated, neither Austin nor Hogan wanted to job to eachother, and like another poster wrote, Hogan was willing to pass the torch to Rock because of his mainstream media popularity but not to just another wrestler which Austin was although he was unquestionably the most popular wrestler of the 90's.

 

[donfryeismyhero]

It wasn't a problem of who would go over, Austin knew that Hogan wouldn't play his role (the one of the heel) and would try to outface whoever he fought. Infact if you go back and watch the Rock/Hogan match you'll see that's exactly what he did.

Even at the end, Hogan shaking his hand and his subsequent face turn wasn't planned, Hogan did it on the spot. Austin didn't want to be the foil for Hogan's self imposed moment of glory

This very well may be true too. I remember reading an article shortly after the event on WZ where it said Austin was happy he hadn't wrestled Hogan because of the face reaction he got from the crowd as opposed to Rock.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

It wasn't a problem of who would go over, Austin knew that Hogan wouldn't play his role (the one of the heel) and would try to outface whoever he fought. Infact if you go back and watch the Rock/Hogan match you'll see that's exactly what he did.

Even at the end, Hogan shaking his hand and his subsequent face turn wasn't planned, Hogan did it on the spot. Austin didn't want to be the foil for Hogan's self imposed moment of glory

Aren't Toronto fans notorious for cheering for the "wrong people" at wrestling events though? I'm sure there was maybe a SummerSlam there where the faces were getting booed and the heels were getting cheered. It would have been interesting if the event had been held in another city, do you reckon the same result still would have occurred?

 

[supaman5279]

cuz hogan is a little b*tch. he thinks he owns the wrestling business and thinks he can go over anyone at anytime. thats why hbk sh*t on their match at summerslam. austin was the biggest star in the wrestling world and it wouldve been huge to see him go up and up with stone cold. but it wasnt good enough for hogan as austin 3:16 wasnt big enough to carry him around so he decided to hang on to the rocks coattails because he was a bigger hollywood star. is ok though because scott hall sold the stunner like no other. hogan probably woulda sold it worse than mcmahons first stunner. enjoy tna hulkster!!

 

[Ubiquitous]

I'm on my iPhone so I can't direct quote, but my first point is in regards to Austin up and quitting. It actually happened the week before the King of the Ring tournament that year, so after the draft. I watched an interview with him, saying that they wanted him to job to this new kid, Brock Lesnar, in a throwaway match on Raw. Austin then pitched to have Lesnar go over him in the KotR finals, as it would mean a lot more and Lesnar was slated to win anyway, but they decided against it and Austin didn't want to job to this new kid for no other reason than to waste time on free TV. So that day Austin walked, and Lesnar went on to win KotR as planned. The rest is history. In response to the OP's question, I agree with the other posters that it was a matter of Hogan wanting to pass the torch to another mainstream star. I've also heard there's a bit of animosity between Hogan and Austin.

 

[Tech N9ne]

Austin was being punished by facing Scott Hall. WM18 was just after the time Stone Cold up and quit the WWE for a short time because he wasn't happy with the way creative was booking him. So a long story short, he cried like a bitch, and walked out on the WWE. So who's the next big thing after Austin? The Rock. That's why we got Rock/Hogan. Again, that's in a nutshell. Wikipedia and countless wrestling sites and other fans will give you a more detailed version of the story if you so choose to hear it.

lol... Your whole post is shit. You come off like a "Know It All" smarmy dick head and you start your post off with a lie. Austin was not punished for leaving WWE by having to face Scott Hall. Austin left the WWE AFTER this. You then proceed to march on in your post, coming off like a dick and continue to spout nonsense.

The Rock was not the biggest thing next to Austin. The Rock was just as big in wrestling and BIGGER overall than "Stone Cold" was or ever will be. Austin's character was awesome and was very innovative. But, in ring, by the time 2002 rolled around, he was lacking. Hulk Hogan was obviously lacking. I think neither wanted to lose to each other at all. I think they each thought they were better than the other one.

But, as far as the way Hogan looked at The Rock... He was younger, then Austin even, let along Hogan. He was in his prime, all around. AND he was in better shape. Plus, there was no bigger star out there, associated with wrestling, than The Rock. Regardless of what anyone likes to believe... HE WAS THE FACE OF WWE AT THAT TIME!!

It made sense for it to be Rock/Hogan and it made even more sense to have The Rock go over him.

 

[DemonToSome]

Austin was being punished by facing Scott Hall. WM18 was just after the time Stone Cold up and quit the WWE for a short time because he wasn't happy with the way creative was booking him. So a long story short, he cried like a bitch, and walked out on the WWE. So who's the next big thing after Austin? The Rock. That's why we got Rock/Hogan. Again, that's in a nutshell. Wikipedia and countless wrestling sites and other fans will give you a more detailed version of the story if you so choose to hear it.

WOW. Is that how it went down? Good to know.

In this dimension it went a little differently though. Austin left AFTER WM18. Anyway, I think Hogan wouldn't lose to Austin and would lose to Rock because he saw him as being the bigger overall star at the time. Austin may have been slightly bigger in the wrestling world, but Rock was just a bigger star overall.

 

[Marky-Marc]

From what I've read/heard, it was basically a big game of chicken. Both Austin and Hogan wanted to do the match for the fans on the big stage but neither wanted to job to the other. I've read that Austin told Hogan straight up in a creative meeting that he has no problem putting him over but he wasn't going to do it just because he's Hulk Hogan, that he'd only do it if it made sense from a booking stand point. Where as Hogan just wanted to pin Austin because he can and Stone Cold wasn't about to lay down, good for him I say.

I also think the original plan B was for Hogan to fight Nash but I think Nash got hurt so Hall filled in. I kinda think that Hogan put the Rock over to kind of piss off Austin in a way. Not like we can't expect that from Hogan, he's screwed over his fare share of people back in the day and this one ranks right up there with telling Vince that he wouldn't put over Bret Hart at SummerSlam 1993 because Bret wasn't in his league. This is what Hogan does and we shouldn't be surprised by it.

Anybody know what the original plan was for the Rock to do if he didn't face hogan at Mania? Would he have fought Hall like Austin did?

 

[Megadeth]

Even at the end, Hogan shaking his hand and his subsequent face turn wasn't planned, Hogan did it on the spot.

Actually Hogan's face turn was planned before this, as I remember either in one of the Hogan DVD's or an interview he did later, he talked about how at one point just a few days before WM18 they were even talking about Hogan coming out in the Red and Yellow for his match againist the Rock, and how he had to go back to his home in Florida to get a Red and Yellow outfit, only for them to change their minds and have him stick with the black and white. Plus if it wasn't planned, then they would not have had Hall and Nash come out and attack Hogan after the match like they did.

 

[Tripleb2k1]

actually, Austin never wanted to fight Hogan due to Hogan being directly responsible for the politics that Austin dealt with in WCW...

rumor has it if they could have signed the deal, the Angle vs Kane match was supposed to be Angle vs Sting...according to former WWE writers Dave lagana & Alex Greenfield

 

[therockiswwf]

If Austin beat Hogan, Hogan would be totally overshadowed by Austin. Everything would be about Austin, but since The Rock is not as big, The Rock didn't overshadow Hogan. I could put more detail but really that all there is to it (imo).

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

Weird how Hogan was probably going to face Flair at WM 8 for the dream match on the stage it deserved, and 10 years later another dream match vs Austin didn't happen either.

Besides, you could have done both dream matches. After all, Hogan faced Rock again at No Way Out 2003.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Holy Crap! So many theories on this subject. It's intense!

I remember this being in 2002. The nWo screwed Austin out of the championship, and the next night on RAW. Rock called out Hogan, and the crowd went nuts for Hogan vs. Rock. That was the show part of it.

Now, no one really knows what happen between the scenes. Most people say, don't believe Hogan, because his word isn't worth damn. Good chance to take that route.

But, I'm thinking Austin lost some steam going into Wrestlemania after the Invasion Angle, when he did his face turn. The Rock came bout as the savior of the WWE during that angle, and got the top face spot in the WWF at the time.

I'm thinking it was more of good business decision on the WWE of having Rock vs. Hogan, instead of Austin vs. Hogan.

To be honest with most of you. I don't think Austin vs. Hogan would of been that great of a match. Not as good as Rock vs. Hogan. Seeing the Texas Rattle Snake get the leg drop would be a bad way to see him lose. Since it usually took some bad ass move to take him out. Because that was the character he built.

So in the long run. I think we were blessed with Rock vs. Hogan, instead of Austin vs. Hogan.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Honestyl I really dont care. In my mind putting all mainstream popularity aside they were about equal.(SCSA/Rock) The match would've still been as good.

 

[eromenation18]

Ok for the person who said the reason why Austin didnt face Hogan at WM18 because of leaving the company is completely wrong. Austin wasn't happy with the storylines but he left AFTER WM18, not before.

Simply put, The Rock at that time was a better draw then Austin was. Rock is more appealing to the entertainment world then Austin was and still is. I don't care what people say about Hogan or Austin, it was all about money with them. If Vince woulda forked up enough money to Hogan, Hogan would've did the job to Austin and we'd be sitting here saying what if Rock would face Hogan? But then again we had it at No Way Out 2003 so it wasn't so bad after all.

 

[Swarles Barkley]

Yes we are! Summerslam we booed Eugene and Cheered Triple H. Also cheered for Orton to win the World Title vs Benoit.

I recall the booing of Eugene (and the cheering of Edge in his IC title match), and I recall some cheers for Orton, but I do not recall people blasting boos at Benoit or wanting him to lose. Orton was in the midst of his first face turn since joining Evolution, but I would hardly say that everyone wanted Benoit to lose.

I do recall, however, the crowd in Hamilton booing the ever-loving shit out of Ken Shamrock and cheering wildly for The Rock at Breakdown in September, 1998. Shamrock turned heel not too long after that, and The Rock did his short face turn before becoming the Corporate champion. (Remember, Rock was a big time heel at SummerSlam '98, facing Triple H in a ladder match for the IC title).

Canadian crowds do tend to be a little bit nutty. That said, Austin was always popular from what I can recall, so I doubt the Mania crowd would have booed him like they did The Rock. The Rock's act was growing a bit stale at that point, so people were starting to get sick of it. I guess it was just lucky that Canadian crowds can be a little ahead of the curve when it comes to who to cheer and boo. Hogan still would have gotten the gigantic pop he did, but I doubt Austin would have been booed out of the building like The Rock was.

P.S. I was at that Mania, and I have never heard a crowd so loud in my life. The concrete floor beneath me was shaking because the place was so loud. Anyone who was there will attest to how awesome a moment that was. One of the top 5 in WWE history, if you ask me.

 

[KKKKwe]

Aren't Toronto fans notorious for cheering for the "wrong people" at wrestling events though? I'm sure there was maybe a SummerSlam there where the faces were getting booed and the heels were getting cheered. It would have been interesting if the event had been held in another city, do you reckon the same result still would have occurred?

The Reason we cheered for Hogan at Mania 18 is because he was an icon. He did things for the buisness that made the fans happy. No matter where WM18 was ppl wouldve cheered for Hogan because of respect for who he was and what he had done back in the 80s and 90s. As for summerslam we jus hated eugene(worst character ever) Benoit's title run was getting alittle too boring. Edge was kinda gay back then and the other wrestlers got the same boos and cheers as they normally would.

Austin was being punished by facing Scott Hall. WM18 was just after the time Stone Cold up and quit the WWE for a short time because he wasn't happy with the way creative was booking him. So a long story short, he cried like a bitch, and walked out on the WWE. So who's the next big thing after Austin? The Rock. That's why we got Rock/Hogan. Again, that's in a nutshell. Wikipedia and countless wrestling sites and other fans will give you a more detailed version of the story if you so choose to hear it.

As soon as I read ur comment i sed to myself this "kid" is a pg idiot that probably just started watching WWE last week and tried to scoop up as much info to join the wrestling fan clan. Ok man im going to set it straight for you this is how it went down. AND I QUOTE FOR MORONS LIKE YOU "Austin did not leave the day after mania and infact he was on the raw right after mania. Yea he left for alittle but he wasnt technically gone because he joined raw and fueded with Undertaker then he fueded with Flair and he was supposed to be fueding with Eddie Guerrero but he didnt want to job to him aswell as he didnt want to job to Lesnar the way he was supposed to job to him"

Any ways guys who the hell said most of the fans at Mania 18 was 100% Canadian or from Toronto. I mean for chrissake its Wrestlemania and I do recall people from all other nations going to that event (I live in Toronto and remeber watching news reports saying that other people from other nations were coming to mania and that Tronto would be jam packed) So if anything if it was in any other country ppl wouldve booed Rock no doubt