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#10 The Canadian crowd turn on Rock at Wrestlemania 18
If the Invasion Angle of 2001 was ultimately a letdown, the WWE made a slight amends in 2002 with the arrival of the NWO. Following their debut at No Way Out, Stone Cold Steve Austin began a feud with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall while The Rock set his sights on Hollywood Hulk Hogan.
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The two met at Wrestlemania 18, an event which also saw Stone Cold take on and defeat his two adversaries. Rock vs. Hogan was billed as the ultimate showdown between two legends from different eras. As Jerry Lawler said on commentary, boxing fans never got to see Tyson vs. Ali, but wrestling fans were being treated to Rock vs. Hogan.
Whether it was the fact that the event was held in Canada or whether nostalgia took the better of them, the crowd in attendance immediately made it clear that they were siding with Hogan, despite him going into the match as the heel.
As a result, The Rock, one of the biggest legends of the Attitude Era, received nothing but a chorus of boos. While Hogan's moves were met with adulation and praise, Rock was subjected to the exact opposite treatment.
This makes the match, which generally lacked in terms of technical wrestling, an instant classic in the annals of wrestling history. It was an early example of the kind of hijacking that WWE crowds so often attempt today. The reaction of the crowd when Hogan began to 'hulk-up' is still one of the biggest pops of all time.
Even the commentators were forced to acknowledge it, calling Canada 'bizarre-o-land', while Rock, to his credit, took the whole thing in his stride and allowed Hogan to play the de facto babyface in his place.
This also led to a Hulk Hogan face turn, seeing him adorn his red and yellow attire for the first time on WWE programming since 1993.
By the end of the year, both men's positions on the roster were slightly diminished, and a new cohort began to take over. In many ways, this match feels like one last major moment in the spotlight for two of the industry's biggest ever stars.
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