20 WWE matches that should be rated 5 stars (10-1)

#6 The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan (Icon vs. Icon, Wrestle Mania X-8, 2002)

Icon vs. Icon

The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan at WrestleMania X-8 in Toronto's SkyDome deserves five stars for its textbook instruction on how to work a crowd, if nothing else.

Far from a technical masterpiece, WWE's epic Icon vs. Icon match still managed to draw loud crowd reactions from Canadian fans nostalgic over Hogan's main event with The Ultimate Warrior from twelve years earlier, in the same building.

Though Hogan was built as the clear heel, in the same villainous role he had been in since WCW in 1996, The Rock was overexposed and essentially getting stale, as opposed to Hogan who had been absent from the company for nearly a decade. Toronto fans unilaterally decided to ignore kayfabe out of respect for the legacy of Hulkamania and cheered Hogan with thunderous applause despite his use of a low blow.

The Rock and Hulk Hogan, sensing the mood of their audience, adapted to the crowd and essentially performed a double-turn mid-match, putting a stamp on what became a match of the ages.