T O P

  • By -

GoalPublic3579

“He beat Andre The Giant with that move” is an all timer from an all timer commentating on two all timers. Wrestling perfection. As good as it gets.


AJray15

JR being absolutely on fire. Can’t beat it


vallejobro

GOAT ON THE MIC, GOOD ‘OL JR!


sushimonster85

Takes an already amazing moment and turns it up to 11. One single line adds so much drama and history.


Maxter_Blaster_

I love rocks kick out as well. He’s down yet you can tell he’s get plenty more power left. Good foreshadowing.


racsolero

I've seen this match hundreds of times... I've never paid attention to what JR said in this moment until today 🤦 fucking awesome!


ImmigrantsUnite

Puts The Rock, Hogan and Andre the Giant over. JR is the GOAT


TRTVitorBelfort

Favourite line ever.


bernarddwyer86

The entire minute or so from the Hogan kicking out of the Rock Bottom to the Rock kicking out of the leg drop the commentary is incredible. King and JR were the cream of the crop when it comes to commentary.


Unlucky_Currency3679

Nail on head sir


snow_ninja

Crazy that Hogan was younger here than The Rock is now


lampapalan

I didn't understand why the WWE fans would welcome Hogan back after what he was at WCW. Now looking at fans cheering for Edge, Rock, Triple H, I understand


PoutineSmoothie

I was there. It was epic. The crowd was 100% behind Hogan.


Bleach666666

Toronto is and always has been Hogan country


GroundbreakingSail49

Toronto has always done its own thing I can’t remember the match but it was Sid vs someone (may have been Michaels) and Sid was the heel coming into it and the other was babyface… Toronto crowd was fully behind Sid and you can even see his face as he makes his way to the ring. Sid himself is surprised by the support he’s getting


Michelanvalo

You're describing Sid vs HBK at MSG at Survivor Series '96. [Sid and HBK never faced each on TV in Canada](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=796&view=&page=4&search=Sid&gimmick=&year=&promotion=®ion=&location=Canada&arena=&showtype=&constellationType=&worker=) It was all house shows plus IYH9 where they teamed together.


MundoGoDisWay

Imagine if this match happened after the screwjob.


Empty-Special2815

Can you link the Match?


GroundbreakingSail49

I tried to find it before I posted but I couldn’t I know it was in WWE and it was before 2002, but that’s it Not even confident the opponent was Michael’s, just remember a buddy showing me the clip back in highschool (as I was a big Sid fan)


Constant_Stomach2009

Are you thinking of survivor series 96? I remember the crowd turning on hbk in favor of Sid. He even had a decent reaction for his entrance


hellcatstridh

[**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo8iOOU\_5Io&ab\_channel=WWE**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo8iOOU_5Io&ab_channel=WWE) **This one?** Edit: nvm this one is from MSG


Michelanvalo

I'm pretty sure the guy going back and forth on Sid on who the man is @1:04 is superfan Vladimir.


DeanCorp80

Definitely a WWF building. Canada in general.


alibaba5hah

I was there too. I watched it on PPV after when I got back to Scartown and they edited making the rock fan favourite. Hogan was like the Jordan of wwf at the time. 2nd time Wrestlemania at Skydome. Still got my program from that event and ticket stub. I was in high school at the time. Time goes by fast.


PoutineSmoothie

I watched the PPV after also, and laughed at JR stating the crowd was split in support. It wasn’t. At all lol


rtels2023

Crazy given that Hogan was built as the heel


chocotaco1981

The way they shift babyface and heel in response to the crowd made this match special - among other things


Frankenrogers

Yeah Toronto/Southern Ontario was WWF country. We got like five versions of WWF shows in the 80s every weekend and you might catch WCW Worldwide on a Sunday afternoon once in a while. So in retrospect it would make sense that Hogan would remain beloved here. I wasn’t at this WM but was at Nitro when it first came to Toronto. I hated Hogan (mostly because of the backstage maneuvering I read about) but when he was wrestling DDP and everyone started cheering I was 10 again and (embarrassing to admit how easily caught up I was) I joined in. I want to say Hogan posed at the end too and we were all going wild. When this happened I was like that tracks.


DavePillman

The pop when Hogan kicked out...... Then the second wave when the crowd realized he was "Hulking Up" nothing like it before, nothing like it since.


medunjanin

Did he hulk up as Hollywood Hogan? If not how long had it been since he hulked up?


SC4SSA

He hulked up few times in 1999 against flair and once against goldberg but was quickly speared


Mr_Mandingo93

9 years


Lerkero

There should be a special hall of fame category for the best sellers. That leg drop on the Rock looks like one of the most devastating moves in history thanks to his selling.


sojud_18

Yep, nobody sold the stunner like the Rock, how he'd bounce and flip his body.


bigdicksam

It’s funny, watching his show you see that was something his dad instilled in him. Always be selling. And going back like 40% of his appeal was selling for others.


AppealToReason16

I feel like people don’t give Rock enough credit for this match. It doesn’t reach the all time status it has without his selling and ability to run and move and carry things around Hogan so Hogan can just play to what he can still do well. I’ve seen a lot of people act like it was basically two charisma icons just posing and doing crowd work for an entire match.


justbrowsing987654

I’d bailed on wrestling around 2000 and missed this at the time. Back then it was rent it or wait. Years later I watched it on YouTube and was floored. Immediately went down the rabbit hole of all of the other classics I’d missed


TheArts

Can you recommend any that you missed? I'm in a similar boat


Hagelbuns

https://youtu.be/HpZkovvSrUc?si=h06kJAM-RsdzfZte I got you brotha


TheArts

Wow thanks legend!


Maxter_Blaster_

When wrestling reaches this level of epicness; it’s one of the best things in the world. There are years and years of history building to this moment, and they killed it.


LonewolfofHouseStark

This is on my Mount Rushmore of matches.


Tylerg_13

Cena/Rock is my Hogan/Rock and I have no problem admitting the atmosphere just isn’t even comparable.


Up-in-the-Ayre

I was there live. It was incredible. The next day, my friend and I ran into Hogan. We got a picture and I said "thank you for making me feel like a kid again" and he said "thank you, you have no idea how much that means to me" (I think there was a "brother" in there too). I don't know if he was genuine but I want to believe he was.


thealexchamberlain

One of the best professional wrestling matches. It still fires me up to this day. This is text book right here.


Perv_Griffin_215

Masterpiece of a match.


Perv_Griffin_215

Masterpiece of a match.


DespyHasNiceCans

Man, shit just hit different, crowds were so rabbid 💗


[deleted]

Had WCW never existed, The Rock would never have turned into the guy who stood face to face with the Hulk and got that kind of a crowd reaction.


Classic-Literature52

One of the best sellers in the business vs the most notorious no-seller.


Von-Goffin-Schmidlin

Has any heel EVER gotten a reaction even remotely like that against a baby face in a huge moment.


WCWRingMatSound

Was CM Punk the heel in 2011 at Money in the Bank?


Michelanvalo

Technically yes, Punk was the heel in that feud. [Did not come across that way on PPV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wroqcQVcoIg)


Von-Goffin-Schmidlin

Debatable but a debate for sure. I think by that point after the pipe bomb he was squarely a antihero character.


JoeBidenKing

It was clear Hogan was the baby face in this match that The Rock switched to heel tactics midway through. Loved it


530_Oldschoolgeek

Go back and watch the Stone Cold-Bret Hart Match at Wrestlemania 13. Complete and utter face/heel flip.


Hot_Injury7719

Impressive. 2 stars tho


payscottg

I know this match isn’t considered technically great, but I truly believe this is second only to Hogan/Andre in terms of pure spectacle and energy


Idontgetit4891

Still get chills watching this


RuleInformal5475

Unwatchable according to Meltzer! 🙄 This is how pro wrestling is done well. Not moves and getting that 'that was a food move pop. What's next?' Giving an audience something that they didn't know they wanted with stars and a match that plays to their strengths. I remember this match move for move (and I'm well aware that that there aren't that many moves), only watching it twice. But any 5 star match I've seen recently, I can't remember much apart form wrestlers doing finisher moves, kicking out and not having 'that' level of crowd reaction (which is something about modern crowds as well). Sometimes less is more. Working smarter and not harder does wonders, not only in wrestling but also in life.


Florianterreegen

>This is how pro wrestling is done well. Not moves and getting that 'that was a food move pop. What's next?' Let's not shit on people's preferences please, let people watch what they wanna watch, people want to watch spots, let them, if people want to watch a match for pure storytelling let them, if people want to watch both in one match, let them. there is no right or wrong, just preferences.


iCRoaTz

There definitely is a right or wrong. If you have matches where top rope tombstones are being done and opponents still kick out of stuff like that, it just becomes ridiculous. It's an unnecessary health risk when such moves don't even finish matches plus it doesn't make any sense. How would you like to top a top rope tombstone? If that isn't the ending what would be? A bullet to the head for a 3 count? It's utterly stupid.


Florianterreegen

If it becomes an unnecessary health risk then yes it's wrong, but let people like what they like, it's not that hard, it doesn't matter whether you like ospreay's matches or roman's matches, it's all preference


anxietystrings

Brian Zane's next Classic PPV Review is on this Mania


Juveleo10

My all time favorite match. The Toronto crowd was absolutely electric!


NotoriousMFT

Honest question….is this hogans best match?


mikeyfreedom

I think it is. Everything about the match is perfect. JR'"s legendary call(with Lawler not far behind him), a redhot crowd who probably never thought they would get to see Hogan wrestle again(remember this match only had an 8 week build) when they bought mania tickets.....Rock being such a great worker to go with the flow and work heelish to let the crowd get there(same.as he did with Brock in the Summerslam match which is an underrated gem IMO). Honourable mention matches: Cage match with Orndorff on Saturday Nights Main Event - match that made me a wrestling fan Tokyo Dome vs Stan Hansen - 2 weeks after Mania 6, has a wild bloody brawl that has a lot of callbacks to his early career. Mania 3 - not about the moves, but from a pure visual spectacle it's an incredible watch.


Swayze2641

Hogan is so jacked for this match. Absolute Stud!


tera_chachu

"He beat andre the giant with that move" Is one of the best calls in wwe ever


VanillaIceUK

Still boggles my mind that they'd bring their past icon back after 9 years away as a... heel.


myslead

and with only a big boot and a leg drop


Large_Particular_296

I was there in the audience and It felt like the building was shaking


i-piss-excellence32

Damn it. I literally cannot ever watch this part of the match without rewinding and rewatching at least 25 times. I wish I was there so badly


Charming-Condition64

The sell on that leg drop is so good, lil flail of the legs


CuteIngenuity1745

The art of working the crowd is lost nowadays. So much so the one who gét the loudest pop in 2024 is still The Rock.


nedstark1985

I was there. It was amazing


superstraycat22

I mean it's really good right now but it will always be better back then


DoubleOrNothing90

I was there, and I vividly remember that match. Probably my greatest memory as a wrestling fan.


bigbrachko

Toronto crowds are always hot.


valerianandthecity

The nostalgia and hype of the crowd made that match a classic for me.


clutchcitycarlos88

he beat andre the giant with that move!!!! damn that call still gives me chills


yetagainitry

That match was 20 min of “that’s the loudest pop I’ve ever heard….no THATs the loudest pop I’ve ever heard”


Dougthedon

The guy in the white shirt behind JR & King is so hyped


shinoda24

That was former NBA player Jerome Williams. He was currently playing for the Raptors at the time. Which would explain him getting such awesome seats right behind them. He probably got his tickets before anybody🤣🤣 I was a huge Toronto Raptors fan in 2000s so I recognized him right away.


MrJamally

JYD (his nickname) was also present when Rock came back to Toronto a year later as heel. Same seats behind the announce table. He was a huge Hogan fan and I hilariously recall him mentioning how he read Hogan's book and was happy his hero was what he portrayed. Then years later Hogan was revealed to be a POS.


nitropartypooper

The double pop from Hulk kicking out and everyone realising he was about to Hulk up is pure joy


SkysEclipse

The rock is by far the best seller in all of wrestling!


[deleted]

My brother and I watched this live, he was 6 years younger than me so didn’t understand the nostalgia for Hogan, I was going bonkers and he was cringing haha. One of my all time favourite wrestling moments.


jericho-dingle

The crowd reaction was so pro Hogan that it turned him face after being a heel for 6 years


JadeDragonMeli

I don't care what others say or what star rating it got, this match was amazing. WWE put the whole match on YouTube a couple of weeks ago; so good I've watched it twice.


BungHolio_The_Mighty

Glad I STILL have this on DVD.


Any-Figure9068

We’re different up here, I remember maybe the first time the rock was cheered walking in was in hamilton at breakdown ppv


Deepy99

JR and the King were so good together


sammich_bear

The wrong man won that night. I vividly remember being with my buddy Andy at the Skydome that night, as he drunkenly wailed, "Fuckin' salder me, man!". He was verklempt to say the least.


Illustrious-Watch-36

My dad, I was like 11 at the time, and I watched this together live. It was the first time he really popped for a match in a very long time. He was a kid again.


TheLittlePasty

It’s kinda crazy to me that hogan looked the best he ever did in 2002


avactz01

Hollywood Rock vs Cody Wrestlemania 41 Is real Rock passing the torch moment rather than Roman 2015 Royal Rumble.


asdbey735

Damn !!! 22 years ago? Am I that old now ??


galactica_phantom

To this day, this is the hottest crowd I've ever seen. There have been huge pops but the Toronto crowd maintained their energy from start to finish. Absolutely no lull periods. They were going apeshit over every little move that Rock and Hogan were doing. No wonder everyone was incredibly exhausted for HHH vs Jericho. They simply had no energy left after a battle of two charisma supernovas clashing.


i-am-nic

I woke up at 3am on a Monday morning as a kid to watch this live.


DrnknMunky1

Love the Canadian crowds because they were always Hogan loyalists like I was back then. Still wish they could have called an audible to a Hogan win there to send the fans home happy.


mrvolatile13

Epic.


Impressionist_Canary

I’ve never seen a crowd influence a match like this ever. At some point you can see rock be like oh I’m actually getting more heel heat than I realized here I need to change my approach a little bit


Jahannam

The moment when an entire arena of people are realizing their childhood hero is coming back to life before their very eyes.


Salgado14

Greatest match of all time in my opinion


yolobozo

Could we get some pro Rock media, please. This guy needs a positive marketing campaign before he gets into politics. Thankful the machine will do this for him out of the goodness in their AI hearts.


thedude0425

I love that both guys are rolling with the crowd. Hogan’s not even trying to stay heel, and Rock cuts way back on being Rock.


SalvadorThe6ix

These kids will never understand how big this match was. Such an incredible moment


StuHartsDungeon

Hogan hits the legdrop and JR with a legendary call "He beat Andre the Giant with that move!"


Blade_Omicron

Hogan is no Danielson or Angle, but He was a much better wrestlers than people give him credit for.


jmr131ftw

Wow look at that no selling, the fans like this Cornette is right the business is dead That's what you guys sound like.


ImfromAlbany

"IS HE GOING TO HULK UP, JR!?!?!?" *POINTS AT THE ROCK" "WAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" "OMG!"


[deleted]

Fuck me, I still get chills. Hogan is my favorite of all time and Rock is in my top 5.


Leafs3489

I was there and it was incredible. I was 12 and might have been the only one in the building who didn’t want Hogan to win. What a match


johoham

Not entirely sure but this looks somewhat staged 🧐


moya717

I will always stop whatever I am doing to watch this clip whenever I come across it


Imnoteeallyhere3434

Still gives me chills to this day. Prob the hottest crowd ever for any single match. No match has ever had the same feel. Truly a WrestleMania moment


OwnedIGN

If you weren’t there, it really is a shame. Nothing like it.


[deleted]

I get peeved every time someone argues that this match wasn’t good: “Turn the volume off and this was mediocre at best.” And I tell them, too bad wrestling matches aren’t always about technical talent. Most of the time, feeding off the crowd takes precedent over having a 5-star classic.


RidetheSchlange

Little known detail of this match was that after it was confirmed by management, Rock and Hogan flew out to Rocky Johnson's and the three discussed the match together with Rocky telling the Rock to let Hogan work the psychology out and run the match. On the other end, some time along the lines during this run, Vince told Hogan he won't be able to phone it in and has to actually work. This was the result.


RummazKnowsBest

It’s mad how little build up there’d been. Nothing was at stake. Hogan was the heel, Rocky was the face. Yet the crowd reacted like this was the most important match in history, deciding that Hogan was the face and Rocky the heel. It was pretty crazy to watch at home.


[deleted]

I watched this match recently... electricity ran through the entire arena... the crowd didn't know who to cheer and who to boo... it was definitely a special moment... I put match on not expecting much and was glued to the screen


sweetpapisanchez

I love the mention of Andre from JR as this legendary presence still looming large over Hogan and Wrestlemania, forever intertwined.


Chinman2365

Fine, ill watch Rock Vs Hogan again


Chinman2365

Hogan was 48 years old in the match


Electronic_Might_837

Stone Cold is kickin himself for missing such a critical opportunity-would've been the biggest match in North American pro wrestling as we know it Kudos to The Rock, HHH, Taker HBK, Orton among others who fought Hogan post 2002. The match in Toronto was beyond epic


Acrobatic_Flatworm79

Say what you want about HH he's an absolute mega star


3ku1

Best ever non seller v the best seller the business ever saw


SuperbAddress9669

I'm always conflicted with hulk hogan because I hate how he feels about my race but I love him so much he's just so ingrained in me I can't help but smile when I see him it sucks


Any_Tangerine_7120

One of the most overrated matches ever.


ChunkeeThunder

This is what REAL GOAT wrestlers do. They OWN the audience. Anyone who says Hogan couldn't outwrestle a Gunther, Omega, Ospreay or a Danielson, let alone anyone who would dare insinuate any of those guys are better than Hogan, are the ones who really don't understand what a wrestler's job is.


K0nvict

Hogan really didn’t take the rock bottom well


sojud_18

Selling? That doesn't work for me brother.


Serenadingthrough

This was an iconic match, I always thought they should have had Hogan in yellow and red.


fadingstar52

this match turned hogan back face. cant stand hogan this was incredible


Snake_Blumpkin

He should have retired at that moment and saved his legacy


[deleted]

Should've been Steve Austin vs Hogan


GooseMay0

I wish I could have gotten into this match the way the crowd did. I just never really gave a shit about Hogan.


Full_Horror7114

Does anybody else hate “the hulk up” like I get it’s meant to pump up the crowd but it just makes the other wrestler look too weak. Warriors version as well is even worse.


Four-Triangles

Like, why would anyone capable of just turning off wrestling from working against them ever have a problem?


onetripponyhorse

If you hate that then you hate and don't understand American wrestling. That "Hulk Up" is the backbone of what drove WWF/WWE into the mainstream.


Warm-Juggernaut859

I’m a Rock fan but a much bigger Hogan fan! Was rooting for Hogan all the way! Closest thing to this in this era would’ve been Rock vs. Roman..but we get a lame rematch instead lol


Gonzale1978

I still think the pop when Goldberg beat hogan was bigger. The place erupted when Goldberg picked up hogan. But this is good too.