There was a smile on my face throughout the entire match. I can't say that for many other matches. I'd like to forget about everything that built up to the match. Angles involving a wrestler being hit by a moving vehicle tend to be incredibly stupid and this one was no different. Thankfully, that nonsense played no role in the actual match. Rock and Hogan finally going one-on-one was what mattered, not the lame and soon-to-be-forgotten storyline that set it up.
Hogan is purely in Hollywood mode in the beginning and we get his usual heel nastiness, but the crowd absolutely loves it. I expected a split crowd before this match happened, but no, these fans were overwhelmingly on Hulk's side. Everything he did was cheered and they mostly disapproved of Rock when he went on offense. It's obvious that this match was planned out a certain way and turned out differently due to the crowd, which in most other matches would be to its detriment. Not here. The reaction to Hogan hulking up after the rock bottom in particular was amazing and Rock's facial expressions were also great. Hogan's leg drop is a finisher that has never been impressive, but I liked it here. Rock oversells it by lunging his lower body into the air higher than most other wrestlers would have. The finish was appropriate even though I wish a rock bottom had finished off Hogan instead of the people's elbow, which I never viewed as a true finisher. Not too big of a deal because by that time Rock had hit two rock bottoms in a row, definitely enough to finish off Hogan.
This was two of the top stars in wrestling history at Wrestlemania in front of one of the hottest crowds imaginable. It delivered, more than I expected, even though the match itself would not have been nearly as good without the crowd and charisma/status of the two wrestlers. There wasn't much substance to the actual match; this was all about the atmosphere. The greatest example of a crowd turning a mere good match into something epic. The fact that it was a dream match that lived up to expectations made it even better.
It's been nearly 10 years since 2002. If I watched through everything again, I'm not sure that I'd feel exactly the same way I did back then. However, I've always had a strong opinion of how things should have gone after this match. I wish Hogan had gone into badass Hollywood mode rather than full-on red and yellow babyface. That got old quickly, something that is bound to happen when an old star makes a comeback that lasts for longer than needed. Everything was worth it due to this match, though. Must watch for any fan of mainstream American wrestling.
RATING: 8.5 out of 10
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