Posted in: The Classroom The Classroom - History Of: WrestleMania Part 18
By Sean Taylor
Mar 12, 2009 - 2:03:44 AM
"My teacher had my flash drive arrested for indecent exposure."
Good morrow, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to The Classroom. For those of you who watched Raw this week (March 9), did you think it was odd that Orton has so many people stashed randomly throughout his house? It’s like he was hiding illegal aliens from the feds. And who the hell was the guy in the gray shirt that ran from the right to the left of the screen? Seemed to be about 24 years old. Maybe he was Orton's gay lover or something. OH! And his wife. I was sitting there watching this complete airhead stare off into space then later do the worst "I'm scared" reaction I've ever seen. I was thinking why didn't they just hire an actress to play his wife so we could actually believe that she was a real person and not just a ditzy, brainless, idiot. And then I find out THEY ACTUALLY DID HIRE AN ACTRESS!!! Holy shit! What third-tier talent agency did they find her? I know economic times are tough but there has to be a decent actress in St. Louis who can actually LOOK SCARED ON CUE!
Oh and Koko B. Ware in the Hall of Fame!?! Frankie maybe. But Koko?
Regardless, my rantings and ravings aren’t what you came here for. Let’s talk about the events and happenings that were and led to WrestleMania X-8.
WrestleMania X-8: The One And Only
Date: March 17, 2002
Venue: SkyDome (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Commentators: Jim Ross & Jerry “The King” Lawler
Attendance: 68,237
Now that the WWE had bought both WCW and ECW, they were the only wrestling company in North America with mainstream exposure. They were also the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. Even with no official competition, the WWE still retained the popularity it had in recent years. WWE pay-per-views were getting bigger and more elaborate in terms of productions. WrestleMania X-8 was no different. The WWE erected a massive set that reached up to the SkyDome’s JumboTron more than 10 storeys above the floor. They also brought in rock groups Drowning Pool and Saliva to perform the two WrestleMania X-8 theme songs live. The event also set a Skydome attendance record of 68,237 shattering their own record set by WrestleMania VI.
WrestleMania weekend was accompanied with the biggest Fan Axxess to date at the Canadian National Exhibition's Automotive Building. On Sunday Night Heat Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hotty, and Albert defeated Lance Storm, Test, and the recently returned Mr. Perfect. Rikishi ended the match by pinning Perfect after his version of the Banzai Drop. WrestleMania X-8 opened up with Saliva performing “Superstar”.
Thumbs Up
One of the money drawing acquisitions from the buyout of Extreme Championship Wrestling was the ECW top name known as Rob Van Dam. Van Dam was a physically talented athlete and highly trained in martial arts. He became know in ECW for his high-risk moves and disregard for this safety much like the Hardy Boys had done. His storied history, quick movements, and “educated feet” made him an instant fan favourite upon his WWE debut.
On February 25, 2002, RVD won a number one contendership match on Raw to earn the right to challenge Intercontinental Champion William Regal at WrestleMania X-8. Regal had been using a pair of brass knuckles to knock out opponents while claiming it was the "power of the punch". At WrestleMania X-8, Regal attempted to his "power of the punch" but was caught by the referee. While the referee put away the brass knuckles Regal retrieved a second pair from his trunks. Regal turned and was caught by RVD with a spinning heel kick. RVD hit Regal with his Five Star Frog Splash and pinned him to become the new Intercontinental Champion.
It's Not A Bad Thing, It’s A Good Thing!
After turning on Edge in September of 2001, Christian enjoyed minimal success before going on a long losing streak. After each loss, Christian would throw a physical and childish temper tantrum in the middle of the ring. For weeks prior to WrestleMania X-8, Christian went under the tutelage of Diamond Dallas Page whose gimmick had changed to a positive thinking guru/teacher (based on the title of his book “Positively Page”. DDP attempted to help Christian control his anger, which would lead to victorious matches. On the March 11th episode of Raw, Christian finally won a match (thanks to interference from DDP) and immediately turned on Page. Christian later claimed that now that he was back to his winning ways, he no longer needed DDP’s help. A match was quickly signed for WrestleMania X-8 between the two men with DDP’s European Championship on the line.
The match was a back and forth confrontation. Eventually Christian hit DDP with his Unprettier finisher but DDP kicked out. Christian got angry but calmed himself down and went back to DDP. Soon after, DDP caught Christian with a Diamond Cutter and picked up the victory. After the match, DDP got on the mic and congratulated Christian for controlling his temper and keeping his cool. When Christian finally came to and realized he had lost, he began crying and reverted back to his temper tantrum ways.
Hardcore Adventure Part 1
Up next was Hardcore Champion Maven versus Goldust. Maven was the first winner of WWE Tough Enough – a reality show where the winner received a WWE contract. Goldust introduced gold painted trashcans and a golden shovel into the match before Spike Dudley ran down to the ring with a second referee and pinned Maven to become the new Hardcore champion under the 24/7 Rule. Spike’s celebration didn’t last long as Crash Holly ran to ringside with his own referee and chased Spike into the crowd.
After Drowning Pool finished performing their song “Tearing Away”, cameras found Crash Holly and Spike Dudley battling in the back. Suddenly they dove out of the way allowing Al Snow and referee Teddy Long to drive by in a golf cart and crash into a wall of boxes. Spike knocked out Crash and was about to get away but The Hurricane (Gregory Helms) swung in on a rope and dropkicked Spike. Hurricane covered him and became the new Hardcore champion. Hurricane “flew” off as Al Snow came back out of the boxes missing everything.
An American Hero In Canada
The next match pitted Kurt Angle against Kane. The match had very little build-up where Angle blamed Kane for him not being in the main event that night. The fans had started to chant, “you suck” during theme music, which he responded to by insulting the Canadian crowd. It was another case of speed versus power. In the end, Kane went for a chokeslam but Angle reversed it into a roll up pin. Angle put his feet on the rope to gain leverage and win the match.
Hardcore Adventure Part 2
Hurricane is found backstage sneaking around and he walked into a locker room. He grabbed a broom and ducked behind a changing shade. The Godfather’s Hos walked into the room and started changing and Hurricane raised his broom making it look like an erection. Hearing his women scream, Godfather came running in and chased Hurricane away.
Bad Ass vs The Legend
When Ric Flair made his WWE return in November of 2001, he announced that when Stephanie and Shane sold their stock in the WWE, the buyer was him. This made him co-owner (kayfabe) of the WWE with Vince McMahon. After costing Undertaker his match against The Rock at No Way Out, Flair was confronted by the “American Bad Ass” the next night. Undertaker challenged Flair to a match at WrestleMania X8 but Flair refused. Undertaker attacked Flair’s Four Horsemen stable and best friend, Arn Anderson but Flair still refused to the match. After Undertaker brutally beat down Flair’s son David, Flair finally agreed to fight the Undertaker. This decision was a popular one with the WWE Board of Directors. During a meeting, Linda McMahon asked Flair if he was really going through with the match. Flair said he was and Linda announced that the Board had no choice but to strip Flair of his executive rank and give all power to Vince with the right to review the situation after WrestleMania X8. Vince later told Ric that his match with the Undertaker was now a No Disqualification match.
Undertaker dominated most of the match making Flair bleed profusely. When Undertaker went for his Old School move off the top rope, Flair pulled him off. The fight spilled into the aisle and then back into the ring where Flair applied his Figure Four. Undertaker grabbed Flair around the throat, got up, and chokeslammed Flair. Flair kicked out. After another failed pinning attempt, Undertaker took out the referee. Arn Anderson hit the ring and attacked Undertaker but Undertaker soon put Anderson in a dragon sleeper hold. Flair attacked Undertaker from behind with a chair but Undertaker fought back and dropped Flair with a Tombstone. Undertaker picked up the pin and increased his WrestleMania record to 10-0.
Leaves Your Hair Shiny and Clean
The next match featured Booker T versus the hometown hero Edge. Booker T was upset at Edge because Edge had apparently stolen an opportunity to star in a Japanese shampoo commercial. As the feud continued, Edge began to mock Booker T for his lack of intelligence. In a promo before the match, Booker T mentioned that he was an intelligent man asking Michael Cole, “I wear glasses, don’t I?” During the match, control was passed back and forth constantly. After catching Edge with a sidekick, Booker T did his Spinaroonie taunt. Edge battled back and after a spear and a failed pin attempt, he performed an Edgearoonie. Edge then picked up a win after hitting Booker T with his Edgecution finisher (implant DDT).
Hardcore Adventure Part 3
Backstage, Johnathan Coachman interviewed the Hurricane when Hurricane’s sidekick, Mighty Molly interrupted and they should leave via the Hurri-cycle. When Hurricane turned his back, Molly hit Hurricane in the back of the head with a frying pan before pinning him to become the new Hardcore Champion.
nWo 3:16
After Flair announced that he was now a co-owner of the WWE, Vince McMahon said that he’d rather kill the WWE than share it with Flair so he brought in a “poison” – the nWo. At No Way Out, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall debuted in the WWE wearing their black and white nWo colours. They claimed they weren’t there to poison the WWE, but rather to make it better. Later in the night, they came down to the ring during “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Undisputed Championship match against champion Chris Jericho and offered him beer. Austin refused and the nWo interfered causing Austin to lose. After the match, they attacked Austin and wrote “nWo” on his back in their standard black spray paint. On the February 21st episode of SmackDown, Austin chased Hall and Nash around the arena with a tire iron until the nWo reached the parking level where they found their limo spray painted with “What?” (Austin’s new catchphrase). Later that night, Austin kidnapped Hall and embarrassed him in the by spray painting “3:16” on Hall’s back. Leading up to WrestleMania X8, Hall attacked Austin with a cinder block and a wrench and Austin retaliated by firing a net gun at Nash and beating up Hall.
When their match at WrestleMania X8 finally came around, Hall walked to the ring accompanied by Nash. Austin was in control for most of the match and was about to pin Hall when Nash pulled the referee out of the ring. Nash climbed into the ring and attacked Austin but Austin soon turned it around and hit both nWo members with a Stunner. Austin re-covered Hall and a second referee slid into the ring to count. At two though, Nash dropped an elbow on him. A swarm of referees came down and removed Nash from ringside. With Nash gone, it wasn’t long before Austin laid out Hall with a Stunner and picked up the win.
Ok, But Which One Is The Chick?
The next match was a Four Corner Elimination Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships pitting the champions, ambiguously homosexual duo of Billy & Chuck (Billy Gunn/Chuck Palumbo), against the Dudley Boys, The Hardy Boys, and the APA. Saliva played The Dudley’s new theme song “Get The Tables” as they walked to the ring with their new manager, Stacey Keibler (formerly Miss Hancock in WCW). The APA were the first to be eliminated when Bradshaw got caught in a 3D. The Dudleys were next to go after a Twist of Fate/Swanton Bomb combination by the Hardys. At the end of the match, Billy hit Jeff Hardy with one of the tag belts allowing Chuck to get the pinfall and the win.
Hardcore Adventure Part 4
Backstage, Might Molly was trying to find her way out of the SkyDome when the top half of a Dutch door got slammed closed right into her face. Christian appeared from behind the door and pinned her to become the new Hardcore Champion.
A Moment Never Forgotten
The night after No Way Out, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan came out to the ring and touted his own success in the wrestling business. He talked about headlining numerous WrestleManias before the fans turned on him forcing him to leave the WWE. The Rock interrupted him. Fans were in awe. During the height of the Monday Night War, no one would have ever guessed that one day in the near future they would see Hulk Hogan and The Rock standing in the same ring. The Rock challenged Hogan to a match at WrestleMania X8 and Hogan accepted.
There was build up to the match but almost all fans have forgotten about it. Hogan attacked The Rock numerous and times even tried to run him over with a semi-truck while he was in an ambulance. But the actions on Raw and SmackDown didn’t matter. All the fans wanted to see was the showdown between the two legends in the business. The match promised to be an epic battle and guaranteed to make WrestleMania history. And it didn’t disappoint.
Hogan and Rock started off the match staring each other down in the middle of the ring. The fans in the SkyDome cheered almost in unison for Hogan and then gradually cheered for Rock and then back to Hogan again. The commentators didn’t know how to react. Lawler would refer to Toronto as “Bizarro World” three years later but the odd fan reaction started that night. Hogan later revealed that the WWE was considering having him come to the ring in his red and yellow attire considering the cheering that he was getting ever since his return but at the last minute decided to keep him in his black and white heel colours.
When the two started the match, it was a showcase of strength. Hogan powered out and threw the Rock to the mat while the fans cheered. When Rock threw Hogan down, the crowd booed. Hogan tried every dirty trick in the book – raking the eyes, scratching the back, biting, choking – but everything he did got cheered. Conversely, the longer the match went there was nothing The Rock could do to get the crowd on his side. Eventually, with the referee knocked out, Hogan took off his weightlifting belt and started whipping The Rock with it. Rock recovered and started whipping Hogan with the belt. Rock hit Hogan with a Rock Bottom but Hogan kicked out and began his old Hulk-up routine. The Rock played right into taking both the Big Boot and the Leg Drop before kicking out. Hogan missed a second Leg Drop allowing The Rock to hit two Rock Bottoms and a People’s Elbow, surprisingly to the crowd’s cheers. Rock pinned Hogan to win the match and the crowd started chanting “Rocky! Rocky!” as if they hadn’t turned on him.
After the match, Hogan stood in Rock’s face and with almost shame in his face, offered a handshake to The Rock. The Rock accepted and the crowd erupted. The Rock left the ring as Hall and Nash came down. They attacked Hogan for shaking The Rock’s hand. Seeing the beat down on the JumboTron, The Rock sprinted back and he and Hogan cleared Hall and Nash from the ring. Once Hall and Nash left, Hogan went to leave the ring but Rock stopped him. Rock brought Hogan back into the ring to do his famous post-match posing. The Rock stood back and watched as if he was a twelve-year-old fan again as Hogan posed for the crowd for the first time in nearly ten years. As they left, Rock held the ropes open for Hogan and they walked to the back side by side.
This match was an instant classic and the true definition of the term “WrestleMania Moment”. It was a dream match scenario that played out exactly how it should have. But most of all, it was the live crowd that made the match as memorable as it was. The match was also called a “curtain sellout” meaning that all the wrestlers, agents, and referees backstage were either watching monitors or peeking out through the audience to watch the match.
Championship Homecoming
The match that had the unfortunate luck to follow Hogan/Rock was a triple threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship. Women’s Champion Jazz defended against Lita and Toronto native Trish Stratus. The match was a fast paced affair with lots of wrestling action. Trish’s performance really outshone both her opponents but it was Jazz who scored the pinfall to retain her title.
Sadly, though, a large number of the live fans didn’t see this match because after the Hogan/Rock match, they started leaving the SkyDome.
Hardcore Adventure Part 5
Christian reached the parking garage with a cab waiting for him. He put his gear in the trunk of the car and celebrated one last time. Unbeknownst to him, Maven was following him with a referee. Maven rolled up Christian, won the Hardcore title, and left in Christian’s cab while Christian threw another temper tantrum.
You Kick My Dog
Triple H had missed most of 2001 with a quadriceps injury he suffered on the May 21st, 2001 episode of Raw during a tag team match featuring him and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (dubbed The Two Man Power Trip) against Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. He returned on January 7, 2002 and immediately announced his candidacy for the Royal Rumble. Triple H won the Royal Rumble and the right to face Chris Jericho at WrestleMania X8. After the Invasion angle ended, the WWE decided to unify the WWE and WCW Championships into the Undisputed Championship. Jericho, now heel, had defeated both The Rock and Austin in the finals of a four-man tournament at December’s Vengeance pay-per-view.
When Triple H became the number one contender, he became tired of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley’s heelish ways. Still married, Stephanie wanted to be sure that she was supporting a champion. She convinced Triple H to hold a renewal of martial vows ceremony on the claim that she was pregnant. Triple H was skeptical but later that week on SmackDown, he and Stephanie saw a doctor who confirmed her pregnancy. But just before the ceremony, Linda McMahon sent Triple H a tape showing that the doctor was an actor and that Stephanie wasn’t really pregnant. Triple H waited until the middle of the ceremony to turn on Stephanie, beat up Vince, and announce that their marriage was over.
At No Way Out, Vince decreed that Triple H would put his title shot on the line against Kurt Angle. Thanks to Stephanie, Angle won the match and became the new number one contender. The next night, Ric Flair (who was still a co-owner) made a rematch and banned Stephanie from ringside. Triple H bested Angle that night and won back his title shot. Later that week, Jericho approached Stephanie and offered a business partnership between the two of them while putting their past differences aside. In an attempt to divert Triple H’s attention from the WrestleMania X8 match, Stephanie went to him with the terms of their divorce. Everything was to be split fifty-fifty. She took Triple H’s very first wrestling robe and Triple H responded by cutting her brand new Corvette in half and claiming one half for himself.
But the deal-breaker in the divorce was Triple H’s dog, Lucy. Stephanie’s lawyered herself as the new owner of the pet (which she hated). One week, Lucy did her business on the floor of Stephanie’s office. While she had to clean it up, she asked Jericho to take the dog outside for a walk. Insulted, Jericho tied Lucy to the bumper of a limousine and left. He came back and, forgetting about Lucy, sent the driver to get cleaning supplies. The limo drove off and ran over Lucy causing critical condition injuries (not death). Triple H went on a tear looking for Stephanie in her office but Stephanie went to the ring to publicly apologize. Triple H marched to the ring and was about to Pedigree her but Jericho attacked him with a chair. Jericho focused his attack on Triple H’s surgically repaired leg and going into WrestleMania X8 there rose question about how well Triple H’s leg would hold up.
Triple H was, for the second year in a row, played to the ring by a live band. This time it was Drowning Pool performing “The Game” from the new WWE CD Forceable Entry. Once the match started, Jericho started to work on Triple H’s leg and Stephanie continually interfered on Jericho’s behalf. The match spilled to the outside where Triple H attempted a Pedigree on the English announce table but Jericho reversed it and back body dropped Triple H onto the Spanish announce table. Back in the ring, Jericho got Triple H into his Walls of Jericho submission hold but Triple H powered out of it and reached the ropes. With the referee distracted, Jericho tried to use a chair but Triple H countered and DDTed Jericho onto the chair. Jericho kicked out of the pinfall attempt and Stephanie climbed into the ring. She grabbed the chair intent on getting Jericho disqualified but the referee took the chair from her. Stephanie turned and walked right into a Pedigree from Triple H. While the referee checked on Stephanie, Jericho hit Triple H with the chair but Triple H kicked out of the pinfall. Jericho followed up with a Pedigree of his own but Triple H reversed it and caught Jericho in a successful Pedigree leading to a pinfall win. As Triple H held both belts up in victory, cameras switched to a musical video package recapping the night’s events before WrestleMania X8 went off the air.
Another year in the WWE was in the books, but another historical one was about to start. The WWE Board of Directors would soon make an announcement that would forever change the face of sports entertainment. The WWE had two shows, enough talent for two rosters, and all they needed . . .
. . . was two brands.
Well that about wraps up Part 18 of this History Of: WrestleMania series. It was hard to be impartial for this one since it occurred just two hours from my own home but let me know what you thought of it. I strive on the feedback I get from readers so don’t hesitate to email me here or or if you’re a member of the Columns Forum, post here. I’ll be working on two columns simultaneously over the next couple of days. Both Part 19 of this series and the first column of the finals for the CSI. I ask for everyone’s patience, I promise you won’t need to wait long for either.
Pop Quiz
Congrats to El Mitcho, Anthony S., Patrick Giguere, Vinny Boombots, Brian McGrew who knew that Lita debuted with Essa Rios and Edge & Christian referred to the TLC match as "Totally Lacking Coolness. Many others were close. If you don't think you know the answer, I suggest you guess. I enjoy reading some of the creative answers I get. 1) In contrast to Edge’s accusations of being unintelligent, Booker T mentioned that he wrote his high school thesis on Einstein’s Theory of what?
2) As a part of the promotion for WrestleMania X8, several WWE superstars appeared on what television game show?
