Intro:
WrestleMania X8 took place on March 17, 2002, at the Skydome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main event featured a dream match up as Hulk Hogan took on The Rock. The other featured matches of the night were NWO member Scott Hall taking on Steve Austin and Undiputed Champion Chris Jericho defending the title against Triple H.
The NWO enters the WWF:
After the disappointing WCW Invasion angle, the real WCW superstars started to enter the WWF. At February’s No Way Out PPV, the most successful group in WCW history entered the WWF. The New World Order consisted of “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash. They immediately set their sights on the two biggest WWF stars, The Rock and Steve Austin. To get The Rock’s attention, after beating him up, they ran the cab of an 18 wheeler into his ambulance.
Icon vs Icon:
An amazing thing happened during this match. The fans turned against The Rock and started to cheer for Hulk Hogan. The WWF fans never hated Hogan before (or at least since the birth of Hulkamania 20 years earlier) and weren’t about to start now. The Rock beat Hogan much to the dismay of the crowd and both men shook hands afterwards. Steve Austin beat Scott Hall in a very forgettable match.
The Undisputed World Championship:
Chris Jericho won a tournament in December by beating The Rock and Steve Austin in one night to unify the WWF and WCW World Championships. Triple H returned from his quad injury in January and won the Royal Rumble to earn this title match. He would later lose and regain this title match from Kurt Angle. Amazingly, this match was not about Jericho and Triple H, it was built up as a feud between Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
The End of McMahon-Helmsley:
On TV, Stephanie and Hunter’s marriage was in shambles. Stephanie made him think that she was pregnant to get them back together but her plan backfired. As part of her sinister plan, she tried to get custody of Hunter’s dog Lucy. After walking the dog, Chris Jericho accidentally ran her over. Triple H got revenge for Lucy by beating Chris Jericho for the title.
The Aftermath:
The NWO was soon disbanded due to Hulk turning good, Kevin Nash injuring his quad, and Scott Hall’s personal problems. That summer, The Rock, Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan had all left the company for differing reasons. The only bright spot was the emergence of a rookie named Brock Lesnar, who went on to become the champion a few months after his debut.
Brand Split and Get the F Out:
A few weeks after WrestleMania, the WWF split the company into two separate brands, RAW and SmackDown! In May, the WWF was forced to change their name due to a lawsuit filed by the World Wildlife Fund. The company was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment. The slogan “Get the F Out” was used to remind fans of the name change.
Random Facts:
- Hulk Hogan was pinned in both of his Skydome WrestleMania appearances.
- Dallas Page made his only two WrestleMania appearances at events held in the Skydome (at WM 6 he drove a pink Cadillac)
- The Hardcore Title changed hands 5 times at the show. This was the only time when the title had the 24/7 rule used at WrestleMania.
Match Results:
- I-C Title: Rob Van Dam beat William Regal to win the title
- European Title: Champion Dallas Page beat Christian
- Hardcore Title: Champion Maven fought Goldust. Due to the 24/7 rule the title went from Maven to Spike Dudley to The Hurricane, Molly, Christian and back to Maven by the end of the night
- Kurt Angle beat Kane
- The Undertaker beat Ric Flair
- Edge beat Booker T
- Steve Austin beat Scott Hall
- Tag Team Title Elimination Match: Champions Billy & Chuck beat The Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, & APA
- The Rock beat Hulk Hogan
- Women's Title: Champ Jazz beat Trish Stratus & Lita
- WWF Title: Triple H beat Chris Jericho to win the title
