Ex-WWE broadcaster Jonathan Coachman recalls story behind Hulk Hogan's legendary WrestleMania X8 performance

Fox News

3 days ago

The loss of WWE icon Hulk Hogan left many reminiscing about their favorite moments with him inside the ring, where his exuberant personality and athletic talent came to life in front of thousands.
Jonathan Coachman, a former WWE broadcaster, spent time doing just that on OutKick's "Hot Mic," and the one match he brought up in particular was what some consider among the top 10 of all-time.
It was the "Hulkster" against Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at WrestleMania X8.
"I've only had probably three or four times my entire career, which spanned over a decade in WWE, where I walked out onto the floor. That one I wanted to be out there, and it was the most amazing 45 minutes of my career, watching the fans watch these two icons, and they changed the match because fans wanted to cheer for Hulk Hogan and boo The Rock," Coachman recalled.
"So, it was such a unique time to see the Hulk, who physically wasn't where he needed to be and that was basically the stretch for him to even go that long in a match. It was a magical night, and I still look back on it as one of the highlights of my career."
The match took place in Toronto at the SkyDome, where these two were the main attraction. The match was dubbed "Icon vs. Icon," and it was Hogan's first WrestleMania appearance since WrestleMania IX in 1993.
The storyline at the time was The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin against New World Order, which consisted of Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. The Rock had challenged Hogan to a WrestleMania match, and Hogan shook his hand in agreement.
However, The Rock's signature move, "Rock Bottom," came out instead of letting go of Hogan, leading to the feud that built up until the match came around in March 2002 north of the border.
"That's what the wrestling business has always been: Building up to big moments. Building up to big spectacles and having them pay off," Coachman said. "And up until the mid '90s or late '90s, Hogan was really the guy above and beyond anybody else. As we got into the 2000s, things started to happen and there was good and there was bad. Being able to put that match together, and your words are awesome, because I wanted to feel it. I was part of so many big moments in my career, and my career was the attitude era and there was no better time."
The crowd was electric throughout the night, and some even believed it to be one of the loudest pro wrestling crowds of all time as these two traded blows back and forth for more than a half hour.
Coachman also said that it was The Rock who kept Hogan in it as long as they did. There was even some improvisation that needed to be done mid-match.
"I don't know that the match would've ever happened because Rock was at his prime at that point. He had to give so much to Hogan to make that match believable," he said. "Then, what was so shocking, they had worked on that match for weeks. They even set up a ring in the hotel and we would rent it out for the entire week. They had worked on it for so many hours.
"Then, to walk in the ring with 80,000 or however many people were there, they happened to completely switch it because there's certain things you can do as a good guy, you can't do as a bad guy and vice versa. For The Rock to stand there, and people watch the match, they barked at each other for 10 minutes. They weren't trash talking – Rock was telling him how to switch it up."
In the end, The Rock came out victorious over Hogan, and Nash and Hall didn't like Hogan showing respect to Rock. Nash and Hall began to beat up on Hogan, who was effectively out of NWO at that point.
The Rock ended up coming to Hogan's aid, and as a huge sign of respect, he asked Hogan to pose with him in the ring to salute the crowd.
"To me, it's the pinnacle of what our business is," Coachman said. "I wrestled for three or four years. If I had to go 10 or 12 minutes, that was a long time for me. These guys, they held the crowd in the palm of their hand and that was the greatness of Hulk Hogan the character and Hulk Hogan the wrestler for so many years."
Hogan died at 71 years old due to a suspected "cardiac arrest" at his home in Clearwater, Florida, according to TMZ Sports.
"WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away," the company wrote in a statement. "One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s.
"WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans."