Hulk Hogan Credits Dwayne Johnson’s Amazing “Wrestler Instinct” to “Flip Things” During Their Memorable WrestleMania Encounter

At times, things don’t go according to plan and while it might upset the rhythm, there are those rare occasions when something backfires for the greater good. The WWE learned about it at WrestleMania 18 as Dwayne Johnson and Hulk Hogan went toe-to-toe. While Hogan won the crowd over that night, over two decades later, he credited his hallowed opponent for their match.

The 69-year-old poster boy of WWE’s Golden Era shared his views while talking to comedian Theo Von recently. Hogan recalled his iconic match from 2002.

When the spectators proved WWE wrong at WrestleMania 18

While Hogan has a long association with Vince McMahon’s WWE, his stint, however, hasn’t been continuous. The Hulkster had been in and out of the Stamford-based promotion during his storied career. Hogan deserted WWE in 1993. He wasn’t back in the company till 2002.

Out of the nine years that he was absent from WWE, Hogan had a fruitful run in the rival WCW for six years. It was also during this time that he played the heel character, Hollywood Hogan, as part of the legendary New World Order (nWo), alongside Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Naturally, the WWE anticipated that Hogan would be booed during his iconic match against The Rock, who was the top star then.

But they were wrong. The crowd at the SkyDome in Toronto, Canada, inexplicably supported the heel. “So we get out there. (They are) booing him [Johnson], cheering me. I said ‘This ain’t gonna work’,” he told Von.

“So we kind of flip things around in the ring and he was so good in the ring bro,” he said, appreciating The Great One. Johnson, who is a third generation wrestler in the WWE, sensed it too and they changed the script on the go. Hogan said that Johnson had the “wrestler instinct” and went with the flow.

Even though it wasn’t the main event, the match drew the loudest cheers as the two legends jostled each other for nearly 17 minutes. In the end, The Rock picked up the win. Soon after, other nWo members attacked Hogan and Johnson came and saved him. The junior peer also asked the senior to pose for the crowd as they created a wholesome moment.

Read More: Real Reason WWE Deprived The Rock and Hulk Hogan of a Major Spot

Meanwhile, Hogan himself was taken aback by the reception.

Hulk Hogan opens up about crowd reaction during his iconic bout with Dwayne Johnson

One cannot blame WWE’s booking, especially after knowing that Hulk Hogan himself wasn’t convinced that the crowd will back him. He said that their reaction left him genuinely surprised.

“It was an amazing night. I have never experienced anything like that with the crowd,” he said. Hogan’s surprise was also due to the fact that he was fighting the most loved superstar, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. In an interview in 2014, he even opened up about having doubts about his own popularity before the match.

But the crowd hadn’t forgotten the enjoyment he had provided them during his previous stints. It was a great lesson for the pro wrestling community as a whole, that you never discount the efforts of a wrestler.

That said, what’s your take on Hogan’s recollection of the iconic match? How old were you when the two legends locked horns at WrestleMania 18? Let us know in the comments.

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