promoter2003

I think people over analyze this whole thing and just don't use the bottom line as Austin says. STORYLINE WISE if Austin vs. Hogan is booked who goes over? Austin vs. Hogan is a bigger headache booking wise, while Hogan/Rock is easier to deal with. If Vince Mcmahon didn't ask Austin there is a very good reason for it. Hogan/Austin legacy wise is much more hard to deal with because if it is promoted as the match to decide who the best ever is there are multiple problems that would arise.

Now I added to this thread by stating how some radio personalities that actually talk with people in the company stated how Austin turned down the match first. The whole irony of it all is that those radio personalities said Austin most likely turned down the match for the reasons you mentioned that Hogan would try to use the match to get his name back in good graces with the fans around the world. That is EXACTLY what happened with The Rock match.

We are also not looking at the company's long term plans that obviously had Brock Lesnar in the picture with him being the WWF Champion at the end of SummerSlam. So the passing of the torch happened with the old school with Hogan to Rock who in turn passes the torch to Brock Lesnar. Hogan just added to the sizzle by jobbing to Lesnar on television.

Now the argument that some make is that Austin has never acknowledged publicly about being asked to do the match first. The first thing you have to ask is what would the purpose of bringing that subject up would do if in fact Austin was the one who didn't want the match?

History shows that it is indeed Steve Austin who didn't want anything to do with a Hogan/Austin match. As for Austin saying retrospectively that him and Hogan should have been the match at WM 18 still doesn't negate the possibility that he didn't want to do the match AT THAT TIME. Austin saying it years later on a dvd is quite possibly done for the obvious historical glare of why Hogan/Austin never went down as it was obvious to A LOT of people why Hogan/Austin wasn't done when all logical wrestling sense states Hogan/Austin would be the obvious choice.

If Austin denied dropping the title to HHH why is it a stretch that is is possible that we don't know that Austin possibly denied fans of Hogan/Austin. The argument of Austin never admitting it is akin to Shawn Michaels never admitting he was in on the Montreal Screwjob which he denied for over a decade until the company was in good graces with Bret Hart again.

What good could come out of the company or the participants admitting politics caused Hogan/Austin from happening? There is no good in it that's why. I'm not saying one way or the other, but I'm not going to completely believe there was no way in hell that the match was nixed because of Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin's ego either. I think that is being quite naive as both Hogan and Austin are notorious for protecting their brand names.

Marv95

How would that had worked? Would HHH pull a Cena 2008 and cash in at NWO? Or would you have let Angle win the Rumble and have HHH beat Jericho?

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Not removing until WWE ends the Brand Extension.

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murder

No they would have stuck to the original plan that saw Angle becoming Undisputed champion at Vengeance.

Angle defends the title against Rock at Rumble and against Austin at NWO. Hunter wins the Rumble match and faces Jericho at NWO for his number one contender spot.

ChrisPartlow

Hogan and Austin were too old hoggies back in 2002.

I'm glad The Rock went over them both at back to back Wrestlemania's. Good decision, Vince. When two old egoistic tools can't put anyone over just make them both get their asses beat into retirement by a younger talent.

redban

Except Hulk Hogan didn't retire after wrestlemania X8.

Stone Cold wanted to put over Rock. It was a "return-the-favor" kind of thing since Rock lost to Stone Cold so many times before.

Icon_Vs_Icon

Im dead tired of Stone Cold fans making up lies to discredit Rock. Its an unarguable fact that Rock was always the first choice to face Hulk at Mania x8, Austin himself has said many times over the years he was only offered Hulk after he retied then turned it down. There is literally no evidence in the slightest that Austin was ever asked or even thought of to face Hulk besides Austin fans making it up and going on edited sites like Wiki and Bleachreport to spread there lies.

Austin fans cant accept his time as top man had long passed and Rock was clearly the guy Vince was pushing as the greatest at the time. Vince further proved he thought Rock was ahead of Austin when he personally picked Rock over Steve to be the 1st ever draft pick while Steve walked out because he didnt like the idea of being the second pick behind Rock. Vince took it a step further to prove he thought Rock was better when he wanted him to pass the torch to Lesnar while Steve was asked to job clean on Raw, which btw Hulk jobbed clean on Raw like 5 times in 2002.

It wasnt until Rocky left for Hollywood in 2003 that Vince did everything in his power to belittle Rocks career and pushed Austin over him and try to rewrite history like he always does.

JLawls91

I think Rock beating Hulk was a better match as they both had their gimmicks, entertainment side of things and Hollywood appeal and I'm glad it happened.

However, Stone Cold beating Hogan would have been like re-enacting the Attitude Era overtaking WCW with Austin beating Hogan as he was top dog at the time WWF were winning the war. Austin should have had Goldberg though.

krillep

Hogan has much respect for The Rock.

The Rock's dad(Rocky Johnson), Hogan was a big admirer of him.

But at the end of the day: Vince Mcmahon decides and make the final call.

The Rock was a big hulkamaniac as a kid and it was a dream come true.

The racial-barrier view to: Rock to become the first black world heavyweight champion.

Hogan agreed to that, while he always have been in the racial minorites corner (Mr T, Dennis Rodman and so on) and that's why he said after wrestlemania.

"When Rocks dad went out before the entrance he said: "Listen to Hogan, do what he says in that ring" and Hogan felt that The Rock was the young lion that was walking out there".

Either way. Rock was the man to carry the business for the futre. That's why Hogan agreed to put The Rock over.

And the match was EPICNESS

MoneyMay

Not sure how trust worthy or reliable they are but i read an article on The Rock in the latest PowerSlam edition this morning. It says Austin vs Hogan was the original plan but Austin turned it down as he suspected Hogan would try to use the crowd and make himself the face.