WrestleMania X8, also known as WrestleMania 18, was a 2002 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 18th annual WrestleMania and took place on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2002, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the second WrestleMania at that venue after WrestleMania VI in 1990. The event marked the last WrestleMania of the Attitude Era, the last one held under the WWF name before the company was renamed to the WWE, and the last one held before the introduction of the brand extension just a week after the event. This was the last WrestleMania to be held outside the United States until 2027 when it will be hosted in Saudi Arabia and the venue, renamed to Rogers Centre in 2005, would not host another WWE event until 2025 when Elimination Chamber took place.
Eleven matches were contested at the event. The Rock defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan in the main attraction dubbed "Icon vs. Icon", in what was Hogan's first WrestleMania since WrestleMania IX in 1993. In the final match, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho to win the Undisputed WWF Championship. In other prominent matches on the undercard Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Scott Hall, The Undertaker defeated Ric Flair in a no disqualification match, and Rob Van Dam defeated William Regal to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
The record-breaking attendance for the SkyDome of 68,237 grossed approximately $6.1 million CAD ($3.9 million USD). WrestleMania weekend also included WWF Fan Axxess at the Canadian National Exhibition's Automotive Building.
Production
Background
thumb|upright|250px|The event was held in [[Rogers Centre|SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This was the second WrestleMania to be held at the same venue.]]
WrestleMania is considered the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) flagship professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, having first been held in 1985. It has become the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April. It was the first of the WWF's original four pay-per-views, which includes Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which were dubbed the "Big Four", and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs, along with King of the Ring. WrestleMania 18, stylized as WrestleMania X8, was scheduled to be held on St Patrick’s Day on March 17, 2002, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, marking the second WrestleMania at that venue after WrestleMania VI in April 1990. while storylines were produced on WWF's weekly television shows, Raw and SmackDown! along with its supplementary programs, Sunday Night Heat and Jakked/Metal.
left|thumb|[[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock (left) poses to the crowd before his match against Hollywood Hogan (far right)]]
The main feud built up in the lead to the event pitted The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin against the New World Order (Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) with the main attraction being promoted as The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, billed as an Icon vs. Icon, face of the company generational match.
The Rock's involvement with the nWo started after his win over The Undertaker at No Way Out, when a photo request from Hogan for his son turned into a trade of insults. The following night on Raw, Triple H interrupted Jericho and warned Jericho that he would win the Undisputed WWF Championship. Meanwhile, some hostility between Triple H and his wife Stephanie was starting to show, with the face Triple H growing tired of Stephanie's heel characteristics. In order to repair their relationship, Stephanie suggested on Raw that the two should renew their wedding vows on the following week. At first Triple H refused, but Stephanie revealed that she was pregnant, making him change his mind. To further prove Stephanie's claim, the two met a doctor on the next episode of SmackDown! with ultrasound images. On the February 11 episode of Raw just minutes before the wedding ceremony, Triple H received a phone call from his mother-in-law Linda McMahon, who had sent him a video tape revealing that the doctor was, in fact, an actor and that Stephanie was not pregnant. At the wedding, Triple H turned on Stephanie and attacked her, along with her father Mr. McMahon, saying that their marriage was now over. In the meantime, Kurt Angle was given a match with Triple H at No Way Out, with Triple H's WrestleMania title shot on the line. In revenge for the ruined wedding, Mr. McMahon appointed Stephanie as the special guest referee for the match. At No Way Out, with clear bias from Stephanie, Angle defeated Triple H for the title shot. The following night on Raw, WWF co-owner Ric Flair granted Triple H a rematch with Stephanie barred from ringside, enabling him to successfully regain his title shot at Chris Jericho. On the February 21 episode of SmackDown!, Jericho met with Stephanie and the two decided put their differences in the past, ending with Stephanie accepting Jericho's proposal to be his new business partner. To further the feud, Jericho later speculated that he ended the marriage by causing Triple H's quadriceps muscle to (legit) tear during their WWF Tag Team Championship match on the May 21, 2001 episode of Raw Is War, thus diverting Triple H's attention to his wife. Under the divorce settlement for the two, the assets would be split between them "50/50" to Stephanie's disgust. Among the assets were Triple H's first wrestling robe, Stephanie's Corvette (which Triple H later gave to her with half of it cut off) and Triple H's bulldog Lucy. Stephanie managed to win Lucy in the settlement, and on the March 11 episode of Raw, sent Jericho to walk the dog. Displeased about this, Jericho tied Lucy to a limousine and ordered the unknowing driver to buy some air fresheners, which resulted in the driver running Lucy over into a critical condition by accident. Wanting retribution, Triple H stormed into the arena and tried to attack Stephanie, but he was met with two sledgehammer shots to his recovered leg by Jericho. On the following episode of SmackDown!, Stephanie noted that the sledgehammer shots had left Triple H's quad in such a critical condition, that one false move in his WrestleMania match could reinjure his quadriceps once again. At the end of the show, Triple H and Jericho had a brawl in the ring that almost ended with a Pedigree on Stephanie. However, Jericho saved her and locked the Walls of Jericho on Triple H, leaving the show with the advantage.
Another major feud for WrestleMania X8 was the rivalry between The Undertaker and the WWF co-owner, Ric Flair. The feud started over The Undertaker's ambush on The Rock during the buildup to No Way Out, with The Undertaker giving The Rock a chokeslam and a Tombstone Piledriver onto the roof of a limousine. Shortly afterward, Ric Flair openly spoke out against The Undertaker's actions. At the No Way Out event, Flair interfered with The Undertaker's match against The Rock, finally hitting The Undertaker with a lead pipe to aid The Rock in victory.
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!Role:
!Name:
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|rowspan=4|Commentators
|Jim Ross
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|Jerry Lawler
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|Carlos Cabrera
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|Hugo Savinovich
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|rowspan=3|Interviewers
|Jonathan Coachman
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|Michael Cole
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|Lilian Garcia
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|Ring announcer
|Howard Finkel
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|rowspan=12|Referees
|Mike Chioda
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|Jack Doan
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|Brian Hebner
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|Earl Hebner
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|Jacqueline
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|Jim Korderas
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|Teddy Long
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|Nick Patrick
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|Chad Patton
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|Charles Robinson
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|Mike Sparks
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|Tim White
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Before the pay-per-view event aired began, Mr. Perfect, Lance Storm and Test faced Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert in six-man tag team match on Sunday Night Heat. Rikishi won the match for his team after pinning Mr. Perfect following a Banzai Drop.
The actual pay-per-view started with a live performance of "Superstar" by rock band Saliva (Josey Scott, Wayne Swinny, Chris D'Abaldo, Dave Novotny and Paul Crosby). The first match of the night saw William Regal defend his WWF Intercontinental Championship against Rob Van Dam. Twice in the match, Regal tried to use brass knuckles to set up the Power of the Punch on Van Dam. But on both occasions, Van Dam kicked them away. Van Dam won the match after a Five-Star Frog Splash to win his first Intercontinental Championship.
The WWF European Championship match between the champion Diamond Dallas Page and Christian followed. Christian executed a neckbreaker on Page and Page performed a roll-up on Christian, but neither man scored a pinfall. Page won the match after executing a Diamond Cutter on Christian.
The WWF Hardcore Champion Maven defended his title against Goldust next in a Hardcore match. The match ended when both Goldust and Maven knocked each other out with trashcan lids. Spike Dudley then came out and pinned Maven for a three count. Under the title's 24/7 rules, Spike became the new champion. Despite The Rock portraying a face and Hogan a heel, the Canadian crowd overwhelmingly cheered Hulk Hogan over The Rock instead.
In the penultimate match, Jazz defended the WWF Women's Championship in a triple threat match against Trish Stratus and Lita. Near the end of the match, Trish attempted a Stratusfaction, but Lita threw her out of the ring.
According to Chris Jericho, he tried to not be the last match of the card despite being the Undisputed WWF Champion. According to him, the true main event was Rock vs. Hogan and Triple H and he could not follow that match. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan match would go on to be well praised over the years as one of the most iconic wrestling matches ever, as well as being named Pro Wrestling Illustrated's match of the year 2002. Mike Chioda expressed his thoughts on the match, stating, "Did I know it was gonna be so legendary back then? Hell no, I didn’t know. I didn’t know a few years later. We thought something was gonna at some point top that, and I don’t think at some point since 2002, since Rock and Hogan, has really topped that." John Cena, Cody Rhodes, The Miz and Rusev consider it the greatest match ever.
Aftermath
right|thumb|[[Triple H won the Undisputed WWF Championship in the main event]]
After WrestleMania, the WWF board of directors made their final decision over the control of the company. Due to the personal conflicts between Mr. McMahon and Ric Flair resulting in bad business for the company, Linda McMahon proposed a brand extension, essentially splitting the entire WWF roster into two separate entities, named after their two major television shows, Raw and SmackDown!. Vince took control of the SmackDown! brand, while Flair controlled the Raw brand. A draft was held where each owner would get a total of thirty picks between the wrestlers. The draft was held on the March 25 episode of Raw, while the brand extension officially began on April 1.
Triple H's feud with Stephanie McMahon would conclude on the March 25 episode of Raw, when he defeated her and Chris Jericho in a triple threat match for the Undisputed WWF Championship. By pinning her, Stephanie was forced to leave the WWF in accordance with the match stipulations. Triple H's feud with Jericho would continue, with both Jericho and The Undertaker interfering with Triple H's championship match at Backlash against Hollywood Hulk Hogan and costing him the Undisputed WWF Championship. Triple H would finish his feud with Jericho in a Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day, and later challenged The Undertaker for the WWE Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring, but lost after interference from the returning Rock.
After the reaction during his return match, Hollywood Hulk Hogan was quickly turned face. Until the brand extension separated both parties, The Rock and Hogan feuded with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, with Nash and Hall having had expelled Hogan from the nWo. On the final SmackDown! before the brand extension, the team of The Rock, Hogan and Kane defeated Nash, Hall and returning nWo member X-Pac in a six-man tag match. The Rock left shortly after the WWF draft for three months to go on a media tour to promote his movie, The Scorpion King.
Stone Cold Steve Austin no-showed the following two weeks after WrestleMania, claiming to be burned out. When he returned on the April 1 episode of Raw, the show was centered on which brand he would choose. Both McMahon and Flair would attempt to win his signature, with Austin eventually choosing the Raw brand. After being drafted to Raw, Austin would get himself involved in the feud between The Undertaker and Ric Flair, fighting The Undertaker at Backlash for a shot at the WWF Undisputed Championship, which he would lose. It was also the last WrestleMania held under the WWF name, as the company was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May. This was also the last WrestleMania to be held outside the United States until 2027 when WrestleMania 43 will emante from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The WWE would then return to this venue, which was then renamed to the Rogers Centre in 2005, for Elimination Chamber: Toronto.