Greatest Match Round 1: Taker/Mankind HIAC vs. Rock/Hogan WM18

[Everlong]

SquaredCircle's Greatest Match of All Time!

(3) Mankind vs. Undertaker, Hell in a Cell, King of the Ring 1998



VS

(6) The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania 18


[long promo at the beginning you can skip]

VOTE NOW for which you liked better. Voting will last six days. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by which match had more people commenting in its favor.

[Everlong]

I'm actually shocked that Hogan/Rock made this tournament.

Don't get me wrong, it was a cool moment, the atmosphere in that stadium was incredible. But it was fan service, and not a particularly good match. It was PERFECT to have at WrestleMania and definitely a moment in wrestling I'll always remember, but what we remember is the pose-downs and the handshake, not really the match itself.

Mankind/Taker pretty much wins by default here for me.

[Str8Shooter]

I'm actually shocked that Hogan/Rock made this tournament.

Don't get me wrong, it was a cool moment, the atmosphere in that stadium was incredible. But it was fan service, and not a particularly good match. It was PERFECT to have at WrestleMania and definitely a moment in wrestling I'll always remember, but what we remember is the pose-downs and the handshake, not really the match itself.

Mankind/Taker pretty much wins by default here for me.

I don't even know what I'm going to vote for yet in this match up, but I might take issue with this if I could. To me this is actually a really good match up because both matches to me are very similar, in that they are remembered more for "moments" in them, than actually being a good match. A spectacle more than a wrestling match.

I watched Taker/Mankind before the tourney began because it was one of my bubble matches. It was entertaining to watch but to me it "suffered" from the same things you mentioned about the Rock/Hogan match. Well Rock vs Hogan may have been remembered more for the pose down and the crowd reaction, Taker vs Mankind is remembered for two huge Foley bumps. I watched it and the match outside of those moments was mainly Mankind being checked on by officials and once the match "started", Foley was a mess who could barely move.

[The Legend]

In a lot of ways I agree with Brett about the HIAC match. It's not very good. It's a lot of waiting around and watching Foley lay on a stretcher. I respect the hell out of what Foley was willing to put his body through simply to entertain people like us and watching the match the first time was amazing because we didn't know what would happen next. However, it suffers re-watch problems though because knowing what Foley's about to do and the fact that he's going to be OK (relatively) takes away from the match.

That being said, Hogan/Rock is pretty much everything wrong with wrestling today wrapped up in one match that started the ball rolling in this direction. I really wish these two weren't matched against each other in the first round, because I'd like to see both matches eliminated, but since they are paired, HIAC wins out of default for me by being more memorable and more impactful at the time and the more exciting match, but that's it.

[Everlong]

Yeah, I definitely don't anticipate the HIAC here to get past the second round, as there is a significantly better HIAC match also in the field here. But at least it's remembered for some of the action of the match rather than the hooplah of the moment (which again, was incredible at the time, don't get me wrong).

The real HIAC match to watch out for in this tourney is the first one ever at Badd Blood

[The Legend]

^^^ I won't be voting for that HIAC match to survive round 1, because that HHH/Cactus Jack street fight is one of my favorite matches in the whole tournament. One of the matches I could see winning the whole thing.

[Str8Shooter]

That being said, Hogan/Rock is pretty much everything wrong with wrestling today wrapped up in one match that started the ball rolling in this direction.

I really hope you're going to explain why you feel this way at some point

The real HIAC match to watch out for in this tourney is the first one ever at Badd Blood

I'm still pissed that the 6 Man HIAC from Armageddon 2000 didn't make it in. That match was a blast.

[Hanley!]

I actually think this is a great first round pairing, because though they're both very different, they're both matches that are here not for the quality of the wrestling but for the spectacle. I imagine I'm going to go with Hell in a Cell here, but I'll watch both matches first to make sure.

[KaiserGlider]

Rock/Hogan for me. The atmosphere is absolutely insane and I just can't agree that it's not a good match. It's a pretty entertaining ride throughout. I think the only reason it has a reputation of being a "bad" match wrestling-wise is because it happened in 2002 and the standards back then were different. Hogan hulking-up after the Rock Bottom and the crowd going nuts was such an awesome moment. I certainly don't fault anyone for voting Manking/Taker, but my personal preference here is Hogan/Rock.

[Tom]

Rock/Hogan for me. The atmosphere is absolutely insane and I just can't agree that it's not a good match. It's a pretty entertaining ride throughout. I think the only reason it has a reputation of being a "bad" match wrestling-wise is because it happened in 2002 and the standards back then were different. Hogan hulking-up after the Rock Bottom and the crowd going nuts was such an awesome moment. I certainly don't fault anyone for voting Manking/Taker, but my personal preference here is Hogan/Rock.

Taker/Mankind wins this one for me.

I actually have nothing against Hogan vs Rock making this tournament. I didn't pick the match myself but it certainly doesn't surprise me that it got in it. The content may not be the greatest but this was nostalgia at it's best. It's an example of how when done right having some cool, nostalgic moments work. Hogan doing what he does in WWE for on the grandest stage of them all for the first time in nearly a decade made for an awesome moment. And the idea of the fans cheering for Hogan over Rock made for a great atmosphere. It was a highly entertaining bout with some great moments.

It doesn't beat Taker vs Foley though. I understand anyone who could point out flaws with this match upon a rewatch. However nothing will ever be able to change watching this match live. It was surreal, and I hadn't witnessed anything like it quite before. The bumps were incredible and although the match failed to top them after it (how could you?), the fact that Mankind was standing and was somehow still in the match created a great aura for the matches final moments.

Taker/Foley, in my opinion, also set the standard of brutal expectations for Hell in a Cell. It created the aura for the cell being WWE's most dangerous match that would make the stipulation itself more meaningful when it would happen for years to come.

Hogan/Rock had some great nostalgic moments, a great atmosphere and was an entertaining bout deserving of Wrestlemania. But Foley/Taker is on another level in terms of shock value, and was one of those moments that really made you question why people would say wrestling is fake. I'll never forget watching that match for the first time!

[PorkChop]

Mankind vs Taker is the better match. Not particularly close.

[The Legend]

That being said, Hogan/Rock is pretty much everything wrong with wrestling today wrapped up in one match that started the ball rolling in this direction.

I really hope you're going to explain why you feel this way at some point

Sure I'll explain it. Rock/Hogan was the first match to me that was just WWE throwing two guys into a match with each other and expecting it to sell like crazy because they were big names. They didn't build much story into the feud. It was all about the spectacle and not about putting the work in to craft a good story.

In addition it was a match that only has the crowd energy going for it. The action in the ring wasn't very good. Hogan was beginning the run of not being able to go anymore. It was a whole lot of overdramatic ring-selling that comes off far more goofy than it does tell a good story. It had too many finishing moves being hit just to have a guy kick out and have 100 false finishes which has become their go to move for big matches these days.

[SortaCreative]

Taker/Foley ruined Hell in a Cell as a gimmick.

[Str8Shooter]

Taker/Foley ruined Hell in a Cell as a gimmick.

Remember years after when they extended the roof of the Cell like 10 feet higher for a bit?

They just wanted everybody to know for sure "No one is falling off this roof again!".

[VaderBomb]

Neither are particularly great matches. As far as athletic action goes, Mankind/Taker was a lot more memorable, and despite hardly being a wrestling match, it wins this round for me.

I highly doubt that I'll vote for this one in any future rounds.

[Viazon]

This round provided another unexpected choice for me. I remember the HIAC match being a classic and I really did think I would choose it ahead of Hogan/Rock. But to be fair, I rewatched both matches before making a decision.

The HIAC match no doubt one of the most famous matches in history. What it is famous for is obviously the huge bumps Foley took. And I respect the hell out of him for doing it. He did it for no other reason than to entertain. But other than those big moments, there were a lot of slow moments in the match. As many others have said, a lot of it was waiting around and people trying to put Foley on the stretcher. Once the match really got going with both men inside the cell, it really wasn't any different or better from any other cell match. It really wasn't as wild or brutal as anything else we saw during the Attitude era. It's the most infamous HIAC match sure, but it is far from the best.

Watching The Rock v Hogan match, I never realized how decent of a match it actually was. It wasn't a five star match by any means and will most likely not progress much further in the tournament, but I feel like it was slightly better match. It gets my vote.

[Str8Shooter]

That being said, Hogan/Rock is pretty much everything wrong with wrestling today wrapped up in one match that started the ball rolling in this direction.

I really hope you're going to explain why you feel this way at some point

In addition it was a match that only has the crowd energy going for it. The action in the ring wasn't very good. Hogan was beginning the run of not being able to go anymore. It was a whole lot of overdramatic ring-selling that comes off far more goofy than it does tell a good story. It had too many finishing moves being hit just to have a guy kick out and have 100 false finishes which has become their go to move for big matches these days.

Just watched the match. I'm sorry but I don't see how it was the precursor to today's "spotfest" matches with a bunch of false finishes. By my count there were only a handful of pinfall attempts at all in the match. Hogan kicked out of 1 Rock Bottom to Hulk Up, and Rock kicked out of 1 Legdrop.

Anyway, I'm picking Rock vs Hogan, but only by a razor thin margin because truthfully I love going back and watching both of these matches. They are two great matches to rewatch. They are both very similar in that both aren't catch as catch can classics in the ring, and both are memorable matches known more for stuff that happened outside of the ring.

Rock vs Hogan had maybe the hottest crowd of any match in history, I mean off the charts good. And the fact they were fully behind Hogan seemed to shock everyone and probably added to the match because it wasn't expected. Hogan may have been more over here than 12 years prior in the same building for his match against Warrior. The crowd lived and died by every move Hogan did and it really made this match the classic it is. The reaction during Hogan's "Hulk Up" spot was insane, every adult male within view turned into a kid instantly.

Mankind vs Taker was great in a different way, but I guess the difference is that that match had a lot more down time. In between the big spots with the Cell there was a lot of just waiting around and replays. And the action was understandably pretty slow once the match actually got started in the ring.

Also, the "Brett is Fat" sign at Mania X8 didn't impress me

[Hanley!]

Just a little extra something for consideration, before I go back and rewatch these matches myself: I thought the Hell in a Cell match had some of the finest commentary I've ever heard from Jim Ross. It really helped to make the moment what it was. I can't remember what the commentary is like on Hogan/Rock, but that was always a big part of why I loved Undertaker/Mankind.

The line "For the love of God, would somebody stop the damn match!" is to me, probably the most memorable line of wrestling commentary ever.

[Str8Shooter]

Just a little extra something for consideration, before I go back and rewatch these matches myself: I thought the Hell in a Cell match had some of the finest commentary I've ever heard from Jim Ross. It really helped to make the moment what it was. I can't remember what the commentary is like on Hogan/Rock, but that was always a big part of why I loved Undertaker/Mankind.

The line "For the love of God, would somebody stop the damn match!" is to me, probably the most memorable line of wrestling commentary ever.

I'll give you that, that might be JR's finest performance and King was pretty good too. So many great commentary moments. I also remember after Foley's second bump through the top of the cell, King just goes "That's it he's dead". And who can forget "With God as my witness, he is broken in half!".

[War Daddy]

Just a little extra something for consideration, before I go back and rewatch these matches myself: I thought the Hell in a Cell match had some of the finest commentary I've ever heard from Jim Ross. It really helped to make the moment what it was. I can't remember what the commentary is like on Hogan/Rock, but that was always a big part of why I loved Undertaker/Mankind.

The line "For the love of God, would somebody stop the damn match!" is to me, probably the most memorable line of wrestling commentary ever.

I'll give you that, that might be JR's finest performance and King was pretty good too. So many great commentary moments. I also remember after Foley's second bump through the top of the cell, King just goes "That's it he's dead". And who can forget "With God as my witness, he is broken in half!".