WrestleMania X8, also known as WrestleMania 18, was a 2002 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 18th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 17, 2002, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the second WrestleMania at that venue after WrestleMania VI in 1990.
The event marked the last WrestleMania under the WWF name before the company was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May, and the last one held before the introduction of the brand extension just a week after the event. This is the last WrestleMania to be held outside the United States until 2027 when it is to be hosted in Saudi Arabia. The SkyDome, renamed to Rogers Centre in 2005, would not host another WWE event until 2025 when Elimination Chamber took place.
Twelve matches were contested at the event including one match that was broadcast on the Sunday Night Heat pre-show on MTV. 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
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, referred to as the "Big Four",Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160) and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs with the addition of King of the Ring in 1993. 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.
Storylines The event included eleven matches that each resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by writers of the World Wrestling Federation, while storylines were produced on WWF's weekly television shows, Raw and SmackDown! along with its supplementary programs, Sunday Night Heat and Jakked/Metal.
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. On the following episode of Raw, The Rock interrupted Hogan's address to the crowd and challenged Hogan to a match at WrestleMania. When Hogan accepted and shook hands with his future opponent, The Rock kept the hold on and hit the Rock Bottom on Hogan. Before The Rock could leave the arena, however, Hall and Nash ambushed The Rock. Hogan, Nash, and Hall then attacked The Rock with a belt, a hammer, and all three of their finishers, concluding the assault by spray painting the nWo initials on The Rock's back. With medics attending to The Rock and loading him into an ambulance van, the nWo furthered the attack by forcing the medics to retreat, chaining up all possible exits of the van, and driving a semi-truck into the van with The Rock trapped inside. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's involvement also commenced at No Way Out, when after having their gift of beer refused, the nWo interfered with Austin's WWF Undisputed Championship match against Chris Jericho, helping Jericho to retain the title before spray painting the nWo initials on Austin's back. Austin finally got his revenge on the February 21 episode of SmackDown! when, after the nWo had given a half hearted apology for their attack on The Rock, Austin chased the nWo out of the ring with a tire iron. Austin managed to catch Hall and attack him with the tire iron, but Hogan and Nash saved Hall from being run over by Austin's pickup truck. After the nWo found their limousine spray-painted "What?" by Austin, the latter kidnapped Hall and closed the show by embarrassing him in the middle of the ring with "3:16" spray-painted on his back. On the following episode of Raw, Hall challenged Austin to a match at WrestleMania, which Austin accepted afterward. The feud between Austin and the nWo continued back and forth for the next couple of weeks with Austin attacked by Hall twice with a cinder block and a wrench, while Austin fired a netgun at Nash before beating down Hall. On the March 7 episode of SmackDown!, The Rock made his return and immediately challenged Hogan for a fight. Nash and Hall held Hogan back, leaving Hall to challenge for a match instead. The Rock's match with Hall ended in a three-on-one attack by the nWo. The nWo's attack was stopped by Austin, however, who saved The Rock with the aid of a steel chair. On the March 11 episode of Raw, Rock and Austin took on the nWo in a handicap match, resulting in Hogan pinning The Rock after a leg drop.
The secondary feud leading into WrestleMania X8 involved Triple H against the Undisputed WWF Champion Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon. At the Royal Rumble, Jericho defeated The Rock to retain the Undisputed WWF Championship. On the same night, Triple H earned his opportunity to compete for the Undisputed WWF Championship at WrestleMania by winning the Royal Rumble match, last eliminating Kurt Angle. 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. Enraged over this result, The Undertaker challenged Flair to a match at WrestleMania. Flair initially refused, stating that he was now an owner and no longer an active wrestler. However, The Undertaker tried to convince Flair by attacking select members of Flair's friends and family. Following a match on the February 25 episode of Raw, Flair's close friend Arn Anderson was ambushed by The Undertaker while performing his road agent duties. The Undertaker continued to goad Flair the following week by attacking Flair's son David, threatening that the rest of Flair's children would soon follow. Upon this attack, Flair finally accepted the match on the March 7 episode of SmackDown!. Later that night, the two ended up brawling into the audience, resulting in Flair punching out a fan by accident. As a result, Flair was arrested much to The Undertaker's delight. On the March 11 episode of Raw, Flair's rival co-owner Mr. McMahon asked for an emergency board meeting with the WWF board of directors, citing that Flair's attack of a fan was unacceptable and that either he or Flair should have absolute authority and power over the company. With Flair still keen on taking on Undertaker at WrestleMania, CEO Linda McMahon had no choice but to give Vince total control over the company. Despite this, Linda also stated that the ownership situation would also be reviewed after WrestleMania with a final decision. To add further insult, Mr. McMahon booked David Flair in a match against The Undertaker on the March 14 episode of SmackDown!. The Undertaker almost gave David a Last Ride, but was stopped by Ric Flair, who saved his son with some steel chair shots.
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