Today's podcast subject, Hulk Hogan versus the Rock, the forgotten rematch.

Welcome back, everybody. Today, we're talking about one of the strangest forgotten sequels in

WWE history. Because everybody remembers Hulk Hogan versus the Rock at Rustmini 18. The match is

legendary. Toronto absolutely exploded for

Hogan. The atmosphere was electric and became one of the greatest examples of a crowd

psychology capturing the audience at home. But what many fans forget is that less than one year later, the WWE ran the match again.

And somehow, almost nobody talks about it.

This is Hulk Hogan versus the Rock, number two, from No Way Out, 2003.

And honestly, it's one of the weirdest rematches WWE ever produced because everything had flipped.

At WrestleMania 18, Hogan was the villain, Hollywood Hogan from the NWL, while the Rock was the historic and heroic people's champion.

But by early 2003, the roles completely reversed.

Now Hogan was back in the red and yellow as the full-blown Hulkomania baby face.

And the rock?

While he transformed into the arrogant Hollywood Rock heel character.

The setup started in January 2003 when Hogan returned to Smackdown after being destroyed

months earlier by Brock Lesnar. Fans got the classic Hogan presentation again, the red and yellow, the handlebar

mustache, the brother promos, all of it. The crowd absolutely loved him. But Vince McMahon

immediately came out and declared that Hulkomania was dead.

That led to Hogan, punching Vince in the face,

implanting the seeds for their WrestleMania 19 feud.

Now, W.W.E. still had one pay-per-view before WrestleMania.

No way out, 2003.

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