Mike Chioda On The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 18 

Watch the full interview with Mike Chioda on my main ​⁠​⁠channel here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VQxKm5_SvRk.html

"Ladies and Gentlemen. You can love him or you can hate him. There are a lot of fans here in the Skydome that love this Legendary Figure, Hollywood Hulk Hogan" - Jim Ross

I don't care what Meltzer said. Rock vs Hogan from WrestleMania 18 is a 5-star classic.

"A referee shouldn't be in business for themselves". Aubrey Edwards, are you listening???

Chris is a credit to the wrestling business. Nothing but great interviews.

The Canadian crowd was electric that night at the Sky dome watching it on PPV television it was a masterpiece

I kinda like hearing more these types of interviews from people that were either referees, managers, or someone backstage, more than the wrestlers themselves. These types of interviews give you more insight of the business.

I could honestly listen to him speak all day. Chris has provided a great setting for this and doesn't cut in or interrupt. Gonna listen to the full thing now. Keep up the good work!

One of the most memorable things as a wrestling fan. You could feel it coming in. A bunch of us were kids with hogans run and him being back in wwf was insane.

The POSTER was Rock/Hogan too, like they knew it was the big match, and still didn’t make it go on last.

Mike chioda is such a legend. Dude was a focal point of so many major matches during my teenage years/early 20s.

2:14 in reality Vince was probably in his ear like “ Mike get tf outta the way of the shot!!” 😂lol

I love watching these interviews and hearing about the little things, like stepping off to the side. So much respect for Mike

I was there and Hogan was trying to get heat, however when Hogan did the heel moves, everyone cheered him. It was easy to see the Rock was surprised by that and to me at least he seemed a bit confused. The Toronto fans and a lot of other fans wanted Hogan to win because he lost the last time he was at the Sky Dome. We could smell what the Rock was cooking but no one wanted to eat it! 🤣

March 17, 2002 .. the way Jim Ross narrated that stare down was art

That match proves without a doubt that Hulk is the GOAT, he did everything he could to be the bad guy and the WWE did everything it could to make the Rock the biggest name in wrestling but once Hulk hit that ring... the crowd went crazy and supported him. That match wasn't even the main event but 20+ years later, it's the only match remembered from that Wrestlemania.

I love hearing different stories about this match. Never gets old

Great interview clip about an awesome night. I remember waiting to get into the arena and you could almost feel that people were there for that huge reaction. Fun time for sure. Thanks for bringing up this question, brought back a memory of a great moment.

Chioda is one of the boys.

I'm glad Mike is being interviewed, he is a friggin legend

Hogan vs Rock was the greatest match of all time

Def the best ref in wwe ever. He made a lot of matches flow perfectly. He was great as the ref for edge vs John Cena MITB cash in

If Aubrey Edwards had refereed that match, she would have stuck her head between Hogan and Rock and made a silly face to camera to get attention.

Thanks for the memories Mike

I love these interviews I learn so much

Endeavor needs to rehire Chioda to coach the referees down at The Performance Center

Yeah that match should’ve gone on last. It’s crazy that WWE made the same mistake again years later with Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker WM25

It's true, that match could not have been any more perfect. When Chioda was like...you ready? you ready? RING THE BELL! crowd was nuts.

The amazing thing was that it was so far departed from Hogan's prime. He got quite skinny and had several years of stinker matches in WCW, looking old, bald, and wrinkly. Then he got back on the juice and came back with the best physique of his career, and tore the house down like the good old days. As a fan that knew him in his prime, it was wonderful to see Hulk get back to form and wrestle that main even style and story telling, and get the crowd behind him.

I don't understand why people say they didn't know it was gonna be a big deal. Me and ALL my friends gathered just to watch that match and we were all lapsed fans. Word started to spread that they were gonna wrestle and we started planning.

Chioda called THE best matches what a great official 👍🏻👍🏻 good to hear all these stories from him.

march 17 2002. the boys and I hit the loose moose then headed over to the skydome for wrestlemania. im confident it was the greatest sporting event i will ever attend live.

I'm so happy to hear Chioda talk about my favorite match at my favorite WrestleMania. That staredown was what told me at the age of 7 "I want to attend WrestleMania someday" which thankfully ended up happening for WrestleMania 35. With that said (maybe a hot take), but at the time, HHH and Y2J were the right call to close the show. Up until that point, WrestleMania always closed with the World Championship (with a few exceptions), it felt like tradition at that rate. Plus, nobody expected that great Toronto crowd to react the way they did. The hype was there but you knew even as a viewer it exceeded expectations. In hindsight, Hogan and Rock should closed it but felt like one of "who would've thought it?"

Still got the VHS VCR wrestlemania home videos. WM18 is one of them.

That voice is liquid gold for radio or voice overs

What's cool is even though The Rock was babyface he leaned into the crowd, and he kinda revert back to corporate rock persona during the match, he acted as heel

I saw this Match in a theater while on Vacation in Vancouver, it was insane in that theater

Hopefully Aubrey Edwards watches this & pays attention to what Mike said.

That’s so cool man he’s like a kid excited for the match

Its cody rhodes favorite match It's the miz favorite also jerry Lawler. Anyone else?

I think another reason the crowd was so flat for the main-event was because this was in Canada, where Chris Jericho is from and because everyone knew HHH was gonna win.

If Hogan comes out on yellow and red with his theme, I’m convinced the roof would’ve actually erupted

I was not expecting Mike Chioda to sound like Phil Jackson. 🤣🤣🤣

My favorite ref of all time and best 3 count as well

Mike is basically like a background character in the tv show that is the WWE but damn did he leave his mark, by far of of the most memorable refs in the history of the business.

Mike with that drip of a timepiece on his wrist... Good taste for a referee..

My fav Wrestlemania match of all time.

Rock v Hogan is my go-to match if someone who doesn't get wrestling asks me to explain the appeal to them. If they don't get it after that match, they never will.

Another infamous "i was there" from chris 😂

The thing about this match that people don't appreciate when looking back at it is how much venom was around Hogan at the time. He had largely been viewed as the in-ring poster boy for the demise of WCW on top of being viewed as physically washed up and stylistically passe. A big part of the crowd getting into this match was the incremental realization that he still had it AT ALL, much less being just as over as the Rock on that stage. Say what you will about Hogan, and it's deserved, but he is a MASTER psychologist in the ring and there are few in the history of the sport that could have done what he did on the fly.

Shout out 🇨🇦! True wrestling fans

Chioda is the best ref ever I commented this on yoir IG too chris he is the best I’ve seen and was apart of so many cool matches.

Mike Chioda always reminded me of Bob Morton from RoboCop 😂

Hollywood Hulk Hogan more like Straight to Video Hulk Hogan

The crowd was the best workers in that match.

My favourite Hogan match was WM6 against Warrior, but the Hogan vs Rock match is in my top 5. Funny how I'm an unapologetic Hulkamaniac, yet some of my faves are ones he lost.

Hogan has the best timing of any wrestler ever. Anyone who says hes not a good worker doesnt understand wrestling and should be ignored.

Canada was like we don't care about that build we are cheering Hogan.

I Don't Care What the match or who's in the match the World title should ALWAYS Close the Show , PERIOD !

wtf 17 years ?! i don’t remember him reffing matches in the 80s. all those years of him yelling in the ring took a toll on his voice

Aubrey edwards would’ve had her face right between rock and hogan 😂

Still imo the best Wrestlemania match ever

I was there and I hate how Jericho always says there was no energy in the crowd after The Rock Hogan match which is so untrue. He was just the villain and so most of the energy was one sided for HHH. When HHH hit the 3 count, the crowd went nuts.

Shots fired at Donald Stevens

Lol,im going rewatch that match

Best referee ever.

🪨Rock 💪🏼hogan wasn’t a main event?!?! 😳🥹😭💀

Best ref ever sorry earl but Mike is the best

As bad as booking as that was for it not being last. I still think the worst wrestlemania booking ever was turning Austin heel. That just shouldn’t have happened and someone either Vince or Stone Cold should have called an audible on that

Who would of known Mike Chioda sounded so much like Chester Cheetah???!!!

Wait..did you guys plan on matching outfits? Lol

I agree the rock vs hogan should've been the last match it was epic

It wasn’t last because of hogan going to wcw… why would Vince put him last and give him the biggest pay day after trying to put his company out of business for years… he even spoke bad about wwf when wrestling in Japan in 1993.. it was only after they seen how over he was in this match that they made him the wwf champion then he dropped it to undertaker soon after

The title match should always be last. That's the most important story they should be telling. That year should have been Triple H vs Austin.

Hines sight 20/20 this match should have been the first match at wm x8 or the last, but tradition dictated world title matches are always last which makes sense except for in this case. I think the wwe greatly underestimated how big of a match this was going to be. If they could do it all over again this match would have definitely been the last match.

I read somewhere that Hogan didn't want to lose to the rock last minute, and undertaker heard it so he taped up his hand and ready to throw down if Hogan tried something funny.

How dare Meltzer rate Hogan v. Rock match sub 6 stars

aubrey edwards take some notes

Even jericho said it should go on last. What a terrible booking to hace the womans title and the world title match last

02:40 Qué, Bryce Rimsburgs and Aubrey Edwards...

Jericho was definitely right: THIS match shoulda been last....But I get it: it wasn't a title match & traditionally/usually a title match ends the PPV -- and I'm sure HHH wasn't in as generous & gracious of a mood as Jericho was & therefore willing to give up or change his main event spot. However, everyone in the back shoulda been able to read that crowd & known what to do....

bro turn up his microphone my TV is on 90 volume and youtube is turned all the way up and cant hear him

Earl Hebner went into business for himself a bunch of times.

They ruined with it the other guys coming out at the end.

Aubrey would have stood there during the staredown 🐴🐴

02:00 So, we can admit that the AEW refs aren't professional?

2:33 That's for the 🐴

that crazy aew lady ref should watch this video, but I guess she will learn 0 from it about how a referee is supposed to act 😂

Crowd was exhausted after this match. Crowd was dead Triple H vs Jericho. Even some empty seats. It was like you had a battle war. It was like an orgasm, and you just were so tired. All air was out in the building....We never see anything like this again. And we all know Vince ego couldn't take that Hogan mainevented and was the guy. That they couldn't see this coming show his out of touch. Hogan should have a longer run. The magic of Hulkamania was back. And just listen to the crowd. We will never see a man more emotional invested than Hulk Hogan, it goes beyond wrestling.

I wonder how Aubrey Edwards woulda reffed that match lmao

🎉

Dave Meltzer 4 stars lol

Always hated hogan to much cartoon but I was a piper fan a macho man

Mike chioda? Really?

What's cool is even though The Rock was babyface he leaned into the crowd, and he kinda revert back to corporate rock persona during the match, he acted as heel