King of the Ring (2002)
Encyclopedia
King of the Ring was the tenth annual King of the Ring
professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). It took place on June 23, 2002 at the Nationwide Arena
in Columbus, Ohio
. It was the final King of the Ring pay-per-view event and the only King of the Ring pay-per-view to feature Raw
and SmackDown brands
.
The main match
from SmackDown was a standard wrestling match for the WWE Undisputed Championship
which Undisputed Champion The Undertaker defeated Triple H
to retain the title. The main match from Raw
was a standard wrestling match which Brock Lesnar
defeated Rob Van Dam
in the finals to win 2002 King of the Ring tournament. The predominant match on the undercard was Kurt Angle
versus Hulk Hogan
, and the other matches on the undercard were Ric Flair
versus Eddie Guerrero
, a WWE Women's Championship
match between champion Trish Stratus
and challenger Molly Holly
and a WWE Cruiserweight Championship
match between champion The Hurricane
and challenger Jamie Noble
.
that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines
that were played out on Raw
and SmackDown—World Wrestling Entertainment
's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain
or a hero
as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers were from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brands—a storyline division
in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.
The pay-per-view event featured the annual King of the Ring single elimination bracket tournament
. The winner would earn a WWE Undisputed Championship
match at SummerSlam
on August 25. Qualifying matches for the tournament started on June 3, 2002 edition of Raw, with X-Pac
and Booker T
defeating Goldust and the WWE European Champion
William Regal respectively. On June 6 edition of SmackDown, two qualifying matches were held. The first match saw Val Venis
defeat Christian. The other scheduled match was between Chris Jericho
and Edge. Edge forfeited the match due to his shoulder injury that he suffered the previous week in a Steel Cage match. Jericho attacked Edge and worsened his injury. On June 10 edition of Raw, the qualification continued as the WWE Intercontinental Champion
Rob Van Dam
defeated Eddie Guerrero
and Brock Lesnar
defeated Bubba Ray Dudley. On June 13 edition of SmackDown, the final qualification matches occurred with Test and Hardcore Holly
defeating the WWE Cruiserweight Champion
The Hurricane
and Tajiri
respectively. On June 17 edition of Raw, the quarterfinal matches occurred with Rob Van Dam defeating X-Pac and Brock Lesnar defeating Booker T. On June 20 edition of SmackDown, Test defeated Hardcore Holly and Chris Jericho defeated Val Venis in the quarterfinal matches.
The main rivalry
heading into the event was between The Undertaker and Triple H
for the WWE Undisputed Championship
. At WrestleMania X-Seven
the previous year, Undertaker and Triple H first fought each other with The Undertaker extending his WrestleMania record 9-0 by defeating Triple H. On the May 30, 2002 edition of SmackDown, the storyline restarted when Undertaker defeated Randy Orton
to retain the Undisputed Championship. Afterwards, Triple H assaulted Taker, claiming that if Taker gives him a title shot, he won't retain the Undisputed title. Later that night, Undertaker distracted Triple H and cost him a match against Test. After the match, Undertaker nailed Triple H with multiple chair shots esp.targeting his arm with it. On June 6 edition of SmackDown, Triple H and Hulk Hogan
co-won a battle royal
, an over-the-top-rope elimination match. The match was to determine the #1 contender for the Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring. The SmackDown Owner Vince McMahon
booked Triple H and Hogan for a standard wrestling match, which was also a rematch from Backlash
between the two. In that match, Triple H defeated Hogan to become the #1 contender for the Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring.
.
The predominant feud from the SmackDown brand was between Kurt Angle
and Hulk Hogan
. At Judgment Day
, Angle got his head shaved bald following his loss to Edge in a Hair vs. Hair match then during the latter event, Hogan dropped the WWE Undisputed title to The Undertaker due to interference from SmackDown Owner Vince McMahon. On the May 23 edition of SmackDown, Angle started wearing a hairpiece with a piece of amateur wrestling headgear after being shaven bald. On the May 30 edition of SmackDown, Angle interrupted a staredown between Hogan and Vince McMahon when he nailed Hogan with a steel pipe to the back of the head. Later that night, Hogan cost Angle a Steel Cage match against Edge. On the June 13 edition of SmackDown, Hogan challenged Angle to a match at King of the Ring, which saw Angle accepted. Later that night, Angle and The Undertaker attacked Hogan before a tag team
match pitting Hogan and Triple H against Angle and Taker. After Angle and Taker defeated Triple H by disqualification, Hogan went after Angle and eventually stripped Angle's wig from his head.
The predominant feud from the Raw brand was between Ric Flair
and Eddie Guerrero
. For the previous two months, Ric Flair had feuded with Steve Austin
eversince the start of the brand extension
where Austin was a free agent
and signed with the Raw brand on the April 1 edition of Raw, following advice from Vince McMahon and Ric Flair. On the May 27 edition of Raw, Chris Benoit
returned to the WWE in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta
from a neck injury that he suffered the previous year at the King of the Ring
event. Later that night, after Eddie Guerrero lost the WWE Intercontinental Championship
to Rob Van Dam
in a Ladder match
, Guerrero knocked Van Dam over the top rope with the ladder. Moments later, Austin charged to the ring and attacked Guerrero along with Flair and Arn Anderson
until Chris Benoit got to the ring and assaulted Austin, enabling Guerrero to perform a frog splash on him. On the June 3 edition of Raw, Steve Austin defeated Flair in a match where Flair became Austin's servant. If Flair would've won, Austin would forever be on the bench. However, the feud ended abruptly with Austin's unexpected departure from the company on June 3 for his refusal to lose a hotshotted match to Brock Lesnar
. That same night, Flair lost his half of the WWE ownership to Vince McMahon and returned to active wrestling. On the June 17 edition of Raw, Flair gave a speech over losing the position of Raw Owner to Vince McMahon. The speech was interrupted by Guerrero and Benoit. Flair challenged Guerrero to a match at King of the Ring, which Guerrero accepted. Afterword, both Guerrero and Benoit assaulted Flair, ending with Guerrero straping Flair in Flair's own Figure four leglock submission hold.
A secondary feud from the SmackDown brand was between The Hurricane
and Jamie Noble
for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
. On the June 6 episode of SmackDown, Noble and his valet Nidia
made their WWE debut by attacking Hurricane in his locker room. The following week on SmackDown, after Hurricane lost to Test in a King of the Ring Qualifying match, Noble and Nidia made their way to the ring and took turns finishing the Hurricane off with a series of slaps before taking his mask. On the June 20 edition of SmackDown, Noble defeated Billy Kidman to become the #1 contender for Hurricane's Cruiserweight Championship at King of the Ring. After the match, the Hurricane got his mask back after nailing Noble with the chokeslam.
A secondary feud from the Raw brand was between Trish Stratus
and Molly Holly
for the WWE Women's Championship
. On the April 1 edition of Raw, after Stratus defeated Terri Runnels
in a Paddle on a Pole match, Holly returned in a drastic attitude change and new look by nailing Stratus in the head with a paddle, breaking it into two. On the May 27, 2002 edition of Raw, Stratus and Spike Dudley
defeated Holly and William Regal in a mixed tag team match. After the match, Holly attacked Stratus with Regal's brass knuckles
. Holly would sneak attack Stratus on many occasions, leading to a title match between the two for Stratus' Women's Championship at King of the Ring.
(Matt
and Jeff
) wrestled Raven and Steven Richards
in a match that aired live on Sunday Night Heat
. Hardy Boyz won when Jeff pinned Richards after Raven turned on his partner.
against Chris Jericho
. The match went back and forth and both men earned momentum against each other. In the final moments of the match, Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho
on Van Dam but caught hold of the ropes and knocked out Jericho with his kicks. Van Dam proceeded by hitting a Five Star Frog Splash and pinned Jericho to advance to the finals. The second match of the semi-final was between Brock Lesnar
and Test. Lesnar dominated most of the match until Test got control and attempted a Pumphandle Slam on Lesnar but Lesnar ducked the move. Test attempted a Big Boot, but Lesnar caught him and hit him his finisher, a F-5 for the victory.
In the third match of the event, The Hurricane
defended the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
against Jamie Noble
. Hurricane dominated earlier part of the match until Noble got control. Hurricane regained momentum and finished Noble and went for the pinfall but Noble's valet Nidia
distracted the referee
. Noble took advantage and hit Hurricane with a Powerbomb
and attempted a pinfall. Hurricane put his feet on the ropes but Nidia knocked his feet and Noble won the match and became the new Cruiserweight Champion.
The fourth match of the event pitted Eddie Guerrero
against Ric Flair
. Flair dominated earlier part of the match until Guerrero attacked Flair's knee and injured it. Guerrero took control of the match and worked on Flair's leg. During one point in the match, Guerrero applied Flair's own submission maneuver, a Figure Four Leglock on Flair. Guerrero continued to damage Flair's knee until Flair applied a Figure Four Leglock on Guerrero. Chris Benoit
interfered in the match on Guerrero's behalf and distracted the referee. Guerrero began distracting the referee and Benoit applied a Crippler Crossface on Flair outside the ring. The referee noticed Benoit and ejected him from ringside. Bubba Ray Dudley interfered in the match and hit Guerrero with a Bubba Bomb. Flair pinned Guerrero to win the match.
In the fifth match of the event, Trish Stratus
defended the WWE Women's Championship
against Molly Holly
. Holly dominated most of the match. Stratus got control and began using some of her signature moves on Holly. Holly regained the momentum and hit Stratus with a Belly To Belly Suplex. Holly went on to pin Stratus with leverage from a handful of Stratus' tights and became the new Women's Champion.
against Hulk Hogan
. Angle dominated most of the match by using his amateur wrestling
style. Hogan used his power moves on Angle but Angle recovered by a series of suplex
es. Angle hit an Angle Slam on Hogan but only got a near-fall. Hogan began dominating Angle and took off his wig to reveal Angle's bald head. Angle applied an Ankle Lock on Hogan and forced Hogan to tap out. As a result, Angle won the match by submission.
The sixth match was the final round match of the 2002 King of the Ring tournament between Brock Lesnar and Rob Van Dam. Lesnar dominated Van Dam for most of the match and destroyed him with his power moves. Van Dam got control of Lesnar and used a series of kicks and a Rolling Thunder on Lesnar. Van Dam flew off the ropes but Lesnar caught him on his shoulders and hit him an F-5 to win the 2002 King of the Ring tournament and earned an Undisputed Championship match at SummerSlam
.
The main event match was for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The Undertaker defended the title against Triple H
. The match went back and forth until Triple H dominated Undertaker. Undertaker earned the momentum over Triple H until Triple H tried to hit a Pedigree. However, Undertaker countered the move and pushed Triple H into the referee. The referee was knocked out. Undertaker and Triple H knocked out each other. The Rock entered the arena and replaced Paul Heyman for commentary. Undertaker eventually attacked Rock causing Rock to interfere in the match and attack Undertaker. Rock tried to hit Undertaker with a chair but Undertaker ducked and Triple H was hit with the chair. Undertaker took advantage and hit Triple H with a Last Ride. Undertaker tried to pin Triple H but Triple H kicked out at 2. Rock interfered and hit Undertaker with a Rock Bottom. Triple H hit Undertaker a Pedigree and tried to pin Undertaker but the referee was still groggy. Undertaker took advantage and hit Triple H with a Low Blow
and followed by pinning Triple H with a roll-up retaining the Undisputed Championship.
. On the July 4 edition of SmackDown!, Undertaker retained the title against Kurt Angle in a controversial fashion as Undertaker pinned Angle and Angle made Undertaker tap out at the same time. As a result, Angle was added to the title match, making it a Triple Threat match. At Vengeance, Rock defeated Undertaker and Angle in a Triple Threat match for his seventh Undisputed WWE Championship.
Due to defeating the WWE Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament, Brock Lesnar feuded with Van Dam over the WWE Intercontinental Championship. At Vengeance, Van Dam defeated Lesnar by disqualification to retain the Intercontinental Championship. After the event, Lesnar joined the SmackDown brand and began feuding with the Undisputed Champion The Rock as he had won the King of the Ring tournament and earned the right to challenge for the Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam
. At SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated Rock for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
1. Edge forfeited his match to Chris Jericho due to a shoulder injury.
King of the Ring
King of the Ring is a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by WWE. The tournament was held annually from 1985 to 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992, and from 1993 to 2002 the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event....
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE). It took place on June 23, 2002 at the Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, of the NHL....
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. It was the final King of the Ring pay-per-view event and the only King of the Ring pay-per-view to feature Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and SmackDown brands
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
.
The main match
Main Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
from SmackDown was a standard wrestling match for the WWE Undisputed Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
which Undisputed Champion The Undertaker defeated Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
to retain the title. The main match from Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
was a standard wrestling match which Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
defeated Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
in the finals to win 2002 King of the Ring tournament. The predominant match on the undercard was Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
versus Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, and the other matches on the undercard were Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
versus Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
, a WWE Women's Championship
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
match between champion Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
and challenger Molly Holly
Nora Greenwald
Nora Kristina Greenwald , better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she...
and a WWE Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
match between champion The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
and challenger Jamie Noble
Jamie Noble
James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition...
.
Background
King of the Ring featured professional wrestling matchesProfessional wrestling match types
Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of performing art that is professional wrestling....
that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
that were played out on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and SmackDown—World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or a hero
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers were from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brands—a storyline division
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.
The pay-per-view event featured the annual King of the Ring single elimination bracket tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
. The winner would earn a WWE Undisputed Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
match at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2002)
SummerSlam was the fifteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 25, 2002 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York....
on August 25. Qualifying matches for the tournament started on June 3, 2002 edition of Raw, with X-Pac
Sean Waltman
Sean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
and Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
defeating Goldust and the WWE European Champion
WWE European Championship
The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. A coveted singles title of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was held by superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and was...
William Regal respectively. On June 6 edition of SmackDown, two qualifying matches were held. The first match saw Val Venis
Sean Morley
Sean Allen Morley is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Val Venis, during his time with World Wrestling Federation, later known as World Wrestling Entertainment...
defeat Christian. The other scheduled match was between Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
and Edge. Edge forfeited the match due to his shoulder injury that he suffered the previous week in a Steel Cage match. Jericho attacked Edge and worsened his injury. On June 10 edition of Raw, the qualification continued as the WWE Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
defeated Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
and Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
defeated Bubba Ray Dudley. On June 13 edition of SmackDown, the final qualification matches occurred with Test and Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
defeating the WWE Cruiserweight Champion
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
and Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
respectively. On June 17 edition of Raw, the quarterfinal matches occurred with Rob Van Dam defeating X-Pac and Brock Lesnar defeating Booker T. On June 20 edition of SmackDown, Test defeated Hardcore Holly and Chris Jericho defeated Val Venis in the quarterfinal matches.
The main rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
heading into the event was between The Undertaker and Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
for the WWE Undisputed Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. At WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 1, 2001 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas...
the previous year, Undertaker and Triple H first fought each other with The Undertaker extending his WrestleMania record 9-0 by defeating Triple H. On the May 30, 2002 edition of SmackDown, the storyline restarted when Undertaker defeated Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
to retain the Undisputed Championship. Afterwards, Triple H assaulted Taker, claiming that if Taker gives him a title shot, he won't retain the Undisputed title. Later that night, Undertaker distracted Triple H and cost him a match against Test. After the match, Undertaker nailed Triple H with multiple chair shots esp.targeting his arm with it. On June 6 edition of SmackDown, Triple H and Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
co-won a battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
, an over-the-top-rope elimination match. The match was to determine the #1 contender for the Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring. The SmackDown Owner Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
booked Triple H and Hogan for a standard wrestling match, which was also a rematch from Backlash
Backlash (2002)
Backlash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation promotion, which took place on April 21, 2002 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The event starred talent from the Raw and SmackDown! brands. It was the fourth event under the Backlash...
between the two. In that match, Triple H defeated Hogan to become the #1 contender for the Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring.
.
The predominant feud from the SmackDown brand was between Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. At Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2002)
Judgment Day was the fourth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on May 19, 2002, at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee. It featured talent from the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
, Angle got his head shaved bald following his loss to Edge in a Hair vs. Hair match then during the latter event, Hogan dropped the WWE Undisputed title to The Undertaker due to interference from SmackDown Owner Vince McMahon. On the May 23 edition of SmackDown, Angle started wearing a hairpiece with a piece of amateur wrestling headgear after being shaven bald. On the May 30 edition of SmackDown, Angle interrupted a staredown between Hogan and Vince McMahon when he nailed Hogan with a steel pipe to the back of the head. Later that night, Hogan cost Angle a Steel Cage match against Edge. On the June 13 edition of SmackDown, Hogan challenged Angle to a match at King of the Ring, which saw Angle accepted. Later that night, Angle and The Undertaker attacked Hogan before a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match pitting Hogan and Triple H against Angle and Taker. After Angle and Taker defeated Triple H by disqualification, Hogan went after Angle and eventually stripped Angle's wig from his head.
The predominant feud from the Raw brand was between Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
. For the previous two months, Ric Flair had feuded with Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
eversince the start of the brand extension
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
where Austin was a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
and signed with the Raw brand on the April 1 edition of Raw, following advice from Vince McMahon and Ric Flair. On the May 27 edition of Raw, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
returned to the WWE in his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
from a neck injury that he suffered the previous year at the King of the Ring
King of the Ring (2001)
King of the Ring was the ninth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Federation . It took place on June 24, 2001 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey....
event. Later that night, after Eddie Guerrero lost the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
to Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
in a Ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
, Guerrero knocked Van Dam over the top rope with the ladder. Moments later, Austin charged to the ring and attacked Guerrero along with Flair and Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
until Chris Benoit got to the ring and assaulted Austin, enabling Guerrero to perform a frog splash on him. On the June 3 edition of Raw, Steve Austin defeated Flair in a match where Flair became Austin's servant. If Flair would've won, Austin would forever be on the bench. However, the feud ended abruptly with Austin's unexpected departure from the company on June 3 for his refusal to lose a hotshotted match to Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
. That same night, Flair lost his half of the WWE ownership to Vince McMahon and returned to active wrestling. On the June 17 edition of Raw, Flair gave a speech over losing the position of Raw Owner to Vince McMahon. The speech was interrupted by Guerrero and Benoit. Flair challenged Guerrero to a match at King of the Ring, which Guerrero accepted. Afterword, both Guerrero and Benoit assaulted Flair, ending with Guerrero straping Flair in Flair's own Figure four leglock submission hold.
A secondary feud from the SmackDown brand was between The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
and Jamie Noble
Jamie Noble
James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition...
for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
. On the June 6 episode of SmackDown, Noble and his valet Nidia
Nidia Guenard
Nidia Guenard better known simply Nidia is a former professional wrestler who worked for World Wrestling Entertainment...
made their WWE debut by attacking Hurricane in his locker room. The following week on SmackDown, after Hurricane lost to Test in a King of the Ring Qualifying match, Noble and Nidia made their way to the ring and took turns finishing the Hurricane off with a series of slaps before taking his mask. On the June 20 edition of SmackDown, Noble defeated Billy Kidman to become the #1 contender for Hurricane's Cruiserweight Championship at King of the Ring. After the match, the Hurricane got his mask back after nailing Noble with the chokeslam.
A secondary feud from the Raw brand was between Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
and Molly Holly
Nora Greenwald
Nora Kristina Greenwald , better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she...
for the WWE Women's Championship
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
. On the April 1 edition of Raw, after Stratus defeated Terri Runnels
Terri Runnels
Terri Lynne Boatright Runnels is a former World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation professional wrestling manager, television host and occasional wrestler....
in a Paddle on a Pole match, Holly returned in a drastic attitude change and new look by nailing Stratus in the head with a paddle, breaking it into two. On the May 27, 2002 edition of Raw, Stratus and Spike Dudley
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
defeated Holly and William Regal in a mixed tag team match. After the match, Holly attacked Stratus with Regal's brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
. Holly would sneak attack Stratus on many occasions, leading to a title match between the two for Stratus' Women's Championship at King of the Ring.
Event
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, the Hardy BoyzHardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
(Matt
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Jeff
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
) wrestled Raven and Steven Richards
Stevie Richards
Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
in a match that aired live on Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. Hardy Boyz won when Jeff pinned Richards after Raven turned on his partner.
Preliminary matches
As the event concluded, the semi-final round of the King of the Ring tournament started that pitted Rob Van DamRob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
against Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
. The match went back and forth and both men earned momentum against each other. In the final moments of the match, Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho
Boston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
on Van Dam but caught hold of the ropes and knocked out Jericho with his kicks. Van Dam proceeded by hitting a Five Star Frog Splash and pinned Jericho to advance to the finals. The second match of the semi-final was between Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
and Test. Lesnar dominated most of the match until Test got control and attempted a Pumphandle Slam on Lesnar but Lesnar ducked the move. Test attempted a Big Boot, but Lesnar caught him and hit him his finisher, a F-5 for the victory.
In the third match of the event, The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
defended the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
against Jamie Noble
Jamie Noble
James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition...
. Hurricane dominated earlier part of the match until Noble got control. Hurricane regained momentum and finished Noble and went for the pinfall but Noble's valet Nidia
Nidia Guenard
Nidia Guenard better known simply Nidia is a former professional wrestler who worked for World Wrestling Entertainment...
distracted the referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
. Noble took advantage and hit Hurricane with a Powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
and attempted a pinfall. Hurricane put his feet on the ropes but Nidia knocked his feet and Noble won the match and became the new Cruiserweight Champion.
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
against Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
. Flair dominated earlier part of the match until Guerrero attacked Flair's knee and injured it. Guerrero took control of the match and worked on Flair's leg. During one point in the match, Guerrero applied Flair's own submission maneuver, a Figure Four Leglock on Flair. Guerrero continued to damage Flair's knee until Flair applied a Figure Four Leglock on Guerrero. Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
interfered in the match on Guerrero's behalf and distracted the referee. Guerrero began distracting the referee and Benoit applied a Crippler Crossface on Flair outside the ring. The referee noticed Benoit and ejected him from ringside. Bubba Ray Dudley interfered in the match and hit Guerrero with a Bubba Bomb. Flair pinned Guerrero to win the match.
In the fifth match of the event, Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
defended the WWE Women's Championship
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
against Molly Holly
Nora Greenwald
Nora Kristina Greenwald , better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she...
. Holly dominated most of the match. Stratus got control and began using some of her signature moves on Holly. Holly regained the momentum and hit Stratus with a Belly To Belly Suplex. Holly went on to pin Stratus with leverage from a handful of Stratus' tights and became the new Women's Champion.
Main event matches
The sixth match of the event pitted Kurt AngleKurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
against Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. Angle dominated most of the match by using his amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
style. Hogan used his power moves on Angle but Angle recovered by a series of suplex
Suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
es. Angle hit an Angle Slam on Hogan but only got a near-fall. Hogan began dominating Angle and took off his wig to reveal Angle's bald head. Angle applied an Ankle Lock on Hogan and forced Hogan to tap out. As a result, Angle won the match by submission.
SummerSlam (2002)
SummerSlam was the fifteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 25, 2002 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York....
.
The main event match was for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The Undertaker defended the title against Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
. The match went back and forth until Triple H dominated Undertaker. Undertaker earned the momentum over Triple H until Triple H tried to hit a Pedigree. However, Undertaker countered the move and pushed Triple H into the referee. The referee was knocked out. Undertaker and Triple H knocked out each other. The Rock entered the arena and replaced Paul Heyman for commentary. Undertaker eventually attacked Rock causing Rock to interfere in the match and attack Undertaker. Rock tried to hit Undertaker with a chair but Undertaker ducked and Triple H was hit with the chair. Undertaker took advantage and hit Triple H with a Last Ride. Undertaker tried to pin Triple H but Triple H kicked out at 2. Rock interfered and hit Undertaker with a Rock Bottom. Triple H hit Undertaker a Pedigree and tried to pin Undertaker but the referee was still groggy. Undertaker took advantage and hit Triple H with a Low Blow
Groin attack
A groin attack is an attempt to cause pain to the groin area of one's opponent. The technique can be quickly debilitating, due to the large number of sensitive nerve endings in the penis and testicles of males, as well as the highly innervated vulva of females. A sufficiently powerful blow may...
and followed by pinning Triple H with a roll-up retaining the Undisputed Championship.
Aftermath
The Rock's involvement in the Undisputed WWE Championship match at King of the Ring made him the #1 contender for the Undisputed Championship at VengeanceVengeance (2002)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on July 21, 2002 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. It was the second annual Vengeance produced by WWE. Professional wrestling is a type of sports entertainment in which...
. On the July 4 edition of SmackDown!, Undertaker retained the title against Kurt Angle in a controversial fashion as Undertaker pinned Angle and Angle made Undertaker tap out at the same time. As a result, Angle was added to the title match, making it a Triple Threat match. At Vengeance, Rock defeated Undertaker and Angle in a Triple Threat match for his seventh Undisputed WWE Championship.
Due to defeating the WWE Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament, Brock Lesnar feuded with Van Dam over the WWE Intercontinental Championship. At Vengeance, Van Dam defeated Lesnar by disqualification to retain the Intercontinental Championship. After the event, Lesnar joined the SmackDown brand and began feuding with the Undisputed Champion The Rock as he had won the King of the Ring tournament and earned the right to challenge for the Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2002)
SummerSlam was the fifteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 25, 2002 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York....
. At SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated Rock for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Night Heat WWE HEAT WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment... |
The Hardy Boyz Hardy Boyz The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy... (Matt Matt Hardy Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... and Jeff Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion... ) defeated Raven and Steven Richards Stevie Richards Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr... |
Tag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... |
06:02 |
| 1 | Rob Van Dam Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... defeated Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... |
King of the Ring King of the Ring King of the Ring is a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by WWE. The tournament was held annually from 1985 to 2002, with the exception of 1990 and 1992, and from 1993 to 2002 the tournament was produced as a pay-per-view event.... Semi-Final match |
14:32 |
| 2 | Brock Lesnar Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog... (with Paul Heyman Paul Heyman Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film.... ) defeated Test |
King of the Ring Semi-Final match | 08:18 |
| 3 | Jamie Noble Jamie Noble James Howard Gibson better known by his WWE ring name Jamie Noble, is an American former professional wrestler currently working for WWE as a trainer. He is best known for his work from 2002 to 2009 when a severe back injury forced him to retire from competition... (with Nidia Nidia Guenard Nidia Guenard better known simply Nidia is a former professional wrestler who worked for World Wrestling Entertainment... ) defeated The Hurricane Gregory Helms Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms... (c) |
Singles match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship WWE Cruiserweight Championship The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs... |
11:38 |
| 4 | Ric Flair Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world.... defeated Eddie Guerrero Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions... |
Singles match | 17:00 |
| 5 | Molly Holly Nora Greenwald Nora Kristina Greenwald , better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she... defeated Trish Stratus Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model.... (c) |
Singles match for the WWE Women's Championship WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification... |
05:41 |
| 6 | Kurt Angle Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion... defeated Hulk Hogan Hulk Hogan Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... |
Singles match | 12:08 |
| 7 | Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Rob Van Dam | King of the Ring Final match, also to determine the #1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... match at SummerSlam SummerSlam (2002) SummerSlam was the fifteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 25, 2002 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.... |
05:43 |
| 8 | The Undertaker (c) defeated Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... |
Singles match for the Undisputed WWE Championship | 26:42 |
Tournament brackets
The tournament took place between June 3 and June 23, 2002. The tournament brackets were:1. Edge forfeited his match to Chris Jericho due to a shoulder injury.