Royal Rumble 2002

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Royal Rumble

January 20, 2002

Philips Arena

Atlanta, Georgia

News & Notes: I only have extra storylines to discuss before we begin, but there are a lot of them. The Hardys’ issues continued after Vengeance. Matt broke up with Lita and split up the team before drowning his sorrows in alcohol. However, things took a turn for the worse when the Undertaker threw Jeff and Lita off the stage. Matt tried to get revenge, but Taker injured his throat with a chair. Taker also terrorized his opponents with his new finisher, a dragon sleeper. Taker’s actions drew the Big Show’s ire, but Taker choked him out. Meanwhile, Flair rehired the Hurricane, much to Lance Storm’s chagrin. Storm begged for a job and finally earned it after three tries and the threat of a permanent ban. He succeeded when Test helped him. As far as Test, he harassed women and bullied refs because he could get away with it.

Elsewhere, Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo grew closer as a tandem. Chuck dyed his hair blond like Billy’s and they exchanged Christmas presents. They were matching headbands. Then Billy and Chuck stole Stacy’s hairspray because they said they needed it more. When she complained, they called her a Jealous Judy. After all, they were so good-looking they could outsell Stacy’s calendar with their own. People suspected there might be more going on with this Billy and Chuck pairing, but we shall see. And speaking of Christmas, Flair and McMahon held competing Christmas parties. This included Bubba and Tajiri dressed as Santa and Christmas songs by Austin. Later, Austin crashed Vince’s party while a drunk Mae Young stripped. Plus, Tajiri Claus wrestled Bubba Claus and won with the red mist.

The opening video features scenes from previous Rumbles. They start with Duggan winning the first one. Then we see clips of Hogan and Flair succeeding. HBK’s infamous one foot moment follows this before we get all of Austin’s victories. Next, they show Vince and the Rock claiming the prize. Once they finish with the past, they provide still and moving images of the current competitors. These photos lie in piles of dirt and rubble. The Undertaker claims he will be the only dog standing in his yard. Stone Cold promises to throw 29 sons of bitches out of the ring. Angle predicts a win. And Triple H is back to play the game. There are 30 men and one winner. This is the WWF Royal Rumble!

Now JR welcomes everyone to Atlanta for the 15^th Royal Rumble. He says 16,106 people sold out this beautiful new arena. While JR and Lawler discuss the card, the Dudleys arrive for their contest. They are facing the tag champs, Tazz and Spike Dudley. Spike wears a neck brace because the Dudleys gave him a 3D in a parking lot.

Tag Team Title Match: Tazz & Spike Dudley (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler)

Storyline: Tazz teamed with Albert and Scotty against the Dudleys and Christian. This led to a feud between Tazz and Christian over the European championship, but Christian cheated to win. Meanwhile, Spike’s problems with his half-brothers continued when Spike and Tajiri went after the tag titles, but the Dudleys beat them. Then Spike and Tazz earned a shot in a non-title bout, but they failed to capture the belts. However, Tazz challenged the Dudleys to a hardcore rematch after Bubba and D-Von bullied Spike. This time, Tazz and Spike won the gold! Afterward, Tazz and Spike defended against Christian and Storm while the Dudleys had issues with Sgt. Slaughter. Sarge mocked them for losing, which resulted in the Dudleys vs. Sarge and Saturn on an episode of Heat. Later, the Dudleys ambushed Tazz and Spike in the parking lot and gave Spike a 3D on the concrete!

The Match: The Dudleys throw Tazz and Spike outside and give both of them the back suplex/neckbreaker combo. With Tazz down, they rip off Spike’s brace, and Bubba does neckbreakers, a rolling neck snap, and a brainbuster. Bubba tries a second brainbuster, but Spike drops behind him and nails a Dudley Dog. Unfortunately, D-Von distracts the ref, so he misses Tazz’s tag. This opens the door for a double flapjack on Spike, but Spike avoids D-Von’s flying headbutt. Now Tazz tags and cleans house. Spike and Tazz floor Bubba with a flying crossbody, a Brooklyn Boot, and a Dudley Dog, so Stacy climbs on the apron to distract them. She takes the Tazmission for her troubles until D-Von saves her. D-Von also blocks another Dudley Dog, but Tazz grabs the Tazmission from behind, and D-Von taps.

Thoughts: They kept this short, explosive, and fun. The crowd reacted well to it, and it had a hot finish. Plus, it’s nice to see Tazz finally have success and some gold, but it might be too little and too late. Nevertheless, they still had an enjoyable encounter.

Winners: Tazz & Spike Dudley (5:06)

Next, Lilian interviews Edge. She talks about the escalating violence between Edge and Regal, but Edge interrupts her. He says Regal talks a great game. William has been fighting on the streets since he was a teenager and he has the blood of the English flowing through his veins. They could have a hell of a fight if Regal wanted it that way, but Regal wants to play dirty. This is fine with Edge. He asks Lilian if she wants to see why. Then Edge walks off-screen and fetches a chair. He says it’s the chair he used to break Regal’s nose and the same one he hit Regal with on Smackdown. If Regal wants to play dirty, Edge can play with the best of them. Regal always asks if he wants to play with the devil, so Edge says he will burn the devil tonight, Sunshine!

This leads to the entrances. Nick Patrick searches underneath the ring for the brass knuckles, so Lawler thinks Nick lost his mind. Jerry even calls Nick a pervert when he looks in Regal’s tights, but Patrick finds the knuckles hiding there!

Intercontinental Title Match: William Regal vs. Edge (c)

Storyline: Edge mocked Regal after Vengeance, so Regal blindsided him during an interview. This led to Regal and Angle vs. Edge and Rikishi and Regal received a Stink Face. He attacked Rikishi for doing this, so Edge gave Regal a DDT on a chair. The move broke Regal’s nose and knocked him out of action for a few weeks. He had three surgeries to repair the damage, so Regal vowed to turn Edge into a vegetable. Meanwhile, Regal’s crew continued feuding with Edge during his absence. Angle and Test took the lead. Kurt pinned Edge during a tag bout and put Edge in an anklelock after a DQ loss. Later, Edge had successful title defenses against Kane, Storm, and Boss Man, but Regal jumped him multiple times with the brass knuckles. The attacks made Edge snap and hit everyone with a chair, including Nick Patrick.

The Match: They trade knockdowns while Edge works on Regal’s injured nose. This lasts until Regal suplexes Edge onto his face! Now Regal wears him down with numerous pin attempts and a straitjacket chinlock. A series of reversals ends with a Tiger Bomb by Regal before they fight on the apron. Regal tries to suplex Edge off of it, but Edge counters into a DDT on the hardest part of the ring! Back inside, we see a double down and another scary suplex by Regal. Plus, both men use the Regal Stretch before getting rope breaks. Afterward, Edge scores a flying wheel kick, so Regal retrieves a second pair of knucks hidden in his trunks. Edge looks for a spear, but Regal pulls Patrick into it. While Nick is down, Regal decks Edge with the knuckles and covers for the three.

Thoughts: This was a solid and hard-hitting encounter, but it didn’t have quite the amount of heat you would expect. They didn’t lose the crowd, but they never fully got them on board either. Also, there was an odd moment where Edge no-sold a devastating suplex for no apparent reason. This was still good, but I can’t call it great.

Winner: William Regal (New Champion) (9:45)

Cole stops Regal in the aisle for a word while the officials check on an unconscious Edge. Michael asks Regal to justify the way he won the Intercontinental title. Regal says the heavens blessed him with a gift. He has the power of the punch! After saying this, Regal points toward the ceiling and says thank you. JR calls Regal a cheat and a liar, but Lawler thinks the Lord above gave Regal this power. Ross says the Lord has nothing to do with it. Regal can thank the inventor of the brass knuckles instead. When Jerry hears this, he threatens to punch JR.

Now it’s time for Jazz vs. Trish for the Women’s championship. They made Jacqueline the guest referee for this bout. Jackie wears a revealing referee shirt to the ring. Lawler wonders why all the referees don’t dress this way. JR rightfully calls him out for this odd comment, so Lawler realizes his mistake. Would Jerry want to see Hebner in a crop top? Meanwhile, Trish has purple gear, which excites Lawler. He shouts about purple puppies. While Jerry acts like a perv, Jazz jumps Trish.

Women’s Title Match: Trish Stratus (c) vs. Jazz

Storyline: Vince made Trish team with the Rock against the Dudleys in a tag title match. Test attacked the Rock to help the Dudleys win, and the Dudleys gave Trish a 3D! However, Trish rebounded with successful Women’s championship defenses against Jackie and Molly. After Trish defeated Molly, Jazz attacked both women to send a message. She wanted a shot at Trish’s gold. Jazz said she wasn’t like these other divas. She wouldn’t sleep her way to the top. When Lilian Garcia called her out for this comment, Jazz shoved her to the floor. Later, Terri challenged Trish to a wet t-shirt contest hosted by Jerry Lawler. Jazz interrupted it and jumped Trish. This led to Jazz vs. Jackie in a #1 contender bout, which Jazz won. Trish did commentary, so Jazz scuffled with her. Finally, Jazz ambushed Trish backstage and broke her hand with an equipment case.

The Match: Jazz attacks while Trish removes her jacket. She does a backdrop and a splash. Now Trish performs a sunset flip before they do multiple pin reversals. Once this ends, Jazz lands a hotshot and a leg drop. Then she focuses on Trish’s injured hand. Jazz wraps Trish’s arm around the rope and ignores Jackie’s warnings. This causes an argument, so Trish grabs Jazz, but Jazz turns it into a pin. Unfortunately, Jackie doesn’t realize what is happening and is slow to count. Next, Trish scores a jawbreaker before we get a series of counters. This culminates with the Stratusfaction, but Jazz reverses Trish’s pin for two. When they recover, Jazz hits a DDT and a corner clothesline. She tries a second one, but Trish boots her out of the corner and nails a bulldog for the win.

Thoughts: This was good, but it was too short. You could tell they could have put on a damn fine encounter if they had the time. What we got was crisp, and Jazz had some intense offense. This only had two problems. The brief duration meant they didn’t sell for long. And there was one slightly awkward moment, but that was because Jackie hesitated to count. Other than that, this was nice.

Winner: Trish Stratus (3:43)

Next, they show footage of Flair arriving at the arena earlier. He has Reid and Megan with him. Coach tries to interview Flair, but Ric doesn’t have the time. In introduces his kids and walks away, much to Coach’s dismay. After this, they play a recap of the Flair/McMahon feud. Vince says he enjoys destroying people’s lives, especially an icon like Ric Flair.

Street Fight: Ric Flair vs. Mr. McMahon

Storyline: Vince rehired Booker T to spite Flair, so Ric pretended to bury the hatchet. He offered Vince and Booker a luxury suite, but Austin crashed their party. Austin chased Booker to a supermarket and beat him up and down the aisles. Steve even followed Booker to a church, where Booker cheated at Bingo and took over a confessional booth until Austin ran him off. Next, Flair tricked Booker into signing a contract for a First Blood contest with Austin, but Vince had Boss Man intervene. Ric had enough. He called out Vince for the way he talked to him in the past and challenged him to a match. Later, Vince dressed as Flair to mock him and busted Ric open with a pipe. Ric changed their bout to a Street Fight because of this. Finally, Jericho helped Vince do another pipe attack before they fled the arena.

The Match: Vince tries to out-wrestle and out-strut Flair while flexing. He uses an eye poke to keep Flair subdued, and Ric flops and flips. Then Vince brings Flair outside and bloodies him with a metal sign, a trash can, and the guardrail. While Ric bleeds, Vince swipes Megan’s camera and takes photos of the carnage. Back inside, McMahon targets Ric’s leg and puts him in a Figure Four, but Ric reverses it. Once Vince escapes, he fetches the pipe from the timekeeper’s table, so Ric prevents a pipe shot with a low blow. Now Ric brawls around ringside and opens Vince up with a monitor. He watches the replay before attacking the cut. Megan snaps pictures of this. When they return to the ring, Vince begs off. However, Flair throws a low blow, whacks Vince with the pipe, and makes him submit to the Figure Four.

Thoughts: This was great. They mixed good intensity, amusing moments, and a satisfying finish. Plus, I enjoyed Vince’s antics. He did an amazing job of making up for his lack of wrestling ability with bells and whistles.

Winner: Ric Flair (14:55)

Backstage, Cole tries to interview Nick Patrick about the controversial end to Regal vs. Edge, but Stephanie interrupts them. Nick lets her take over the segment to talk about Triple H. Stephanie says the beating Flair gave her father is nothing compared to what Hunter will do to 29 other men in the Rumble. She says he will destroy Angle, Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Her only regret is Debra isn’t there. Stephanie also wants to destroy her. While Stephanie says this, Austin sneaks up behind her and yells, “What!?” He tells her to flap her gums some more. But when Stephanie tries to talk, Austin yells, “What!?” He repeats the word until Stephanie runs away. Then Austin says he will throw 29 pieces of trash over the top rope. And that’s the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so! Cole asks another question, so Austin yells, “What!?”

Undisputed Title Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. The Rock

Storyline: Jericho and the Rock had side feuds in the weeks after Vengeance. Rock battled with Test while Jericho dealt with RVD. Jericho accused Flair of using RVD against him because Flair was jealous. This led to Jericho vs. RVD with Flair as the ref, but it ended in a DQ. Later, Jericho, Rock, and Angle had a Triple Threat, which Jericho won. Afterward, Vince gave Chris a Christmas vacation, so Jericho recorded videos of himself enjoying the life of a living legend at home. Meanwhile, Rock defeated Booker to become the #1 contender. Then Jericho and Test wrestled Rock and RVD. Jericho used a chair on Rock, but Rocky made Jericho tap to a Sharpshooter. Worse yet, Rock and Austin once again looked past Jericho. A frustrated Jericho interrupted the Rock and told him he wasn’t a joke. The Rock agreed. He said he was taking Jericho very seriously.

The Match: Jericho talks trash and sticks his hand in the Rock’s face before they trade knockdowns and takedowns. Then Jericho leads a chase before scoring a hotshot, a wheel kick, and a suplex. He even does his cocky pin before removing a turnbuckle pad. Following a failed attempt at the Walls, Jericho subdues Rocky with dropkicks and chinlocks. Once Rock breaks free, Rock scores a superplex and a belly-to-belly throw, but Jericho answers with a bulldog. Now Jericho lands two Lionsaults! Nevertheless, the Rock kicks out, so Jericho argues with Earl and throws a fit. He continues with a diving dropkick, but Rocky catches Jericho and puts him in a Sharpshooter. Storm and Christian appear. They distract Hebner, so he misses Jericho tapping out. This pisses off the Rock. He attacks Storm and evades Christian’s belt shot before giving Jericho a Rock Bottom for only two!

While this happens, Nick Patrick sends Storm and Christian to the back. Next, Rock and Jericho fight on the announce tables. Jericho tries the Rock Bottom, but the Rock drives him through the table with the move. Back inside, Jericho kicks out and they look for their finishers, to no avail. After this, Hebner goes down, so Jericho uses the title as a weapon and calls for Nick Patrick. Chris and Nick argue because the cover only gains two. The disagreement allows Rock to recover and nail a DDT, but Patrick refuses to count, so Rock gives him the Rock Bottom! A Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow to Jericho follow. As Rock revives Hebner, Jericho hits a low blow, rams Rock into the exposed buckle, and rolls him up with his feet on the ropes for three!

Thoughts: This was fun and exciting and they definitely got a good reaction. However, the amount of shenanigans Jericho needed to win hurt his credibility too much. They overdid it. I don’t mind some interference and cheating, but this reached almost ridiculous levels. I wanted to love this, but it disappointed me a little.

Winner: Chris Jericho (18:50)

Now they go to Shawn Michaels at WWF New York. JR asks for his thoughts on the show and his predictions for the Rumble. Shawn calls it an honor to be a wrestling fan again while watching Flair and McMahon go at it. As far as his Rumble prediction, Shawn calls this tough. Then Shawn quotes George W. Bush. He says you don’t mess with Texas, so Shawn picks the Undertaker or Steve Austin.

Next, it’s time for the Rumble. The Fink explains the rules, and Lawler mocks him for taking too long. Once Finkel finishes, Rikishi enters first. Someone in the crowd whistles at him. Goldust is second, so JR says he shudders to think what Goldust has been doing since he left the WWF. I can’t tell if this means JR watched Dustin’s WCW run. His comment could go either way.

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

Storyline: Once they scheduled Triple H’s return, Stephanie tried to weasel her way back into the company. She wanted Hunter to put people like Flair in their place when he returned, but security kept throwing Steph out of the building. This didn’t stop her from threatening everybody. She claimed Hunter would attack anyone she pointed her finger at, but Hunter grew tired of his wife’s antics. Triple H officially entered the Rumble, so Austin, Angle, Booker, and the Undertaker did the same. This led to multiple brawls and matches between the four of them. But they weren’t the only ones who joined the Rumble. DDP beat Boss Man to regain his job and a spot in the contest. Plus, they announced the returns of Godfather, Val Venis, Goldust, and Mr. Perfect! Meanwhile, Kane won an Over the Top Challenge against Rikishi, Christian, Storm, Big Show, Bradshaw, and Faarooq.

The Match: 1. Rikishi, 2. Goldust, 3. Big Boss Man, 4. Bradshaw, 5. Lance Storm, 6. Al Snow, 7. Billy Gunn, 8. The Undertaker, 9. Matt Hardy, 10. Jeff Hardy.

While the ring fills up, Rikishi gives Boss Man a Stink Face and eliminates him. Then Snow tussles with Storm and superkicks him out of the competition. As this happens, Gunn hoists Bradshaw from behind. Their efforts are for naught because the Undertaker clears everyone out. Unfortunately for him, the Hardys make back-to-back entrances. They seek revenge and reunite with a hug. Even Lita helps with the onslaught. The Hardys score a Twist of Fate and the Swanton, but Taker fights back and gets rid of both men.

11. Maven, 12. Scotty 2 Hotty, 13. Christian, 14. DDP, 15. Chuck Palumbo, 16. The Godfather, 17. Albert, 18. Saturn, 19. Stone Cold Steve Austin, 20. Val Venis.

Maven from Tough Enough is next, as the Hardys continue attacking Taker. Maven uses the opening to dropkick Taker over the ropes! He celebrates only to realize his mistake too late. Taker destroys Maven with a chair and drags him into the stands. They head to the concourse, where Taker rams Maven into a popcorn machine. As this unfolds, the field grows crowded again. On top of this, the Godfather brings twelve hoes with him! Only Scotty, DDP, and Albert fall before Austin arrives and cleans house. Once Austin is alone, Val Venis joins him.

21. Test, 22. Triple H, 23. The Hurricane, 24. Faarooq, 25. Mr. Perfect, 26. Kurt Angle, 27. The Big Show, 28. Kane, 29. RVD, 30. Booker T.

Austin takes out Val and Test before Triple H appears. After a stare-down, Austin and Hunter battle to a double down. This leads to Hurricane’s entrance. He grabs Austin and Hunter for a double chokeslam, but they send the Hurricane flying after giving each other incredulous looks. Afterward, more superstars arrive. Kane and Big Show scuffle, and Kane lifts and dumps Big Show! However, Angle throws Kane out. Now RVD enters and nails a Five Star on Angle only to eat a Pedigree from Triple H. When Booker shows up, he tosses the dazed RVD and does a Spinaroonie. The problem is, this leaves him open to Austin’s Stunner, which makes Booker tumble to the floor.

Final Four: Triple H, Kurt Angle, Steve Austin, & Mr. Perfect.

Angle hits an Angle Slam on Hunter and does rolling Germans to Austin. Afterward, Angle and Perfect double-team Austin. Austin’s struggle with Perfect allows Angle to send Stone Cold over the ropes! This frustrates Austin, so he takes out his anger on everyone with a chair and leaves. Once they recover, Angle and Perfect’s alliance falls apart after a miscommunication. Perfect performs the Perfect Plex and a rolling neck snap on Angle, but Hunter clotheslines Perfect to the outside. It’s down to Angle and Hunter. Kurt thinks he wins because he knocks Triple H to the apron. When Kurt turns to celebrate, Hunter attacks him. He nails the face crusher and clotheslines Angle out of the ring for the victory.

Thoughts: This was pretty good. I wouldn’t rank it among my favorite Rumbles, but it was solid. This contained enough entertaining moments to be enjoyable. The Undertaker/Maven stuff and the Hurricane’s spot were nice. Plus, I agree with the winner. Triple H got an amazing reaction for his comeback on RAW.

Winner: Triple H (1:09:23)

Angle looks like he’s on the verge of tears as he leaves. He calls this bullshit, as Triple H celebrates. JR says Hunter overcame eight months of recovery to win the Royal Rumble. He says it will be an interesting ride to WrestleMania.

The Good:

• The Rumble

• Flair vs. McMahon

• Most of Jericho vs. the Rock

The Bad:

• The overbooked finish of Jericho vs. Rock

• A lack of time for Trish vs. Jazz

Observations & Extra Notes:

• Nick Patrick’s presentation was all over the place. He acted like a normal referee for most of the show, but then he screwed over the Rock. Was he corrupt or not?

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Vince. He did great in his match with Flair. His antics amused me, and Vince did a nice job covering up his limitations.

Final Thoughts:

The WWF started the year off strong. This was another excellent PPV. Even my few gripes were minor. Plus, every contest on the card provided some entertainment value. The only problems were some booking choices and the length of the women’s match.

Thank you for reading. My next review is No Way Out 2002. Look for it next Sunday!