King of the Ring 2002

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

King of the Ring

June 23, 2002

Nationwide Arena

Columbus, Ohio

News & Notes: Steve Austin finally had enough after Judgment Day. His frustrations over WWE’s creative decisions came to a head when they asked him to lose to Lesnar. It was a King of the Ring qualifier with no hype or build, so Austin saw this as poor booking. When they wouldn’t budge, Austin told JR he was going home. The problem was Vince considered this a slap in the face. He publicly called Austin out for his actions on RAW. McMahon said Austin would have to apologize to many people if he wanted to return. Then Vince thought Austin was coming back, but it was the Rock. The Rock also berated Austin for walking out. Rocky said he remained loyal to the company and promised to appear at the King of the Ring.

Now for a rundown of extra storylines. Nash returned to motivate the nWo. He added Shawn Michaels as the newest member, but the nWo had issues. Goldust wanted to join since he couldn’t convince Booker to leave. Unfortunately, the nWo kicked Booker out because they claimed he stole the spotlight, so Booker sought revenge. Meanwhile, Tough Enough wrapped up its second season. It ended with a controversial decision. They chose Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda as the winners, which confused the male participants. However, WWE hired Christopher Nowinski as well. Regal took the Harvard graduate under his wing, and they mocked anyone not worthy of their respect. And speaking of debuts, Dawn Marie arrived in WWE and hit on Vince, much to Stacy’s chagrin. Elsewhere, Billy and Chuck regained the tag titles with Rico’s help, but it took a few tries. Plus, Bradshaw captured the Hardcore belt.

The PPV: The opening video recaps previous King of the Ring winners, but they skip Mabel, Shamrock, and Billy Gunn. Then, the four semifinalists talk about what winning the tournament means to them. It started with sixteen men competing in four rounds. This year, the victor earns a title shot at SummerSlam, so this is the one chance for Test, Brock Lesnar, RVD, and Chris Jericho to use this stepping stone. Test says a victory will give him something he deserves. Jericho calls this an opportunity to regain the Undisputed belt. RVD says it will be one hell of a summer for him. And Heyman believes the next big thing, Brock Lesnar, will become the champ.

Now, fireworks explode around the giant electric chair at the entrance. JR welcomes everyone to the 10^th King of the Ring in Columbus, Ohio. He says there are three titles at stake, including the Undisputed championship. With that said, JR and Lawler discuss the card while Jericho arrives for the first contest.

Semifinals: Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho

Storyline: Jericho suffered confidence problems after losing Hell in a Cell, so Vince motivated him. He inspired Jericho to gain victories over Mark Henry and Faarooq. However, Jericho cheated to win both contests. Next, Jericho entered the tournament, but his first-round opponent, Edge, had to forfeit because of a shoulder injury. This pissed off Jericho, so he attacked Edge and targeted his shoulder. His actions angered Val Venis, Jericho’s second-round foe, and Edge’s brother-in-law. Nevertheless, Jericho defeated him with a low blow and the Walls. Meanwhile, RVD received an Undisputed title shot after Taker jumped him, but Flair screwed Rob out of a victory. Fortunately, RVD rebounded by regaining the IC gold in a Ladder Match with Guerrero. Also, RVD beat Eddie in the first round and bested X-Pac in round two to advance.

The Match: They start with chain wrestling until RVD scores a monkey flip and a twisting leg drop. Then Jericho rallies but misses a triangle shoulder block, so RVD lands a somersault plancha and a flying kick. Afterward, Van Dam goes up again, but Jericho crotches him and nails a butterfly superplex. It isn’t enough, so Jericho resorts to cheap tactics, but Jericho eventually crashes into the corner. This opens the door for RVD’s cartwheel moonsault. He even shakes off Jericho’s suplexes and hits a split-legged moonsault. It makes Jericho desperate, so he uses an exposed turnbuckle and pins Rob with his feet on the ropes, but he only earns two! After some missed moves, Jericho does a Lionsault for another two. Now they fight on the top, and Jericho gets crotched after an awkward delay. When Jericho falls into the ring, RVD finishes him with the Five Star.

Thoughts: This was close to being good, but awkwardness and bad timing brought it down. The finish could have been cleaner. They’ve had better matches against each other, so this was a shame. With that said, I can see why Jericho didn’t enjoy working with RVD. He stiffed him a few times during this bout.

Winner: RVD (14:31)

Lawler enters the ring to interview RVD. He says Rob will face either Test or Brock Lesnar in the next round. When Lawler asks which one RVD would prefer to fight, Van Dam says whatever. Rob doesn’t care if it’s Test, Lesnar, or Godzilla! This amuses Lawler. Then RVD says nothing will keep him from becoming the King of the Ring, but Jericho attacks him from behind. He gives Van Dam a sleeper slam and locks him in the Walls of Jericho until the officials pull Jericho off him. Jericho shouts, “I’m King of the World!”

Backstage, Heyman and Lesnar watch the segment on a monitor, and Heyman finds Jericho’s attack hilarious. He also likes how RVD compared Lesnar to Godzilla. Heyman even makes a high-pitched Godzilla scream. Once he gets that out of his system, he says people still don’t get it. Godzilla was fake, but Lesnar is real. He is real as they come and the next big thing. And tonight, he will become the next King of the Ring. It’s time to prove it.

This leads to the entrances. Lesnar finally has his proper theme!

Semifinals: Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Test

Storyline: Heyman harassed Trish backstage, which caused a small feud between Brock and Bubba Ray Dudley. Bubba told Paul to stay away from Trish, but Heyman helped Brock ambush him. Then Brock defeated Bubba in the tournament’s first round with Heyman’s aid. Brock’s following opponent was Booker T. The nWo wanted to beat up Booker, so Heyman warned them not to get involved in Brock’s match. He even told Hebner not to allow any interference. However, the nWo still distracted Booker to help Brock defeat him. Meanwhile, Test worked as Vince’s enforcer. Vince had Test go after Orton and Triple H. Test enlisted Lance Storm to help target them. Later, Test went through the Hurricane and Hardcore Holly to reach this point. He promised to give Brock the next big boot.

The Match: They tussle around the ring until Test makes Brock regroup with some knockdowns. Then Brock ends Test’s onslaught with a spinebuster, a back suplex, and a backbreaker. Test answers with a Manhattan Drop, but Lesnar surprises him with a powerslam. Now Brock breaks a sleeper hold, but Test catches him with a side slam and a full nelson slam. A pumphandle powerslam attempt follows, but Brock evades it. Nevertheless, Test blocks a German suplex and nails the powerslam on the second try. It only earns two! A big boot also gets two after Test avoids a powerbomb. Since it didn’t work, Test looks for another one, but Lesnar shoves the ref. Heyman uses the opening to attack and distract Test, which allows Lesnar to finish him with the F5.

Thoughts: I always heard this was a great hoss battle, but it disappointed me a little. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what people hyped it up to be. It was fine. I enjoyed the closing few minutes because it contained some nice nearfalls. The rest was messy.

Winner: Brock Lesnar (8:12)

Meanwhile, Coach heads to the RAW locker room to talk about the tournament. He sees Bubba Ray and stops him for a word. Bubba thinks having two RAW guys in the finals is great. He has been in the ring with both men, especially Brock, over the past two months. Then Bubba predicts Brock will win. He wants to see the ref raise RVD’s hand, but he doesn’t think it will happen. Brock is too tough and on a roll. Bubba also wishes he was in the finals, but he says he must find another way to make an impact.

Elsewhere, Marc Lloyd goes to the Smackdown locker room. (JR called him Greg Lloyd before these segments started.) Lance Storm and Christian look pissed off, but Marc asks for their thoughts. Storm says they wanted an all-Canadian final between Test and Jericho. Now it’s all-American. Christian thinks this proves WWE has a prejudice against Canadian athletes. He says America is the most prejudiced country in the world. Christian believes Storm hit the nail on the head when he said the world hates America. Lance doesn’t want to get sucked into the hateful abyss of the most hateful country in the world. They should rise above it and carry the flag of tolerance and peace. With that said, Lance and Christian leave. JR asks, “What the hell was that?”

Afterward, Cole and Tazz discuss and recap the Jamie Noble/Hurricane feud. It leads to the entrances, and Nidia wears Hurricane’s cape.

Cruiserweight Title Match: Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) vs. The Hurricane (c)

Storyline: The Hurricane received cryptic and threatening notes for weeks. They warned him someone was coming for him. The mystery person even distracted Hurricane with a video on the Titantron to cost him a win. Finally, the stalker revealed themselves as Helms’ ex-girlfriend, Nidia. She forgave him for dumping her, but her new boyfriend was there to take his title. That man was Jamie Noble. Noble and Nidia knocked Hurricane out and made out over his unconscious body. Next, Nidia creepily licked Hurricane as a warning. After Hurricane lost his tournament match, Noble and Nidia attacked him and stole his mask and cape. Nidia wore the mask as her underwear. Later, Noble beat Kidman to become the #1 contender. However, Hurricane used the lights-out trick to jump Noble and reclaim his mask, but Nidia kept the cape.

The Match: They do chain wrestling until Hurricane scores a Shining Wizard and attempts a chokeslam. Noble avoids it, but he eats a superkick before Hurricane puts him in a figure four headscissors. Once Noble escapes, Nidia leads a chase, which allows Noble to seize control. He uses two ab stretches and turns a victory roll into an electric chair drop. Afterward, they trade sleeper holds, but Hurricane breaks free. He gives Noble a neckbreaker, a Blockbuster, and the Eye of the Storm after two tries.

Sensing trouble, Nidia distracts Hurricane again with the cape, but Hurricane does a flying crossbody to Noble on the floor. This time, Nidia kisses Hurricane to set him up for Noble’s dropkick. It results in fighting on the top rope, and Hurricane lands a super swinging neckbreaker! Unfortunately, Nidia occupies the ref, so Hurricane sends Noble crashing into her. A chokeslam follows. After it only earns two, Hurricane climbs the turnbuckles and gets crotched. He falls into the ring, where Noble hits a powerbomb. When Noble covers, Hurricane gets a foot on the ropes, but Nidia pushes it off as the ref counts three.

Thoughts: This was a slow burn, but they built to something good. The closing minutes took this from unremarkable to enjoyable. Plus, that super swinging neckbreaker was unique and impressive. In the end, I liked this.

Winner: Jamie Noble (New Champion) (11:58)

Now JR says the Rock arrived at the arena during Heat. He has something on his mind, but what is he thinking?

Next, Terri interviews Eddie Guerrero. He wants to flirt, but she recaps what Benoit and Eddie did to Flair on RAW. She asks Eddie if he’s worried he unleashed the dirtiest player in the game. Before Eddie can answer, he has to shout out to his entire family, including a foster kid named Little Timmy. They picked him up over the weekend. Once he finishes, Eddie calls Terri crazy for worrying. Eddie is in the best shape of his life, and Flair only dreams of doing half the moves he can do. Ric says he has one last great run left, but Eddie thinks the only running he will do is to the retirement home. And his last remaining memory will be of the man who put him there. That man is Latino Heat!

Before the match, they dubbed Flair’s theme on the network with his 1991–1993 music. Why did they do that? Isn’t his usual song in the public domain?

Ric Flair vs. Eddie Guerrero

Storyline: Flair claimed Austin pinned the illegal man at Judgment Day, so he benched Austin and sent him home. Austin went to a pub instead. Guerrero was there. He hit on Debra before breaking a bottle over Austin’s head. Next, Benoit returned to RAW in his hometown. Flair removed him because he didn’t have a doctor’s clearance, and he’s a Smackdown star, but Benoit came back to help Eddie attack Austin. Benoit did it because Austin injured Benoit’s neck. Meanwhile, Flair lost a match against Austin with a stipulation that he had to become Austin’s assistant. Worse yet, Vince beat Flair in a No Holds Barred contest to retake 100% control of the company! But that wasn’t all. When Austin walked away, Guerrero and Benoit blamed Flair for ruining their chance at revenge. They attacked Flair and put him in a Figure Four.

The Match: They trade chops and knockdowns while strutting, but Eddie keeps regrouping when Flair gains momentum. Then Eddie attacks the leg after Flair lands a stalling suplex. Eddie fends off pin attempts and uses the ring post to wear down Flair’s knee. A Figure Four follows, but Flair reaches the ropes. Since that didn’t work, Eddie focuses on the neck and grabs a chinlock. He also throws cheap shots, but Eddie misses a Frog Splash. Now Flair targets the leg and does the Figure Four while Benoit appears.

When Eddie escapes, we get takedowns and an exchange of awkward pins. This ends when Eddie scores a tornado DDT, but Flair puts his foot on the ropes. Afterward, Eddie distracts the ref while Benoit pulls Flair outside for a Crossface. The ref misses it, but he tells Benoit to leave. While this happens, Bubba Ray jumps out of the crowd and gives Eddie a Bubba Bomb. Benoit spots him and chases Bubba into the stands as Flair crawls over and covers Eddie for three.

Thoughts: This was fine, but it wasn’t as good as I expected. Given who was in it, this should have been much better. It never found that second gear. The action was solid, but it led to a disappointing finish.

Winner: Ric Flair (17:00)

Now they show another Get the F Out commercial. This time, a drunk WWF logo hits on women at a bar. One of them smashes a bottle over his head, which knocks the F off of him.

Meanwhile, Regal and Nowinski are having dinner at the World, but they complain about how long it’s taking to get their food. When the waitress arrives, she apologizes. She says they’re busy because of the PPV. Regal hopes this isn’t her chosen profession. She says no. The waitress is going to a local community college. When Nowinski hears this, he mocks her. Christopher says it’s not Harvard. It’s close, but only in the distance. While Regal and Nowinski laugh at his joke, the waitress sticks her finger in Nowinski’s food before giving it to him. This greatly amuses Lawler.

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

Storyline: Trish defended her gold against Jacqueline and had a Bra and Panties contest with Stacy. Then Trish teamed with Spike against Molly and Regal. Molly claimed Spike was a pervert when she dated him, so Molly and Regal attacked Spike and Trish with brass knuckles. Molly tried another knuckles attack after Trish beat Terri in a Lingerie Match. However, Trish blocked the power of the punch with the title belt and knocked Molly out before taking off her trunks and throwing them at Molly. Later, Molly mocked Trish’s calendar, so Trish made fun of Molly for having a fat ass. Trish challenged her. If Molly won, she got a championship shot. But if Trish succeeded, Molly had to wrestle in a thong. Molly succeeded and choked Trish out with the thong. Finally, Molly and Crash fought Trish and D’Lo, and Molly rammed Trish into the announcer’s table.

The Match: Trish throws her jacket at Molly and attacks, but Molly scores a slam and takedowns before applying an armbar. Trish tries to escape, so Molly twists the arm and reapplies the armbar. Once Trish breaks free, she does a step-up victory roll, a neckbreaker, and a rolling prawn hold. This lasts until Molly gives Trish a drop toe hold into the ropes! Now, they brawl outside around the ring apron and the barricade. Back inside, they scuffle on the top rope before Trish does her handstand headscissors and more knockdowns. Molly ends this rally with a jawbreaker and counters the Stratusfaction with a German suplex. Unfortunately for Molly, she misses the Molly-Go-Round. With Molly dazed, Trish goes for a roll-up, but Molly reverses it with a handful of tights for the three.

Thoughts: The action was good. Molly showed nice intensity and some fine moves. Plus, most of the spots were crisp. There were some minor hiccups, but it ruined nothing. The only problem was the dead crowd. Most of the fans didn’t buy into this stupid storyline. Who backstage thought Molly was fat? That person was an idiot. My guess is Kevin Dunn. He was notorious for having a terrible attitude toward the women. JR and Lawler spent most of their commentary talking about Molly’s supposedly fat ass. It detracted from this.

Winner: Molly Holly (New Champion) (5:05)

Backstage, Marc interviews Kurt Angle in his hilarious wig. He calls Angle vs. Hogan the Battle of the Real Americans, so Angle asks what Hogan did to become an American hero. Kurt trained for years and won an Olympic gold medal. Hogan was only an American hero because Vince told him he was one. If Vince wanted Hogan to be a zookeeper, he would have been that! Yet people cheer Hogan and boo Angle. Then Angle recaps his history at the King of the Ring. He won the tournament and took out Shane McMahon in a Street Fight. Tonight, he will make Hogan tap faster than Mr. Bojangles on speed. He can do this because he’s legit and the real deal. Kurt says he doesn’t have to cup his hand to his ear like an idiot to know he’s the real American hero. And that’s red, white, and blue, true!

Meanwhile, Tazz agrees with Angle. He tells Cole that Kurt is a bona fide American hero, and he’ll take Hogan down.

Kurt Angle vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

Storyline: Hogan tried to retire after Judgment Day, but Vince wouldn’t let him. He said Hogan was under contract, and Vince would milk every penny out of him he could. Hulkamania would die on Vince’s terms! Because of this, Hogan wanted to fight Vince, but McMahon had Angle attack Hogan with a pipe. Hogan retaliated against Angle multiple times and cost him matches. Meanwhile, Angle wore a wig after Edge shaved his head. He held it down with wrestling headgear, but Kurt swore it was his natural hair. He regrew it overnight! This made everyone determined to remove the wig. Hogan and Triple H successfully did it, but this only angered Angle. In his rage, Angle accidentally hit Taker with a chair and had to wrestle him. Afterward, Hogan jumped Angle and put him in the anklelock, and Angle tapped out!

The Match: They trade knockdowns and holds until Hogan makes Kurt regroup. Then Hogan flusters Kurt and sends him flying over the ropes. Brawling around the barricade follows before Hogan rams Angle into the turnbuckles. With Kurt dazed, Hogan threatens to remove the wig. A desperate Angle uses a low blow, an eye rake, choking, and a sleeper, but Hogan recovers and escapes. However, Kurt scores the Angle Slam, but it only gets two!

While Angle throws a fit, Hogan hulks up. He hits the big boot, but Hogan removes the wig instead of doing the leg drop. This causes Kurt to retreat and almost leave, so Hogan puts the wig on his head to mock him. Kurt returns with a chair, which rebounds into his face on a missed shot. The blunder opens the door for a big boot, but Kurt catches the leg drop and turns it into an anklelock! He holds onto it through all of Hogan’s attempts to break free. Hogan even reaches the ropes, but Kurt keeps pulling him away. Hulk tells the ref he grabbed the ropes, but the referee doesn’t break the hold, so Hogan taps.

Thoughts: This was great. The match was fun. Angle’s performance was amazing. And that finish was nice. Plus, the crowd loved this. Also, Angle looked vicious despite all the comedy in this contest. This and the Edge feud were what Angle needed after spinning his wheels for the previous months.

Winner: Kurt Angle (12:05)

After the bell, Kurt grabs his wig and puts it on again before the referee raises his arm. Lawler says he regained his dignity.

Meanwhile, Goldust attempts to cheer up Booker T by imitating the Rock. While this happens, the Rock appears behind Goldust and doesn’t seem amused. The Rock shows Goldust how it’s done and lists all his nicknames. He tells Goldust he could never walk, talk, and sound like the Rock. Plus, he wants Goldust to stop touching himself. It’s weird. Then Booker tries out some new nicknames. He calls himself the check-cashing, sucker-trashing, never-loony, Spinaroonie, five-time WCW champion! Next, Goldust attempts the nicknames, but he gives up. With that out of the way, Booker says he and Rocky don’t like each other, but he appreciates what the Rock said on RAW. Rock thanks him and says he’s there to watch the Undisputed title match. The championship is bigger than all their finishers, including whatever Goldust’s finisher is. Finally, Goldust tries to do Rock and Booker’s catchphrases, but they stop him.

Finals: Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Rob Van Dam

The Match: RVD sticks, moves, and attacks Lesnar’s leg, but Brock turns a monkey flip into a powerbomb. Then Lesnar targets Van Dam’s back. He hits a powerslam and two backbreakers before putting Rob in a bear hug. After holding him momentarily, Lesnar backs RVD into the corner for shoulders to the gut. Now Brock crashes into the post when RVD evades his charge. Once RVD escapes Brock’s grip again, he scores a flying kick, Rolling Thunder, a twisting leg drop, and the Five Star! Before RVD can cover, Heyman hotshots RVD behind the ref’s back. However, RVD falls onto Brock for two! This almost gives Heyman a heart attack. Finally, RVD knocks Heyman off the apron and performs a springboard crossbody, but Brock catches him! He nails the F5 for the win.

Thoughts: This was what it needed to be. RVD looked good, but that impressive finish made Brock look like a monster. I also liked the spot with Heyman. Paul’s reaction to RVD falling on Brock for the pin was great.

Winner: Brock Lesnar (King of the Ring) (5:36)

Backstage, Triple H walks down a hallway and runs into the nWo. After a tense moment, he greets his friends with a smile. Shawn wants Hunter to bring the strap home. Then Hunter says hi to X-Pac and stares at the Big Show. As Triple leaves, Nash tells him to throw up the Wolfpac sign if he needs help. Elsewhere, Tazz and Michael Cole wonder what that was about.

After a recap of the main event feud, Heyman joins the commentary table. He wants to see who Brock will face at SummerSlam. During the bout, Heyman claims Lesnar punked out the Rock in his locker room, but JR and King don’t believe him. Heyman swears the Rock got in his limo and left the arena.

Undisputed Title Match: The Undertaker (c) vs. Triple H

Storyline: Hunter saved Orton from Taker and declared he wanted a title shot. He entered a #1 contender battle royal, but Hunter and Hogan went over the top rope simultaneously. Therefore, they faced each other for the shot, and Triple H won. Afterward, Taker had fake security guards jump Triple H at the contract signing. This made Hunter rampage with his sledgehammer, so Vince punished him with a handicap fight against Taker and Angle. It ended in a DQ when Hunter used the hammer. All the while, Taker had other feuds on RAW. First, Taker dared Dreamer to drink his tobacco spit for a championship opportunity. Dreamer did it, but he lost the bout. Then Jeff Hardy kept attacking Taker because Jeff wanted to feel extreme again. Taker destroyed Jeff with Raven’s help and told Jeff not to make a name for himself at his expense.

The Match: They trade takedowns and knockdowns until Taker gains the advantage through brawling on the floor. He cuts off Hunter’s comebacks and nails a hotshot, a side slam, a big boot, and a jumping clothesline. Then Taker exposes a turnbuckle, but it backfires on him. This opens the door for a neckbreaker and a spinebuster by Hunter. He even nails the high knee despite taking snake eyes on the buckle. Unfortunately, Taker counters a Pedigree with a catapult that squashes Hebner. He even hits Earl with a missed corner clothesline. Now, the Rock arrives and chases Heyman into the stands. Once Paul is gone, Rock joins the commentary table and calls Heyman a liar.

Meanwhile, Triple H uses a face crusher to prevent Taker’s chair shot. This leads to scuffling outside, and Taker decks the Rock. When Rock retaliates, he accidentally hits Hunter with a chair! It busts him open. This allows Taker to take out the Rock and give Hunter a Last Ride, but it only earns a two when Nick Patrick takes over as the ref. Consequently, Taker knocks out Nick Patrick, but the Rock floors Taker with a Rock Bottom! As the Rock leaves the ring, Hunter dramatically crawls over to cover. A dazed Hebner only counts two. Next, Taker and Hunter slowly pull themselves to their feet, and Hunter lands the Pedigree. The problem is, Hebner is still woozy. While Hunter tries to revive him, Taker throws a low blow and rolls up Hunter with a handful of tights for the win.

Thoughts: This was an odd one. Parts were good, but they went way overboard with the drama and overbooking. Also, only the Rock’s involvement woke up the crowd. They were mild for the rest of it. Plus, this was longer than needed and had a weak finish.

Winner: The Undertaker (23:00)

The Rock watches from the aisle and looks pissed about Taker’s victory. When Taker sees him, he dares the Rock to come fight him, so Rocky obliges. Rock nails a spinebuster and the People’s Elbow. However, Triple H attacks the Rock and gives him the Pedigree. While Triple H yells at the Rock, Taker grabs Hunter and chokeslams him.

The Good:

• Angle vs. Hogan

• Hurricane vs. Noble

• RVD vs. Lesnar

The Bad:

• Taker vs. Triple H

• The Molly Holly storyline

Observations & Extra Notes:

• Was Taker vs. Triple H vs. The Rock the original plan for Vengeance? It seemed that way after the close of the PPV. Why did they change it to Angle?

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Kurt Angle. He entertained me again with his antics. Plus, he had a great match with Hogan.

Final Thoughts:

Falling short of expectations could be the tagline for this PPV. When you look at the card on paper, it looks amazing. However, many of the bouts fell flat. Angle vs. Hogan stole the show. The rest ranged from good to disappointing. It wasn’t a terrible event, but it didn’t set the world on fire.

Thank you for reading. My next review is Vengeance 2002. Look for it next Sunday!