WWE King of the Ring 2002 Review

Rob Van Dam Vs Chris Jericho

We kick off the event with the Match of the Night, which makes for a hot opener but leaves the rest of the night feeling a bit cold. As the only fan-favourite to make it to the Semi-Finals, it's obvious Van Dam is going to win this one. Fresh off a great feud with another WCW veteran in Eddie Guerrero, Van Dam works well with Jericho and manages to keep up the fast pace and athleticism throughout. RVD and Jericho are crossing paths on the WWE ladder at this point, with Van Dam in the middle of a huge push while Jericho is descending fast from his main-event spot, so the winner makes sense. Jericho does a great job of teasing an upset near the end with some convincing near-falls and counters, but after a contrived sequence on the top rope, Jericho ends up in position for the Five Star Frog-Splash and the RVD win.

Rating: 4 Stars


Brock Lesnar Vs Test

An odd choice for the Semi-Final given neither man is a fan-favourite here, not to mention this is Lesnar's first WWE match with another “Big Man” opponent. What we end up with is a predictable contest about as good as any Test match has ever been, with some good power moves and a couple of near-falls. Brock Lesnar continues to look like a beast and he deserves to win the competition, I just wish there was someone left in it who would be a genuine threat to him. It's often reported that Steve Austin was scheduled to face Lesnar in a KOTR qualifier, a match which Austin refused because he felt he should put over Lesnar on PPV after some build-up and not just randomly on Raw. Perhaps if he'd been given RVD's place in the tourney he wouldn't have left until the following year and the final would have some drama and intrigue. For now, Lesnar dominates as expected.

Rating: 2 Stars


Cruiserweight Championship
Jamie Noble Vs The Hurricane

For all the good build going into this match (and the Cruiserweight division in general at this time), I just find it a real effort to care. Jamie Noble and his Trailer Trash gimmick has never really done it for me, and I like Shane Helms but he's only ever 'quite good'. The match is enjoyable and has a nice finishing section including a sick top rope neck-breaker, but in the end Noble gets the win and I still don't care. I suppose unlike the great cruiserweights of WCW's heyday (Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Billy Kidman, Dean Malenko, Psycosis etc.) I just can't see potential in either of these guys to be anything more than under-card filler. The match is technically sound, but lacks the charisma or star power to elevate it higher.

Rating: 2.5 Stars


Ric Flair Vs Eddie Guerrero

The only time these two legends would face each other within the WWE, I would have expected a lot more than what was delivered. Originally Guerrero was set to feud with Steve Austin, but again his departure messes things up and this was thrown together instead. The inconsistent psychology and multiple stories being told as a result is too much, meaning the pace never really picks up before it stops again. Then, just after things start to get interesting, the finish was just more of the overbooking nonsense we should expect from this time period. Bubba-Ray Dudley (of all people) hits Eddie with his Bubba-Bomb, which apparently is enough to put him down for three despite Eddie being the aggressor throughout the entire match. Heels getting screwed is rarely a satisfying ending to a match (See: Triple H/Hogan from Backlash '02 for another example of this odd trend), especially when the point of this whole thing was to prove that Flair's “still got it”...

Rating: 3 Stars


Kurt Angle Vs Hulk Hogan

I might over-rate this one slightly, but only because from a booking perspective it is perfect. Hogan settles into his new role as an upper-mid-card nostalgia attraction rather than the main-event, and puts over his deserving, younger opponent clean. Angle was fresh off his fantastic series with Edge, and very motivated this year. While Hogan is hardly the perfect opponent for Angle physically, the star-power and hot crowd give this a big fight feel and both men play their roles well. The finish where Hogan's leg drop is countered into the Ankle Lock must have sounded better on paper than it comes out on canvas, but it's still something big to see the Hulkster tap out.

Rating: 4 Stars


King of the Ring
Brock Lesnar Vs Rob Van Dam

A surprisingly brief encounter where Brock swiftly destroys Van Dam. The Next Big Thing beats the Intercontinental Champion from pillar to post and takes the crown and title shot in around 5 minutes. I suppose after almost 15 minutes with Jericho, RVD was worn out? Well he puts over Lesnar hard regardless of the reason. Not much to say other than the right guy won and looked great doing so.

Rating: 2.5 Stars


WWE Championship
The Undertaker Vs Triple H

This main-event is routinely despised by critics, but I actually really enjoyed it. I'm not going to argue it's a lost classic or even Match of the Night, but it's the best main-event of the year so far and tells a story that sets up the WWE for the rest of the summer. Triple H was working injured here, hence the “methodical” pace, however he still brings it when he has to. Undertaker was starting to get in better shape, seemingly motivated by being the champion and his heel character was starting to click. Unlike his horrendous match with Austin at Backlash, the added elements enhance rather than distract from this contest. Paul Heyman joins commentary to inject talk of Lesnar while keeping him physically removed so as not to give away any real interaction between his slew of fresh opponents. His presence covers for the slow pace, adding tension and building the importance of the WWE Championship. When The Rock makes his return Heyman legs it, which is great because his continued presence would be too much. The Rock then predictably becomes involved, but the sequence is done well and leads into a great string of near-falls and ref-bumps before Taker wins it with roll-up after a low blow. Again, and ending that critics despise, I feel it puts over Triple H as unbeatable cleanly and even after over 20 minutes Undertaker can only win through cheating and confusion, while setting his sights on The Rock. It would be nice to see a main-event without a run-in for once this year, but at least this one was exciting and made some sense.

Rating: 3.5 Stars



WWE King of the Ring 2002 Final Score: 3 Stars

A very average event which is better than most claim, but not as good as it should be given the roster at the time. The King of the Ring Tournament itself was poorly booked even if the winner was a strong choice, and you can see why this is the last PPV outing for the event. Nothing unwatchable but then again nothing classic makes this a quite forgettable evening from one of the best seasons in WWE history. The build towards Vengeance and SummerSlam is decent though, and SummerSlam especially will make good on the stacked WWE roster as well as some huge returns and débuts...