| SummerSlam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringThe Rock | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown! | ||
| Date | August 25, 2002 | ||
| City | Uniondale,New York | ||
| Venue | Nassau Coliseum | ||
| Attendance | 14,797[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 540,000[2] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| SummerSlam chronology | |||
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The 2002SummerSlam was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 15th annualSummerSlam and took place on August 25, 2002, at theNassau Coliseum inUniondale,New York. The event was held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDown! divisions in the first SummerSlam following the introduction of thebrand extension, as well as the first SummerSlam held under the WWE name[a] and the first of the Ruthless Aggression Era.
The main match on the SmackDown! brand was for theWWE Undisputed Championship betweenThe Rock andBrock Lesnar. Lesnar won the match and the championship afterpinning Rock following anF-5, and would go on to become a major WWE star hereafter whereas The Rock would enter a hiatus. The main match on the Raw brand featured anUnsanctioned Street Fight betweenShawn Michaels, returning for his first SummerSlam since1997, andTriple H, which Michaels won after pinning Triple H by reversing Triple H'sPedigree attempt into ajackknife roll-up. There was also an interpromotional match for theIntercontinental Championship betweenRob Van Dam from Raw andChris Benoit from SmackDown!, which Van Dam won by pinfall after performing aFive-Star Frog Splash. The other matches on theundercard includedThe Undertaker versusTest andKurt Angle versusRey Mysterio.
SummerSlam 2002 is widely regarded among fans and critics as the greatest SummerSlam of all time as well as one of the greatest professional wrestling pay-per-views of all time, often receiving comparisons to the WWFWrestleMania X-Seven from the previous year in 2001.
SummerSlam is an annualpay-per-view (PPV) produced every August byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since 1988. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer",[3] it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along withWrestleMania,Royal Rumble, andSurvivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four",[4] and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs, along withKing of the Ring until its discontinuation after its 2002 event.[5] It has since become considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania.[6][7] The 2002 event was the 15th SummerSlam and was scheduled to be held on August 25, 2002, at theNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum inUniondale,New York.[8][9][10][11] It was the first SummerSlam to occur under the firstbrand extension introduced in March, which split the roster between theRaw andSmackDown! brands where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform; SummerSlam featured wrestlers from both brands.[12] It was also the first SummerSlam to occur under the WWE name, following the promotion being renamed from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to WWE in May.[13]
With this event, SummerSlam became the first pay-per-view to have events in the three major indoor venues in theNew York metropolitan area.Madison Square Garden hosted the event in1988,1991, and1998, and theIzod Center inEast Rutherford, New Jersey hosted the event in1989,1997, and later in2007.
Theprofessional wrestling matches at SummerSlam featured professional wrestlers performing ascharacters inscripted events pre-determined by the hostingpromotion, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[14][15] Storylines between the characters were produced on WWE's weekly television showsRaw andSmackDown! with the Raw and SmackDown! brands—storyline divisions in which WWE assigned its employees to different programs.[16] The SummerSlam was notably also the first of the Ruthless Aggression Era.[17]
The mainfeud heading into SummerSlam on the SmackDown!brand was betweenThe Rock andBrock Lesnar, with the two feuding over theWWE Undisputed Championship. On the June 24 episode ofRaw, it was announced that Lesnar would face off against the WWE Undisputed Champion at SummerSlam, as a result of winning theKing of the Ring tournament.[18] AtVengeance, The Rock defeatedThe Undertaker andKurt Angle in atriple threat match to win the WWE Undisputed Championship bypinning Angle after executing aRock Bottom.[19][20] On the July 25 episode ofSmackDown!, during The Rock'sWWE Tag Team Championship match againstThe Un-Americans (Lance Storm andChristian), Lesnar interfered by nailing The Rock's tag team partnerHollywood Hulk Hogan with anF-5. Due to Lesnar's interference, The Rock and Hogan won the match bydisqualification, but not the titles. On the August 8 episode ofSmackDown!, Lesnar put his SummerSlam title shot on the line against Hogan with the stipulation added that if Hogan were to defeat Lesnar, he would face The Rock in aWrestleMania X8 rematch at SummerSlam for the WWE Undisputed Championship. At the end, Lesnar locked Hogan in abear hug. When Hogan (kayfabe) passed out, the referee stopped the contest. After the match, Lesnar then nailed Hogan in the head with the steel chair, causing Hogan to bleed. On the August 15 episode ofSmackDown!, The Rock took on theWWE Intercontinental ChampionChris Benoit in a "Champion vs. Champion" match, which Lesnar interfered once again. During the match, Lesnar taunted The Rock while The Rock was placed in theCrippler Crossface by Benoit. The Rock, however, was able to defeat Benoit following a Rock Bottom. On the August 22 episode ofSmackDown!, after The Rock andEdge defeated Benoit andEddie Guerrero in atag team match, Lesnar appeared for another stare down with The Rock, which led to a brawl between the two that ended the show.
On the July 25 episode ofSmackDown!,Rey Mysterio made his WWE debut by defeatingChavo Guerrero. On the August 8 episode ofSmackDown!, the team of Mysterio, Edge andJohn Cena defeated Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle when Mysterio pinned Angle. On the August 15 episode ofSmackDown!, Angle insulted Mysterio during a backstage interview and Mysterio confronted him and challenged him to a match at SummerSlam, which Angle accepted. Later that night, Mysterio attacked Angle after his match againstMark Henry and delivered a 619 to Angle. On the August 22 episode ofSmackDown!, Mysterio cost Angle a match againstBilly Kidman by attacking Angle.
Another feud heading into SummerSlam was betweenShawn Michaels andTriple H. AtVengeance, Michaels returned after being out of wrestling (due to a back injury) for four years. Triple H was given the choice of deciding which brand he would appear for, Raw or SmackDown!, and Michaels helped him decide by offering to reformD-Generation X (DX) on the Raw brand. Triple H chose to go to the Raw brand, but on the July 22 episode ofRaw, as Michaels and Triple H were in the middle of reforming DX, Triple Hturned on Michaels by nailing him with thePedigree. On the July 29 episode ofRaw, Michaels was found in the parking lot, laying motionless following an ambush. He was also bleeding from the head due to someone putting his head through a car window. On the August 5 episode ofRaw, a security camera revealed to be Triple H that had attacked Michaels from behind. Triple H told Michaels that he did it to prove a point that Michaels was "weak". Michaels then told Triple H that he wasn't 100%, but he would be at SummerSlam. On the August 19 episode ofRaw,Raw General ManagerEric Bischoff announced anUnsanctioned Street Fight between Triple H and Michaels for SummerSlam. Later that night, Michaels interfered in Triple H's non-title match with The Rock and assaulted Triple H. At the beginning of the show, Brock Lesnar bought a front-row seat ticket to watch the main event between The Rock and Triple H, but even when Lesnar tried to interfere on Triple H's behalf, Michaels delivered aSweet Chin Music to Lesnar. Michaels then leaped on top of Triple H and the security and ended the show by knocking Triple H down, sending a clear message that he was not weak as they headed into their match at SummerSlam.
Rob Van Dam and Chris Benoit, meanwhile, had been feuding over the WWE Intercontinental Championship since Benoit won it from Van Dam on the July 29 episode ofRaw.[21] Shortly after this match, Benoit took advantage of what was referred to as "open season" on wrestler contracts and took his title with him to the SmackDown! brand, where he had originally beendrafted. Benoit was still required to defend the title against a member of the Raw roster at SummerSlam and Van Dam defeatedJeff Hardy on the August 12 episode ofRaw in a match to determine the #1 contender.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Jim Ross(Raw) |
| Jerry Lawler(Raw) | |
| Michael Cole(SmackDown!) | |
| Tazz(SmackDown!) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Backstageinterviewers | Jonathan Coachman |
| Lilian Garcia | |
| Ring announcers | Howard Finkel(Raw) |
| Tony Chimel(SmackDown!) | |
| Referees | Charles Robinson |
| Mike Chioda | |
| Nick Patrick | |
| Jack Doan | |
| Earl Hebner | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Brian Hebner | |
| Jim Korderas | |
| General Managers | Eric Bischoff(Raw) |
| Stephanie McMahon(SmackDown!) |
The event unofficially began with aSunday Night Heat match betweenSpike Dudley andSteven Richards. Dudleypinned Richards.[22][23]
The first match was betweenKurt Angle andRey Mysterio. The match started off with Mysterio getting the advantage over Angle, as he hid under the ring, and when Mysterio's music hit, he took down Angle with aheadscissors. The two entered the ring, which saw Mysterio execute a headscissors takeover. Mysterio attempted the619 but Angle ducked and dominated Mysterio. However, Mysterio was able to execute asenton from the ring to the floor on Angle. Mysterio then delivered the 619 and theWest Coast Pop for anearfall. Angle reversed adiving hurricarana into theankle lock, to which Mysteriosubmitted.[22][23]
The next match was a contest betweenRic Flair andChris Jericho. Jericho put Flair into thefigure-four leglock. Jericho insisted that Flair submitted, but the referee ordered the match to continue. Flair then won the match by applying the hold on Jericho.[22][23]
The third match of the night was betweenEdge andEddie Guerrero. During the match, Guerrero targeted Edge's shoulder. Guerrero also countered aspear attempt with adropkick to the shoulder, and executed afrog splash onto Edge's shoulder. Edge retaliated with anEdgecution and a spear for the win.[22][23]
The next match was for theWWE Tag Team Championship betweenThe Un-Americans (Lance Storm andChristian) andBooker T andGoldust. During the match, Booker T executed ascissors kick to both Storm and Christian, butTest made arun-in and gave Booker T abig boot. Christian pinned Booker T to retain the titles for The Un-Americans.[22][23]
The fifth match on the card was for theIntercontinental Championship betweenChris Benoit andRob Van Dam. Van Dam won the title by pinning Benoit after aFive Star Frog Splash.[22][23]
The Undertaker against Test was next. Lance Storm and Christian both interfered in the match, but received achokeslam from The Undertaker. The Undertaker won the match with aTombstone Piledriver. After the match, The Undertaker waved anAmerican flag.[22][23]
The seventh match was theUnsanctioned Street Fight betweenShawn Michaels andTriple H. This was Shawn Michaels' first wrestling match sinceWrestleMania XIV. Michaels came out fast, using a punch-kick offense to start and executing aplancha. Triple H executed a series ofbackbreakers on Michaels. Michaels hit Triple H with a ladder. Michaels executed asplash on Triple H from the top rope through a table on the floor and adiving elbow drop off a ladder. The match came to an end when Michaels went for theSweet Chin Music, which Triple H countered into aPedigree attempt, but Michaels countered into ajackknife roll-up for the win. After the match, Triple H hit Michaels with asledgehammer twice, forcing Michaels to be carried away on a stretcher.[22][23]
The main event was for theWWE Undisputed Championship betweenThe Rock andBrock Lesnar. Lesnar dominated early with some power moves. The Rock went for theSharpshooter. Lesnar'smanagerPaul Heyman got involved in the match, as he was attacked by The Rock, who executed aRock Bottom through a broadcast table on Heyman. The Rock and Lesnar gave each other a Rock Bottom. The match came to an end when Lesnar stopped aPeople's Elbow and aRock Bottom and then executed theF-5 on The Rock for the win and the title.[22][23] Lesnar remained the youngestworld champion in WWE history untilRandy Orton won theWorld Heavyweight Championship in2004.
On the August 26 episode ofRaw, due to the requirements of the WWE Undisputed Championship being defended on both shows, Raw General ManagerEric Bischoff expectedBrock Lesnar to be able to return onRaw the next night. Lesnar and SmackDown! General ManagerStephanie McMahon appeared to announce that Lesnar's contract only required him to defend the title onSmackDown!; subsequently Bischoff established theWorld Heavyweight Championship as a separate world title.[24][25] On the September 2 episode ofRaw, Bischoff awarded Triple H,Raw's designated number-one contender, the World Heavyweight Championship in the form of theBig Gold Belt.[26][27]
The Undertaker went on to challenge Lesnar for the now-renamed WWE Championship atUnforgiven, and again atNo Mercy in aHell in a Cell match.Shawn Michaels would return full-time to the ring atSurvivor Series and win the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H in the first everElimination Chamber match.
After the broadcasting of the event had stopped after the main event, former WWE Undisputed ChampionThe Rock was visibly angry at the crowd reaction. The Rock had faced a negative response from fans during the main event. When he tried to do a post-show speech for the crowd, the fans attending the Nassau Coliseum still booed him. He eventually cut a promo, declaring that"sing-along with The Rock is over!", before taking a five-month hiatus from WWE. The Rock did not return until late January 2003, where heturnedheel onHulk Hogan, leading to aWrestleMania X8 rematch atNo Way Out wherespecial guest refereeSylvain Grenier andMr. McMahon both interfered and helped The Rock defeat Hogan.
| No. | Results[22][23] | Stipulations | Times[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1H | Spike Dudley defeatedSteven Richards | Singles match | 2:35 | ||||
| 2 | Kurt Angle defeatedRey Mysterio bysubmission | Singles match | 9:19 | ||||
| 3 | Ric Flair defeatedChris Jericho by submission | Singles match | 10:22 | ||||
| 4 | Edge defeatedEddie Guerrero | Singles match | 11:47 | ||||
| 5 | The Un-Americans (Christian andLance Storm) (c) defeatedBooker T andGoldust | Tag team match for theWWE Tag Team Championship | 9:37 | ||||
| 6 | Rob Van Dam defeatedChris Benoit (c) | Singles match for theWWE Intercontinental Championship | 16:30 | ||||
| 7 | The Undertaker defeatedTest | Singles match | 8:18 | ||||
| 8 | Shawn Michaels defeatedTriple H | Unsanctioned Street Fight | 27:20 | ||||
| 9 | Brock Lesnar (withPaul Heyman) defeatedThe Rock (c) | Singles match for theWWE Undisputed Championship | 15:58 | ||||
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At the time, SummerSlam was one of WWE's "big five" Pay-Per-Views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, King of the Ring, and Survivor Series were the others), ...