Due to declining ratings and inept booking, this year's 10th annual King of the Ring would be its last. The main feuds in here would be the semi-finals and finals of the KOTR, Kurt Angle vs Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker vs HHH. I should point out that The Rock would be making his return from filming duties to wrestle again as Jamie Noble makes his ppv debut. The tournament semi-finals would pit Rob Van Dam against Chris Jericho and Test against Brock Lesnar. Other matches include Eddie Guerrero vs Ric Flair (who turned face immediately after the Austin feud as I predicted) and Trish Stratus vs Molly Holly in what should be a good women's title match.
June 23, 2002
NATIONWIDE ARENA
Columbus, OH
Commentators: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
Match 1
Rob Van Dam vs Chris Jericho (KOTR semi-finals)
Van Dam had advanced by pinning Eddie Guerrero and X-Pac on Raw while Jericho took a forfeit from Edge (out with a shoulder injury) and a submission victory over Val Venis on Smackdown. Rob had previously won the IC title back from Eddie Guerrero but the title is not on the line in this match. Jericho gets the early advantage as JR shills the both of them. Jericho hits a shoulderblock and says "I'm the king of the world". They do a series of leapfrogs before Van Dam gets the upper hand but Jericho counters and the crowd gives them a standing O at the end. Rob then does his R.....V....D taunt in Jericho's face so Y2J slaps him across the face. Rob boots him in the face in retaliation. Van Dam hits a rolling monkey flip and a spinning leg drop which merrits a 2 count. A minor ECW chant breaks out as Jericho hits his facelock takedown and then puts the boots to him. Y2J hits a spinning heel kick but misses the second rope dropkick on the apron....and goes flying over the top rope to the floor. Rob hits a sommersault plancha before heaving Chris back in and going upstairs. Rob hits a one legged missle dropkick and goes for the 5-star but Jericho alertly kicks the referee into the ropes, crotching Van Dam in the process. Rob and Chris go back up top but this time Y2J hits a double-arm suplex but the cover only gets 2. Jericho goes to work in the corner but a charge eats boot, and Rob hits a drop toe hold cradle combo for another 2 count. Y2J quickly gains momentum with a clothesline then exposes the turnbuckle. Rob catches Jericho with a cradle from out of nowhere but the ref is busy trying to put the turnbuckle back on. Chris hits the facebuster that pinned Rob at Survivor Series but this time he kicks out. Jericho begins choking rob on the second rope and then with a roll of athletic tape. Jericho goes for a running jump but Rob moves out of the way, causing Chris to crotch himself on the second rope. Chris sends Rob off the ropes and catches him with a knee to the mid-section then locks in a surfboard. King mentions a possible all-Canadian final with Jericho against Test as JR brings up the Canadians victory over the USA in the Ice Hockey final of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Ugh, you had to mention that?? They trade blows before Rob moves and Jericho goes shoulder first into the ringpost. Rob hits 2 spinning heel kicks in succession and then a springboard savate kick. Rob hits a step-over heel kick and a cartwheel moonsault for the 1.....2...noooo. Jericho hops over a sweep attempt by Rob and hits a standing enziguri. The cover gets 1...2..nope, Rob kicks out and you can hear a clear Y2J chant being overdubbed with an RVD chant. Jericho goes for the facebuster but Rob blocks it, then Jericho ducks under a heel kick and hits an overhead German suplex for a long 2 count. Jericho catches Rob with a kick to the face but charges into a hot-shot by Van Dam. Rob hits the split-legged moonsault for a 2 count and hits a shoulderblock/backflip combo but Jericho rolls into a sunset flip. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho but Rob turns into an inside cradle for a 2 count. Rob catches Chris mid-air and slingshots him into the exposed corner, but Chris lands feet first on the second rope but jumps into a crescent kick. Jericho rams Rob face first into the exposed steel and rolls him up for the 1..2...NOOOOOOOO. Jericho can't believe it and hits the facebuster but misses the lionsault. Rob hits a back-heel kick and goes upstairs but misses the 5-star frog splash attempt. Jericho finally hits the lionsault but Rob shockingly gets the shoulder up. Rob goes for a frankensteiner but Jericho turns it into the Walls of Jericho. Rob makes it to the ropes and crawls onto the apron, where Jericho rams him into the ring post. Jericho goes upstairs but Rob crotches him and when Chris falls off....Van Dam hits the 5-star frog splashes and covers for the 1..2..3...that's it. Rob Van Dam advances to the finals as Lawler hits the ring to get a word with Rob. Right then and there I knew something was up because King never does this and sure enough, Jericho pulls a sore loser and attacks Rob from behind. Jericho locks in the Walls of Jericho before the refs pull him off as JR calls him a pathetic loser. I guess the point of this was to put Van Dam over as the face long-shot (Roberts in 96, X-Pac in 98) to win the finals. Very good opener with no rest-holds.
Time of Match: 14:32
Winner: Rob Van Dam by pinfall
The next segment is Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar in the locker-room beaming about Van Dam getting attacked. Heyman imitates Godzilla and says that the monster is fake but Brock is real and says the time is now to prove the next big thing....is the next big king. The 6'6 Test was pretty much the next logical step since Lesnar had destroyed everyone he's come in contact with at this point.
Match 2
Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs Test (KOTR semi-finals)
Brock had made mincemeat out of Bubba Ray Dudley and Booker T on Raw while Test snuck by The Hurricaine and Hardcore Holly on Smackdown to set up this match. Brock enters to the theme song everyone knows today although I still say his first one back in April wasn't so bad. JR brings up Lesnar's dominance in his Minnesota wrestling days as Test stares him down. Test is actually taller than Brock but the sheer mass of Lesnar makes Test look scrawny in comparison. They lock up to star but Lesnar powers Test in the corner and hits a series of hard shoulderblocks. Lesnar works over Test but a charge in the corner eats elbow and Test hits a series of clotheslines. Test goes for the big boot but Lesnar retreats under the rope and re-groups with Heyman who says "watch the boot!" Test continues to work Brock over in the corner and stomps a mudhole in him. This is the first time since Lesnar's debut he looks in any form of danger but on cue Lesnar takes over with right hands. Lesnar bull rushes but eats another elbow, then Test mistakenly charges into a spinebuster. Lesnar hits a hard irish whip that floors Test and begins stomping away. A slugfest ensues before Lesnar hits a back suplex for a near fall. Brock picks him up and hits a backbreaker but Test rallies with fists and an inverted atomic drop. Test charges but Lesnar hits a powerslam and covers for a 2 count. They botch a sleeper hold attempt so Lesnar hits forearms to the back but runs into a side-slam by Test. Brock recovers quickly although Test hits a running clothesline into the corner followed by another one and finishes with a full-nelson slam. Test goes for the pump handle slam but Lesnar blocks it. Test goes for it again and hits it for the 1..2....NOOOO Lesnar kicks out. Test misses the big boot and Brock counters with a powerbomb attempt, but Test blocks it and goes for another boot and catches him with it. The cover gets 1.....2..nope. Brock kicks out and Test can't believe it. Test goes for another big boot but Heyman hops up on the apron and distracts him long enough for Brock to sneak up and hit the F-5. 1..2....3 that's it and Lesnar advances to the finals against Rob Van Dam. Not as terrible as I thought it would be but not a good match, it served its purpose of setting up Lesnar's push.
Time of Match: 8:18
Winner: Brock Lesnar by pinfall
The next segment is Jonathan Coachman in the Raw locker-room interviewing Bubba Ray Dudley about who he thinks is going to win the King of the Ring finals. In the background you can see Matt Hardy, Bradshaw and Shawn Stasiak...what a crew. Bubba says that Lesnar is going to win although he prefers Van Dam. Next is some dorkus malorkus in the Smackdown locker room interviewing Lance Storm and Christian, and they say that it should be an all-Canadian final and scoff its an all-American. Christian says the company and America are prejudicial against Canadians.....apparently this is where the whole Un-Americans storyline started. On to the next match..
Match 3
Jamie Noble (with Nidia) vs The Hurricane for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The Jung Dragons vs 3 Count feud apparently is alive after all as Jamie Noble (Jamie-san) faces The Hurricaine (Shane Helms) for the Cruiserweight title. Noble is making his debut as a redneck and Nidia is his ditzy sidekick. The storyline to this is rather absurd as Nidia is the ex-g/f of The Hurricaine who he dumped, so she's with Noble to get revenge. I thought the Hurricaine character was kind of funny for a while but it really held back Helms' career. They tie up to start and Hurricaine sends him flying and then hits a roll up before they do a chain wrestling sequence. Noble gets the upperhand in the corner and King asks JR if he's ever been in a trailor park before. Hurricaine gets offense in but Noble blocks the chokeslam attempt. Hurricaine hits a superkick and applies a leg-lock chokehold as the crowd chants "She's a crackwhore" Noble reverses Hurricaine and Nidia grabs his leg, causing Shane to run to the outside and chase her but eats a clothesline from Noble. Jamie covers him inside for a 2 count and then goes on offense as JR and King debate over King's infatuation with women half his age. "Look at the way she squats JR" says King as JR scoffs and says "Squats??!! who does squats in wrestling?" Noble locks in an abdominal stretch and turns it into a back suplex for a near fall. Hurricaine hits an inside cradle and a flying bodypress for near falls but Noble stalls the momentum with a backdrop. The ensuing cover gets a 2 as Noble locks in a horrible rings of saturn. King makes sexual references toward Nidia as JR scoffs and prefers to call the action. Hurricaine hits his arm-cross takedown and then a sleeper hold, but Noble counters with a jawbreaker. Noble hits a sleeper of his own (Hayes: Is this 2002 or 1982) and Hurricaine revives with fists then scores with a neckbreaker. Noble runs into the corner but Hurricaine hits the blockbuster, which Noble counters at 2. Hurricaine goes for the finisher but Jamie counters with a bridged german suplex for a long 2 count. Hurricaine quickly recovers and finally hits his finisher for 1...2..noooo, Jamie-San kicks out. Hurricaine goes for the cape but Nidia snatches it away. Hurricaine then tries to suplex Noble on the apron but Jamie misjudges the distance and lands hard on the outside. Hurricaine goes upstairs and hits a flying bodypress. Hurricaine rolls Jamie inside and then Nidia kisses him to distract long enough for Noble to hit a baseball slide. They both go upstairs from opposite ends of the apron and Hurricaine hits a neckbreaker from the top rope. Hurricaine goes for the cover but Nidia hops up to distract the ref before Hurricaine comes over and gives her the business. Noble charges but Helms moves out of the way causing Noble to crash into Nidia and into a Hurricaine chokeslam. The cover gets 1...2...NOOOOOO, the crowd thought that it was over. Hurricaine goes upstairs but Noble runs into the ropes causing Helms to crotch himself. Noble hits a powerbomb and covers but Hurricaine puts his foot on the rope...until Nidia knocks it off (BRILLIANT) for the 1..2...3 to end the match. JR scoffs but Jamie Noble is the new WWE Cruiserweight champion in a decent match that was kind of dumbed down with the gimmicks. Nidia then pounces on Jamie in the ring and they celebrate as King squeals. Again...good match, bad gimmicks.
Time of Match: 11:38
Winner: Jamie Noble by pinfall (New Crusierweight champion)
The next segment shows the return of The Rock on Heat as the crowd goes wild. We then go to Terri who interviews Eddie Guerrero about his match with Ric Flair by showing what happened last week on Raw when Benoit turned heel on an interview saying Flair drove Steve Austin out of WWE and he's ruining his life as well as Eddie's. The whole purpose of this match was because Flair lost a winner-take-all match on Raw to Vince McMahon so the whole co-owner storyline could end. Now Flair is just an active performer and his first feud will be against Guerrero. This should be a good match which actually happened 6 years earlier in WCW with a lot less fanfare. In the actual interview Eddie says hi to his brothers and about a hundred different women (in real life he was separated from Vicki at this time and he shockingly knocked his g/f at the time up). Guerrero then says Flair can't do half the moves Eddie can and mocks Flair about his "one last run". Flair's last run would last about six more years.
Match 4
Ric Flair vs Eddie Guerrero
This should be a good match but the key word is should. Flair makes his entrance as JR brings up how Brock Lesnar's interference led to Flair's downfall in his match with Vince (and later Brock pinned Flair to cement his status as a legitimate main eventer) They tie up to start as JR says Eddie is younger and faster but Flair is the dirtiest player in the game. They both stall, Guerrero says WOOOOOOO and JR tells how Austin walked out in the middle of his feud with Guerrero. They do a leapfrog segment which ends with a dropkick by Guerrero then Flair regroups on the outside. Eddie taunts but Flair nearly corner chops him out of the ring. Eddie rolls to the outside as Flair struts inside, too much stalling going on here especially with 4 matches still to come. Guerrero goes to work in the corner with chops of his own before Flair reverses it. He hits headlock with punches combo followed by a low-blow. King says "Latino Heat has cooled off". Flair continues to hit rights and lefts in the corner before hitting a chop off the irish whip, then Eddie retreats to the outside to regroup. They stall some more before Eddie finally sommersaults back in about 2 minutes later and hits a nice takedown. Flair turns a facelock into a suplex but Guerrero counters with a dropkick to the left knee. Eddie then goes to work on the left leg with stomps and elbow drops before Flair counters a figure four attempt with an inside cradle for a near fall. Eddie chops Ric in the corner and then locks in a hold then rams the left leg into the ring post. Guerrero slingshots himself from the apron into a knee drop then does the same thing out of the ring onto the left leg. Back inside Guerrero locks in a figure four as JR says Buddy Rogers was the first to use the figure four. Eddie milks it for momentum as Flair oversells it to death, but that's how you put people over. Ric finally makes it to the ropes then is attacked in the corner by Eddie with fists. Eddie hits a snapmare then a rolling blockbuster but Flair counters with chops. Eddie then hits another snapmare and a rest hold as the crowd goes to get some nachos. Flair backs Eddie into the corner and they exchange chops before Eddie goes for the ol thumb to the eye. Flair ducks a charge and Guerrero goes flying outside as Flair does the "Flair Flop". Guerrero snaps Flair off the top and hits a vertical suplex before going for the frogsplash. Eddie dives off but misses so Flair hits a chopblock and teases a figure-four attempt as Chris Benoit walks to ringside. Flair finally hits the figure-four as Benoit cheers on Eddie but doesn't attack just yet. Eddie makes it to the ropes but Flair continues to work over Eddie with chops before Eddie reverses a suplex into a rolling prawn for a long 2 count. Eddie hits a backslide for 2 and they trie to do a rising backslide but Eddie can't lift Flair so he just gets off. Ric chops Eddie in the corner but a charge eats elbow as Guerrero goes upstairs. Eddie hits a tornado ddt and covers but Flair gets the foot on the rope. Eddie stomps and punches away and as the ref restrains Eddie, Benoit pulls Flair out and locks in the crippler crossface. The ref goes outside and gives Benoit the heave-ho as Guerrero complains from the inside. All of a sudden Bubba Ray Dudley comes through the crowd and hits the Bubba-Bomb on Eddie as Benoit breaks free and chases him away. Ric crawls over and covers for 1....2....3.. to win the match. Benoit comes back inside to chase Flair away but Ric comes away the winner. Eddie looked really impressive I must admit but there was too much stalling, also it was great to see Chris Benoit again since his return from neck surgery. Like I mentioned on the Backlash review, Guerrero probably had to job for awhile because of his previous reckless behavior to earn Vince's trust back. Slowly but surely Eddie would climb back into the good graces.
Time of Match: 17:00
Winner: Ric Flair by pinfall
The next segment is a Get the F out commercial which I already explained in my Judgement Day piece and then going to The World in NYC where William Regal and Christopher Nowinski complain that other people got their orders before they did. This would be the ppv debut of Nowinski as an active performer since his Tough Enough days. When their orders arrive Nowinski mocks the girl for going to a community college so she spits in his soup before serving it. After the hijinks we go to the next match
Match 5
Molly Holly vs Trish Stratus for the WWE Women's Championship
This should be a good match although it would lead to a very very stupid and untrue storyline, but I'll get to that in due process. Molly starts off with a bodyslam and an elbow drop for a 2 count as JR and King scoff at Molly's "virgin ways". Molly hits a back bodydrop and a hair-pull takedown as King tries to get a "She's a fat-ass" chant going. Before I go any further I'd like to point out this was the first storyline was based purely on an out and out lie. There's a difference in saying Umaga's a dirty samoan since Umaga the character is from Samoa even though the real life man is not, but saying Molly Holly has a big ass when she actually doesn't is really dumbing down the fans IQ's worse then they already are. Anyway Molly continues to beat up Trish until Stratus rallies with right hands. JR further tries to stir the pot by saying "I betcha Molly's never worn a thong in her life" shame on you JR, I expect that from King not from you! Molly hits a decent Fujiwara armbar takedown as Trish oversells it as usual. King "What kind of thong do you wear JR?" Ross "That is a repulsive thing to even envision, you're gonna make little kids run to their rooms." Molly hits an axehandle to the back as JR says its against Oklahoma state laws to sell thongs to men. Trish goes for a boot but Molly catches the foot, so Trish turns it into a victory roll...beautiful. Trish ducks under a clothesline and hits a neckbeaker for a nearfall then throws Molly against the rope into a rolling prawn for another 2 count. Molly hits a drop-toe hold and Trish goes crashing into the second rope. Molly chokes down Trish with her boot and then dropkicks Stratus to the outside. Molly rolls out and throws her against the ring and over the barricade into the crowd. JR brings up the upcoming Divas Undressed event (another unmitigated disaster). Molly taunts the crowd and Trish chick kicks her off the apron as King says "Would you play naked twister with Molly?" JR "No I wouldn't, I'm a happily married man" The thought of those two together makes me long for Bushwhackers match but luckily Trish and Molly continue to entertain. Trish hits the stratusphere on Molly off the top rope and then chops her into the ropes before spanking herself in a taunting fashion. Molly then misses a clothesline so Trish continues the assault and then hits a clothesline. Trish hits another chick kick and goes for the Stratusfaction, but Molly counters with a bridging german suplex for the 1..2...NOOO, Trish kicks out. Molly hits a hairgrab takeover and goes upstairs as King and JR debate on what to call the Molly Go Round. Its funny how these 2 coincidentally just noticed the size of Molly's posterior since she's been on the active roster for three years at the time. Anyway Molly misses the attempt and Trish rolls her up, but Molly rolls through it and hooks the tights for the 1...2...3 and we got a new champion. King says it was the survival of the fattest even though Trish was pretty much the same size. From an athletic standpoint it was a great match but the stupid storyline ruins everything.
Time of Match: 5:41
Winner: Molly Holly by pinfall (new Women's champion)
The next segment has the same dorkus malorkus from earlier interviewing Kurt Angle about his upcoming match with Hulk Hogan. Kurt still wears the wig/headgear combo and scoffs at the title of the match being Battle of the Real American Heroes. Kurt "What the hell....did Hulk Hogan ever do to become a real American hero? The only reason Hogan became a real American hero is because Vince made him one. If Vince wanted Hogan to be a zoo-keeper, he would have been a zoo-keeper." Its a wonder Hogan didn't sue Angle for that like he did Russo for calling him bald. We then go up to Michael Cole and Tazz to show us a highlight package of how this started. Hogan said he was going to retire and then Vince McMahon came out and said hellllll no (from a storyline standpoint wouldn't he have been overjoyed to have Hogan out of his hair?) Then Kurt Angle attacked and set up this match.
Match 6
Hulk Hogan vs Kurt Angle
In his only other King of the Ring appearance, Hogan was defeated by Yokozuna and left WWE shortly after, lets hope history repeats itself. For whatever reason the crowd goes nuts over Hogan's entrance complete with Voodoo Child (RIP Jimi). The announcers make fun of Kurt's baldness but also allude to Hogan's near-baldness and I wonder if Hogan would sue....wait I already asked that earlier. A lot of lawsuits would be going around if this were WCW, but luckily its WWE. The crowd chants for Hogan while the bell starts and they circle around as JR shills the both of them. Hogan tosses Angle into the corner and taunts him but Angle hits a standing go behind. Angle turns a headlock into a top wrist-lock as Hogan still has the bandana and Angle has the wig on. During the downtime King says there are Hulkamaniacs in Tanzania, and the fans sure loved the shoulderblock Hogan hits on Angle. Kurt rolls to the outside and regroups as Hogan taunts from inside the ring. Angle goes for punch/kick offense and hits a clothesline as Hogan looks a step too slow. What I mean is when Angle whipped Hogan, he was already in clothesline position as Hogan jogged off the ropes and how's Hogan supposed to make this look interesting if Angle's moving too fast? Hogan sidesteps Kurt and heaves him over the top to the floor. Hogan goes outide and hulka punches him before sending Kurt into the black barricade. Hogan rams Angle's head into the turnbuckle 9 times and hits a windup punch for the 10. Hogan goes to remove the wig but Angle counters with a boot to the nads. Kurt stomps away before chopping him in the corner followed by right hands. Kurt hits a back suplex as JR defends Hogan by saying he's entertained fans all over the world for over 20 years. Angle hits another back suplex and covers for a near fall before choking him with his knee in the second rope. JR says a lot of people from other countries cheer Hogan but King answers by saying "Well people around the world cheer Hogan only because they probably hate Angle, after all Angle beat their best representatives that their countries had to offer in the Olympics." Good point.....but Hogan counters a suplex attempt with a vertical one of his own. Hogan ducks under a clothesline and hits a scoop slam as King asks JR who Angle beat for the Gold Medal and Ross answers "an Iraqi" so King says "Yeah, I betcha there aren't any fans of Kurt Angle in Iraq" Actually Jadidi was Iranian but never let the truth interfere with a cheap-shot against the country you're at war with. Angle locks in a sleeperhold (yawn) as Hogan does the fade then revive routine. Hogan counters into a sleeper of his own, but Kurt hits a back suplex to stall the momentum. Hogan misses a clothesline so Kurt hits the angleslam and covers for the 1...2...noooo Hogan got the shoulder up. Kurt pulls the straps down but Hogan hulks up......oh great. Hogan hits the punches and the big boot as the crowd goes wild, then he pulls the wig and headgear off. Hogan goes for another big boot so Kurt rolls outside and taunts him. Kurt teases walking away but then grabs a steel cheer and runs inside, only to hit himself with the chair and get caught with a big boot by Hogan. Hogan goes for the leg drop but Kurt catches the leg on the way down and turns it into the ankle lock. JR screams "Has Hogan ever tapped out? Has Hogan ever given up?" Apparently he never saw Starrcade 97 where Hogan lost by submission to Sting. Anyway Hogan reaches for the ropes but Kurt pulls him back to the center of the ring as the crowd gets a "Hogan" chant going. Hogan rolls over and tries to kick him off but Kurt hangs on. Hogan makes it to the ropes but Kurt pulls him away and back into the center where Hulk TAPS OUT! Angle wins by submission and he puts the wig and headgear back on. The announcers speculate if Hogan hadn't taunted Angle when he pulled the wig off, he would have won by count-out. At least Hogan is willing to put over younger and more athletic stars (or maybe Vince ordered him to) because from an in-ring standpoint Angle was a much better wrestler and not a bad performer. At this point in his career with his prime days long gone, the least he could do would use his drawing power to have high profile matches with the likes of Lesnar, Angle, Rock and others. This was actually pretty good by Hogan standards.
Time of Match: 12:08
Winner: Kurt Angle by pinfall
The next segment is Booker T and Goldust in the back discussing the return of The Rock. Booker T was kicked out of the nWo by the new leader.....SHAWN MICHAELS. Yes, the retired Shawn Michaels who was one of the primary adversaries of the nWo during the Nitro vs Raw heydey until he suffered the back injury. Anyway Goldust is dressed as The Rock and begins cutting a promo until the real Rock shows up. The Rock shows Goldust how to do the cheap plug promo and goes completely off with a killer rhyme before Booker answers with an equally good one. Goldust tries to join in but can't and The Rock and Booker just stare at him. The Rock then says he's going to watch the main event but runs down Goldust in the process. The Rock then says he and Booker will team up to beat the crap out of the nWo. After the hilarity its on to the Finals.
Match 7
Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs Rob Van Dam (KOTR Finals)
Ah yes, the classic rested steamrolling heel (Bam Bam, Mabel, Austin) against the never-say die exhausted babyface (Bret, Vega, Roberts) Finals match. Van Dam comes out and looks fine, so there goes that previous statement. Once again, Van Dam's IC title is not on the line but what's at stake is an automatic shot at whoever the champion is at Summerslam. Heyman is on the apron saying "You're one victory away Brock, one victory away." Heyman drops down as the bell rings, then Brock starts by driving Rob into the corner but Rob starts with quick fists. Rob kicks the right leg a few times before backsaulting over Brock to delive a crescent kick. Rob goes for the monkey flip in the corner but Lesnar hits a powerbomb to stall the momentum. Lesnar puts the boots to Van Dam then drives him into the corner before doing the same in the opposite one. Brock hits a huge powerslam and covers for a near-fall before putting more boots to him. Brock hits 2 consecutive back-breakers and then a bear hug as JR says Heyman isn't one of his favorite people. Brock drives him into the corner again and hits football shoulderblocks but misses a charge and eats ringpost. Brock tries to counter a heel kick but Van Dam rolls out of the running powerslam attempt and once again goes for the legs of Lesnar. Rob hits 2 jump kicks that barely fazes Brock then hits one from the top rope that does floor him. Rob hits rolling thunder and covers but Brock throws Van Dam off like he was nothing. Rob hits a spinning leg drop and goes upstairs and hits the 5-star frog splash. Heyman hops up and snaps Rob off the top rope, who then falls right on top of Lesnar for 1...2...NOOOOOO Brock just got the shoulder up and a lot of people thought that was the finish. Heyman almost has a heart attack and then Rob hits a baseball slide to knock the hat off exposing Paul's bald head. Rob goes back upstairs and tries a bodypress but Brock catches him mid-air and hits the F-5. Brock covers for 1....2....3 that's it, Brock Lesnar is the 2002 King of the Ring. From an athletic and storyline standpoint it makes sense to put Brock over this way and also brings back memories of Yokozuna who beat Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 9 for the WWF title.....which was Yoko's 5th month in the company. No matter who the champion is at Summerslam, Brock Lesnar awaits.
Time of Match: 5:42
Winner: Brock Lesnar by pinfall (2002 King of the Ring)
The next segment is HHH walking into the nWo and is greeted by Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash....and they proceed to group hug. He then smiles and hugs X-Pac but barely gives Big Show a look. The point of this was to show the nWo had HHH's back although HHH was on Smackdown. Its funny because the watered down nWo had in essence only Big Show and X-Pac as active workers since Shawn had been retired for years with a back injury and Nash was healing a torn quad. We go back up to Michael Cole and Tazz who gives us a run-down on the feud. Those who've been following my reviews to this point knows the background to the feud, but to those who don't I'll give a quick run-down. HHH met Hulk Hogan for the WWE title at Backlash and thanks to The Undertaker, Hogan came away with the strap. The next month Taker beat Hogan for the title and since HHH never got his rematch with Hogan, he pertained the right to face Taker for the title. During the highlight package it shows that HHH comes out and saves Randy Orton from a beatdown....yes, THAT Randy Orton who was still a rookie on Smackdown. Was this ever mentioned again? Also was a number one contender's match between Hogan and HHH and Hunter actually pinned Hogan clean with the pedigree.....talk about Hogan seeing the error of his ways. Anyway you know the drill, Taker vs HHH again but this time The Rock is going to be on hand, basically saying he's got winner next month at Vengeance.
Match 8
HHH vs The Undertaker for the WWE Heavyweight Championship
As if we didn't see a long match between these 2 last month at Insurrextion, I suppose we have to sit through another one. Luckily we got a saving grace because Paul Heyman decided to join in on commentary. They stare down in the middle and they exchange blows as HHH gets the upper hand. Taker eats an elbow but works over HHH in the corner as referee Earl Hebner says "HEY! HEY!" HHH hits a choke takedown and clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor. HHH rams Taker's head into the steel steps and HHH whips him into them. HHH works over Taker before both roll inside where Taker goes on offense. Taker hits a series of fists in the corner as Heyman asks why HHH's elbow is all taped up. Undertaker misses a big boot and crotches himself in the turnbuckle, then HHH hits a 10 punch in the corner before Taker hot-shots him. Taker hits hits a clothesline and covers for a 1 count. Heyman asks "Hey King, wouldn't you sell six of your nine ex wives for a shot at the title?" Taker hits a headbutt and more slow placed maneuvers before HHH rallies, only to be hit with a side slam by Big Evil. Taker chokes HHH on the second rope and then attacks him on the apron with a leg drop. A cover gets a near fall and HHH begins to fire back with fists, but eats a big boot. Taker heaves HHH outside and rams his had into the steel steps, but Hunter counters with a suplex on the floor. Back inside Taker scores with a clothesline and a leg drop for another 2 count. Taker goes for a superplex as Heyman tells a cockamamie story of how Lesnar beat up The Rock in the backstage area. HHH blocks the superplex and then hits a back suplex, but HHH counters with a flying clothesline. Taker exposes the turnbuckle and goes to ram HHH it, but Hunter counters and whips Taker into it. HHH ducks under a clothesline and hits a neckbreaker. HHH hits a sloppy looking spinebuster and covers for a near fall then Taker hits snake eyes on the exposed steel but HHH hits a high knee. Didn't even sell the snake eyes for 2 seconds, but he does sell the ddt Taker hits. HHH and Taker exchange blows then Taker slingshots HHH into Hebner. Taker charges but HHH rolls out of the way and he splashes Hebner instead. Hebner falls like a dead deer and they hit a bad looking double clothesline which leaves both HHH and Taker sprawled out. IF YA SMELLLLLL, WHAT THE ROCK...... IS COOKIN blares over the speakers and The Rock makes his entrance. The Rock chases Paul Heyman away and sits in on commentary, he then tells how Lesnar didn't attack him but shook his hand instead. Taker rolls outside and grabs a chair as The Rock shills the 2 men inside. HHH blocks the chairshot with boots and hits a facebuster before clotheslining him over the top rope to the floor. HHH and Taker go at it outside and Taker suddenly big boots The Rock into Carlos Cabrera knocking them both down. Taker grabs another chair and goes to hit HHH but The Rock cuts him off and fires away with punches, Rock grabs the chair and goes to hit Taker but he ducks and Rock levels HHH instead causing Hunter to blade. Taker heaves Rock into the ringpost and rolls HHH inside then calls for the last ride. Taker hits the last ride but Hebner is still down and out, until Nick Patrick hits the ring and counts for 1....2..nooo. Taker "What the hell was that?" then he knocks Nick Patrick out. Rock back inside punches away and hits the rock bottom on Taker then leaves the ring for good. We got 2 referee's down, HHH is down, Undertaker is down....look at the carnage. HHH crawls over and drapes the arm over but Hebner takes too long and Taker kicks out at 2. Both take forever to get back up but HHH hits the pedigree out of nowhere, but he's got no energy to cover him. He finally rolls over and covers but Hebner is still recovering, so he drags the carcas to the center of the ring where Taker hits a low blow on Hunter. Taker rolls up HHH for 1.....2.....3 and Taker retains the title. JR "We've all respected The Undertaker for his accomplishments, but his attitude sucks!" Taker then taunts The Rock by the entrance way after the match which sets him off and bolts to the ring. The Rock fires at Taker with rights and hits a spinebuster. He then hits the people's elbow but as he celebrates he runs into HHH who hits the pedigree, which is understandable. HHH turns around into a chokeslam by The Undertaker. Taker leaves with the title as Rock and HHH are sprawled out in the ring, this should set up Vengeance nicely. Bad match but the return of The Rock made it special.
Time of Match: 23:44
Winner: The Undertaker by pinfall (still WWE Champion)
From an in-ring standpoint this was one of the better ppv's of the year but with the stupid gimmicks and hot-shot booking, the ppv didn't draw the ratings it was supposed to. The only match that wasn't that great was the main event but even the return of The Rock saved that one. Its too bad things turned out the way they did as this would be the last King of the Ring ppv and the last tournament for four years. The next PPV would be Vengeance. 3 Stars out of 5 because the in-ring action was hot....but the buildup and storylines were agoobwa (so bad I had to make up a word).
