11 Best WWE PPV Matches Of 2002

The year 2002 was a time of transition for WWE. In name and in execution.

Not only did they officially change the name of the company from WWF to WWE, but this was also the year WWE finally moved on from the Attitude Era.

With the debuts of stars like Batista, John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Rey Mysterio, the Ruthless Aggression Era began in full in 2002. The likes of Steve Austin and The Rock were on their way out, and the new stars had started to take over.

There were a few very good pay-per-views this year with many great matches. Let’s take a look at them.

These are the 11 best WWE pay-per-view matches of 2002.

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11. Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio – SummerSlam

SummerSlam 2002 remains one of the best pay-per-views in WWE history. Not only that, but it has one of the best opening matches in WWE history as well.

Rey Mysterio had just arrived in WWE and his first pay-per-view match was against Kurt Angle. You will not find a better first opponent than that.

This match started off hot with Mysterio hitting a hurricanrana at the bell and they were off and running. Mysterio has never been known for his technical wrestling but he was able to hang with Angle in a fabulous match.

Angle was arguably the best wrestler in the world at the time, and even in an opening match, he could pull off a legendary performance.

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10. Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker – No Mercy

When you talk about Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell, most new fans will point to their 2015 match. However, their match at No Mercy 2002 was arguably just as good.

The Undertaker was wrestling with his hand in a cast and so much of this match focused on his injury. Lesnar was still a very fresh face after winning the WWE Championship at SummerSlam and finally defeating The Undertaker was a big moment for him.

This was a very strong Hell in a Cell match complete with excessive blood loss from The Undertaker. Twas the time for blood after all.

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9. Chris Jericho vs. The Rock – Royal Rumble

Chris Jericho’s reign as Undisputed Champion was not terribly successful. No matter how many times he will remind you he beat The Rock and Steve Austin in the same night, the title reign that followed was very lackluster.

Thankfully, he at least got a very good title defense out of his reign. At the Royal Rumble 2002, he battled The Rock for the Undisputed Championship.

There was an incredible amount of interference in this match which certainly tainted a bit of the impact a win over The Rock had for Jericho, but the work in the match itself was top notch.

Jericho and The Rock had great chemistry together and this was one of their best.

• PPV
• Kurt Angle
• Edge
• wwe

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