Search - WWE King of the Ring 2002 on DVD

Barely average

Joe Sherry | Minnesota | 03/25/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"1. King of the Ring Semi-Finals: Chris Jericho vs Rob Van Dam - I found this to be one of the more entertaining matches of the PPV. I'm a sucker for the work of Chris Jericho, and I feel that a Jericho/Van Dam feud would be great! I don't know if this would be the match of the night, but it was definitely one of the better matches.
2. King of the Ring Semi-Finals: Brock Lesnar vs Test - I liked the psychology of this match with Lesnar doing everything he could to get out of the way of Test's big boot. This was a power match, plain and simple. Nothing too complex. It was also fairly short. Not bad, for what it is.
3. Cruiserweight Title: Hurricane (c) vs Jamie Noble - This was the first PPV that Jamie Noble wrestled in. He had made his appearance several weeks prior and had begun a feud with Hurricane. This match was okay, but nothing special. As a cruiserweight match, it kind of stunk. As I understand it, the Cruiserweight division is where we should be seeing the high-flying offense that the big men cannot do. Sadly, this was mostly a mat-based match. Even so, I like the Hurricane, so it isn't all bad.
4. Women's Title: Trish Stratus (c) vs Molly Holly - The women's division has been steadily improving recently. Trish Stratus is one of the hardest working women in the WWE to become a credible wrestler. I respect that, but I find her character to not be very interesting. Molly Holly, on the other hand, is a talented woman and does not fit into the stereotype of the "Diva". I find this refreshing and her character interesting. This match was somewhat better than expected.
5. Ric Flair vs Eddie Guerrero - This was a match that was not supposed to happen. Guerrero was being put into a program with Steve Austin, but Austin walked out on the job and Flair stepped up to fill the spot in the PPV. With very little build up, this was one of the best matches of the night. Flair is rightfully a legend and can still entertain in the ring. Now that Guerrero is living clean again, he is one of the best performers in the WWE (now if he would only lose that accent...the one he didn't have in WCW). The was a more traditional mat wrestling clinic, with Flair proving that he can still "go" when called upon. Excellent match.
6. Hulk Hogan vs Kurt Angle - I know that Hogan is a legend, but I don't find him that entertaining. He is the same wrestler he was in the 80's, with no growth of character. That said, this match was better than I expected. Kurt Angle can pull a good match out of a mop (speaking of mops, Angle is still wearing the wig to cover up his bald head following the "Hair vs Hair" match against Edge), and he pulled one out of Hogan. Even with Angle in the match, it was better than it should have been, so hats off to Hogan and Angle for turning in a good match.
7. King of the Ring Finals: Rob Van Dam vs Brock Lesnar - Normally, I wouldn't give away who is in the final match of a tournament, but if you watch WWE programming, you know who won the match and got the title shot at Summerslam. This match was better than Lesnar/Test, but not quite as good as Jericho/Van Dam. Lesnar's main flaw is not his ring ability, but the fact that he does not get the crowd involved. He methodically goes to work and works on the opponent, but unlike Goldberg (a poor wrestler, but someone who got loud cheers), Lesnar does not play to the crowd. An okay match, not very long, but accomplished what it needed to for the story.
8. WWE Title: Undertaker (c) vs Triple H - While not as good as their match from Wrestlemania 17, this was not a terrible match. HHH was working hurt (his arm really was in bad shape), so was not able to perform at a top level. While a disappointing match, this wasn't as bad a match as some might have you believe. There was the expected run-in by The Rock, and while I am usually against any sort of interference in a Championship match, it was a saving grace.
This PPV was merely average. It featured a couple of interesting promo spots. One was a comedy spot featuring The Rock, Booker T, and Goldust (does Dustin Runnels get more entertaining as time goes on? I think so). The other was a brief interaction between the NWO (at the time, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, X-Pac, and Big Show) and Triple H. This is made interesting because of the real life friendship of Nash, Michaels, and Sean Waltman (X-Pac). Michaels, HHH and Waltman were part of Degeneration X, and with Nash (and Scott Hall) were members of the "Kliq". The suggestion was made that if HHH needed help in his match, all Hunter had to do was raise his fingers and make the sign and the NWO would come to his aid. It was an interesting angle and unfortunately, nothing ever came of it."