RATING LEVELS:
Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible
Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety
Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings
High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches
DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch
Vengeance 2002 - July 2002
Detroit, Michigan
COMMENTARY: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Tazz
Vengeance 2002 starts off with a ridiculous Pulp Fiction/Bible-infused video package hyping tonight's triple threat main event and the arrival of Eric Bischoff as the General Manager of RAW followed by a pyrotechnics display that would wake the dead.
Spike and Bubba Ray Dudley arrive, table in hands, for tonight's opening contest, a Tag Team Tables Match, against Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit. The dominance by the heels is amazing in the first half of the contest as Guerrero and Benoit brutally and believably beat down their opponents with double-teams, suplexes, and other signature offense. Benoit, in particular, is in tremendous shape, tossing a very not-in-tremendous-shape Bubba Dudley around with remarkable ease. It takes awhile before the tables are introduced, but the audience is with the match the whole time, rooting on the babyfaces. While I wasn't a huge fan of any of the table spots that ended the match, to call this thing anything below average is to blatantly ignore how caught up the crowd is in this match and how well this one is layed out to build up the suspense. Solid opener. (3/5)
Triple H is confronted by Eric Bischoff in the back. As the commentators mentioned earlier, Triple H is expected to make an announcement tonight on whether he will stay on SmackDown or join RAW.
The Cruiserweight Championship is on the line next - Jamie Noble defending against Billy Kidman. Kidman gets a little bit of offense in early, but when the action spills out of the ring, Noble is able to take advantage with help from his girlfriend, Nidia. Kidman sells the damage to his left shoulder very well as the match continues on, while Noble targets it with a reverse key lock and an "arm DDT" (or whatever you call that move), building an effective story and getting the fans to rally behind the good guy. Cole notes that Rey Mysterio will be making his debut on SmackDown the following week, which does make me wonder why his debut wasn't promoted as part of this show. Kidman nearly gets the victory from a top rope powerbomb-esque maneuever, but Noble is able to kickout and block a follow-up tornado DDT attempt. Kidman attempts his 7 Year Itch finisher, but Noble rolls out of the way, leading to a number of reversals and Noble connecting with a double-underhook powerbomb for the victory. While not a cruiserweight contest at the same level of the ones that dazzled WCW audiences 4-5 years earlier, this one was certainly good enough to merit its inclusion on PPV. (2.5/5)
Afterr a backstage altercation between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, we come to a rematch for the WWE European Championship, Jeff Hardy defending against the former titleholder, William Regal. I was unaware that Hardy was using the bodypaint way back in 02', but you learn something new every day, right? A loud "Regal Sucks" chants serves as a soundtrack to the beatdown he gives to Hardy early on, hitting him with all sorts of smashmouth offense. A botched dropkick is followed by an ugly hurricanrana on the floor, the whole sequence saved by the unwavering adoration that Hardy receives from the crowd and the Rainbow-haired Warrior's willingness to toss himself off the guardrail and top rope to keep the crowd from turning on what is a noticeably sloppy contest. A very unbelievable finish wraps up a match that could've been so much better. (1.5/5)
Ric Flair congratulates Jeff Hardy backstage before Hulk Hogan shows up and jokes about hitting a Swanton Bomb of his own before asking Naitch what McMahon is thinking making Eric Bischoff the General Manager of RAW. They reference the way Bischoff drove WCW "out of business." Not a great segment, but it didn't eat a lot of time and is, at the very least, something fresh...unlike the non-stop Network ads we get on today's specials.
John Cena makes his pay-per-view debut next, taking on Chris Jericho. The story coming into this one is that the new blood, Cena, has been scoring upset victories over established talents (namely Kurt Angle) and even got a nod of approval from The Undertaker, angering the first Undisputed Champion in WWE history. Watching this match 15 years later is interesting, but not revelatory - the fact is, while Cena looks competent, has an impressive physique, and puts forth good effort, based on this match alone, one wouldn't have earmarked him for being the company's top star for the next decade. The best spot of the match comes when Cena propels himself full-force into a Jericho dropkick, popping the otherwise not-so-into-it crowd. Extra points for a good finishing sequence that got the story over that Jericho had the victory, but fell prey to overconfidence. (2.5/5)
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler take over on commentary for tonight's Intercontinental Championship match - Rob Van Dam defending against the King of the Ring, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is already headed to SummerSlam to challenge for the WWE World Championship, so tonight represents his opportunity to capture a different title beforehand. Lesnar starts off the match showing more confidence and personality than in any bout I've seen from him on my journey through yesteryear, while Van Dam wrestles with the spirit and energy that helps explain why he was one of the most over babyfaces on the roster at this point. I was not a fan of their King of the Ring effort, but this one delivers the goods from the first minute - Lesnar hitting RVD with a bevy of big throws and slams as Van Dam cleverly counters with his agility and "educated feet." Apart from the impressive variety of Lesnar's offense (which now includes a bearhug and an abdominal stretch), what might be most impressive here is his bumping and selling. While he doesn't have to do much in that department, dominating this bout for lengthy stretches, when Lesnar hits the mat, it means something and the fans react accordingly. This is the first I've seen of the "complete" Brock Lesnar - a menacing monster that can also, in spots, look vulnerable enough to warrant fan sympathy. An unfortunate finish that seems "out of the blue" in this era, when all sorts of interference was routinely allowed, takes away from what was certainly the best match of the evening so far and a star-making turn for both guys. On the positive side, the post-match action is an excellent fishhook into the cheek of the audience, demanding us to keep watching to see if these two will ever tangle again. (3.5/5)
Backstage, Eric Bischoff is still waiting outside of Stephanie McMahon's door. Stephanie comes out and stoicly announces that Triple H has "signed," then walks away. Triple H emerges and Bischoff shouts in his face about being a disloyal, dishonest businessman. Triple H tells him that he didn't sign with SmackDown, he just signed his divorce papers. Boy does Bischoff have egg on his face! Triple H adds that he's still undecided about which show he will be on.
Back in the ring, The Big Show makes his way down the aisle to take on Booker T in a No Disqualification, No Countout match-up. Show takes control early, tossing Booker around the ring with ease and stomping on him a couple of times for good measure. The crowd is fairly dead for this, though the participants do deserve some credit for trying to keep them engaged. Booker specifically brings tremendous energy to the match, flipping and flopping all over the place to get over Big Show's size and strength. A scissors kick through the Spanish announce table earns a "Holy Shit" chant from the crowd and while I wouldn't call it an all-time great spot, it does wake up the crowd effectively. Unfortunately, as the match is being fought under a no countout stipulation, the next minute or so is dead time and the crowd seems disinterested again until Booker connects with a second scissors kick inside the ring. An impressive Houston Hangover (wasn't that the Harlem Hangover?) finishes off a match that may not be a masterpeice, but doesn't overstay its welcome and features just enough bright spots to make it no less than average. (2.5/5)
Decision time for Triple H in our next segment as he joined by both Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon, the General Managers of RAW and SmackDown respectively. The crowd in attendance is much more interested than I was (or I'd assume most modern day fans would be considering that Triple H has been synonymous with RAW for close to two decades now with only a comparatively short run on the Blue Brand in the late 00s). Anyway, the segment gets a true kick once Shawn Michaels arrives, explaining away the New World Order angle he was initially involved in and teasing a reunion of DegenerationX (that wouldn't actually happen for another 3-4 years). Michaels performing as the snarky, authority-poking braggart is fun to watch after years of him doing a more solemn, respected veteran character in his last years with the company. The live crowd loves this segment, but until Shawn showed up I was ready to reach for the remote. By the time Triple H finally decides to join HBK on RAW, I'm surprised anyone is shocked or surprised - the fact is, there really seemed like no question as to what brand he'd pick. (2/5)
After a couple backstage segments and a video package, the World Tag Team Championships are on the line with Hulk Hogan and Edge defending against the Anti-Americans, Christian and Lance Storm. What starts off as a very standard match with very standard action gets spruced up a bit thanks to the hard work of Edge, Storm, and Christian, a fantastic ref bump, and some surprise involvement out of another famous Canadian grappler to end the match. In this undoubtedly "upper midcard" context, the "special-ness" of Hogan is certainly diminished (the fact is, Hogan is such a big name compared to everyone else involved that this does seem like he's "slumming it" a bit), but kudos to whoever laid out this match and Hogan himself for not phoning it in and actually subverting expectations a bit by having the Anti-Americans survive a "Hulk Up" sequence and utilizing Edge as the hot tag (when I assumed Hogan would be protected in that role going into the match). Not an all time great tag contest, but definitely the most entertaining thing we've seen in the past 45 minutes of this show. (3/5)
Main event time - The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker for Taker's Undisputed World Championship. Dave Meltzer gave this match a glowing review in 2002, awarding it a rare 4-and-a-half stars (though he was much harsher on the rest of the card). Meltzer is not alone either as a simple search of "Best Triple Threat Match Ever" will yield quite a few lists with this one near the top of many. While I wouldn't quite put it up there, it is unquestionably an enjoyable match-up that benefits from featuring no run-ins, a very limited use of weapons, and a somewhat small amount of blood considering the "norm" at the time, making this one of the more "pure" main events of its era. The Rock is absolutely great here, the perfect bumping foil for both The Undertaker's straightforward brawling style and Angle's suplex-heavy offense. Modern fans who need a reminder of how much character and charisma Rock could bring into a wrestling match should certainly rewatch - there is just nobody in today's scene that does it like he did. After some not-so-hot outings out of Undertaker in the months prior, this one put him in the right context to cover up obvious issues with mobility and stamina. While purists will criticize the abundance of finisher stealing and finisher "spamming," as well as the fact that the first half of the match is laid out in standard "These two fight-then these two fight-then these two fight" sequences, the crowd is hot for all of it and at no point does the action die down for even a moment. The closing 5-6 minutes, when all three are in the ring (and stay there), every near-fall really seems like it can end the match, including the schoolboys and roll-ups, the violent interplay between the three executed perfectly. Easily the match of the night, largely due to the overness of the Rock and the thrilling, edge of your seat action in the second half of the match. (4/5)
Some have called Vengeance 2002 one of the WWE's best ever and, on paper, it certainly should be. The main event is as star-studded a post-Attitude Era match as one can find. Brock Lesnar, Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Edge are all on the card. John Cena makes his PPV debut. Shawn Michaels makes his first PPV appearance in, I believe, over 4 years. 5 different titles are on the line and there are two hardcore stipulation matches. So how did this show end up with a pretty average 2.72-out-of-5 score?
For starters, the card is almost too loaded to sustain any of the highs it hits. Looking at the list of superstars above, one would think this match is match-after-match of near-classics, but weighing down the show are forgettable, irrelevant filler matches between Jeff Hardy and William Regal and Billy Kidman and Jamie Noble. The Triple H segment may have made for a captivating TV segment, but just seems to "be there" on this show, nothing worth revisiting for those that recall it or even watching once for those that missed it back then (like myself). The opener and Lesnar/RVD have excellent moments in them, but aren't worth digging up either. I can see this show being a fun nostalgia watch for fans that have fond memories of the post-Attitude Era, but for 31-and-11/12ths viewers like myself, who "tapped out" out on the WWE once the war over Monday Nights was officially over, who like to remember Hulk Hogan for his glory days in the 90s, who have little patience for Triple H as a babyface, and don't necessarily yearn to watch cruiserweight matches that focused more on silly gimmicks than innovative, international-spiced wrestling, this show is simply too up-and-down to keep your interest for longer than a half hour or so.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
Some have called Vengeance 2002 one of the WWE's best ever and, on paper, it certainly should be. The main event is as star-studded a post-Attitude Era match as one can find. Brock Lesnar, Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Edge are all on the card. John Cena makes his PPV debut. Shawn Michaels makes his first PPV appearance in, I believe, over 4 years. 5 different titles are on the line and there are two hardcore stipulation matches. So how did this show end up with a pretty average 2.72-out-of-5 score?
For starters, the card is almost too loaded to sustain any of the highs it hits. Looking at the list of superstars above, one would think this match is match-after-match of near-classics, but weighing down the show are forgettable, irrelevant filler matches between Jeff Hardy and William Regal and Billy Kidman and Jamie Noble. The Triple H segment may have made for a captivating TV segment, but just seems to "be there" on this show, nothing worth revisiting for those that recall it or even watching once for those that missed it back then (like myself). The opener and Lesnar/RVD have excellent moments in them, but aren't worth digging up either. I can see this show being a fun nostalgia watch for fans that have fond memories of the post-Attitude Era, but for 31-and-11/12ths viewers like myself, who "tapped out" out on the WWE once the war over Monday Nights was officially over, who like to remember Hulk Hogan for his glory days in the 90s, who have little patience for Triple H as a babyface, and don't necessarily yearn to watch cruiserweight matches that focused more on silly gimmicks than innovative, international-spiced wrestling, this show is simply too up-and-down to keep your interest for longer than a half hour or so.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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