Summerslam
August 25th, 2002
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Uniondale, New York
 
Sunday Night Heat:
 
1. Spike Dudley pins Steven Richards at 2:35.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Summerslam.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler for RAW, and Michael Cole and Tazz for Smackdown.
 
1. Kurt Angle forces Rey Mysterio to tap out at 9:20.
 
Debut: Oscar Gutierrez Rubio trained to be a wrestler under his uncle Rey Mysterio Sr. when he was 14 years old, and he would work in Mexico under several names before being gifted the name Rey Mysterio Jr. by his uncle. He would compete in AAA and feuded with Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis as the three men would join ECW in 1995 and continued their feud, and in 1996 Mysterio would sign with WCW and became one of the cornerstones of the Cruiserweight Division as he would win the Cruiserweight Title numerous times. He would have a memorable feud with Eddie Guerrero before being forced to unmask in 1999 after losing a tag match, and he would join the Filthy Animals and won the tag titles with Billy Kidman while also being part of the No Limit Soldiers. He would stay with WCW until they closed in 2001 and he would return to Mexico with CMLL while also working the indie scene before signing with WWE, and vignettes would play over the summer as he would make his TV debut on the 7/25 Smackdown with the mask back on and now just known as Rey Mysterio and he makes his PPV debut here.
 
The Buildup: On the 8/8 Smackdown, Mysterio and Edge saved John Cena from an attack by Angle, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero, and later that night Mysterio, Edge, and Cena defeated Angle, Benoit, and Eddie with Mysterio pinning Angle and Angle would rant about it after the match. On the 8/15 Smackdown, the two men had a confrontation backstage with Mysterio challenging Angle to a match at Summerslam which Angle accepted, and Mysterio would attack Angle after his match busting him open with Angle returning the favor after Mysterio’s match and he put Mysterio in the Ankle Lock. On the 8/22 Smackdown, Mysterio and Angle had a confrontation backstage with Angle continuing to insult him, and later that night Mysterio would cost Angle a match against Billy Kidman.
 
Analysis: We kick off Summerslam with a pretty big matchup. Mysterio has been getting under Angle’s skin for the last few weeks and now they face off here to settle their issues. Mysterio gets a big pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. Mysterio comes out from under the ring and hits a springboard headscissors on Angle to start the match, and he ducks a shot and hits another headscissors on Angle as he hits a dropkick and a monkey flip before getting a kick in. Angle reverses a whip into the corner and goes behind Mysterio who turns it around as Angle hits a series of back elbows, and he trips Mysterio up and Mysterio kicks him off as Angle rolls through and hooks the Ankle Lock with Mysterio quickly grabbing the rope to force a break. Mysterio pounds on Angle and lands on his feet on a backflip as he hits a drop toehold that sends Angle into the ropes, and Angle avoids the 619 and rolls outside as he trips Mysterio up and pulls him to the outside with Mysterio landing hard on the floor. He rams Mysterio into the apron and throws him back into the ring as he stomps on him repeatedly and hits a suplex, and he pounds on Mysterio who catches him ducking with a kick only for Angle to hit a wheelbarrow German suplex. Mysterio grabs the rope to block a second one and Angle pounds on him as Mysterio spins around and hooks a sunset flip for a two count, and Angle hits a clothesline for a two count and then he hits a backbreaker on Mysterio for a two count as he chokes him on the ropes. He pounds on Mysterio in the corner until Mysterio ducks a shot and fires up on Angle in the corner only for Angle to reverse a whip into the other corner, and Angle catches him on a leap and counters the headscissors with a sidewalk slam for a two count as he hooks a submission on. Mysterio escapes with a small package for a two count and Angle hits a clothesline for a two count as he knocks him down twice, but Mysterio catches him with a jawbreaker and he fires up on Angle who reverses a whip and Mysterio ducks a shot. He attempts a sunset flip and Angle sits on him though he misses a punch only for Angle to catch him in a belly-to-belly suplex, and Mysterio escapes an Angle Slam attempt with an armdrag and he avoids a charge as Angle sails over the top to the floor. Angle gets on the apron and Mysterio hits a baseball slide that hotshots Angle on the apron though the ref stops him from attempting a move, and Mysterio leaps over the ref as he hits a slingshot somersault senton onto Angle on the floor and throws him back into the ring. He hits a springboard legdrop to the back of Angle’s head for a two count and Angle reverses a whip as Mysterio slides under him and Angle gets a kick in, and he whips Mysterio into the corner as Mysterio springboards onto Angle’s shoulders only for Angle to slam him to the mat. He hooks the Ankle Lock back on though Mysterio kicks out to escape and Angle falls into the ropes, and Mysterio hits the 619 and West Coast Pop on Angle for a two count as he hits a spin kick and goes up top. Angle runs up top though Mysterio does a front flip as he lands on his feet and hits a springboard dropkick on Angle, and he slides out to the apron and goes up top himself though Angle escapes a hurricanrana attempt and hooks the Ankle Lock on again as Mysterio taps out and Angle wins the match. The match itself was great as both men worked hard and put on a really fun match. Mysterio was quickly gaining steam since debuting last month while Angle was hitting his stride, and they had great chemistry as Angle gets a clean win though Mysterio still looks strong in defeat. The crowd was into the match and Mysterio, but are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the win over Mysterio and both men move on. Grade: 4
 
We see Stephanie McMahon walking down the hallway with a tech as she hypes up what Smackdown is all about and she tells the tech to tell Eric Bischoff to try and top the previous match, and she goes into the GM’s office where Bischoff is waiting and he says that this is the only office for them as this is a neutral show and they can share the office which Stephanie agrees to.
 
We see highlights from RAW 6 nights ago.
 
2. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair forces Chris Jericho to tap out at 10:21.
 
The Buildup: On the 7/29 RAW, Flair lost a non-title match to the Rock and was set to make an announcement only for Jericho to attack him and say he was now on RAW, and on the 8/5 RAW Jericho cutting a promo calling Flair a has-been though Flair would cost Jericho a match against Rob Van Dam later that night. On the 8/12 RAW, Jericho and the Big Show defeated Flair and Bubba Ray Dudley in a tag match only for Flair to pull Jericho’s tights down after the match and Jericho would challenge Flair to a match here, and on the 8/19 RAW Jericho cut a promo running Flair down until Flair attacked Jericho with a trash can. Flair would cut a promo saying that his announcement was now on hold and he will finish this with Jericho only for Jericho to attack him and bust him open, and later that night Jericho performed with his band Fozzy only for Flair to come out and run him off before destroying the set.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last month since Jericho jumped over to RAW and now they face off here to settle their issues. Flair gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Jericho backing Flair into the corner and shoves him back as Flair slaps Jericho in the face, and they lock up again with Jericho going behind Flair who escapes with an armdrag for a two count and Jericho gets a kick in. He pounds on Flair in the corner and chokes him as he whips him into the other corner and hits a backdrop on Flair, and he hits a clothesline and back suplex on Flair only to miss the elbow and Flair pounds on him until Jericho catches him ducking with a kick. Flair sends Jericho over the top though he skins the cat only for Flair to knock him down and he pounds on Jericho in the corner, and Jericho rakes the eyes and rams Flair into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him inside out in the other corner. He clotheslines Flair over the top to the floor and goes outside himself as he rams Flair into the barricade and then he hotshots him on the barricade, and he pounds on Flair and goes up top as he drives the elbow into Flair’s back and throws him back into the ring. He pounds on Flair in the corner and knocks him down repeatedly as Flair battles back and whips him into the corner, but Jericho catches him with a back elbow and goes up to the middle rope as he hits a missile dropkick for a pair of two counts. He tries to take the pad off the buckle though the ref stops him as he takes the tape off his wrist and chokes Flair with it, and they trade blows with Flair taking control until Jericho knocks him down only for Flair to continue pounding on him. Jericho knocks him down and chokes him on the ropes as he slams down on Flair’s back and hits a suplex before going up top, but Flair nails him first and tosses him to the mat as Jericho misses a charge and rams his shoulder into the post. Flair knocks him down twice and hits a backdrop before hitting a back suplex on Jericho for a two count and he pounds on him, and Jericho escapes a suplex attempt and hooks a rollup as he looks for the Walls of Jericho on Flair who hooks a small package for a two count. Jericho hits a clothesline on Flair and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner and hits the running bulldog, but he misses the Lionsault and Flair pounds on him as he trips him up and looks for the Walls of Jericho on Jericho. Jericho trips him up and hooks the Figure-4 on Flair who reaches the ropes just before he taps out to force a break, and Jericho argues with the ref and shoves him back as he stomps on Flair and rams the knee into him repeatedly. He misses a dive and crotches himself on the ropes as Flair gets a chop in and Jericho accidentally hits the ref in the face, and Flair hits a low blow on Jericho and trips him up before hooking the Figure-4 on as Jericho taps out and Flair gets the win. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a decent match. Flair was slowly getting back into a groove by this point while Jericho was hitting his stride by this point, and they had good chemistry as Flair outsmarts Jericho and cheats to win in an upset. The crowd was into the match and popped for Flair when he won. Flair gets the win over Jericho though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in Lesnar’s dressing room as Heyman says that Hulk Hogan’s career is dead at Lesnar’s hands and it will be the same for Rock’s reign tonight, and he says that Rock is different though Lesnar is inside Rock’s head which is half the battle and Rock will feel like the underdog which Lesnar should take advantage of and he will become Undisputed Champion.
 
We see a shot outside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
 
3. Edge pins Eddie Guerrero with the spear at 11:48.
 
The Buildup: On the 8/1 Smackdown, Eddie was revealed to be the newest member of Smackdown as he and Chris Benoit defeated Edge and Rock in a tag match, and on the 8/8 Smackdown Edge teamed with Rey Mysterio and John Cena to defeat Eddie, Benoit, and Kurt Angle in a 6-man tag match. On the 8/15 Smackdown, this match was made as Edge and Mysterio defeated the Guerreros by DQ when Angle got involved, and on the 8/22 Smackdown Eddie and Benoit attacked Edge backstage and in the main event though would get back at them. Later that night in the main event, Edge and the Rock defeated Eddie and Benoit in a tag match when Edge pinned Eddie.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last few weeks and they face off here to settle their issues. Edge gets a big pop from the crowd while Eddie was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Eddie going behind Edge and he hooks a full nelson as Edge tries to escape though Eddie keeps control by working the arm, and Edge catches him with a back elbow and pounds on him as Eddie ducks a shot and Edge hits a flapjack. He pounds on Eddie and goes behind him as they exchange momentum until Edge gets a knee in and attempts a suplex, but Eddie escapes and lands on the apron as he snaps the back of Edge’s head on the top rope and returns to the ring. He pounds on Edge who reverses a whip as he leaps over Eddie and hits a monkey flip before hitting a powerslam for a two count, and he pounds on Eddie and ties him in the ropes as he rams the shoulder into Eddie’s ribs only to miss a charge and he falls to the outside. Eddie goes outside as Edge appears to have injured his shoulder and Eddie pounds on him before ramming his shoulder into the steps, and he throws Edge back into the ring and stomps on him repeatedly as Edge reverses a whip and Eddie catches him ducking with a knee. He hits an armbreaker on Edge and pounds on the arm as he grabs it and goes up top before hitting another armbreaker on Edge for a two count, and he continues to stomp on Edge and hooks a submission on the arm as Edge reaches the rope to force a break and Eddie drives the knee into his back repeatedly. He stomps on Edge repeatedly and knocks him down as he hooks a chickenwing crossface on until Edge fights out of the hold and hits a snapmare, but Eddie trips Edge up and goes back to the submission on the arm as Edge fights to his feet only for Eddie to hit a back suplex. He goes back to the submission on the arm and Edge counters a whip though Eddie hits a short clothesline and Edge catches him in a powerslam, and he hits a pair of clotheslines and a backdrop on Eddie who catches him with a back elbow only for Edge to hit the modified facebuster for a two count. Eddie gets a kick in though Edge blocks a suplex attempt and he suplexes Eddie over the top to the floor as he goes up top, and he hits a crossbody onto Eddie on the floor and throws him back into the ring as he goes up top again though Eddie nails him first. He goes up himself only for Edge to pound on him and he hits a front superplex on Eddie for a two count, and he looks for the spear only for Eddie to hit a dropkick and he goes up top as Edge gets his knees up on a Frog Splash attempt. Edge hits the Edgecution on Eddie for a two count though Eddie blocks a second one with a Northern lights suplex for a two count, and he hits a swinging neckbreaker on Edge and goes up top as Edge nails him first and goes up himself. Eddie blocks a superplex attempt and hits a series of headbutts on Edge as he knocks him to the mat and sets himself on the top rope, and he hits the Frog Splash on Edge’s arm for a two count and pounds on it as he grabs Edge and goes up top again. Edge gets  a shot in and tosses Eddie to the mat as he ducks a shot and hits the spear which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Edge was getting into a groove by this point while Eddie was back in his groove as well, and they had great chemistry as Edge manages to get the win despite the injured arm. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge when he won. Edge gets the win over Eddie though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 3.5
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews the Un-Americans, who say that they can’t wait to expose Booker and Goldust for the American shams they are though they regret it has to be in Long Island, and they say that this crowd is a typical American audience in that they are lazy and spoiled as they don’t appreciate athletes like them.
 
4. The Un-Americans defeat Booker T and Goldust when Christian pins Booker at 9:38 to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
The Buildup: On the 8/12 RAW, Booker defeated Storm in a match to earn himself and Goldust a tag title match here and later in the night, the Un-Americans and Triple H defeated Booker, Goldust, the Undertaker, and the Rock in an 8-man tag match. On the 8/19 RAW, Booker and Goldust saved Taker from an attack by the Un-Americans and later that night, the Un-Americans defeated Booker, Goldust, and Taker in a 6-man tag when Christian pinned Goldust.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first title match of the night. The Un-Americans have been rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge here in Booker and Goldust, who were gaining steam as a team and look to become champions. Booker and Goldust get a big pop from the crowd while the Un-Americans were pretty hot as heels. Goldust starts off the match with Christian who gets a kick in and he pounds on Goldust who reverses a whip and he hits a butt slam on Christian, and he hits a powerslam on Storm and kicks at Christian as he hits an uppercut for a two count and Christian gets a knee in. He pounds on Goldust and tags Storm as Goldust hits an armdrag and works the arm until Storm gets a knee in, and he pounds on Goldust who reverses a whip and he hits an atomic drop on Storm before hitting a clothesline. Booker tags in and pounds on Storm as he hits a back elbow and works the arm until Storm gets a knee in, but Booker counters a whip and hits a sidewalk slam on Storm as he drops a knee on him for a two count. Goldust tags in and goes up to the middle rope as he drives the elbow into Storm’s head and pounds on him, and Storm reverses a whip and Christian gets a shot in from the apron as Goldust knocks him to the floor and Storm rakes the eyes. He sends Goldust over the top to the floor and Christian rams Goldust into the barricade as he pounds on him and throws him back into the ring, and Storm gets a two count and stomps on Goldust repeatedly as he pounds on him and chokes him before tagging Christian. He stomps and pounds on Goldust who tries to battle back until Christian gets a knee in and he knocks Goldust down, and he chokes Goldust with his boot and throws him into the corner as Storm chokes him from the apron and Christian pounds on him. Both men choke Goldust and Christian hits a backbreaker for a two count as Storm tags in and they pound on Goldust, and Goldust holds the ropes to avoid a dropkick with Storm landing on the mat and Goldust hooks a rollup for a two count. He hits a modified chokeslam on Storm and Christian tags in as he stomps on Goldust and hooks a front facelock on, and Goldust fights to his feet and to his corner as he tags Booker though the ref was distracted by Storm and misses it. Booker fires up on the Un-Americans until the ref forces him out and the Un-Americans pound and stomp on Goldust in the corner, and Storm chokes Goldust with his boot and hits a short clothesline for a two count as Booker breaks it up and Storm pounds on Goldust on the mat. Christian tags in and kicks at Goldust who tries to battle back as he knocks Christian down and slingshots him into Storm who gets knocked to the floor, and Goldust hooks a rollup for a two count and both men clothesline each other as Goldust crawls to his corner only for Storm to pull Booker to the floor. He chases Storm away as Goldust kicks Christian away and dives for his corner though Booker is late getting there and Christian tosses Goldust to the mat, and Storm brings a pair of chairs into the ring though Goldust avoids the Con-Chair-To and he hits a double clothesline. Booker gets the hot tag and fires up on the Un-Americans as he hits a pair of clotheslines on both men and a backdrop on Storm, and he pounds on Christian who reverses a whip and Booker ducks a shot as he hits a flying forearm on Christian. Booker goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Christian for a two count as Goldust knocks Storm to the outside, and Booker gets a kick in though Christian avoids the scissors kick and looks for the Unprettier only for Booker to escape and he hits a flapjack. Storm gets in the ring and Booker avoids the side dropkick as Storm hits the ref by mistake and Booker gets a kick in, and he hits the scissors kick on both men and does the Spinaroonie as he hits a side kick on Christian though the ref is still down. Booker and Goldust try to revive the ref as Storm brings one of the belts into the ring though Booker ducks the shot and Goldust nails Storm, and they clothesline Storm over the top to the floor as Test runs down to the ring and hits the big boot on Booker which allows Christian to get the three and they retain the titles. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid title match. The Un-Americans were gelling well as a team while Booker and Goldust have also gelled as a team, and they had good chemistry as Test makes the difference and helps his partners retain. The crowd was into the match and Booker and Goldust, but are not happy when the Un-Americans retain. The Un-Americans retain the titles over Booker and Goldust though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 3
 
We see a shot outside the World in Times Square and we go inside where Jamie Noble and Nidia have a pair of fans, and Noble wants Nidia to pick one of them which she does and she makes out with him while Noble eggs it on.
 
We see Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon watching the monitor as Bischoff says Nidia would fit on RAW as she knows her place, and Stephanie says that women deserve to be on top and Bischoff says they’ll see who’s on top when either RVD or Benoit win the IC Title.
 
5. Rob Van Dam pins Chris Benoit with the 5-Star Frog Splash at 16:24 to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
 
The Buildup/Title Change: On the 7/22 RAW, RVD defeated Jeff Hardy in a ladder match to unify the IC and European Championships as Benoit defeated Booker T to earn a title shot, and on the 7/29 RAW Benoit would defeat RVD to win the IC Title. On the 8/1 Smackdown, it was revealed Benoit had defected to Smackdown bringing the IC Title with him and on the 8/8 Smackdown, Stacy Keibler was given important documents from Dawn Marie and she hid them from Stephanie before giving them to a hiding Bischoff. On the 8/12 RAW, Bischoff revealed the documents given to him included RVD’s guaranteed rematch against Benoit and RVD would defeat Jeff Hardy to retain the shot, and on the 8/15 Smackdown Stephanie chewed out Marie for what she did as she wanted to keep the IC Title on Smackdown.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second title match of the night. Benoit defeated RVD to become champion and then defected to Smackdown with the belt, and now RVD gets his rematch here as we see which show will have the IC Title. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Benoit was pretty hot as a heel. The two men square off to start with RVD kicking at Benoit’s leg as they square off again with RVD avoiding a shot, and they tease a test of strength with RVD getting a series of kicks in as he knocks Benoit down and Benoit rolls outside to regroup. He returns to the ring and they again tease a test of strength until RVD gets a kick in though Benoit catches a second kick, and he snaps RVD to the mat and hooks a submission on as RVD fights to his feet and whips him off though Benoit knocks him down. He whips RVD into the corner only for RVD to flip over him and he hits a springboard reverse crossbody for a two count, and he hits a spin kick on Benoit and stomps on him as he pounds on him and both men duck a shot with Benoit ducking a spin kick. He hits a German suplex on RVD and then he drops an elbow on him as he rams him into the buckle and hits a short clothesline for a two count, and he hits a backbreaker on RVD for a two count and stomps on him as he hits a snap suplex for a two count. He hooks a submission on the arm and RVD fights to his feet as he escapes with an armdrag only for Benoit to hit a back elbow, and RVD blocks a suplex with a small package for a two count and he ducks a shot as he hooks a backslide on Benoit for a two count. He hits a monkey flip on Benoit who quickly recovers with a clothesline on RVD and we see Benoit is bleeding from the mouth, and he stomps on RVD and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner. RVD catches him with a boot to the face only for Benoit to get his knees up on a split-legged moonsault and he goes up himself, but he misses the diving headbutt and RVD hits a spinning legdrop as he goes up top only to miss the 5-Star Frog Splash. Benoit hooks the Crossface on RVD who reaches the ropes to force a break and Benoit rams him into the buckle, and he pounds and stomps on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner only for RVD to catch him with a back elbow. He goes up top only for Benoit to shove him off the top and into the barricade as he goes outside himself, and he rams RVD’s shoulder into the post and throws him back into the ring as he hits a shoulderbreaker and drops an elbow on him. He stomps on RVD and slaps him in the face as he gets a kick in and pounds on RVD who tries to battle back, and he hits a back elbow on RVD for a two count and hooks another submission on as RVD fights to his feet and tries to turn the hold around. Benoit regains control and gets a knee in as he hooks another submission on RVD who rolls through to escape, and he hooks the submission on Benoit and kicks at him until Benoit gets a knee in and he yanks RVD to the mat by his hair. RVD hits a legsweep on Benoit who avoids a cartwheel moonsault and he hooks the Crossface back on RVD who escapes with a series of back elbows, and RVD attempts a rollup only for Benoit to roll through for a two count and he grabs the arm as he rams the shoulder into the post. He continues to work the arm and hits a Northern lights suplex as he rolls through and rams the knee into RVD’s ribs repeatedly, and he hits a second Northern lights suplex on RVD and rolls through as he gets a pair of knees in and hits a third Northern lights suplex. He rolls through again and takes RVD back to the mat as he hooks the Crossface back on as RVD reaches for the ropes, but Benoit blocks it and hooks a dragon sleeper on RVD who fights to his feet and escapes as he takes Benoit to the mat and hooks the Crossface on him. Benoit quickly escapes and hits a low dropkick on RVD as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, but RVD catches him with a back elbow and hits a springboard side kick on Benoit for a two count as he catches a kick attempt and hits a spin kick. He hits Rolling Thunder on Benoit for a two count and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs, and he ducks a shot and hits a spin kick on Benoit for a two count as he pounds on him and whips him into the corner. He does a front roll only for Benoit to block a monkey flip by putting him on the top rope and he crotches him, and Benoit goes up himself and pounds on RVD who falls on top of a back superplex attempt as he goes up top again and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was great as both men worked hard and put on a really good title match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and they had really good chemistry as RVD ends up getting the clean win to regain the title though Benoit looks strong in defeat. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD regains the title over Benoit and brings it back to RAW as both men move on. Grade: 4
 
We see Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon watching as Bischoff says that Stephanie needs to learn “Never say never” and the IC Title will now be on RAW, and she gets in his face and simply laughs as she leaves the room.
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
6. The Undertaker pins Test with the Tombstone at 8:19.
 
The Buildup/Face Turn: On the 7/29 RAW, the newly-named Un-Americans revealed they were now part of RAW and they would attack Taker after his match with Test giving him the big boot and they would give Taker a pair of Con-Chair-Tos, and on the 8/5 RAW the Un-Americans bragged about what they did to Taker as Sgt. Slaughter interrupted them. Later that night, Test attacked Slaughter before their match and after the Un-Americans’ match against the Hardy Boyz, Taker would attack them and chase them out of the building on a police motorcycle, and on the 8/12 RAW this match was made as the Un-Americans and Triple H defeated Taker, the Rock, Booker T, and Goldust in an 8-man tag when Test pinned Taker. On the 8/19 RAW, Taker cut a promo about being proud to be American until Test interrupted and messed with Taker’s bike which led to a brawl, and later that night the Un-Americans defeated Taker, Booker, and Goldust in a 6-man tag.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. Test has been attacking Taker since he came to RAW with the Un-Americans and now they face off here to settle their issues. Taker gets a big pop from the crowd while Test was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Test hooking a headlock and Taker whips him off as Test knocks him down and Taker leaps over him, and he hits a hiptoss on Test and works on the arm until Test gets a series of knees in and Taker ducks a shot as he hits a flying clothesline for a two count. He goes back to the arm and goes up top only for Test to block Old School by sending the ref into the ropes and Taker gets crotched, and he rolls out to the apron and Test knocks him off into the barricade as he goes outside himself and pounds on Taker. Taker gets a kick in and pounds on Test who reverses a whip and he sends Taker into the steps as he stomps on him and throws him back into the ring, and he stomps and pounds on Taker as he rams him into the buckle and hits a series of back elbows in the corner. He chokes Taker with his boot and Taker hits a trio of headbutts to the ribs until Test gets a knee in and he whips Taker into the corner before splashing him, and the two men trade blows until Test gets a knee in and he hits a short clothesline as he hooks a submission on the arm. Taker fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he ducks a shot and hits a back suplex on Test only to miss an elbow, and the two men trade blows again until Test gets a knee in only for Taker to catch him ducking with a DDT for a two count. He grabs the arm and goes up top as he hits Old School on Test and splashes him in the corner before whipping him into the other corner, and he hoists Test onto his shoulder and hits Snake Eyes though Test ducks the boot and gets a kick in as he looks for the pump handle powerslam. Taker escapes and grabs Test by the throat though Test blocks the chokeslam with a pair of back elbows and Taker ducks the big boot, and he grabs Test by the throat again and hits the chokeslam for a two count as he looks for the Last Ride until Lance Storm runs down to the ring. Taker slings him into the ring as Christian also runs down to the ring and Taker rams him into the corner, and he splashes both men in the corners and grabs Storm by the throat as he hits the chokeslam before grabbing Christian by the throat and he hits the chokeslam again. Test gets in the ring and hits the big boot on Taker for a two count as he goes outside and brings a chair into the ring, and the ref tries to take it from him only for Test to sling the ref to the mat and Taker kicks the chair back in Test’s face. He then hoists Test up and hits the Tombstone which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Taker was hitting his stride by this point while Test was also hitting his groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Taker overcomes the odds and gets the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Taker when he won. Taker gets the win over Test and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
7. Shawn Michaels pins Triple H with a rollup in an Unsanctioned match at 27:20.
 
The Buildup/Heel Turn: On the 7/22 RAW, Eric Bischoff announced that Michaels was going to be Triple H’s new manager and Michaels said no one tells him what to do as he threatened to walk out, and Triple H would stop him from leaving as he said he had an idea for them. Later that night, the two came out to seemingly revive D-Generation X only for Triple H to give Michaels the Pedigree which turned him heel, and on the 7/29 RAW Triple H cut a promo explaining his actions in that Michaels couldn’t go anymore and should accept being his manager. He would learn about something that happened in the back and the roster would find Michaels bloodied on the ground next to a car with a broken window, and on the 8/5 RAW Triple H would interrogate the RAW locker room in trying to find out who it was that attacked Michaels. At the end of the night, Michaels appeared via satellite while Triple H was in the ring and the security footage was shown revealing that Triple H attacked Michaels in the parking lot, and Triple H admitted it was him and said he did it to prove that Michaels was weak and he could’ve crippled him if he wanted to. Michaels said he was told by his doctors that he would be fully recovered by Summerslam and challenged Triple H to a match as Triple H vowed to end his career if he came back, and on the 8/12 RAW Triple H cut a promo on Michaels saying they were never friends and used each other as he again vowed to end Michaels’ career. On the 8/19 RAW, Triple H cut a promo on how personal this match is and claimed that Michaels hasn’t signed the contract yet, and he says that the contract stipulates that Michaels won’t hold him responsible for what he does in the match. Later that night, Bischoff revealed to Triple H that Michaels signed the contract agreeing to Triple H’s terms as Bischoff said he was not going to sanction the match, and in the main event Triple H and Rock fought a no contest when Brock Lesnar got involved though Michaels would also appear and attacked Triple H.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a highly anticipated matchup. It seemed like these two were set to reunite only for Triple H to turn on Michaels and now they face off here in Michaels’ first match in over 4 years. Michaels gets a huge pop from the crowd while Triple H was red hot as a heel. Michaels wastes no time and attacks Triple H to start the match until Triple H gets a kick in and he sends Michaels to the outside, but Michaels quickly returns to the ring and hits a spear on Triple H as he pounds on him on the mat and continues to pound on him. Triple H hooks a headlock and knocks Michaels down as Michaels leaps over him and sends Triple H over the top to the floor, and then he hits a slingshot plancha onto Triple H on the floor and pounds on him as Triple H gets a knee in though Michaels blocks a ram into the post. He rams Triple H into the post and he hits a clothesline as he throws a trash can into the ring and grabs a trash can lid only for Triple H to get a knee in, and he hotshots Michaels on the barricade and rolls back into the ring as he pulls Michaels onto the apron only for Michaels to hit him with the lid. He skins the cat back into the ring and hits a clothesline as he grabs the can and hits Triple H in the head with it, and he goes up top and hits an axehandle on Triple H as he looks for Sweet Chin Music though Triple H ducks it and hits a pair of backbreakers. He pounds on Michaels and rams him into the buckle as he whips him hard into the corners and stomps on him, and he drops a trio of elbows on Michaels’ back for a two count and goes outside as he brings a chair into the ring and he hits Michaels in the back for a two count. Michaels tries to battle back only for Triple H to get a knee in though Michaels escapes a suplex attempt and hooks a rollup for a two count, and he pounds on Triple H who catches him ducking with the facebuster and he puts the chair on the mat. He hits a DDT on Michaels on the chair which busts him open for a two count and he takes Michaels’ belt off as he whips him with it, and he wraps the belt around his fist and pounds on Michaels with the buckle as he knocks him down and goes outside. He looks under the ring and pulls the sledgehammer out as he brings it into the ring only for Michaels to get a pair of kicks in and he pounds on Triple H, and Triple H reverses a whip into the corner and hooks an abdominal stretch on Michaels while using the ropes for leverage and the ref argues with him until he breaks the hold. Triple H and the ref exchange shoves and continue to argue as Michaels tries to battle back and gets a kick in only for Triple H to get a knee in, and he puts Michaels on the top rope and pounds on him as he goes up himself though Michaels battles back and knocks Triple H to the mat. He sets himself on the top rope only for Triple H to shove the ref into the ropes which causes Michaels to get crotched on the top rope, and he falls into the tree of woe as Triple H grabs the chair and he hits Michaels in the back with it with Michaels falling to the mat. Triple H sets the chair up and hits a sidewalk slam on Michaels onto the chair for a series of two counts as he puts the chair on the mat, and he hits another sidewalk slam onto the chair for a series of two counts and looks for the Pedigree only for Michaels to hit a low blow. Triple H recovers first and grabs the chair only for Michaels to hit Sweet Chin Music as he kicks the chair back in Triple H’s face which busts him open, and Michaels fires up on Triple H who reverses a whip and Michaels hits a flying forearm as he nips up and pounds on Triple H. He hits a backdrop on Triple H and grabs the chair as he hits Triple H in the head with it and he whips Triple H into the corner with Triple H sailing over the top to the floor, and Michaels goes outside and grabs the lid as he hits Triple H in the head with it and then he grabs the belt. He whips Triple H with it twice and grabs the can as he hits Triple H in the head with it and then he grabs the lid again, and he hits Triple H in the head with it as Triple H sails over the Smackdown announce table and Michaels pulls off the boot of one of the Spanish commentators. He hits Triple H in the head with the boot and runs around the ring as he hits a running bulldog onto the steps and pulls a ladder out, and he rams the ladder into Triple H’s face and then he drives the ladder into Triple H’s ribs repeatedly as he props the ladder up against the post. Triple H reverses a whip though Michaels avoids the ladder and he pounds on Triple H as he trips him up and slingshots him into the ladder, and he throws Triple H back into the ring for a two count and rolls back outside as he tries to bring the ladder into the ring only for Triple H to hit a baseball slide that drives the ladder into Michaels’ ribs. Triple H goes outside and pounds on Michaels as he throws him back into the ring and goes up top only for Michaels to nail him first, and he goes up himself and hits a superplex on Triple H for a two count as Triple H reverses a whip and Michaels hooks a sunset flip for a two count. Triple H hits the high knee for a two count and rolls outside as he brings the steps into the ring and he charges at Michaels, but Michaels hits a drop toehold with Triple H falling onto the steps and then Michaels clotheslines Triple H over the top to the floor. He rolls outside and pulls out a table as he sets it up at ringside and knocks Triple H before pulling out a fire extinguisher, and he hits Triple H in the head with it with Triple H falling onto the table as Michaels goes up top and hits a splash that puts Triple H through the table. Triple H rolls back into the ring and Michaels brings the ladder into the ring as he sets it up and he climbs to the top, and he drops an elbow on Triple H and looks for Sweet Chin Music though Triple H catches the attempt and gets a kick in. He looks for the Pedigree only for Michaels to trip him up and hook a rollup which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was excellent as both men worked hard and put on a fantastic match. Triple H was back in his groove by this point while Michaels looked great despite not having wrestled for over 4 years, and they had great chemistry as Michaels pulls out the win and now you have to wonder if this was really just a one-off for him. The crowd was red hot for the match and popped for Michaels when he won. Michaels gets the upset win over Triple H though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 5
 
After the match, Michaels celebrates only for Triple H to grab the sledgehammer and he hits Michaels in the back twice with it, and he heads to the back laughing as EMTs come out and puts Michaels on a stretcher before taking him to the back.
 
Howard Finkel says that before the main event, he has some things to get off his chest as he says that he’s proud to say this is his first PPV in this arena since WrestleMania 2, and he says that it’s called commitment and baseball may be going on strike, but the fans will always have him. Just then, Trish Stratus comes down to the ring and Finkel says that 2 weeks ago, she slapped him in the face and last week, she pushed him into a pool of mud and she doesn’t have the right to interrupt him. She says that she’s been feeling bad about what she’s done to him and she’s been listening to him all night as she thinks he has a sexy voice, and she says that she wants to give him a surprise to make it up to him and he says that it’s a dog-eat-dog world as she has the puppies and he has his wiener. She says that she should start slow with a hug and he agrees as they embrace and he says that this is a pleasant surprise, and she says the real surprise is behind him as Lilian Garcia comes in the ring and slaps Finkel in the face before giving him a low blow.
 
We see the buildup to the main event.
 
8. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pins the Rock with the F-5 at 15:49 to win the Undisputed WWE Championship.
 
Temp. Farewell: This is Rock’s last WWE PPV until 2003
 
The Buildup: On the 7/22 RAW, Rock defeated Eddie Guerrero in a match and Lesnar would come out after the match as he held the title before throwing it at Rock’s feet, and at the end of the show it was revealed Lesnar and Heyman had defected to Smackdown as they left the arena with Stephanie McMahon. On the 7/25 Smackdown, Lesnar made his Smackdown debut attacking Mark Henry and later that night, he would cost Rock and Hulk Hogan the tag titles when he gave Hogan the F-5 and left the arena, and on the 8/1 Smackdown Lesnar would cost Rock and Edge a tag match against Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. On the 8/8 Smackdown, Hogan goaded Lesnar into putting the title shot on the line and later that night, Lesnar defeated Hogan by making him pass out in a bearhug and he would bust Hogan open with a chair before rubbing his blood on his chest. On the 8/12 RAW, Lesnar and Heyman appeared in the crowd and would distract Rock during a brawl with Triple before getting ejected, and on the 8/15 Smackdown Lesnar bragged about ending Hogan’s career and came out during Rock’s match with Benoit as the two men had a staredown. On the 8/19 RAW, Rock received a package from Heyman which were pictures of what happened to Hogan and later, Rock cut a promo on his match that night which was interrupted by a Lesnar vignette, and Lesnar and Heyman would show up at ringside with tickets and Lesnar would attack Rock during his match with Triple H though Rock would fight him off and chased him into the crowd. On the 8/22 Smackdown, Lesnar and Rock had a back and forth until Rock was attacked by Benoit and Eddie, and in the main event Rock and Edge defeated Eddie and Benoit in a tag match and Rock brawled with Lesnar before sending him out of the ring.
 
Analysis: After a long and hot night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Rock has been rolling since winning the Undisputed Title last month and faces his toughest challenge to date in Lesnar, who earned the shot by becoming King of the Ring and looks to become champion in record time. Rock gets a big pop from the crowd though does get some boos while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel though does get some cheers. Rock wastes no time and pounds on Lesnar to start the match until Lesnar hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count, and he hits a pair of backbreakers on Rock for a two count and rams the shoulder into Rock’s ribs repeatedly in the corner. He hits a running knee that sends Rock to the outside and Heyman gets a kick in on Rock as Lesnar goes outside and clotheslines Rock over the barricade into the crowd, and he goes into the crowd and presses Rock up as he hotshots him on the barricade and he clotheslines him back to ringside. He kicks at Rock and throws him back into the ring as he hits another belly-to-belly suplex for a two count and Rock tries to battle back, but Heyman trips Rock up from the floor and Lesnar drops a pair of elbows on Rock as he stomps on him repeatedly and Heyman chokes him behind the ref’s back. Rock again tries to battle back and Lesnar reverses a whip as Rock catches him ducking with a kick only for Lesnar to hit a powerslam for a two count, and he pounds on Rock and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly in the corner again only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post. Rock hits a back suplex on Lesnar and both men nip up at the same time as Rock pounds on Lesnar who reverses a whip and Rock hits a pair of clotheslines that Lesnar no-sells, and Rock ducks a shot and hits a third clothesline that knocks Lesnar down as he gets a kick in and hits a DDT for a two count. He looks for the Sharpshooter as Heyman gets on the apron and Rock knocks him to the floor before catching a kick attempt, and he snaps Lesnar to the mat and hooks the Sharpshooter on as Heyman gets back on the apron and throws a chair into the ring. Rock releases the hold and tosses Heyman into the ring as he looks for the Rock Bottom only for Lesnar to nail him from behind, and Heyman distracts the ref as Lesnar grabs the chair and he jabs it into Rock’s ribs before hooking a bearhug on. Rock tries to fight out of the hold only for Lesnar to hit a back suplex and he hooks a reverse bearhug on Rock on the mat, and he rolls Rock onto his shoulders twice for two counts and continues to grind down on him as Rock fights to his feet and breaks the hold by pounding on Lesnar. Heyman gets on the apron again and Rock hits a low blow on Lesnar only for Lesnar to ram Rock into the corner, and he rams the shoulder into Rock’s ribs only for Rock to fire out with a clothesline and he pounds on Lesnar before knocking him over the top to the floor. Rock goes outside as well and clears the Spanish announce table off as Heyman tries to sneak up on him only for Rock to catch him, and he grabs Heyman and rams him into the table as he ducks a shot and hits a clothesline on Lesnar. He slingshots Lesnar into the post and gets on the table as he pulls Heyman onto it as well and he hits the Rock Bottom which puts Heyman through the table, and he throws Lesnar back into the ring and hits the Rock Bottom for a two count only for Lesnar to catch him in a Rock Bottom for a two count. Rock reverses a whip and hits a spinebuster on Lesnar as he sets up for the People’s Elbow only for Lesnar to hit a clothesline and he hoists Rock onto his shoulders, but Rock escapes the F-5 and pounds on Lesnar who blocks the Rock Bottom with a back elbow and Rock ducks a shot. He looks for the Rock Bottom though Lesnar escapes and hoists Rock onto his shoulders before hitting the F-5 which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was great as both men worked hard and put on a great title match that lived up to the hype. Rock was hitting his peak by this point while Lesnar was quickly hitting his groove and they had great chemistry, and this was a huge moment for Lesnar as he is now the top dog only 5 months after debuting. The crowd was into the match and were pretty split for both men, and they did pop big for Lesnar when he won as they turned on Rock towards the end. Lesnar gets the win over Rock and is the new Undisputed Champion as both men move on. Grade: 4.5
 
After the match, Lesnar celebrates with the title as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this show ended up being a fantastic show and really delivered after weeks of solid build and hype. With most of the hype of the show being on the main event, the undercard would either make or break the show and it easily made the show which was only buoyed by an excellent main event. Lesnar is now the man while RVD once again rules the midcard and the Un-Americans still rule the tag division, and Angle, Flair, Edge, Taker, and Michaels get big wins, and in terms of the matches the last two were the best while everything else ranged from great to good with no bad match on the show. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as there was a lot of turmoil at the start of the summer, but now things seem to be leveling out and we will see how the brands move forward going into the fall. As for this show, it is an excellent show and is arguably the greatest Summerslam in history. Final Grade: A+