King of the Ring
June 23rd, 2002
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio

Note: Aside from being a WWE Network special in 2015, this is the last King of the Ring PPV until 2024
 
The Buildup: On the 6/10 RAW, Vince McMahon challenged Ric Flair to a match that night with the winner becoming the 100% sole owner of the company, and Vince would defeat Flair to become the sole owner of the company as well as the owner of both brands.
 
Sunday Night Heat:
 
1. The Hardy Boyz defeat Steven Richards and Raven at 6:02.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for the King of the Ring.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
King of the Ring – Semifinals
 
Note: This is the last King of the Ring tournament until 2006
 
Stipulation: The winner of the tournament would earn a WWE Undisputed Championship match at Summerslam
 
Qualifying Round: Rob Van Dam def. Eddie Guerrero, X-Pac def. Goldust, Chris Jericho def. Edge, Val Venis def. Christian, Brock Lesnar def. Bubba Ray Dudley, Booker T def. William Regal, Test def. the Hurricane, and Hardcore Holly def. Tajiri
 
Quarterfinals: RVD def. X-Pac, Jericho def. Venis, Lesnar def. Booker, and Test def. Hardcore
 
1. Rob Van Dam pins Chris Jericho with the 5-Star Frog Splash at 14:32.
 
Title Change: On the 5/27 RAW, RVD defeated Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match to regain the Intercontinental Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this PPV with our first semifinal match. These two men made it to this point in the tournament and now they face off here to see who will make it to the finals. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Jericho hooking a headlock and he goes behind RVD who turns it around, and Jericho escapes and works the arm as RVD takes control and kicks at Jericho repeatedly while continuing to work the arm. Jericho grabs the hair and goes back to the headlock as RVD whips him off and Jericho knocks him down, and RVD leaps over Jericho and both men duck a shot as RVD hits a back elbow and they exchange armdrags before attempting stereo dropkicks and they have a standoff. RVD taunts Jericho who slaps him in the face and RVD kicks him as he pounds on Jericho in the corner and stomps on him, and he whips Jericho into the other corner and hits a monkey flip as he hits a spinning legdrop on Jericho for a two count. He kicks at Jericho and pounds on him as Jericho hits a flying forearm and he pounds on RVD on the mat, and he continues to pound on RVD who holds the ropes on a whip only for Jericho to hit a spin kick and RVD rolls out to the apron. He avoids a springboard dive as Jericho hits the floor and RVD hits a somersault senton onto Jericho on the floor, and he kicks at Jericho and throws him back into the ring as he goes up top and hits a side kick on Jericho. He goes up top again only for Jericho to kick the ref into the ropes which causes RVD to get crotched on the top rope, and Jericho pounds on RVD and goes up himself as he hits a double underhook superplex on RVD for a two count. 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, but RVD catches him with a boot to the face and trips Jericho up as he hooks a modified rollup for a two count. Jericho hits a clothesline on RVD for a two count and takes the pad off the buckle though the ref catches him, and he tries to put the pad back on as RVD hooks a small package on Jericho for a two count and he pounds on Jericho. Jericho ducks a shot and hits the inverted Russian legsweep for a two count as he chokes him on the ropes and then chokes him with his wrist tape, and he pounds on RVD on the ropes only for RVD to avoid a charge as Jericho crotches himself in the ropes. RVD pounds on Jericho who reverses a whip and he catches RVD with a knee to the ribs as he hooks a submission on, and RVD fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he pounds on Jericho who reverses a whip into the corner. RVD avoids a charge and Jericho rams his shoulder into the post as RVD ducks a shot and fires up on Jericho, and he hits a spin kick on Jericho who reverses a whip and RVD hits another spin kick as he kicks at Jericho in the corner and pounds on him. Jericho reverses a whip into the other corner and RVD catches him with a boot to the face as he hits a springboard kick for a two count, and Jericho ducks a shot and RVD catches a kick attempt as he hits a spin kick and then he hits a cartwheel moonsault for a two count. He pounds on Jericho who slides under him and he avoids a legsweep as he hits a standing enzurgiri on RVD for a two count, and he pounds on RVD in the corner and whips him into the exposed buckle as RVD ducks a shot and Jericho ducks a spin kick. He hits a German suplex on RVD for a two count and pounds on him as RVD reverses a whip and Jericho catches him ducking with a kick, and RVD hotshots him on the top rope and hits the split-legged moonsault for a two count as he rams the shoulder into the ribs twice. He does a backflip and Jericho avoids a charge as he does a sunset flip before looking for the Walls of Jericho, but RVD escapes with a rollup for a two count and he pounds on Jericho who reverses a whip and RVD catches a dropkick attempt. He slingshots Jericho into the corner with Jericho landing on the middle rope and RVD catches him coming in with a kick, but Jericho rams RVD into the exposed buckle and hooks a rollup while using the ropes for leverage for a two count. He hits the running bulldog on RVD who avoids the Lionsault and Jericho lands on his feet as RVD hits a spin kick, and he goes up top only to miss the 5-Star Frog Splash and Jericho hits the Lionsault for a two count as he kicks at RVD. He whips him into the corner and RVD leaps over him as Jericho blocks a hurricanrana attempt and hooks the Walls of Jericho on, and RVD grabs the rope to force a break and he rolls out to the apron as Jericho goes up top while ramming RVD into the post. RVD gets a kick in and Jericho crotches himself on the top rope as he falls to the mat and RVD goes up top, and he hits the 5-Star Frog Splash on Jericho 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 though it felt like it could’ve been better. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and still had good chemistry, but it felt like they were a bit off and didn’t hit the next gear though it was a big win for RVD. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD gets the win over Jericho and advances to the finals as both men move on. Grade: 3
 
After the match, Jerry Lawler gets in the ring to interview RVD who says it doesn’t matter who he faces as he will become King, but then Jericho attacks him from behind and kicks at him repeatedly as he hits a sleeper slam and hooks the Walls of Jericho on until officials come out and force him back.
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in their dressing room as Heyman says that RVD can mock them all he wants by calling him “Godzilla”, and he says that everyone doesn’t get it as Lesnar is real and the next big thing as he will become King of the Ring.
 
2. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pins Test with the F-5 at 8:18.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second semifinal match. These two men have dominated their paths to this point and they face off here to see who will face RVD in the finals. Neither man get a pop from the crowd as both were pretty hot as heels. The two men have a staredown to start the match and they lock up as they jockey for position until Lesnar backs Test into the corner and he gets a shot in, and he rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly and pounds on Test as he whips him into the other corner and Test catches him with a back elbow. He hits a pair of clotheslines on Lesnar and pounds on him as Lesnar holds the ropes to avoid the big boot and he rolls outside to regroup, and he returns to the ring and Test ducks a shot as he pounds on Lesnar and rams him into the buckle. He hits a series of back elbows on Lesnar in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly as Lesnar reverses a whip into the other corner, and Test catches him with a back elbow twice only for Lesnar to catch him in a spinebuster and he drops a trio of elbows on Test. He stomps on Test and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly in the corner as he whips him hard into the other corner, and he knocks Test down and stomps on him as Test battles back until Lesnar reverses a whip and both men duck a shot. Lesnar hits a back suplex on Test for a pair of two counts and then he hits a backbreaker as he pounds on Test who battles back, and he hits an atomic drop on Lesnar who catches him in a powerslam for a two count and he pounds on him. Test blocks a back elbow and hooks a sleeper on Lesnar as he pounds on him until Lesnar gets a knee in and pounds on Test, and Test reverses a whip and Lesnar catches him ducking with a kick only for Test to catch him in a sidewalk slam. Lesnar recovers and pounds on Test who reverses a whip into the corner and he splashes Lesnar as he whips him into the other corner before splashing him again, and Lesnar ducks a clothesline only for Test to duck a shot as he hits the full nelson slam on Lesnar for a two count. Test gets a kick in only for Lesnar to escape the pump handle powerslam and Test blocks the German suplex with a series of back elbows, and he gets a kick in and hits the pump handle powerslam for a two count as Lesnar avoids the big boot and gets a kick in. Test escapes a powerbomb attempt and ducks a shot as he hits the big boot for a two count and he looks for another one, but Heyman gets on the apron and Test scares him to the floor as Lesnar hoists him onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 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. Lesnar was hitting his groove by this point while Test was hitting his stride as well, and they had surprisingly good chemistry as Lesnar gets the win though Test still looks strong. The crowd was into the match and are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over Test and will face RVD in the finals as both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
End of Semifinals
 
Jonathan Coachman goes into the RAW locker room and interviews Bubba Ray Dudley, who says that it’s great the finals has two RAW Superstars and both are great athletes, and he says that he would love to see RVD get his hand raised though he thinks Lesnar will win as he wants to find a way to make an impact.
 
Marc Lloyd is outside the Smackdown locker room as Lance Storm and Christian come out and they say it was supposed to be an all-Canadian final, and they say it just proves that WWE is prejudice against Canadian athletes and the entire world hates America as they need to rise above the hate.
 
We see a shot outside the Nationwide Arena.
 
Michael Cole and Tazz hype the next match.
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
3. Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) pins the Hurricane with a powerbomb at 11:38 to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
 
Debut #1: James Gibson trained to be a wrestler under Dean Malenko and made his debut in 1995 as he worked the indie scene, and he would sign with WCW in 1999 and continued training at the Power Plant as he worked dark matches as Jamie Howard. He would make his TV debut in 2000 under a mask as part of the Jung Dragons under the name Jamie-San, and in November he would unmask and left the Dragons as he changed his name to Jamie Knoble and teamed with Evan Karagias. They would feud with the Dragons and 3 Count until WCW closed in 2001 and Knoble was one of the contracts picked up by WWE, and he would compete in HWA and won the Cruiserweight Title before making his TV debut on the 6/6 Smackdown under the name Jamie Noble and he makes his PPV debut here.
 
Debut #2: Nidia Guenard applied to be part of the first Tough Enough and made the final cut, and she would eventually be crowned as the female champion in what many considered an upset and she would make a few appearances on TV in late 2001 before heading to OVW. She would compete and continue to train there before returning to TV on the 6/6 Smackdown and she makes her PPV debut here.
 
Title Change: On the 5/16 Smackdown (taped 5/14), Hurricane defeated Tajiri and Billy Kidman in a Triple Threat match to win the Cruiserweight Championship.
 
The Buildup: Starting on the 5/9 Smackdown, Hurricane began receiving mysterious messages from someone who claimed to know him and would be coming for him, and on the 6/6 Smackdown Nidia was revealed to be that person and she would confront Hurricane about their past before introducing her new boyfriend Noble who beat Hurricane down. On the 6/13 Smackdown, Nidia again confronted Hurricane backstage and later that night, she and Noble attacked Hurricane after his match and stole his mask and cape, and on the 6/20 Smackdown Noble defeated Billy Kidman to become Number One Contender only for Hurricane to attack him after the match and he would regain his mask.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first title match of the night. Hurricane has been rolling as Cruiserweight Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Noble, who was a fresh face on the scene and looks to become champion quickly. Hurricane gets a good pop from the crowd while Noble had solid heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Hurricane backing Noble into the corner and they jockey for position with neither gaining an edge, and they lock up again with Hurricane again backing Noble into the corner and the ref forces a break. Hurricane goes behind Noble who escapes and works the arm as Hurricane rolls through and knocks Noble down, and he catches a kick attempt and hooks a rollup for a two count as he hooks a front facelock only for Noble to escape and he goes back to the arm. Hurricane turns into a headscissors and Noble quickly escapes as Hurricane goes behind him and Noble hits a back elbow, and he stomps on him repeatedly in the corner and chokes him as he rams the shoulder into the ribs twice. Hurricane reverses a whip and hits a back elbow as he pounds on Noble on the mat and hits a Shining Wizard, and Noble reverses a whip and Hurricane ducks a shot as he grabs Noble by the throat though Noble blocks the chokeslam with a pair of back elbows. Hurricane hits a superkick for a two count and hooks a submission on Noble who escapes and hooks a headlock, and Hurricane tries to whip him off and Noble gets a kick in as Hurricane escapes a suplex attempt and pounds on him. Noble reverses a whip and Nidia tries to grab at Hurricane’s foot from the floor as Hurricane goes after her, and Noble rolls outside and hits a clothesline on Hurricane as he stomps on him and throws him back into the ring for a two count. He whips Hurricane hard into the corners and then he rams Hurricane into the corner as he chokes him on the ropes and hits a snap suplex for a two count, and he hooks an abdominal stretch on Hurricane who escapes though Noble ducks a shot and nails Hurricane in the back. He hits a back suplex for a two count and Hurricane blocks a suplex with a small package for a two count as Noble gets a knee in, and Hurricane hits a high crossbody on Noble for a two count and Noble counters a whip as he hoists Hurricane onto his shoulders and hits an electric chair drop for a two count. He hooks another submission on Hurricane who fights to his feet and escapes the hold with an armdrag only for Noble to catch him with a back elbow, and Hurricane gets a kick in and hits a modified neckbreaker for a two count as he hooks a sleeper on Noble who escapes with a jawbreaker. Noble hooks a sleeper of his own on Hurricane who fights to his feet and breaks the hold as they trade blows with Hurricane taking control, and Noble counters a whip and Hurricane escapes a back suplex attempt as he hits a neckbreaker and fires up on Noble. Noble gets a kick in and Hurricane hits a flying clothesline as he rams Noble into the buckle and goes up to the middle rope, and he hits a modified neckbreaker on Noble for a two count and looks for the Eye of the Hurricane though Noble escapes. He hits a German suplex for a two count and Hurricane escapes a hold as he ducks a shot and hits the Eye of the Hurricane for a two count, and Hurricane grabs his cape only for Nidia to take it away from him on the floor as he gets a kick in and suplexes Noble over the top to the floor. Hurricane goes up top and hits a crossbody on Noble as he throws him back into the ring and Nidia plants a kiss on Hurricane, and Noble hits a baseball slide on Hurricane and puts him on the apron as he goes up top and pulls Hurricane up with him. Hurricane blocks a superplex attempt and hits a neckbreaker on Noble off the top rope as Nidia gets on the apron and distracts the ref, and Hurricane goes to Nidia and blocks a slap as he sends Noble into Nidia who gets knocked off the apron to the floor. Hurricane grabs Noble by the throat and hits the chokeslam for a two count as he goes up top only for Noble to crotch him on the top rope and Hurricane falls to the floor, and he hits a powerbomb on Hurricane which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Hurricane was hitting his groove by this point while Noble was gaining steam since debuting and they still had good chemistry, but it did feel like the match could’ve been better though it was a bit of a shock seeing Noble win the title so quickly. The crowd was into the match and Hurricane, but are not happy when Noble wins. Noble gets the win over Hurricane and is the new Cruiserweight Champion as both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
We see footage from Sunday Night Heat of the Rock arriving to the arena.
 
We see highlights from RAW last week.
 
Terri Runnels interviews Eddie Guerrero, who says that he wants to say hello to his brothers and the rest of his family who are watching him right now, and he says that she’s crazy to think he’s worried about this and he’s in the best shape of his life while Flair can’t do anything he does and the only running Flair will do is to the retirement home.
 
4. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair pins Eddie Guerrero after a Bubba Bomb from Bubba Ray Dudley at 17:00.
 
Return: We last saw Chris Benoit on PPV exactly one year ago at the 2001 King of the Ring when he was forced to the sidelines due to a neck injury and he would have surgery, and he would be drafted to Smackdown though made his return to TV on the 5/27 RAW and he makes his PPV return here.
 
The Buildup/Face Turn: On the 5/20 RAW, Flair confronted Steve Austin and told him he was being benched in that he wouldn’t wrestle anymore only for Austin to give him and Arn Anderson the Stunner, and later that night Austin and Debra went to a bar where Eddie showed up and both did karaoke insulting each other until Eddie broke a beer bottle over the back of Austin’s head. On the 5/27 RAW, Benoit made his return to TV in his hometown of Edmonton and talked about his return until Eddie interrupted, and they nearly came to blows until Flair came out and forced Benoit out of the building. Later that night, Austin attacked Eddie after his match with Rob Van Dam and also fought off Flair and Anderson as Benoit looked to stand by his side, but then Benoit attacked Austin as Eddie would give him the Frog Splash and they beat Austin down. On the 6/3 RAW, Flair, Benoit, and Eddie bragged about what they did until Austin appeared and assaulted Anderson as he challenged Flair to a match to get off the bench, and Flair accepted while adding that the loser would be the winner’s personal assistant and that Austin couldn’t throw a punch in the match, and Austin would defeat Flair despite interference from Eddie and Benoit. On the 6/10 RAW, Flair talked about losing to Austin the week before though mentioned that Austin wasn’t there, and Vince would interrupt and run Flair down before challenging him to a match with full control of the company on the line which Flair accepted. At the end of the night, Vince would defeat Flair thanks to Brock Lesnar and become sole owner of the company, and on the 6/17 RAW Flair cut a promo saying that while he wasn’t co-owner anymore, he had signed to be a full-time wrestler and claimed he had one more good run left. Eddie and Benoit would interrupt and blame Flair for Austin leaving as Flair offered to face Eddie at the PPV, and both men would attack him with Eddie putting Flair in the Figure-4.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. After being allies against Steve Austin for the last few weeks until Austin walked out, Flair is now back to being an active competitor and faces Eddie who looks to put Flair out for good. Flair gets a good pop from the crowd while Eddie was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Eddie backing Flair into the corner and he gives a clean break as he goes for the leg though Flair avoids it, and they lock up with Eddie hooking a headlock and he knocks Flair down as they lock up again with Flair hooking a headlock and he knocks Eddie down. Eddie leaps over Flair and hits a dropkick as Flair rolls outside to regroup and returns to the ring while Eddie mocks Flair, and they lock up with Eddie backing Flair into the corner and Flair blocks a shot as he chops Eddie who rolls outside to regroup. He returns to the ring and gets a knee in as he pounds on Flair in the corner until Flair turns it around and he pounds on Eddie in the corner, and he continues to pound on Eddie and hits a low blow as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner. He knocks Eddie down and Eddie rolls outside to regroup as he looks to return to the ring though he drops back to the floor and stalls, and he slingshots back into the ring and hits a drop toehold as he floats over into a front facelock on Flair. Flair fights to his feet and escapes with a delayed suplex on Eddie who ducks a shot and he hits a dropkick to the knee, and he stomps on Flair’s knee repeatedly and drops an elbow on it twice as he hooks a submission on and snaps the knee back. He looks for the Figure-4 only for Flair to hook a small package for a two count and Eddie stomps on the knee in the corner as he pounds on him, and Flair collapses to the mat and Eddie hooks another submission on the leg as he rolls outside and drags Flair to the corner. He rams Flair’s knee into the post and hits a slingshot stomp on Flair as he stomps on the knee repeatedly and hits a slingshot splash, and he rolls back into the ring and hooks the Figure-4 on Flair who grabs the rope to force a break and Eddie pounds on him in the corner. He stomps on Flair repeatedly and hits a snapmare as he hits a neck snap on Flair and they trade blows until Eddie rakes the eyes, and he hits another snapmare and hooks another submission on Flair who fights to his feet and backs Eddie into the corner. Eddie pounds on Flair who battles back and they trade blows with Eddie taking control as he rakes the eyes, and he charges only for Flair to backdrop him over the top to the floor though he flops to the mat and Eddie gets on the apron. He hotshots Flair on the top rope and slides back into the ring as he kicks at Flair and hits a suplex before going up top, but he misses the Frog Splash and Flair hits a chop block on Eddie’s knee as he pulls at it repeatedly and slams down on the knee. Just then, Chris Benoit comes down to ringside as Flair hooks the Figure-4 on Eddie who reaches the rope to force a break, and Flair pounds on Eddie in the corner and kicks at the knee as Eddie escapes a suplex attempt and hooks a rollup for a two count. Eddie blocks a hiptoss and hooks a backslide on Flair for a two count as Flair takes him to the mat with a headlock, and Eddie tries to hook a headscissors and Flair flips on top of him for a two count as Eddie tries to bridge up though he can’t. They trade blows in the corner and Flair whips Eddie into the other corner as Eddie catches him with a back elbow and goes up to the middle rope, and Flair gets a shot in only for Eddie to hit a tornado DDT for a two count and he stomps on Flair repeatedly. He chokes Flair on the mat and pounds on him until the ref pulls him off as Benoit pulls Flair to the outside and hooks the Crossface on, and the ref goes outside and forces Benoit to the back as Bubba Ray Dudley comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring. He hits the Bubba Bomb on Eddie and retreats back into the crowd as Benoit chases after him and Flair rolls back into the ring, and he pulls himself on top of Eddie as he gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a solid match that may have been a bit too long. Flair was slowly getting back into a groove in the ring while Eddie was back in his groove and they did have decent chemistry, but it was clear they were going in slow motion for Flair and this was more about Bubba costing Eddie the match. The crowd was into the match and popped for Flair when he won. Flair gets the win over Eddie and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Benoit returns to ringside and gets in the ring while Flair rolls outside and heads to the back as Benoit checks on Eddie.
 
We see a shot outside the World and we go inside where William Regal and Christopher Nowinski are as they complain about the service, and the waitress comes over with their meals and tells them she’s a student as Nowinski makes fun of her school and she sticks a finger in his food before handing it to him.
 
5. Molly Holly pins Trish Stratus with a rollup at 5:41 to win the WWE Women’s Championship.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/27 RAW, Stratus and Spike Dudley defeated Molly and William Regal in a mixed tag match only for Molly to knock Stratus out after the match with the brass knuckles, and on the 6/3 RAW Stratus defeated Terri Runnels in a lingerie match as Molly tried to attack Stratus only for Stratus to knock her out with the belt and she would put her panties on Molly. On the 6/10 RAW, Stratus made fun of Molly for having a big ass and challenged her to a match where if Molly won, she would get a title shot and if Stratus won, Molly would have to wrestle in a thong, and Molly would defeat Stratus to earn the title shot and she would choke Stratus out with a pair of her panties. On the 6/17 RAW, Stratus and D-Lo Brown defeated Molly and Crash Holly in a mixed tag match only for Molly to throw Stratus into the announce table after the match.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second title match of the night. Stratus has been rolling as Women’s Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Molly, who has been tormenting Stratus for the last few months and looks to become champion here. Stratus gets a good pop from the crowd while Molly was pretty hot as a heel. Molly wastes no time and knocks Stratus down to start the match as she hits a slam and drops an elbow for a two count, and she pounds on Stratus who catches her ducking with a kick and she pounds on Molly who hits a backdrop. She yanks Stratus to the mat by her hair for a two count and rams her into the buckle though Stratus blocks a second ram and she rams Molly into the buckle, and she grabs at Molly who takes her to the mat with an armbar and she works the arm as she hooks another submission on. Stratus escapes with a rollup for a two count and Molly gets a kick in as she pounds on Stratus and stomps on her as Stratus counters a whip and leaps onto Molly’s shoulders, and she hooks a victory roll for a two count and then she ducks a shot as she hits a neckbreaker on Molly for a two count. She whips Molly into the corner and hooks another rollup for a two count as Molly hits a drop toehold that sends Stratus throat first into the bottom rope, and she stomps on Stratus and chokes her with her boot as she hits a low dropkick that sends Stratus to the outside. Molly goes outside and rams Stratus into the apron twice as she pounds on her and whips her over the barricade into the crowd, and she pulls Stratus back to ringside and throws her back into the ring only for Stratus to hit the Chick Kick which knocks Molly off the apron to the floor. She pulls Molly onto the apron and Molly blocks a ram into the buckle as she rakes the eyes and goes up top, but Stratus crotches her on the top rope and pounds on her as she goes up herself only for Molly to knock her to the mat. Stratus hits a handstand hurricanrana on Molly and pounds on her as Molly reverses a whip and Stratus hits a clothesline, and she hits a dropkick on Molly and pounds on her only for Molly to catch her with a jawbreaker and Stratus ducks a shot. She hits another Chick Kick on Molly and looks for the Stratusfaction though Molly whips her off and hits a German suplex for a two count, and she yanks Stratus up by the hair and slams her to the mat as she goes up top only to miss the Molly-Go-Round. Stratus hooks a rollup for a two count as Molly rolls through and grabs the tights for leverage which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was decent as both women worked hard and put on a basic title match. Stratus was continuing to get into a groove by this point while Molly was also hitting her groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Molly cheats to win the title. The crowd was into the match and Stratus, but are not happy when Molly wins. Molly steals the win over Stratus and is the new Women’s Champion as both women move on. Grade: 2
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Kurt Angle, who says that Hogan has never done anything to become an American hero as he won an Olympic gold medal and sacrificed for the country, and he says that Vince McMahon made Hogan an American hero yet the people cheer Hogan while saying that he sucks though he will do something about it tonight by making Hogan tap out.
 
Michael Cole and Tazz hype the next match.
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
6. Kurt Angle forces “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan to tap out at 12:08.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/23 Smackdown, Angle came out clearly wearing a wig with headgear holding it in place as he claimed his hair grew back at a record pace, and later that night Hogan cut a promo seemingly announcing his retirement until Vince came out and said he would sue Hogan and his family for everything if he retires leading to Hogan attacking Vince though the Undertaker would come out and attack Hogan who fought him off. On the 5/30 Smackdown, Hogan cut a promo saying his new goal was to face Vince in a match and Vince confronted him which allowed Angle to hit Hogan in the back with a pipe, and later that night Hogan would cost Angle a cage match against Edge and tried to take the wig though Angle would escape. On the 6/6 Smackdown, Angle would attack Hogan after his match and on the 6/13 Smackdown, Hogan would challenge Angle to a match with Angle accepting and he and Taker would attack Hogan before their tag match, and after the match Angle attacked Triple H until Hogan made the save and he would take the wig off Angle, revealing his bald head and he put it on to mock Angle. On the 6/20 Smackdown, Angle cut a promo on Hogan who interrupted and the two men would brawl with Hogan clearing Angle from the ring, and later that night Hogan would help Triple H against Angle and Taker.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last month and now they face off here to settle their issues. Hogan gets a big pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Hogan shoving Angle to the mat and they lock up again with Angle going behind Hogan, and Hogan hits a pair of back elbows and hooks a headlock on Angle who escapes and they engage in a test of strength with Angle bringing Hogan to a knee. Hogan fights to his feet and turns back into the headlock as Angle whips him off and Hogan knocks him down, and Angle rolls outside to regroup before returning to the ring and he gets a kick in as he pounds on Hogan. He hits a clothesline on Hogan and pounds on him as Hogan reverses a whip and he sends Angle over the top to the floor, and Hogan goes outside and rams Angle into the barricade as he pounds on him and rams him into the barricade again. He throws Angle back into the ring and rams him into the buckle repeatedly as he knocks him down and goes for the wig, but Angle hits a low blow and stomps on Hogan repeatedly as he chokes him with his boot and pounds on him in the corners. Hogan gets a kick in and pounds on Angle who rakes the eyes and he hits a pair of back suplexes on Hogan for a two count, and he chokes Hogan on the ropes only for Hogan to block a suplex attempt and he hits one of his own as he pounds on Angle. He ducks a shot and hits a slam on Angle who reverses a whip and he hooks a sleeper on Hogan as he takes him to the mat, and Hogan fights to his feet and whips Angle up as he hooks a sleeper of his own on though Angle escapes with a back suplex. Hogan recovers and pounds on Angle who ducks a shot and he gets a kick in as he hits the Angle Slam for a two count, and Hogan starts to hulk up and no-sells Angle’s shots as he pounds on him and hits the big boot before taking the wig and headgear off. He pounds on Angle who holds the ropes on a whip and he rolls outside before heading to the back as Hogan puts the wig on, and Angle grabs a chair and runs back to the ring though Hogan avoids it as the chair bounces off the ropes and hits Angle in the face. Hogan hits a second big boot though Angle blocks the legdrop and hooks the Ankle Lock on as Hogan tries to kick him away twice, but Angle hangs onto the hold and Hogan taps out which gives Angle the win. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Hogan was starting to slow down by this point while Angle was hitting his stride and they had good chemistry, and it was a shock seeing Hogan tap out clean which gives Angle a huge boost. The crowd was into the match and Hogan, but are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the win over Hogan and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
We see Booker T backstage as Goldust comes up to him wearing a Rock T-shirt and he does an impersonation of Rock by telling Booker that he has a friend in Goldust, and then the Rock comes up behind him as Goldust continues his impersonation until Rock cuts him off. He says that it goes like this in that finally, he has come back to Columbus and Goldust is trying to be like him, and he says that there is no way Goldust could ever be like Rock and Booker says Rock needs to worry about if he gets in his face. Goldust tries to hype himself up though fails and slinks back as Booker says that he and Rock have never seen eye-to-eye, but last week Rock got down for the crowd which he is down with and Rock says anyone who doesn’t want to be here can get out. Goldust says that he’s down with it and Rock tells him to shut up as he tells Booker that they’ll never see eye-to-eye, and he says he’s here to watch the WWE Undisputed Championship match which is bigger than everything else. He says that they will do their thing and lay the smackdown on the nWo’s candy asses as Goldust tries to do Rock’s catchphrase, but Rock tells him to stop it and says if you smell what he is cooking as he walks away.
 
King of the Ring – Finals
 
7. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pins Rob Van Dam with the F-5 at 5:42.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is the finals of the KOTR. RVD and Lesnar have made it all the way to the end and face off here to see who will be King and get the title shot at Summerslam. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Lesnar backing RVD into the corner and RVD ducks a shot as he pounds on Lesnar in the corner, and RVD ducks another shots and kicks at Lesnar’s leg repeatedly as Lesnar reverses a whip and RVD flips over his back. He hits a side kick on Lesnar and pounds on him in the corner as he rams the shoulder into the ribs twice, and he does a backflip though Lesnar blocks a monkey flip with a powerbomb and he stomps on RVD repeatedly. He rams RVD into the corners and hits a powerslam for a two count as he stomps on him and hits a pair of backbreakers, and he hooks a bearhug on RVD who tries to fight out of the hold only for Lesnar to ram RVD into the corner. He rams the shoulder into RVD’s ribs repeatedly only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post, and he catches a spin kick attempt and hoists RVD onto his shoulder though RVD slides off and kicks at Lesnar’s legs. He hits a side kick and spin kick on Lesnar as he goes up top and hits another side kick on Lesnar which knocks him down, and he hits the Rolling Thunder on Lesnar for a two count and hits a spinning legdrop as he goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash. Heyman gets on the apron and hotshots RVD on the top rope with RVD falling on top of Lesnar for a two count, and RVD hits a baseball slide on Heyman and attempts a springboard crossbody though Lesnar catches him and hits the F-5 which gets the three and Lesnar is the King of the Ring. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Both men looked good in their second match of the night and they had decent chemistry as Heyman once again makes the difference and helps Lesnar win. The crowd was into the match and RVD, but are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over RVD and is the King of the Ring as he is headed to Summerslam, but these issues aren’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
We see Triple H walking down the hallway as he runs into the New World Order and Shawn Michaels gets in his face, but then they all laugh and embrace as they wish him luck and he walks away as they say they will have his back if he needs it.
 
Return: We last saw Shawn Michaels on WWE PPV at Judgment Day 2000 where he was the guest referee for the Iron Man match as he would mainly stay off TV aside from a brief appearance at Armageddon 2000, and he opened a wrestling school while dealing with his personal demons which he would beat by getting clean. He would be featured on the first two episodes of Confidential before making his return on the 6/3 RAW as part of the New World Order and he makes his PPV return here.
 
Temp. Farewell: This is Kevin Nash’s last PPV until 2003
 
Michael Cole and Tazz hype the main event.
 
We see the buildup to the main event.
 
Paul Heyman comes back out to do commentary for the main event.
 
8. The Undertaker pins Triple H with a rollup at 23:44 to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship.
 
The Buildup/Return: On the 5/23 Smackdown, Triple H made his intentions known that he was looking to become Undisputed Champion again, and on the 5/30 Smackdown Triple H attacked Taker after his match with Randy Orton and again challenged Taker to a title match. Later that night, Taker would cost Triple H a match against Test and attacked him with a chair after the match, and on the 6/6 Smackdown Triple H and Hogan would co-win a battle royal to determine the Number One Contender. Vince would force them to face each other in a match which Triple H won only for Taker and Kurt Angle to beat down both men, and on the 6/13 Smackdown Taker and Triple H signed the contract with Taker attacking Triple H after security held him back only for Triple H to take them out and he would scare Taker to the back with the sledgehammer. He would demand a match with him that night and destroyed the equipment until Vince made a tag match for that night with Triple H and Hogan facing Taker and Angle, and Taker and Angle attacked Hogan before the match and then defeated Triple H by DQ when Triple H used the sledgehammer and he would take Taker out. On the 6/17 RAW, the Rock would make his surprise return and talked about WWE being his home as he said he would be at KOTR, and on the 6/20 Smackdown Taker and Angle attacked Triple H after his match only for Triple H to clear them from the ring. Later that night, Angle defeated Taker after Triple H got involved and Triple H would be the last one standing in a brawl with Taker, Angle, and Hogan.
 
Analysis: After a long and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Taker has been rolling as Undisputed Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Triple H, who was looking to get back the Undisputed Title and gets his chance here. Triple H gets a big pop from the crowd while Taker was red hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and they trade blows with Triple H taking control until Taker gets a knee in, and he hits a headbutt as Triple H reverses a whip and hits a back elbow before pounding on Taker in the corner. He whips Taker into the other corner and Taker grabs Triple H by the throat as he tosses him into the corner and pounds on him, and he whips Triple H into the other corner and Triple H takes him to the mat with a choke as he clotheslines Taker over the top to the floor with Taker landing on his feet. He trips Triple H up and pulls him outside as he pounds on him though Triple H blocks a ram into the steps and he rams Taker into the steps, and Taker rolls back into the ring and Triple H pulls him back outside as he whips Taker into the steps and gets a kick in. He pounds on Taker and throws him back into the ring as Taker nails him coming in and rams him into the buckle, and he pounds on Triple H in the corner only to miss a big boot as he crotches himself on the top rope and Triple H pounds on him until Taker hotshots him on the buckle. He hits a clothesline on Triple H for a two count and grinds his forearm into Triple H’s face as he hits a pair of headbutts and rams him into the buckle, and he pounds on Triple H’s back in the corner and knocks him down for a two count as Triple H gets a kick in and pounds on Taker. Taker catches him in a sidewalk slam and drops an elbow on him for a two count as he chokes him on the ropes and goes outside, and he drapes Triple H across the apron and drives the elbow into his throat as he kicks at his head and gets on the apron. He hits a legdrop to the back of Triple H’s head and rolls back into the ring as he gets a two count and he rams Triple H into the buckle, and he whips Triple H into the other corner and Triple H catches him with a back elbow as he pounds on him until Taker reverses a whip and hits a big boot for a two count. He throws Triple H to the outside and goes outside himself as he rams Triple H into the steps and Triple H comes back with kicks, and he hits a suplex on the floor and throws Taker back into the ring as Taker hits a clothesline and a legdrop for a two count. He puts Triple H on the top rope and goes up himself as Triple H blocks the superplex and hits a pair of headbutts that knocks Taker to the mat, and he catches Taker with a boot to the face and pounds on him as he hits a backdrop on Taker who ducks a shot and he hits the flying clothesline on Triple H for a two count. He takes the pad off the buckle though Triple H blocks a ram and pounds on Taker in the corner as Taker reverses a whip into the other corner and splashes Triple H, and Triple H reverses a whip and sends Taker into the exposed buckle as he ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker. He fires up on Taker and hits a spinebuster for a two count as he pounds on Taker in the corner only for Taker to reverse a whip and he sends Triple H into the exposed buckle, and he hoists Triple H up and hits Snake Eyes on the exposed buckle only for Triple H to hit the high knee for a two count. Taker catches Triple H ducking with a DDT for a two count and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner, and Triple H ducks a shot and pounds on Taker who grabs him by the throat and Triple H gets a kick in. He looks for the Pedigree only for Taker to trip him up and he slingshots Triple H into the ref in the corner, and Triple H avoids a charge as Taker splashes the ref in the corner and he ducks a shot only for both men to clothesline each other. Just then, the Rock comes down to ringside and scares Heyman into the crowd as he takes his place at commentary and Taker rolls outside, and he brings a chair into the ring and winds it up only for Triple H to get a kick in and he pounds on Taker. Taker reverses a whip and Triple H catches him ducking with the facebuster as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor, and Triple H goes outside and pounds on Taker who catches him with a boot to the face and then he hits Rock with a big boot. He grabs another chair only for Rock to pound on Taker as he grabs the chair though Taker avoids it and Rock hits Triple H in the head with the chair, and Taker pounds on Rock and rams him into the announce table as he gets a knee in and rams him into the post. We see Triple H is busted open as Taker throws him back into the ring and gets a kick in before hitting the Last Ride, and a second ref runs down to the ring and Taker gets a two count as he knocks the ref out and Rock gets in the ring. He pounds on Taker and hits the Rock Bottom as he heads to the back and Triple H goes for the pin though the ref is slow getting there and Triple H gets a two count, and both men struggle to their feet and Triple H gets a kick in as he hits the Pedigree though the ref is still down and Triple H checks on him until Taker hits a low blow and hooks a rollup which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid title match that was a bit too long. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and still had good chemistry, but it should’ve been a few minutes shorter and was more about Rock getting involved. The crowd was into the match and Triple H, but are not happy when Taker wins. Taker retains the title over Triple H and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
After the match, Taker celebrates with the title and taunts Rock who runs back down to the ring and he pounds on Taker as he hits a spinebuster and the People’s Elbow, and Triple H gets a kick in and hits the Pedigree on Rock as he yells at him for busting him open. Taker then grabs Triple H by the throat and hits the chokeslam before heading to the back with the title as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this PPV ended up being a pretty average show as there were no terrible matches though there was nothing standout either, and it was about as basic as you could get. You could tell that the company was still reeling from the departure of Steve Austin and seemed like they had to play it safe, and this is about the safest show they ever put on as they didn’t do anything over the top aside from bringing Rock back to replace Austin in essence. Taker is still the man while Noble and Molly now rule their divisions and Lesnar is the new King, and RVD, Flair, and Angle get big wins, and all the matches were about on par with each other and there was nothing else that memorable. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as the brand extension was still finding its footing though again losing Austin was a huge blow, and as we continue through the summer we will see how the build to Summerslam plays out. As for this show, it is a very basic show and one of the more forgettable shows which is sad given this is the temporary end for the King of the Ring. Final Grade: C-