Grilling JR - King of the Ring 2002 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Welcome to Grilling JR! And this week we’re gonna look at the 10th and final King of the Ring PPV event from 2002.

Why do you think this was the last time the King of the Ring format was used as a pay-per-view?

A lot goes down between the last PPV Judgment Day, which we discussed last month, and this show so let’s get right into it Jim.

From the Observer: “Raw on 5/20 drew a 3.72 rating. It was the lowest rating for a non-holiday episode of Raw since March 30, 1998, breaking the four-year record low for that slot set a week earlier. So we're now down 61 percent when it comes to total audience from the peak of the Monday night wrestling wars only three years ago. The rating is even more disappointing as ratings traditionally rise a few tenths after a PPV show.”

We’ve talked about the decrease in business from 01 and Austin turning heel to this point. Did you think at this point it was going to be hard to get back to that level the business was at in 2001?

Issues with the nWo continue to creep in as reported in the Observer: “Nash and X-Pac, more Nash, had a blow-up at Raw on 5/20 regarding the recent scripts. They were told by Ed Koskey what the plans were for them on the show. Nash didn't like it, and

then Waltman didn't either, since it involved him doing two jobs on the same show. Waltman did tell Koskey he was quitting and told Nash he'd meet him in the car. Nash told Shane McMahon that he'd calm Waltman down and get everything straightened out. Nash then left the building. Vince was told of the situation but there was no way of reading his reaction, although he didn't seem to react big one way or another. They came back and spoke with Jim Ross and Shane, and then with Koskey and Brian Gewertz (who wrote the segment). They got it changed to something more to their liking, in that Nash got to make his statement about Flair not running the NWO, he just runs the Raw brand (Nash hated the idea that Flair would be able to as a storyline bring people in and fire people from the NWO and the way the Hall thing was explained on TV as well as the Booker entry). Both caused a scene, Waltman in particular. Some feel they should have been disciplined for it, but weren't, but Waltman still did the job in the Hardys match. In that sense, they did get away with it even though the feeling is their behavior is yet another detriment to locker room morale.”

What do you remember of all this…having to deal with this while Vince is off shooting the Austin - Guerrero angle at the bar … and is this just what everyone was talking about with the nWo?

“Raw on 5/20 in Memphis was another show in the rapid turning of this company into WCW and making all the same mistakes.”

Did it feel like creatively everything was…struggling?

“Tommy Dreamer was at a barber shop (which he actually owns) and was eating lots of hair, eating hair gel and drinking barbicide.”

This…I don’t know Jim. Audience of one?

“Flair & Anderson were out and told Austin to come out. The gist of this was Flair told Austin he wouldn't give him any more TV matches. Between Flair as a heel and telling people Austin wasn't wrestling on Raw anymore, they've just swerved themselves out of several ratings points. Austin laid both Anderson and Flair out with stunners and they sold them forever. Austin got beer thrown at him and poured it on a prone Flair while leaving.”

This story - as good as it could be with a babyface Austin and a heel Flair - really wasn’t connecting. Why do you think that was?

“Austin & Debra at a Memphis biker bar drinking…. Eddie Guerrero sent Debra a drink. Well, we're getting a bar fight for sure.

Austin and Guerrero both sang badly. Awful segment.

Austin was singing Margaritaville and the segment was going way too long. Austin confronted Guerrero, who wouldn't look at him and ignored him. When Austin turned his back, Guerrero hit him with a beer bottle. What is it about these guys with problems like Hall and Guerrero where they do angles with them involving alcohol?”

The angle is great and the idea of Austin vs. Guerrero is one of those things that really we all missed out on when Steve left…but Dave does bring up a good point. Eddie Guerrero is just back into the company after rehab…it’s entertainment and all that but could this had been done without being at a bar?

The story over on SmackDown at the time is that Hulk is contemplating retirement now that he’s not a champion anymore. Did you think there was only a little bit of time before Hulk would be moving on again?

Also Kurt Angle now is wearing a wig and being a bit of a comedy figure after having his head shaved. Do you think Kurt played comedy a little bit too much?

“On the writing changes, the basic breakdown is that Raw will be written by Ed Koskey and Bruce Prichard with Brian Gewertz as the head writer. Smackdown will be written by David Lagana and Michael Hayes with Paul Heyman as the head writer. Stephanie McMahon will coordinate the writing teams and Vince McMahon will then get the scripts and change them as he always does. Basically, there will probably be a tad more comedy and less in-ring emphasis on Raw than Smackdown based on the personalities, but I don't think it's going to be a major change. One thing you have to realize is the scripts they write have to have a dual purpose, both entertain the audience and draw ratings, but more, because he's the major filter, they have to please McMahon, so they are going to write something approximating what they think he wants”

What did you think of how the structure here was changing? Do you think it was for the better?

“Raw on 5/27 in Edmonton was made by an incredible main event performance by Guerrero.”

This is very much an infamous match between Eddie & Rob Van Dam in a ladder match. But the crowds in Canada - how different were they compared to American crowds…

“Undertaker wanted Tommy Dreamer to drink his tobacco spit. Even Dreamer thought that was gross. Undertaker spit more tobacco in his cup and forced Dreamer to drink it, and he liked it. Undertaker then punched and choke slammed him. Well, whatever chance anyone had, as limited as it was, of thinking he was a character worth worrying about ended quick.”

My goodness Jim. What exactly does this do?

“Lesnar pinned Bubba in 5:51. They don't even know how to do the simplest angles right. Lesnar sold a ton, and didn't look good doing so. Match had good heat. Bubba had him pinned when Heyman interfered. Heyman then tripped Bubba, allowing Lesnar to do his unnamed move. Ross kept going over and over about how nobody has pinned Lesnar in the WWF, which only insults every fan who has seen him pinned at house shows, which are only the most loyal fans the company has.”

Do you think Brock sold too much during the early part of his run? Was it silly to put over a unbeaten streak when he’s lost on house shows?

“RVD beat Guerrero in 20:29 of a ladder match to win the IC belt. Longest Raw match in at least a year. It was sloppy early, but they brutalized themselves to get this thing over and it was a **** match. And that's with numerous obstacles thrown in their way. So many dangerous spots. RVD did a moonsault off the apron but hit the ladder. Guerrero did this sick over the top of the ladder sunset flip into a power bomb spot with Van Dam. Guerrero climbed and a fan hit the ring and knocked the ladder over. This wasn't planned and there was major heat on the Edmonton security force. According to a ringsider who was literally right there as the guy hopped the barricade, security was right there and nobody even made a move to stop him. Guerrero and Hebner started stomping him and then Guerrero got back to the match. Guerrero did a senton off the top of the ladder. Van Dam dropkicked a chair into Guerrero's face and did a moonsault on the ladder. He monkey flipped Guerrero into the ladder and that looked dangerous. After a Van Daminator, Van Dam climbed to the top for a frog splash, but the ladder gave way and the move was botched. Van Dam got up okay. Finish saw Guerrero on the top rope and Van Dam spin kicked him and he took a bump off the top rope into the barricade. Van Dam climbed up the ladder to grab the belt for the win. Guerrero clocked him with a ladder after the match. Austin then did a run in and stomped a mud hole with Guerrero. Flair and Anderson hit the ring but Austin gave them both stunners. Benoit then hopped the barricade to help Austin, but instead turned on him and he and Guerrero beat on him to end the show.”

The match is most remembered for the fan coming in and it’s live TV and it seemed like they turned it up even harder after the fan came in. What did you think of these two in the Ladder match?

Was Austin excited to be working with Eddie as they are working together on the house shows and it feels like it’s being built up for King of the Ring for these two to face off?

Smackdown 5/30 from Calgary, the main event was a cage match with Edge over Angle that went 20:00.

This cage match really is great and it begins to build to Angle vs. Hogan. Any fear of those two - I mean let’s be honest you got an Olympic Gold medalist and an older Hogan…not getting along in the ring?

Undertaker beat Orton in a match where Undertaker gave him some offense, especially at the end.

This is a big test for Randy Orton at this point in his career…how do you think he did?

From the Observer: “Raven asked to be taken off the announcing crew for Heat because he thought it worked against his ring character getting over.”

Was Raven his own worst enemy?

You would go on your own Ross Report and write about how the company is currently not providing the product the fans want to see. You discuss the need to create new rivalries, elevate more young talent and effectively introduce well-prepared new people and that the company is dealing with a lot of injuries and also the economy. We all know the story of Steve Austin and we’ll get to that…but is he alone in his negative feelings on the creative? How much of that are you getting thrown at you by wrestlers?

Everyone has really blamed the brand extension as being a failure already…no new stars created. Ratings down, houses down. Is that the real reason here?

You’ve talked about the rebuild of the roster in late 96 that would lead to the explosion of early 98…was there a similar fix here?

Steve Austin goes on Byte This and well…he says the creative is the shits and the split reminds him of WCW. We’ve covered this in our Austin Walks Out episode in the archives at AdFreeShows.com but this was a big shit storm was it not?

Tough Enough season 2 comes to an end and Linda Miles & Jackie Gayda were chosen to be the winners and it’s pointed out in the Observer that you did not have any input for this season compared to the first. Do you know why that is?

“Raw on 6/3 in Dallas was one of those shows with its good and bad points, strong in each direction. Show opened with Flair, Benoit and Guerrero coming out. Benoit in his interview talked about what happened a year ago as his reason for turning on Austin. Ross then had to explain the entire story since Benoit didn't lay hardly any of it out. Flair said that Austin wouldn't be wrestling on the show in Texas and that if he showed up, Anderson would take care of him. They flipped to the back where Anderson had been beaten up by Austin. Austin challenged either Benoit or Guerrero to a match. Flair said Guerrero already had a match and Benoit was injured. He then challenged Flair. They agreed to stips that they would have an old-fashioned wrestling match with no brawling, and if Austin won, he could wrestle on Raw, but if Flair won, then Austin couldn't wrestle on Raw. Both agreed and then they poured yellow liquid all over Anderson to give the impression that Austin just peed all over him. Austin said it was better to be pissed off than pissed on.”

Was there talk of doing a type of Horsemen stable and gimmick because man if it’s not obvious it should be?

“Dreamer threw up. Had a bucket filled with vomit. No way this next segment is going to be any good. And it wasn't. Undertaker beat Dreamer in 3:00 with a dragon sleeper. Ross said that in eight years of ECW, Dreamer had never once submitted. I guess they symbolically wanted all the fans to know ECW was dead. Yeah, they made that point last year. Undertaker poured the supposed vomit all over Dreamer, who then self produced more vomit. Jeff Hardy ran in and kicked Undertaker to where he took a spill in the vomit.”

Jim did this do anything for anybody?

“Nash came out and said usually surprises are a letdown, but this isn't, and they played Michaels music. He pranced around. Crowd went wild.”

Having Shawn return here - did Vince put that together? Was there a worry regarding the ratings - or was this part of the plan all along to Shawn in the nWo?

“Main saw Austin pin Flair with a stunner in 14:32.

Austin did a stunner at one point but ref Charles Robinson was tossing Benoit out and not counting. Guerrero did a low blow and frog splash. Figured that would lead to the near fall in every main event spot, but Robinson never got back in the ring so Austin stopped selling. A good match. As much as I think it's ridiculous that Flair wrestles so often on television, you can't deny that he still outperforms 85% of the crew. At one point Flair took a fairly high backdrop on the arena floor. At 53 years old? Flair never did a fig. 4 once in the match, and seems to have retired the flip into the buckle because he hasn't used it in his past few matches.”

This is the last match Steve Austin would have on Monday Night Raw until March 17th of 2003 when he defeated Eric Bischoff. What was Austin like leaving the building that night?

Jim - there’s a TV taping from Oklahoma City that doesn’t involve you being humiliated. I guess that as one of the things that was good about the brand split when SmackDown came to town right?

“Vince McMahon was the guest of WWE Byte This! and promised huge changes in the industry, without elaborating on what they might be.”

Vince had to be telling himself that but internally what is he conveying to everyone?

“They brought up comments by Darren Drozdov that the Smackdown brand was the stronger brand than Raw. McMahon said it was accurate because Raw has its great and bad shows because it's live, while Smackdown on tape, can be more consistent because a bad night can be made better.”

Was that something you would also agree with?

“He said today's wrestlers are more professional than their predecessors. He said in the old days, after the show, guys would go to bars and have drinks. Today the guys don't go to bars, they read the internet, read books or play video games, or they have intelligent discussions.”

I believe - 20 years later - this is more true now than it was in 2002 would you agree?

“He gave no answer when asked about NWA TNA other than he didn't understand how they could promote it properly with no television. He said promoting just to the small audience that watches your PPV is narrowcasting and makes things difficult. He said paying $9.95 to see a two hour show, when they get two hours for free on Mondays and Thursdays sounds difficult unless they are so unique that they deliver something totally different from their shows. He said he had no opinion on the product because he hasn't seen the show.”

Was this how most felt in the WWE at the time regarding TNA?

The Raw on June 10th is notable because this is the Raw that Austin was scheduled to lose to Brock before not showing up. How insane is that day for you?

“Molly did an interview with Terri when Trish came out and made fun of Molly's large ass. Set up a bout where if Molly won, she'd get a title shot, and if Trish won, Molly would have to wrestle in a thong. It's all about humiliation.

Molly pinned Stratus in 2:27 clean with her move. This was just an excuse for Lawler to tell every fat ass joke he could come up with from caboose like a moose to blubber butt. The commentary probably made every guy crack up and every woman hate Lawler.”

This is tough to stomach now let alone 20 years ago. Molly - one of the nicest people in the business - does anyone actually think it’ll get over?

“Lesnar pinned Bubba Dudley in 4:51 when Bubba went after Heyman, and Lesnar got him from

behind with the F-5. Good match even if Lesnar probably sold too much again. Bubba twice german suplexed Lesnar and had a pin except Heyman made the save breaking it up to set up the finish.”

What a change from Austin to Bubba right?

“Michaels came out for his first interview. He turned himself heel by blaming the fans for his problems. He put over Nash saying he became one of the biggest stars in the history of the game but said the NWO was falling apart. He acted like he was blaming X-Pac, but instead said X-Pac was the most talented performer in the business today and put over Show as a monster. He superkicked Booker and they ripped the shirt off him, so he's already done the face turn. He also mentioned how Rock unfairly stole the spotlight from HHH. Theoretically that should make Booker the first opponent for Michaels, although Booker needs to go through Waltman, Show and Nash before that match. I'm not holding my breath.”

This angle is quite interesting as Booker - after just a short time in the group - is fired and made to look like a joke. Do you think there was ever talk of a Shawn vs. Booker program? Did Nash’s injury blow that all up do you think?

“Vince beat Flair in 9:03. Horrible match. Flair juiced after a ring bell shot. Vince came off like a bodybuilder thrown into a match with no

experience, which he almost is, by doing a match without time to work it out ahead of time. Flair had the figure four on when Anderson hit the ring. Everyone figured Anderson was turning on Flair, but instead, he cheered Flair on. Lesnar came out and Anderson ran off, then used the F-5 on Flair and Vince pinned him. Good finish at least.”

I know the show is thrown together wildly and quickly when it’s figured out Steve isn’t showing up - and you’re trying to make the best of a bad situation - but when these types of things happen it’s just easiest to put Vince front and center is it not?

SmackDown that week is really all about pushing the Austin Confidential episode that was coming up. Do you think that’s one of the biggest mistakes the company ever did?

The Rock returned with no build up the next week on Raw…to cut a promo on Steve Austin. How did Rock feel about this and how did you feel hearing Rock bury Austin?

“Flair came out for his promo saying that watching Hogan win the title gave him inspiration. He challenged Lesnar. Austin's music played, but Guerrero came out. People were chanting "What?" like crazy expecting Austin. Benoit came out and got in Guerrero's face about disrespecting Flair. He even teased a Horseman reunion. When Flair challenged Guerrero to a match at KOR, there was no pop. Benoit then verbally turned on Flair. Both Guerrero & Benoit did a good job on interviews here. Flair punched both guys but they doubled on him and Guerrero got him in his own figure four while Benoit spat on him.”

There’s…just so much teasing about Steve that it doesn’t look great. Would you agree?

“Lesnar pinned Booker in 3:22 with the F-5 when Booker kicked X-Pac and turned around for Lesnar to lay him out. The politics were running amok here. Nash and Michaels came out for commentary and made fun of Ross' announcing (no more Austin) and did all they could to bury the match, making fun of Heyman wearing make-up, and doing comedy so the match became secondary.”

Is this just the nWo show? What did you think of sitting there with Kevin & Shawn as they were doing this?

“Show ended with Rock doing his interview, which was a tremendous promo.”

“Dusty Rhodes introduced his son Cody Runnels to everyone backstage at the Atlanta tapings. Rhodes has been training his son for wrestling”

Was this your first time meeting Cody?

“In a year filled with surprises and some of the most questionable decision making by a major company owner in history, Vince McMahon surprised everyone on 6/20 when it was announced he had hired Vince Russo.

The ramifications of the move were huge, because Russo had little respect among the wrestlers, and was hated by many, and even more so by many front office employees for

both personal and professional reasons. It was shocking because while the declining

numbers indicate what they are doing isn't working, it was a public acknowledgement by McMahon that he had no confidence this creative staff, which now is the creative staff he's left with, is going to be able to turn it around. By the next day, things changed again, as after a meeting with the writing staff and Vince, Russo, originally scheduled to on paper report to Stephanie McMahon, but in reality be in control of creative, was taken off creative completely.

Even though just about nobody knew, and nobody includes Stephanie, who was said to have been as blindsided by the news as anyone, apparently the deal had been in the works for at least a few weeks.”

Jim - when this takes place - did you start to question things about what exactly was going on with the company?

We’re finally here Jim! King of the Ring takes place in Columbus, OH with a sellout, more than 12,000 paid at the Nationwide Arena. It is the first sell out for a pay-per-view since WrestleMania.

Going into the show though - Hunter’s elbow is a major issue and the plan is for him to get surgery after the pay-per-view. When you know that going in does it put a damper on the show?

“One of the problems with the company right now, and it really shined through in both the cruiserweight matches and the Brock Lesnar match, is the lack of individuality when it comes to match stories. Everyone in WWE is taught to wrestle the same basic style. That makes if difficult for people to get over. New Japan ended up with the same problem. Lesnar should be a monster to cover for his inexperience, particularly since Rock vs. Lesnar appears to be the SummerSlam main event (subject to weekly changes between now and then).”

Did you think this was an issue at the time?

“The show opened with a video showing the history of the PPV version of King of the Ring, showing the past champions. I guess someone lost the video of Mabel winning in 1995 (then again, that was a nightmare not worth reliving, and for those who thought this year's show was the worst ever, it wasn't even close), Ken Shamrock in 1998 (I guess one could say politics, but these days Bret Hart wouldn't exactly be on their favorites list either) or Billy Gunn in 1999 (now that's embarrassing, to actually be one of three former winners who actually still work for the company and they are trying to pretend your win never took place).”

Is being King of the Ring something that really stands as a star maker when you look back?

“1. Rob Van Dam defeated Chris Jericho in a King of the Ring semifinal in 14:32. Easily the show stealer. Crowd was quiet for a few minutes until Van Dam used the rolling thunder for a near fall. Van Dam came back with a side kick but missed the frog splash. Jericho came back with the lionsault for a near fall. Jericho blocked a hurricanrana and turned it into the walls, for a rope break. Finish saw Jericho crotched and Van Dam hit the frog splash for the pin. After the match, in a major angle alert spot, Lawler went into the ring to interview Van Dam, as if they ever do that. This gave Jericho the chance to jump Van Dam from behind and give him a form of a reverse hangmans' neckbreaker and the walls. They should have had Van Dam sell the injury, as well as the announcers sell the injury, when Van Dam later came out for his match with Lesnar "hurt." Since neither sold the injury later, I've got no clue why they even bothered with this other than the annoying parity deal which basically keeps everyone at the same level. ***¾”

Is this just a sign of quality control that’s missing at this time?

RVD & Jericho together seemed to click well…what was it about these two that worked?

:2. Brock Lesnar pinned Test in 8:18 in the other King of the ring semi. Loud Goldberg chant. Lesnar sold way too much, and Test kicked the hell out of him early. Since they are building Lesnar for a SummerSlam main event, I've got no idea why they mess up. The match fell apart badly at one point. Test did a full nelson slam, a pump handle slam and his kick of death for near falls. That last one looked really stiff and Lesnar looked like he was knocked silly. Paul Heyman punched Test, who turned around to go after him, allowing Lesnar to then give him the F-5 for the pin. 1/2*”

This…seems like the wrong booking…it feels like it took a few months for Brock just to start tearing through people. Why did it take so long?

“3. Jamie Noble pinned Hurricane to retain the cruiserweight title in 11:38. They did a nice video package to try and make this match seem important. They've really got something in Nidia in this role. Helms hit a shining wizard early, which was just so funny, because it's the hottest move in Japan, and nobody knows it here. After Nidia collided with Noble, Hurricane hit a choke slam for a near fall. Noble came back with a power bomb, with Hurricane getting his leg on the ropes, and Nidia taking it off the ropes, for the pin. **½”

I always found Jamie Noble & Nidia together to be super entertaining and Hurricane is still one of those really underrated guys…do you think Nidia could’ve been something more?

“4. Ric Flair pinned Eddy Guerrero in 17:00. Not sure why Flair can carry these limited guys to good matches, but then when in with a great wrestler, the match felt like it dragged. Nothing wrong with the match, although Flair did very little of his trademark stuff and mostly just sold. Match ended when Benoit gave Flair a crossface on the floor. As the ref chased Benoit out, Bubba Ray Dudley came from the crowd and gave Guerrero a Bubba bomb. Flair crawled into the ring for the pin. Should have been better and can't all be blamed on the crowd. **½”

What missed here or do you think anything did?

“5. Molly Holly won the women's title from Trish Stratus in 5:41. No heat, but nothing at all wrong with the match. Molly did a rolling reverse cradle and grabbed the trunks for the pin. Mostly a backdrop for fat ass jokes. Nobody in the crowd chanted anything at Holly even though it was pushed heavily to do so on Raw. Seriously, this making fun of her because of her butt is a major insult to the 30% of the audience that is women. *¾”

Both of these women are hall of farmers and great workers but when your match is put together based around your ass…you’re really not getting anywhere to get something over.

“6. Kurt Angle beat Hulk Hogan via submission with the ankle lock in 12:08. Match had the second best heat of the show, behind only Jericho and Van Dam. They continued to bury their own product when Lawler was talking about Hogan and called him a great entertainer. That's great off the air, but during the show, nobody wants to hear a legend of the industry called an entertainer. Hogan took a few back suplexes and kicked out of the Angle slam. He hulked up and pulled Angle's wig off and put it on. When he went for the legdrop, Angle turned it into the ankle lock. Hogan tried to reverse but Angle kept holding on. Hogan made the ropes, but Angle pulled him back to the center and put the move on until Hogan finally tapped. Angle then put his wig back on, which was so silly at that point in time because it detracted from making any impact with the finish. Give Hogan credit, as this was no double-cross job. **

In a sense, the biggest story that should have been played up is the finish of the Kurt Angle-Hulk Hogan match, with Angle winning via tap out with the ankle lock. There really only was one finish that should have been done, and this was it. Hogan in no way Kidman'd Angle, and put him over as strong as he was going to do. This was probably the first time Hogan as a babyface had ever lost a match via submission, and certainly the

first since he first became a star in the WWF in 1979. I can recall only a few previous

submission losses, all as heels. There was one to Antonio Inoki in his early New Japan days, one to Lex Luger in Detroit to set up a re-winning of the title a few days later, and he may have for Sting at some point. A lot depends upon how this result is played up on Smackdown if it'll be a big deal to springboard Angle to the next level, or be something that ultimately means nothing.”

It really is a gigantic deal to get Hulk to tap out and really clean…do you think this took a lot of convincing?

Kurt is already a world champion by this point…but was this a real shot in the arm for superstardom?

Can you believe he put the wig back on?!?!

“In what was probably the most entertaining part of the show, Booker and Goldust were backstage. Goldust was doing Rock, until Rock showed up. Everyone did their catchphrases except Goldust, because he doesn't have any.”

How really entertaining were Booker & Goldust?

“7. Lesnar pinned Van Dam to win King of the Ring in 5:42. Long bearhug. Not much of a match. Lesnar did kick out of the frog splash. Finish saw Van Dam do a crossbody off the top, but Lesnar caught him and turned it into the F-5 for the pin. 3/4*”

I know this is looked back upon fondly but really there isn’t a lot here to make Brock look like a superstar.

“8. Undertaker pinned HHH in 23:44 to retain the WWE title. Crowd was totally dead. This match should have been ten minutes shorter. Not sure why, when you've got a match that looks bad on paper to start with, and then the guy who has to make the match is hurt and limited, that you don't cut the time down. First half was a waste. Earl Hebner was bumped twice in succession. Then both guys were selling a double clothesline spot. Paul Heyman was out during the first half of the match claiming Rock had left the building because Lesnar punked him out. Rock then came out to chase Heyman away and called him a liar. Rock did commentary, and the crowd was concentrating on Rock while the two guys just laid there and sold this clothesline for an eternity. Undertaker got a chair but Rock stopped him from using it. Undertaker gave Rock a high kick, and he flew into the Spanish announcers and wiped out Carlos Cabrera. Undertaker grabbed the chair again, but Rock came back on him, got the chair, went to hit him, but instead hit HHH when Taker moved. HHH juiced. Undertaker hit the last ride, but no ref. Nick Patrick came out to count, but HHH kicked out. Undertaker decked Patrick for the third ref bump of the match. Rock ran into the ring and laid out Undertaker with a rock bottom, but no ref. Fans by this point only cared about Rock, caring nothing about the match or the title. HHH hit a pedigree, but again no ref to count. Finally, HHH revived Hebner, but with his back turned, Undertaker hit a low blow and got the pin using the tights. Undertaker challenged Rock after the match, so Rock came in and laid him out with a spinebuster and people's elbow. HHH then revived and hit a pedigree on Rock. Undertaker then choke slammed HHH. This enabled them to play everyone's music, but get the champ over as the last man standing. They need to quit fooling themselves about what Undertaker has left once the bell rings, and for that matter, HHH hasn't shown that much unless he's in with Angle since January, and his body is breaking down. Somebody needs to talk some sense into him about being a wrestler or a bodybuilder, because as a bodybuilder, he's a good interview but boring in the ring. 1/2*”

Just looking back at all this 20 years later you can see all the smoke and mirrors with Hunter struggling physically, Taker not being 100% and working a full-time schedule, and Rock being involved…just not a great match and it seems like between Hogan - HHH, Hogan - Taker, Taker - HHH, it’s not really 3 great main events in a row. Do you think going super young as you’re about to go with Rock - Brock was in regards to this?

The show…is not well received from the readers of the Wrestling Observer…46.3% thumbs in the middle and 36.7% thumbs down. What say you Jim?