Judgment Day - Gaylord Entertainment Centre, Nashville Tennessee, May 19th, 2002

This is the first WWE Pay Per View. If you read my Previews and not just the big shows you’ll know that the name change happened a couple of weeks ago and the World Wrestling Federation is no more. Here’s the first two “Get the F Out” commercials which were both shown during this PPV, the new WWE Signature that starts every show and my article about the name change itself, one last time.

From here on, I’m going to treat the name change the way they did on TV both at the time and in the 20+ years since and just carry on like nothing is different and retroactively call it WWE like it always was. It feels cleaner, which I guess is why they did it like that. If you’re wondering why the poster for the event still says WWF? That’s just me trying to be interesting and show off a relic - the poster was released before the company name change so much like in April 1999 with Backlash still saying “In Your House” despite them dropping the subtitle from PPVs a couple of weeks previous, it’s an oddity. 

The theme song for this event is “Broken” by 12 Stones but the event starts with a video package using the same spooky little girls as The Undertaker’s return as American Badass in 2000. That’s fitting because he’s in the main event tonight. The video covers the three main events tonight which we’ll get to in due course.

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rob Van Dam

A strong opener for tonight’s show and the first of four championship matches. I’m surprised this didn’t get a video package as they’ve been feuding for a couple of months and their match on UK exclusive PPV Insurrextion got one. Here’s that one again instead. 

They start early with shoulder tackles and quick grapples. RVD goes for a pin so Eddie bails out to catch his breath but RVD is the aggressor and follows, keeping on the pressure. He focuses his attack on the champion’s lower back with a split legged moonsault and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and gets near falls off a spinning leg drop and a second backbreaker. This is a reversal of their Backlash match but Van Dam has a hard time locking in the Mexican surfboard submission and Latino Heat is able to sucker Rob into the corner for a cheap shot and to gain control of the match.

These two work great together and I’m impressed that they’re able to make this different to their Backlash match which is always the sign of a great feud - not just having the same match over and over. 

Eddie’s hurricanrana is blocked and Van Dam drops him throat first across the top rope and gets another nearfall after a Rolling Thunder. He takes aim for the Five Star Frog Splash after a heel kick but Latino Heat stops that and brings him down the hard way with a powerbomb. 

Eddie misses his Frog Splash and then RVD misses his. They take each other down with a double crossbody and both men are evenly matched.

RVD gets a near fall with a backslide but the champion kicks out and immediately goes into one of his own but is close enough to the ropes to get his feet up onto the middle rope for added illegal leverage to steal the win and retain his title in another very good match between two guys who I really love to watch.

Backstage, Reverend D-Von leads Deacon Batista, Mr. McMahon and Stacy Keibler in a prayer before Stacy’s women’s title match. D-von has them all bow their heads and Vince takes the chance to check out Stacy like a big creep. D-Von says that he can promise that his brother Bubba Ray will NOT be here tonight and he spoke to him personally. I’m not sure why Vince just automatically assumed Bubba would be when he made this match but Bubba and Trish have ended up working together a few times on Raw lately. 

WWE Women’s Championship

Trish Stratus © (w/Bubba Ray Dudley) vs. Stacy Keibler (w/Reverend D-Von and Deacon Batista)

Obviously as champion Trish is able to appear on both brands but their corner men gives us a bit of Raw vs. Smackdown with Bubba Ray and D-Von. It looks like D-Von is right and that Bubba is not here and doesn’t enter with Trish, but then D-Von doesn’t enter with Stacy either so I guess they’re all just waiting backstage to see if they’re actually needed? 

Nope, D-Von makes his entrance after Stacy, and then Bubba makes his after that. Focus on the men, I guess.

Stacy starts quick and gets a nearfall with a spinning heel kick and a backdrop. She’s obviously been training! 

Stacy is knocked to the outside and Bubba laughs in her face and gets a slap for it. As they’re distracted, Batista bodyslams Trish which gives Stacy a nearfall when she gets back in the ring.

Batista gets back on the apron and Stacy runs into him by accident with a clothesline. He no sells that but Stacy doesn’t no sell the Stratusfaction bulldog she immediately gets and Trish retains the title in a short but inoffensive match. 

Trish leaves, as does Stacy and we get the long awaited reunion of The Dudley Boyz. 

Bubba disapproves of D-Von’s character change clearly but he’s all smiles until Deacon Batista jumps Bubba. He does his best to fight them off but the Smackdown duo set up and slam Bubba Ray through a table, as D-Von screams that it is wrong to sin. I mean duh, isn’t that what sin means?

Backstage, Smackdown owner Vince McMahon drops by to see Raw owner Ric Flair. They’re all smiles and shake hands as Ric says that Vince was right all along - Stone Cold is a no-good son of a bitch and he says that unlike Vince he’s going to put Austin in his place. They hug and Vince looks disgusted over Ric’s shoulder, and then after he leaves Flair’s face also drops out of a smile. Seems like they still can’t stand each other even if they are both heels now.

The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) vs. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman

There’s no video package for this one either but there is a recap narrated by JR and King of Lesnar destroying The Hardyz so enjoy that!

Jeff dives out at Brock but is caught and effortlessly thrown. The Hardyz do their best to double team Brock but he is just too strong and when it breaks down to tag rules he easily dominates Matt Hardy sending him from cover to cover and running his shoulder into Matt’s ribs.

Heyman obviously has no desire to tag in and looks worried when Matt scores a tornado DDT and tags out to Jeff who flies around and takes the big man down with a Whisper in the Wind. Matt and Jeff keep it up and pour on the offence with their classic double team combos and clothesline Brock out of the ring leaving Heyman all alone! He runs around the ring but is caught beaten up! 

Matt and Jeff put down Heyman with a Poetry in Motion but Brock intercepts Jeff’s Swanton Bomb to get them focused back on him.

Brock throws Jeff into Matt and takes him down with an F5. Heyman begs for a tag so that he can be the one who gets the pin, and gets a big laugh tripping as he clambers through the ropes. In the ultimate insult, Paul Heyman pins Jeff Hardy to win this match for his team.

This was a nothing match but another victory and a dominant and strong performance for the Next Big Thing, Brock Lesnar. 

Smackdown’s Mark Lloyd interviews the newest member of the nWo Booker T. He asks him how Booker really feels about being forced into the nWo? He says that business is business and he’s a professional. If Ric Flair thinks he can get the job done then so be it! He gets distracted as he speaks, spotting a gorgeous lady and going over to chat to her instead. She whispers things in his ear and he gets all over excited like a sex crazed teenager. She gives him her hotel room key and leaves and Booker is pretty hilarious, overacting his shock and surprise. 

Handicap match

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Big Show and Ric Flair

The one thing that isn’t clear from the video package and build to this match - was Stone Cold right to be paranoid and abusive towards Ric Flair all along, or did Flair turn heel and join the nWo because Stone Cold was abusive towards him? Is this Austin’s own fault or not? JR says that Flair is drunk with power and suggests he is a bitter legend, emotionally searching for the past. 

Big Show is, pardon the pun, very big. He’s put on weight and the biggest he’s ever been here and this is the 4th or 5th time WWE has tried to make him a main eventer. I’m sure Paul Wight is a lovely guy but it’s hard not to view feuding with perennial midcarder Big Show, who has been at the bottom of the card for the last 12 months at least, as a step down for the Rattlesnake. With the loss of Scott Hall, Austin is left feuding with Show and another forever midcarder X-Pac which I’m sure contributed to his real life burnout and unhappiness with his booking.

More about that in the next Preview as sadly this is Stone Cold’s last PPV appearance for a long, long time.

Austin starts off aggressively and has no trouble beating the hell out of both Show and Flair with right hands. He locks the Nature Boy in his own Figure Four leglock and avoids Big Show’s big elbow drop attempt to break it up. 

Austin grabs himself a steel chair but when the referee stops him and makes him surrender it, he does and then immediately goes and gets another! 

Referee Charles Robinson does manage to get Austin to revert to wrestling without weapons and the match breaks down into Ric and Show tagging in and out, as they’re supposed to. 

Show and Flair know each other very well - Big Show won his second WCW World title as The Giant by beating Ric Flair for it in 1996. None of that history is mentioned on the show of course, that’s just me sharing my gift for trivia with you fine folks. 

Austin is eventually slowed down so that Ric and Show can tag in and out and work him over and despite the Rattlesnake’s best efforts and endless stream of punches runs into a big boot from Show, and Flair takes great pleasure in controlling the match and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The nWo duo turn their attack to Austin’s left leg, hammering his knee to soften him up presumably for the Raw Owner’s Figure Four. 

Austin and Flair go back and forth with chops to the chest with the fans chanting WOO and WHAT alternatively for both men. Austin wins the exchange and logs Flair in his own leg lock again but Show breaks it up this time with a 500lbs leg drop and tags in to follow up.

Stone Cold fights back and takes down both men with Thez presses, and connects with a Stunner on Big Show. He doesn’t leave his feet, but as X-Pac arrives to try and help he aims a kick at Austin which is ducked, knocking down Show. 

Stunner to X-Pac, a Stunner to Ric Flair and a cover gives Stone Cold the victory over the nWo, two on one.

This wasn’t a particularly great match but it wasn’t bad and we’re all happy to see the Rattlesnake pick up the victory.

JR and King throw to their Smackdown counterparts Tazz and Michael Cole so that they can talk about the upcoming match, hair vs. hair. In truth, the Raw vs. Smackdown rivalry had become quite real behind the scenes with both rosters wanting to be seen as being on the A show. That extended to the commentary teams and while Cole and Tazz are perfectly nice here, it won’t be long until they became quite outspoken both on screen and off about wanting Smackdown to be better represented on PPV.

Hair vs. Hair match

Kurt Angle vs. Edge

These two originally started interacting and feuding in the run up to their respective Wrestlemania matches with Booker T and Kane, but it got increasingly intense post-brand split. Two very talented wrestlers and in Kurt’s case, one of the greatest performers in wrestling history so this can’t fail to be good.

There’s a barber chair set up at the top of the ramp for the loser of this match. Of course watching this in hindsight, it's pretty hilarious hearing them all talk about how silly Kurt Angle will be bald. Spoilers but Kurt has been bald for 20+ years now and if anything looks stranger to me with hair than not. 

They start very quickly going back and forth off the ropes with grapples and Edge gets the first near fall with a roll up, and then Edge sends Kurt to the outside. It’s a nice push for him that he is “out-wrestling” the olympian in the early going here.

Edge gets Kurt tied up in the ropes and connects with a Spear but when he tries a second he’s dumped over the top rope with an overhead belly to belly suplex which gets a strong reaction from the crowd and Edge comes up selling his lower back.

Kurt slows things down from there with stomps, chinlocks and facelocks, grinding Edge down as JR and King discuss how everyone is lined up backstage waiting to make fun of the loser, and how a freshly shaven head always looks silly being tan free and pasty white. He’s right about that.

Edge rallies with a suplex of his own and turns up the tempo with a string of clotheslines and a nearfall from his Edgeomatic sit down slam. 

A brief spill to the outside sees Edge hit an ugly dive over the ropes and then get a near fall off a missile dropkick back inside. 

They trade suplexes and nearfalls and the action is really good! Kurt sidesteps a Spear which knocks down the referee, and then a frustrated Kurt grabs a steel chair. He’s stopped in his tracks by a Spear but there’s no referee to count.

They go back and forth and Edge hits ANOTHER Spear. The referee is back up but Angle kicks out. He hits a Spear of his own and then an Angle Slam and that seems like the end but Edge miraculously kicks out! He snaps and locks in the ankle lock and stops Edge from making it to the ropes. Edge kicks Kurt off and catches him coming back in with a small package roll up. That’s enough for the three count and Edge wins an excellent match which was even better than their Backlash one. 

Angle is furious and attacks Edge, slapping him but gets countered into an Educution DDT. There will be no escaping his fate for Angle and Edge starts to drag him up the ramp to the barber’s chair. Kurt escapes and runs backstage with Edge in hot pursuit. That’s not the last we’ll see of them tonight, don’t worry.

Meanwhile, at the local Marriott hotel, Booker T is in bed waiting for the lovely lady he met at the arena. It’s unclear why Booker would invite the WWE’s cameras in to film the whole thing but just go with it. The girl asks Booker to turn the lights off which he does and as they whisper sweet nothings, Goldust’s voice comes through asking him to leave the nWo and come back to his tag team with Goldust! The lights go on to reveal Goldust in bed with them and Booker snaps. It looks like Goldust set this up to lure Booker back to him! Booker leaves and has his ass hanging out which gives the fans in the arena a laugh.

Hell in a Cell match

Triple H vs. Chris Jericho

Before this match we once again hear from Smackdown’s commentary team which is fair as this is their main event. Cole puts over the seriousness and danger of this match and Tazz talks about the careers it has ended. They’re really hammering home the danger of it which might be overpromising giving the previous spots we’ve seen in this match - mostly Mick Foley being thrown off of it.

This is Triple H’s second Hell in a Cell match joining Undertaker and Mick Foley as the only men to have had more than one at this point in time. It would later become one of his signatures as in 2025 there’s been dozens of Hell in a Cell matches but in 2002, only a handful.

Triple H starts off aggressively and hammers Jericho with punches and has no issues bouncing him around the ring and to the outside. 

They try to run each other into the steel wall but the bigger, stronger Triple H wins that exchange and Jericho tastes it first. I’m not sure when it happened but he comes up with a bloody wound on his shoulder which I bet stings. 

Triple H tries to Pedigree Jericho on the ringsteps on the outside but he counters and slingshots The Game into the fence and then gets a ladder out from under the ring to use as a weapon, running it into Triple H’s head on the outside of the ring and again on the inside. That busts open Triple H and now both men are bleeding. He spills to the outside and in a nasty spot, Jericho drops the ladder from the inside of the ring onto a prone Triple H laying on the outside. I bet that hurt too! 

Back in the ring, Jericho runs at Triple H with the ladder again but Triple H swings a steel chair, clashing with the ladder and bending almost in half, taking down Jericho. This is starting to get really physical.

Jericho comes back with a bulldog driving Triple H’s head into the ladder and then gets the ringsteps into the ring. Triple H blocks that with a drop toehold and then throws the steps at Jericho which looked awesome! 

They continue to fight slowly and Jericho is sent crashing into referee Tim White which sends him flying off the apron and into the Cell wall. Jericho cracks Triple H with a big chairshot and has the match won but there’s no referee to count and a furious Jericho goes out to attack Tim, busting him open and beating him badly. I’m not sure exactly what caused it during this spot, Tim White suffered a shoulder injury which sadly ended his referee career. Fortunately he owns the often-featured on TV Friendly Tap pub and so had a retirement plan in place, but was devastated to lose his job this way.

A group of referees use bolt cutters to get into the Cell to check on White as Jericho’s long distraction costs him and a recovered Triple H uses a chair and then his sledgehammer to scramble Jericho’s brains and bust him open too. 

Jericho crawls out of the door as Triple H chases the referees, trying to get one of them to replace Tim and call the match and walks right into Jericho slamming the cage door in his face.

They fight outside the Cell which takes them around the far side to the announce desks and Jericho wins, clearing the Spanish announce desk off and preparing to Pedigree Triple H onto it but that's countered into a DDT instead. 

Triple H goes to the time keepers table and pulls out an old friend he inherited from Mick Foley - a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire! Jericho starts to climb the Cell to escape and inevitably we end up with both men on the roof of the Hell in a Cell. 

Jericho manages to get a hold of the barbed wire as Triple H climbs and brings it down across The Game’s bare back.

Referee Mike Chioda is forced to climb the Cell himself as Jericho dramatically locks Triple H in the Walls of Jericho on the roof, but Triple H doesn’t tap out and uses his strong legs to power out of the hold.

He blocks another barbed wire shot with a low blow but Triple H’s Pedigree is blocked with a back drop. The tension builds as JR and King start talking about falling off the Cell or one of the roof panels breaking and sending them crashing to the mat. Triple H swings with the barbed wire and cracks Jericho right on the top of his head, getting tangled in his hair which looked very painful. Jericho kicks out! 

He follows up with a Pedigree on the roof of the Cell and that's enough to keep Jericho down for a three count, complete with awesome camera shots from underneath showing the impact and the cover. 

Triple H wins a very good Hell in a Cell match which was bloody and brutal without being overly dangerous. Or at least overly dangerous for the men in it as poor Tim White is the one who paid the worst price for this match. I remember this match being good but was pleasantly surprised by HOW good it is going back to it years later. Totally redeemed their rubbish Wrestlemania main event, it’s just a shame everyone remembers that match and not this one.

Backstage, Kurt Angle is still on the run from Edge trying to avoid getting his head shaved. He hides out with the make up lady covering up with a cape and shower cap but Edge is hot on his trail! 

Live at the restaurant formerly known as WWF New York, “The World”, Maven is on a date with Torrie Wilson. I have no real comments on this but good for Maven? I was sure Torrie’s ex-abusive boyfriend Tajiri should show up to ruin things but it goes off without a hitch.

WWE Tag Team Championships

Billy and Chuck © (w/Rico) vs. Rikishi and a partner of Mr. McMahon’s choosing

With everyone in the ring, Howard Finkle announces Rikishi’s partner but doesn’t know who it is. He’s handed an envelope - it’s Rico, Billy and Chuck’s own stylist! I think people were expecting Scotty 2 Hotty but really this matches this a three on one handicap match! The fans are disappointed and go very quiet, but in fairness this match is just the filler in between the two main events. That’s a pity and the same role Billy and Chuck filled at Backlash too. 

Billy and Chuck double team Rikishi for a bit, including Chuck throwing the 400lbs Rikishi around with overhead belly to belly suplexes which looked very impressive until Rico tries to help. Rikishi ducks and Rico hits Chuck, accidentally helping his partner he was trying to screw over. Rikishi drops Rico with a kick and pins Chuck and single handedly wins the Tag Team titles. 

I don’t want to say no one cared but you could hear a pin drop during this whole match and at the finish. But storyline wise this is quite fun and Rico is now one half of the tag team champions against his will.

Rikishi drops one of the title belts and leaves, dancing at the top of the ramp and Rico waits until Billy and Chuck aren’t looking before retrieving what is now his championship.

Backstage, Edge is still looking for Kurt Angle and is jumped by Kurt who is sick of running. He attacks Edge with a trash can lid and brings him backpack out to the ring via the stage wanting to not only back out of the deal he agreed to but reverse it on Edge. Interesting as they brawl through the back they pass the infamous Gorilla position which is where the show is run from by management. The signage still says WWF, and there’s a warning sign telling people to STAY AWAY FROM THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE TABLE, presumably because it had been weakened ahead of Triple H and Chris Jericho’s DDT spot onto it.

Back at the barber position, Edge turns the tables on Kurt and locks him in a sleeper hold, putting the Olympian to sleep in the chair so that he can shave Kurt’s head. He has a hard time getting the clippers to work and looks like he’s shaving against the grain which you’d imagine really hurt and Kurt did confirm years later that it did. Edge shaves Kurt entirely bald (with some help from the barber, telling him how to hold the clippers - in fairness, Edge has had long hair his whole life and almost certainly never used them before). He lathers up Kurt’s head with shaving foam and wakes him up so he can see the results for himself. Kurt Angle has been shaved bald and Edge cues up Kurt’s theme song asking the fans to chant “YOU’RE BALD” rather than “YOU SUCK!”. That doesn’t catch on but Kurt’s new shiny bald head certainly does and this is his new permanent look.

Undisputed WWE Championship

Hollywood Hulk Hogan © vs. The Undertaker

Small cosmetic change as from this match onwards, it’s no longer referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship but the WWE Undisputed Championship. I’m not sure what the significance of that is but I prefer that way round.

Undertaker won his first WWE title in 1991 by beating Hulk Hogan, which he lost back to him a few days later. 

The Undertaker debuts new theme music here, dropping Limp Bizkit’s Rollin in favour of a Jim Johnson instrumental. It’s the lyricless version of his “You’re Gonna Pay” song which gets its lyrics soon. Fare thee well, Fred Durst.

Hogan rushes the ring looking for revenge for the beats he’s gotten the past two weeks but Undertaker stole Hogan’s weight lifters belt and was waiting for him, lashing him across the back as he flails around the ring, not even able to take the title belt off.

 Hogan mounts a comeback, Hulking up and taking the belt off his opponent but he’s disarmed by the referee and the match begins properly.

Undertaker turns his attack to Hogan’s leg, slowing things down and working on it around the ring post and with elbow jobs but when he goes for old school, Hogan blocks that and brings him off the top rope with a superplex. The action is pretty slow so I don’t have a great deal to add as they trade right hands but Undertaker blocks a leg drop and turns it into a single leg boston crab and then plants Hogan with a rubbish looking no-height chokeslam. Hogan kicks out and Hulks up again, hammering Undertaker with punches, a big boot and his Leg Drop but Undertaker kicks out of that much to everyone’s shock.

Undertaker rallies with a desperate DDT and as Smackdown owner Vince McMahon comes to the ring, Undertaker gets a chair. It’s kicked back in his face and Hollywood drops another Leg Drop but McMahon distracts the referee and stops the count.

Hogan brings Vince into the ring and drops a Leg on him too!

With the referee distracted getting McMahon out of the ring, Undertaker blasts Hogan in the back with a chair and then a second chokeslam. It’s edited off this version of the show but on the live version, Undertaker’s first chokeslam looked famously terrible with Hulk not jumping and basically just falling over. The one we do get to see, it looks better and it’s enough to keep Hogan down for a three count. The Undertaker wins the WWE Undisputed Championship thanks to a steel chair and Mr. McMahon’s help. But did he kill Hulkamania? Only time will tell (but no, he didn’t)

Undertaker isn’t done and with McMahon looking on with a smile, he looks for revenge for his destroyed motorbike and shoves a steel chair under Hogan’s throat, driving it into the mat just as he’s done previously to Matt Hardy and Maven presumably sending the Hulkster to the hospital after having already taken his championship. 

It’s hard to call this anything other than a great show with Eddie vs. RVD, Edge vs. Angle and the Hell in a Cell matches all delivering in a big way. All three were great. The other two main events - the Austin/nWo handicap match and the Undisputed title matches - weren’t as good and surprisingly neither Austin nor Hogan got the kind of Earth shattering crowd reactions that would usually save a sub par match. Maybe it was just a bad crowd? Regardless, this show is well worth a watch for the first three and the storyline developments.