Summerslam - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale New York, August 25th 2002

Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio

Before this match even begins, is this, on paper, the greatest PPV opener of all time? Kurt enters first but Rey comes from behind while Kurt is waiting for him and starts off with a springboard and a series of counters and lucha-rolls, almost hitting the 619 early but he’s caught and dumped to the outside roughly so Kurt can take control and slow it down.

He has no problem throwing the much smaller Rey around with suplexes and the fans gasp and ooh and ahh as they counter and re-counter and Rey bumps HARD for the Olympian. They work so fast and smoothly together.

Shout out to Kurt’s new ring gear as he works over Rey and focuses on his lower back. It’s like candy stripes? I’ve no idea if I like it or not - it’s very bright, primary colours.

The story emerges that Kurt is dominating the newcomer but Rey keeps kicking out and getting to the ropes to break holds. He is tough as nails and the fans are red hot, reacting to every move and alternating between “Lets go Angle” and “Angle sucks” chants. There’s a big pop when he takes down his straps signaling the beginning of the end. Rey counters the Angle slam into an arm drag and then follows with an awesome dive, up and over the referee and onto Kurt on the outside which gets a big cheer from the crowd as well as Tazz and Cole. A gorgeous springboard legdrop with a LOT of height right across Kurt’s neck gets a close two count. 

Rey lands on Kurt’s shoulders, he’s dumped into an ankle lock, that’s countered which sends Kurt into the ropes. Rey hits the 619 and West Coast Pop but Angle kicks out! It’s hard to even describe the action here as both being such phenomenal athletes they counter and move so quickly! Rey goes for a hurricanrana but Kurt blocks it, lands on his feet and quickly turns it into an ankle lock for the submission victory in an amazingly good match. This only went about nine minutes but I could have happily watched them for another 5 or 6. Rey Mysterio only debuted a few weeks ago but thanks to this performance and some goodwill from his time in WCW, he’s a star already.

I just want to take a moment here and share how much I love Kurt Angle. It’s not a shock or surprise to say that he is one of the best ever but in this post-brand split world he has really stepped up as a leader and had great match after great match after great match. It’s nice to see the company reward him with such strong treatment too as even as kind of a goof who doesn’t always win, he and his ankle lock are a force to be feared and he’s handed many people their first ever submission losses in the past year or so. A real Olympic hero.

Backstage, Stephanie McMahon discovers that she and Eric Bischoff are sharing an office tonight - there’s only one door with “General Manager” on it. They sit down to watch the show together and smugly tell the other to “take notes” and “you might learn something”. Bischoff was purely an on-screen character at this point in his career but Stephanie was legitimately on the creative team and had been for a couple of years at this point so her ego about the show’s quality is real.

Chris Jericho vs. Ric Flair

This match seems to come out of nowhere after Jericho jumped ship to Raw and attacked the Nature Boy but if you think back to Jericho’s December to March Undisputed title run, he had many, many run-ins with the then co-owner of the WWE. There’s no video package for this match but instead JR and King recap their multiple incidents on the most recent episode of Raw so you can watch that.

I mentioned at the start of the show that it looks like the opening video package had been removed and that’s confirmed during Ric’s entrance as on my copy of Summerslam 2002 he enters to his dubbed in 1992 theme song rather than his classic theme. For the nerds among you, that means that this copy of the PPV is from the Summerslam DVD boxset which was released in 2004. The company was still in an odd spot post-Getting the F Out and there were right’s issues with a bunch of theme songs and with how to treat events from before the name change. It was eventually sorted out and from 2005 onwards Flair has the correct theme song on all events. 

Jericho and Flair start out grappling as JR makes fun of Fozzy - he wasn’t a fan of the concert on Raw - and Flair takes control with stinging chops to the chest. Flair wins the brawl but Jericho takes over with a thumb to the eye and moves the match to the outside. He exposes the top surface of the security wall and drops Flair onto it and then follows with an axe handle from the top rope all the way to the outside. He fell quite a distance, which deserved a bigger crowd reaction.

Jericho controls the match and distracts the referee by removing the turnbuckle pad so that he can choke Ric with his wrist tape. Flair gets a couple of comebacks with more chops and by blocking a top rope dive with a big slam of his own. 

Jericho can’t get the Walls of Jericho but takes Flair down with a bulldog. He misses the Lionsault and tries for a Walls of Jericho of his own, but that’s blocked and Jericho locks Ric in his own move, the Figure Four. 

Flair makes it to the ropes but then taps out. It’s smart as Jericho releases the hold thinking he’s won but the referee doesn’t call it as Ric had the ropes. His argument with Jericho allows the Nature Boy to hit an undetected low blow and he locks Jericho in a Figure Four of his own for a submission victory! Two matches in a row end by submission. 

Flair celebrates his big win - easily the biggest since his return to WWE - as Jericho flips out on the outside. Is this controversial? Jericho certainly feels like he was screwed. 

This was a decent match, but not as good as the opener because honestly what could be?

Backstage after what I assume was a commercial for the Best of Hulk Hogan DVD set, Paul Heyman laughs about how Brock Lesnar ended his career and then transitions to how he’s going to do the same to The Rock’s Undisputed title reign tonight. Heyman motivates his client - tonight, the Next Big Thing arrives!

Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero

Michael Cole explains that this feud is built on jealousy - he thinks Eddie is jealous of Edge who’s career is on the rise. I didn’t get any of that in the build up. They had a couple of run-ins and Eddie claims to have never been Speared despite having actually been Speared multiple times.

Eddie is shorter than Edge but he’s gotten so enormously muscular in the past year so probably weighs more! 

Eddie gets the advantage by hanging Edge up neck-first across the top rope but Edge fights back and ties up Latino Heat’s arms in the rope leaving him exposed to a Spear. He tries for a second but Eddie moves and Edge takes a tumble to the floor so Eddie can capitalise. It looks like Edge might have hurt his shoulder but it must just be a storyline as Eddie gives him no break and starts stomping and focusing right on it with submissions and arm-wringers.

Edge fights back and scores near falls with the Edguction DDT and his Edge-o-Matic reverse X-Factor but when he sets up for a Spear he runs right into a dropkick. That was so slick. Eddie tries for the Frog Splash but Edge gets his knees up and comes back with a second Edguction but Eddie kicks out and rallies with a Northern lights suplex and a neck breaker. Edge blocks the Frog Splash and tries for a superplex but is shoved off the top and then Eddie brings down a Frog Splash right across Edge’s bad arm. Edge kicks out of that and a furious Eddie tries to follow up but Edge counters into a Spear out of no where to pick up the victory. 

This was pretty good but both guys are capable of better. Little spoiler but they got a do-over at Unforgiven the following month so we’ll find out how they got on then.

Backstage, Jonathan Coachman interviews the Un-Americans ahead of their first match tonight - defending the WWE Tag Team titles against Booker T and Goldust. Christian says that they are honoured to defend the titles but not in a dump like Long Island. Storm says that this city typifies America - greedy Americans who always want more and don’t appreciate their efforts. 

WWE Tag Team Championships

The Un-Americans (Lance Storm and Christian) © vs. Booker T and Goldust

Booker T has gotten so popular in the last month or two. I got a bit of a laugh during the entrances as Booker’s flame pyro is very close to where JR and King’s desk is set up so I bet they hated that. 

JR, as always, is disgusted and furious about the Un-Americans and their upside down US Flag. I think it’s hilarious.

This match moves in fast forward - Booker has no problem knocking around both Storm and Christian with back elbows and spin kicks. Goldust is tagged in and shut down and double teamed very briefly before making a hot tag back to Booker. This all happens within a few minutes. The referee didn’t see the tag so Booker is forced back to the outside so the champions can continue to isolate and double team the always bizarre Goldust.

Booker’s argument with the referee about the Un-American’s cheating allows them to get a pair of steel chairs and try for a con-chair-to but Goldust ducks and drops them with a double clothesline so he can finally make the big tag to Booker T with loud USA chants ringing out.

Booker has a close fall on Christian but it's broken up by Lance Storm. He jumps with a heel kick which knocks down the referee. Booker doesn’t miss a step and takes down both Christian and Storm with a single Scissors Kick and lights up the crowd with a Spinarooni. There’s no referee to count and while Goldust stops Storm from using the Tag Title belt as a weapon, with no referee to see it, Test runs down with a massive Big Boot on Booker which gives Christian the cover just as the referee revives. The Un-Americans retain the tag team titles in a fun match with an exciting finish that the crowd was really into. 

Live at The World in New York City, Cruiserweight Champion Jamie Noble and his girlfriend Nidia host a make-out contest where the winner gets to make out with Nidia. She chooses her man and jumps on him and just about sucks his face off on a sofa as Jamie cheers her on. 

Back at the arena, Eric Bischoff shares his opinion that Nidia knows a woman’s place and would be a fine addition to Raw. He also said no one cares about women’s wrestling on Raw this past week. Stephanie doesn’t stand up for women or against his misogyny as strongly as you’d expect her too.

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Chris Benoit © vs. Rob Van Dam

This is the only Raw vs. Smackdown match tonight and determines which brand gets the Intercontinental title moving forward. The edits on this version of the show continue as the IC title belt is blurred out - it still had the WWF logo on it at this point. I’ll talk a lot more about the Intercontinental title itself at Unforgiven and again at No Mercy. 

The two lock up and it’s fast and intense grappling to start out with, which Benoit wins of course and muscles RVD into an STF and focuses his early assault on the shoulder and neck of Van Dam, presumably softening him up for the Crossface.

Benoit gets near falls from a stiff back elbow off the ropes and a backbreaker and within minutes we’re into the phase with the champion working over Raw’s RVD. 

Much like Guerrero earlier, Benoit is focused on his opponent's shoulder. 

RVD almost gets a near fall with an inside cradle and then catches Benoit rushing in with a spinning heel kick. 

He takes aim with the Five Star Frog Splash but Smackdown’s Benoit rolls out of the way and gets RVD into the Crippler Crossface. Van Dam gets his foot on the ropes to break the hold but the champion has a big advantage now. The show’s respective General Managers are shown watching from backstage and cheering on their men.

RVD tries a springboard and pays for it when he’s shoved off the rope rope and crashes onto the security wall at ringside. Benoit goes right back to the shoulder and locks RVD in a hammer lock and runs his shoulder into the ring post. Ouch.

The fans weirdly boo when Van Dam kicks out of a cover but then I spotted a bunch of people in the crowd looking over somewhere so I think it was a fight and someone being kicked out of the show. Benoit smartly goes back to rest hold and waits until the crowd are back into the match before continuing. 

Van Dam fights back but keeps missing his trademark moves allowing Benoit to return to his onslaught. He hits a crisp Northen lights suplex and then floats over and roughly pulls Van Dam to his feet to deliver another, keeping his arm twisted in a hammer lock the whole time. He hits four of those and then goes down into the Crossface.

Van Dam is nowhere near the ropes but manages to fight around into a dragon sleeper. A desperate Van Dam takes Benoit down into a Crossface of his own but he can’t quite lock it in and is stopped with a dropkick to the face. 

Van Dam keeps fighting and with more kicks manages to get to the top rope. He’s once again shut down by Benoit who brings RVD off the top rope with a back suplex, but RVD twists his body in midair and instead lands on top of Benoit with a crossbody. It’s a hard landing and it leaves the champion down long enough for RVD follow up with the Five Star Frog Splash. RVD regains his Intercontinental title in a hard fought but slightly dull match and brings the championship back to Raw.

Back in the GM’s locker room, Bischoff is smug about the victory and tells her she can watch the Intercontinental title on Raw from now on. Stephanie breaks out into a loud laugh, leaving Bischoff confused. 

The brandsplit is now a few months old and while everyone will have their preferences (Raw is better than Smackdown so far), the effect it had on the talent is genuine. In 2002, Vince’s speech about Ruthless Aggression and daring the roster to step up and “grab the brass ring” was all too real as he needed star power and fast. You can see that in how hard Brock Lesnar has been pushed. The brand split added to that as Raw and Smackdown were pitted against each other in a very real sense. It created a rivalry that spurred the wrestlers and even commentators on to try harder and work to make “their brand” the better of the two weekly shows. The two brands also have distinct writing teams who were also trying to be the best and curry favour with Vince McMahon and the effect was that Raw was a more storyline driven show and often featured angles where it seemed like they were trying to recapture the Attitude era, while Smackdown focused a lot more on youth and the in ring product itself - match quality over storylines. By the end of the year, Smackdown had overtaken Raw in terms of quality and there’s a lot of stuff coming up in these shows I’m excited for, but which one you prefer is ultimately still personal preference.

The Undertaker vs. Test

This is the first match tonight to get a video package, I assume because America.

Is working with Test a step down for Undertaker? Or is working with Undertaker a step up for Test? Depends how much you like Test I guess. The Un-American gimmick has a pretty short shelf life but it's been effective in the short term. Getting Americans all worked up and chanty about foreigners and America is like shooting fish in a barrel. I mostly can’t wait for this storyline to end because I’m sick of listening to JR’s lectures about how America is the greatest country on planet Earth. Puke. 

Undertaker wrestles Test to begin with, taking him over with an uncharacteristic arm drag and then an arm wringer. There’s been a lot of work on the opponents shoulder tonight hasn’t there? He takes Test down with a jumping clothesline for a near fall and then goes back to the arm, leading to Old School. Test shoves the referee into the ropes, tripping Undertaker and letting him drop crotch-first onto the top rope and then to the outside where he can take advantage.

Then it’s Test’s turn to work on a shoulder and he grinds Undertaker down in the ring with a long arm wringer of his own. 

Undertaker fights back, connects with Old School the second time and then after a string of countered finishers, Undertaker wriggles out of a pumphandle slam, ducks a Big Boot, Test wriggles free of the first chokeslam but its hit by the second, Christian and Lance Storm run down to help out their buddy. Undertaker has no problem fighting off both Tag Team Champions and spikes both with chokeslams but walks into Test’s Big Boot. Undertaker kicks out! 

A frustrated Test gets a steel chair to finish this but Undertaker boots it back into his face and then for the first time in a LONG time, scores with a Tombstone to win the match. For America. 

This wasn’t very good but the finish was fun with a lot happening. Undertaker celebrates by going into the crowd and retrieves an American flag to hold up in the ring. They’re easily pleased aren’t they?

Unsanctioned Street Fight

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels

JR says that Shawn Michaels last match was 1609 days ago - that was Wrestlemania 14, my first review on this very website. Not strictly true as HBK did a little bit of wrestling at his own school down in Texas over the last couple of years but this is his first PROPER match in over four years. This big story there is his serious back injury which, by this point, was all healed up. Here’s the video package;

Shawn is dressed for a fight in jeans and a white vest (with a bible verse on it, because he’s a born again Christian) but he does also have his trademark chaps and glittery vest and has an armada of pyro to go along with his entrance. I’ve not talked much about my feelings about Shawn since his return but his first proper match feels like a good time to do it - he is one of the greatest in ring performers of all time and while his original run was “before my time”, I have really fond memories of his second run which began with this very match. The Heartbreak Kid is back. 

Triple H is clean shaven for his entrance which looks really weird, but as I talked about in the previous Preview he’s in the midst of changing up his look for this heel turn. JR mentions that while Shawn Michaels was the first man to ever win the original Grand Slam (WWF/WWE, Intercontinental, European and Tag Team titles), Triple H was the second. 

Shawn attacks Triple H the moment he steps through the ropes and we’re off to the races. He peppers The Game with stiff punches and sends him up and over the top rope. HBK dives over the top to follow and keeps the fight going. He keeps Triple H off balance, chasing him around the ring and is the first to introduce weapons - a trash can and lid. Shawn is dominating and takes aim with the Sweet Chin Music superkick which won him three WWE Championships but Triple H dicks and folds Shawn in half across his knee with a stiff looking back breaker. That slows things down and Triple H hammering Michaels’ surgically repaired back is his rather obvious strategy. 

Triple H drills Shawn with a DDT onto a steel chair which busts him open but only gets a near fall. Triple H remains calm and takes Michaels’ belt off and whips him with it before wrapping it around his fist and hammering Shawn with right hands from the belt buckle. This has turned vicious quickly. 

It takes him an amusingly long time to find it but Triple H does ramp the violence up by getting his sledgehammer from under the ring but HBK fights back to stop him from using it. Triple H sends HBK hard into the corner and locks in an abdominal stretch, wrenching at his ribs and lower back. 

Triple H uses the ropes for extra leverage but is caught by referee Earl Hebner who shoves Triple H and argues with him in the corner, warning him to stop using weapons and to lay off Michaels - he’s taking it too far for Earl it seems.

The distraction gives Shawn time to recover so when Triple H goes for a superplex,  Michaels counters and shoves him off the top and wants to come off with his trademark elbow drop but The Game kicks the referee into the ropes causing HBK to lose his balance. With him hanging upside down on the ropes he’s an easy target for a big swinging chair shot to the lower back. Triple H continues by setting up a steel chair and performing a backbreaker across the seat, crushing the steel chair and causing the crowd to gasp in shock. Michaels kicks out. 

This onslaught works as the fans start chanting HBK as he continues to kick out. Triple H sets up a Pedigree onto a steel chair but Shawn gets some separation with a low blow and then as Triple H rushes in with a steel chair, Michaels superkicks it right back in his face, busting Triple H open. Michaels gets his second wind and after a flying clothesline he kips up onto his feet which gets a big reaction from the crowd and from JR and King on commentary. HBK is on a roll and blasts The Game with a big chairshot of his own! He lights up Triple H on the outside with trash can shots and uses one of the Spanish commentator’s boots as a weapon. There’s a big pop as he pulls a ladder out under the ring and uses it as a weapon before slingshotting the bloody Triple H into it.

Shawn continues and gets a near fall with a superplex and after drop toeholding Triple H into the ring steps but the move of the match is a splash from the top rope, all the way to the floor through a table. It looked awesome. 

Back in the ring, Michaels comes off the ladder with an elbow drop and with adrenaline pumping, heads to the corner and tunes up the band for Sweet Chin Music. Triple H catches it, spins him into a Pedigree but Michaels rolls through into a cover and wins an incredible, bloody, intense street fight! 

This match was voted match of the year in 2002 and is why many people consider this edition of Summerslam to be the greatest ever and a rival to Wrestlemania X7 as one of the best PPVs of all time.

A bloody Triple H is a sore loser and he hits Shawn in the back with his sledgehammer and then, after taunting, swings a second time right into HBK’s spine. Michaels collapses and the fans rain boos down on The Game as he celebrates and laughs at his former best friend’s misfortune. In the build up, he said he’d put Shawn in a wheel chair and as referees and officials rush to the ring and load HBK onto a stretcher, it might have done it with a smile on his face. JR rants about what an evil son of a bitch Triple H is, as he laughs at what he’s done. 

To give the crowd a breather after that big emotional finale, ring announcer Howard Finkle shares his thoughts with the crowd. This is the first time he’s ring announced a PPV in this arena since Wrestlemania 2 and he promises us that he’ll never abandon us. He’s interrupted by Trish Stratus. He doesn’t let her speak and reminds us that she slapped him in the face two weeks ago and last week she pushed him into a swimming pool full of mud. He calls the crowd Long Island skanks. She says that she wants to apologise and tells him he has a sexy voice. She takes her hat off and prepares to kiss him but its all just a distraction so that her bestie Lillian Garcia can sneak up behind him and slap him in the face. He tried to steal her job a few weeks ago and was responsible for her getting a beating from Eric Bischoff’s henchmen - Rosey and Jamal. She finishes with a big kick to the balls and the blondes leave Howard in the ring, hurting. 

With Raw’s main event out of the way (HBK vs. HHH, not Howard vs. Lillian), JR and King hand over to Michael Cole and Tazz for Smackdown’s main event. 

I mentioned it during the Preview but in the build up to this match I remember this PPV featuring video packages of Rock and Brock’s intense workout routines, basically spotlights for both men and their considerable skills. It all added to the marketing of this match as “the most anticipated Summerslam main event of all time” which is a stretch but is certainly a testament to the faith they had in Brock Lesnar only five months into his WWE career.

WWE Undisputed Championship

The Rock © vs. Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman)

You can see clips from the missing training montages I mentioned in the video package for the match 

Brock Lesnar isn’t quite undefeated but he’s never been pinned or made to submit. There was a definitive shift in his presentation in the past month as he previously needed help from Paul Heyman to win his matches but since moving to Smackdown he’s been flying solo and has stepped into more of a speaking role - things he had to do as a main eventer.

The Rock enters last and is so amped up he forgoes his normal entrance, laying the belt down and springing to the ring to go right on the attack.

He is almost immediately heaved across the ring with a belly to belly suplex but kicks out. I wasn’t sure when to bring it up but as Lesnar throws The Rock around with back breakers the fans decide for me - there is a very loud and vocal anti-Rock sentiment in this crowd and the “Rocky” chants are cut off quickly in favour of loud “Rocky Sucks” chants instead. We’ll talk about that after the match.

Heyman gets a cheap shot when The Rock goes to the outside for a breather and then Lesnar throws Rocky into the crowd and then effortlessly lifts him and drops him onto the wall. He is scary strong.

Lesnar heaves Brock around the ring some more scoring near falls and Heyman does his best to help out his client with a choke on the apron while the referee is distracted. Brock doesn’t need the help and there’s a few times where while The Rock is being dominated, he looks more annoyed by the crowd’s negative reaction to him than what's happening in the match.

The Rock speeds things up with a string of clotheslines and a DDT and locks in the sharpshooter. The Rock looks around the crowd angrily and shouts “FUCK NO!” as the fans chant “Let’s go Lesnar”. He breaks the hold to go and confront Heyman on the apron but Brock saves him from a Rock Bottom.

Paul keeps the referee distracted so Lesnar can use a steel chair to the ribs and then clamps The Rock in the same bearhub that put down Hulk Hogan on August 8th. 

The Rock fights out of that (to boos) and actually uses a low blow to get control of the match. He takes the fight to the outside and clears off the announce table. He slingshots Brock into the ring post and then with an opening, he drives Paul Heyman through the announce table with a Rock Bottom.

It is distracting, to me at least, how visibly pissed off The Rock looks with the crowd’s negative reaction to him. Every time he gets a boo he looks around the crowd in disgust almost like he’s playing heel. The crowd reactions are different in tone - the women and kids are cheering for The Rock, the men are cheering for Lesnar and there’s a lot more of them.

Back in the ring, The Rock scores with a Rock Bottom but Lesnar kicks out!

Lesnar comes back with a Rock Bottom of his own (Brock Bottom?) and then lifts The Rock into an F5. The Rock wriggles free and goes for a second Rock Bottom but Brock shoves him off into the F5 position and this time he hits it.

One, two, three and Brock Lesnar becomes the youngest WWE Champion in history (at the time). 

Brock roars in victory and celebrates with the title and we’re out, the PPV wraps up very quickly after the final fall.