7 Ups And 8 Downs From WWE King Of The Ring 2002

How does WWE's last King of the Ring PPV live up some 15 years later?

Brock Lesnar King Of The Ring 2002 Win
WWE.com

The year is 2002. The World Wrestling Federation is forced to change its name to World Wrestling Entertainment. RAW and SmackDown have split into separate brands. However, there still exists one world title, as The Undertaker, still under a biker persona, is the Undisputed WWE Champion. A young up-and-comer named Brock Lesnar is making a name for himself by tearing apart jobbers, while Attitude Era stalwarts such as Stone Cold Steve Austin have exited stage left.

We are looking at WWE from 15 years ago. For their first pay-per-view under their new name, they put on the 10th and final proper King of the Ring (one that’s given it’s own PPV). In a way, this is the true starting point of the lauded Ruthless Aggression era. With it being the first PPV without Stone Cold and/or The Rock in God knows how many years, the company now have a chance to show the fans what their huge post-WCW roster have to offer. Are they up to snuff?

Let’s find out as we look at the Ups and Downs from King of the Ring 2002.

15. Down - Forgetting Someone?

Brock Lesnar King Of The Ring 2002 Win
WWE.com

We start off with a video package that shows highlights of all the King of the Ring winners and them celebrating their victory. We see iconic moments such as Owen Hart’s coronation, Austin’s famous 3:16 promo, and a young Edge finally making a splash as a singles competitor. Year after year, WWE shows the prestige of King of the Ring.

But hang on a minute, it appears there are some years missing from this. Notably absent from this video package are the years of 1995, 1998, and 1999. Those are the years where Mabel, Ken Shamrock, and “Mr. Ass” Billy Gunn respectively earned the prestigious title.

Now, one could make a defense for omitting them. After all, Mabel and Billy Gunn’s wins are seen as massive embarrassments and emblematic of terrible booking philosophies. Shamrock, meanwhile, was gone from the company, and days earlier, had just won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the inaugural TNA pay-per-view.

However, they’re still glaring omissions, and they don’t hide the fact that most King of the Ring wins don’t really mean much. Seriously, who here even knew that Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Edge won the King of the Ring tournament? You don’t, because they are so low on the totem pole of accomplishments for all of those men. If WWE wanted to make King of the Ring seem important, instead of omitting the outright duds, they should have actually make the ones they think mattered actually matter.

Contributor
Contributor

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