10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 2002
2002 was the year when WWE Raw officially topped WCW Nitro's worst content.
If 2001 was the year Vince McMahon lost his 'Midas Touch', then 2002 was the year a once-proud WWF patriarch lost his damn mind.
McMahon's company decided to "get the F out" in '02 - increasing pressure from the World Wildlife Fund prompted a change from WWF to WWE in May, and it took everybody a while to get up to speed. Indeed, early editions of WWE Raw on the Network showed that announcers and wrestlers alike had to pause before saying the promotion's new name.
Then, there was the creative desperation. For some reason, Vince and cronies decided that shock tactics were the way forward. Whereas episodes of Raw between 1998-2001 had been rife with an intoxicating blend of drama, sex appeal and explosions (both literal and in-storyline), 2002 scraped the bottom of the barrel for some of the worst 'controversy creates cash' attempts yet.
Throw in a p*ssed off Steve Austin, the re-arrival of some old favourites, Shawn Michaels' comeback and...yeah, Raw was newsworthy. However, it was also drawing unflattering comparisons to WCW Nitro, which won't have pleased Vince.
Here's everything learned when binging all 52 epodes of the flagship from that year.
10. Triple H = Best Comeback Ever?
Starting off hot with a BIG POP!
Triple H's return on the 7 January episode was thunderous. Madison Square Garden, a beloved venue drenched in WWF history, came alive with one of the most spine-chilling reactions any wrestler has ever received. Honestly, it's amazing to look back at this almost 21 years on.
Another point: Trips comeback might be the greatest WWE return pop of all time. That's surprising considering it happened the same year as Hulk Hogan's own re-arrival on WWF telly, but 'The Game' blew him out of the water. There's more on that to come, by the way.
It's even more impressive because Hunter was a heel when he went down with that agonising quad tear in May 2001. In fact, he was arguably the biggest heel on the roster. The lethal combo of absence making the heart grow fonder and some killer U2-backed rehab vids built anticipation for this historic moment.