10 Gems That Saved Rotten Wrestling PPVs

6. Rob Van Dam Vs. Chris Jericho (WWF King Of The Ring 2002)

Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam RVD
WWE.com

Taking to the internet and furious over fan response to the match, Chris Jericho tore into viewers who had lambasted his King Of The Ring Semi Final against Rob Van Dam. Jericho vs. Van Dam was the opening match of that year's King Of The Ring pay-per-view, and it would be all downhill from there.

Many of the complaints seemed to suggest that Y2J vs. RVD should have been better than it was, which seems like a farce when analysing the rest of the subpar show. Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle tried, but their bout was more like a comedy match than anything serious.

Meanwhile, a rookie Brock Lesnar raced through matches against Test and Van Dam to become 'King', and The Undertaker faced Triple H in a supremely slow main event. The opener had proven to be the best match on the card by far, not even Ric Flair vs. Eddie Guerrero (which under-performed) could come close to it.

It seems Mr. Jericho was somewhat justified, his match was the only essential one on an otherwise drab occasion.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.