10 Historic 2002 Raw & SmackDown Moments To Check Out On WWE Network

7. Brock Lesnar Hammers Hulkamania

2002 was a breakout year for one Brock Lesnar. Debuting the night after WrestleMania X-8, 'The Next Big Thing' was pushed mightily by the creative team. At first, this meant going over mid-card stars such as Spike Dudley and The Hardy Boyz, but things quickened after he won the 2002 King Of The Ring tournament in June. That win made Lesnar the number one contender for The Rock's WWE Undisputed Title at SummerSlam. In order to build Brock quickly, WWE booked him to decimate a legend. On the August 8th broadcast of Smackdown, Lesnar annihilated Hogan in the main event. The match was billed as a number one contendership battle, with the winner getting the crack at The Rock's title. To his credit, Hulk did everything he could to make Lesnar look like an unstoppable monster. There was an old-school vibe in the air as the veteran locked horns with the newcomer. Fan response was electric, because people could see that WWE were entirely serious about pushing Brock Lesnar to the forefront of the roster. Hogan was also supremely over, acting like an aging hero who fans still had a lot of affection for. This was the perfect way to prepare Brock for SummerSlam.