10 Must-See Matches From WWE SmackDown 2002
4. John Cena Vs. Kurt Angle - June 27, 2002
The most important SmackDown match in regards the future health of World Wrestling Entertainment occurred on the June 27 episode.
It was there that Kurt Angle issued an open challenge to anyone in the back willing to take him on. A young superstar out of Ohio Valley Wrestling took him up on the offer and soon ignited a journey to greatness that would carry him to the very top of the industry.
John Cena stood face-to-face with Angle and stated definitively that ruthless aggression fuelled him before slapping the Olympian across the chops. In the minutes that followed, he nearly defeated the former WWE Champion on numerous occasions, giving him a fight the gold medalist was clearly unprepared for.
Angle still secured the win but on that night, Cena shined. Once poked fun of for his Prototype gimmick and its cartoonish elements, including a specialty promo in which he would "rewind" what he had just said, Cena exploded onto the scene and proved that he could hang with the best wrestler on the planet.
WWE creative hardly did a suitable job of following up on the performance but Cena recovered from the roadblocks to become the biggest star of his generation.