10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2002
6. Hulk Hogan Was An Even Worse Draw Than You Thought
2002 was a bad yizzear for the Hulkster, dude. No matter how much lotion he applied to the buttock of Hulkamania, he could not prevent the brand from burning out.
The WWF botched the reboot of the New World Order - they just did the same vehicular attack routine that every other top heel did at the time - but it hardly mattered. Fans just wanted to see their Hulk Hogan back, as evidenced by the incredible atmosphere in which he bathed at WrestleMania X8.
Even that was a premonition of the year ahead. While Icon Vs. Icon was an unbelievable spectacle, as an attraction, it was no Rock Vs. Austin. X8 fell to 840,000 buys from X-Seven's 1,040,000.
The expected site of Hogan's first WWF title win since 1993, Backlash 2002, drew a disappointing 400,000, which wasn't even within range of a typical B-show held in 2000. Hogan's first title defence, against the Undertaker at Judgment Day '02, drew 373,000, down from the previous year's buy amount of 405,000 - and that was headlined by a very familiar and uninspiring retread of the Steve Austin Vs. Undertaker pairing.
Hogan's May 2 SmackDown main event against Chris Jericho drew the lowest viewership in the history of the show up to that point. At 2.9, it was a monumental disaster. Even on Thanksgiving nights, one of the least-watched TV days all year, SmackDown had never once dipped below 3.2.
The first-ever meeting on WWE TV between Hogan and Ric Flair, on May 13 was another monumental disappointment - it drew fewer viewers than the Bubba Ray Dudley & Trish Stratus vs. Jazz & Stevie Richards match that followed.