10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 2002

1. This Match Should’ve Happened On PPV

Steve Austin Ric Flair
WWE

Things got better for Shawn Michaels once he'd finished toying with nWo allegiance.

He came out of in-ring retirement for a thumping clash vs. Triple H at SummerSlam, then went on to win the World Heavyweight Title inside the first Elimination Chamber at Survivor Series. After that, he wrestled Trips again at Armageddon. Can you name his only other bout from 2002?

It fell on the 25 November Raw, and was against Rob Van Dam. Together, they worked a short eight-minute scrap for Shawn's newly won belt that ended in a DQ win for Rob. That was their only singles match - an inconsequential showdown on a random Monday night.

What a missed opportunity this was. Michaels wasn't around when RVD shot into view and became a near-overnight success the prior year, but WWE had a golden ticket to surefire quality in '02. They mucked that up by booking this one-off then never returning to it on pay-per-view.

That's still annoying over 20 years on.

What caught your eye from Raw's 2002 on the WWE Network? For more like this, check out 10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001!

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.