10 Worst WWE Moments Of 2002

9. Hulk Hogan’s Last Reign Ends With A Whimper

Triple H Kane Katie Vick WWE 2002
WWE.com

As referenced in the intro, Hulk Hogan's return to WWF glory was an early highlight of 2002. He ditched the nWo colours after WrestleMania X8's classic vs. The Rock, then won the WWF Title from Triple H at Backlash. Fittingly for somebody so important to the brand's rise, Hulk won the title on the final WWF-branded pay-per-view. It's funny how things work out, eh?

No-one was laughing come Judgment Day. Hogan worked a duff main event vs. The Undertaker on that show, and it's become best-known/infamous for one of the worst chokeslams in living memory. Ol' Hulkster really struggled to jump and help 'Taker out there, so the move looked woeful. That was just the tip of the iceberg for both legends though. 

They trundled their way through a latter-day WCW style headliner that might not have ousted Goldberg vs. Kronik from the top spot at Halloween Havoc 2000. OK, maybe it wasn't that bad, but this was a far cry from dynamic main events WWF/WWE fans had grown accustomed to in more recent years. At times, it was like Hogan and Undertaker were working in slow motion.

Other rubbish PPV main events of the era included 'Taker vs. Triple H at King Of The Ring, Hunter vs. Chris Jericho at 'Mania, and even Jericho vs. an unmotivated Steve Austin at No Way Out. Something was going badly wrong with bouts given top billing on these supercards, and a creaking Hulk jumping 6 inches in the air for a chokeslam proved it. 

That doesn't work for me, brother.

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.