25 Best Wrestling PPVs Ever
2. WWE SummerSlam 2002
Best Match: Shawn Michaels Vs. Triple H
Worst Match: Ric Flair Vs. Chris Jericho
2002 was a quietly brilliant year in the WWE canon, despite the cooling off of post-Attitude Era box office.
It started inauspiciously. The nWo angle bombed, despite Vince McMahon's hammed-up efforts in his introductory vignettes, and WrestleMania X8 was woeful compared to X-Seven.
The brand extension galvanised the spring period, after which the Paul Heyman-penned SmackDown! ushered in a golden period of workrate and simplistic but engaging storytelling, infused with a genuinely athletic and serious flavour.
Many fans are apprehensive before Pay Per Views in the event that their favourites aren't afforded sufficient time with which to tell a gripping story. Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio, in crafting one of the best opening matches in Pay Per View history, needed just 09:20 to do just that.
A perfectly-judged midcard - which allowed the ultra-talented likes of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero to ramp up the quality without detracting from the two feature bouts - followed the pattern outlined in the intro to a T.
Though Brock Lesnar's coronation as the then-youngest WWE champion was a huge moment, Shawn Michaels, wrestling his first match in four years, stole the show. Young wrestlers should study his imperious sell-job. Michaels in the aftermath looked like he'd never walk again. He would in fact wrestle for a glorious eight year stretch, eclipsing what was already a legendary run in the nineties.