WWE SummerSlam 2002 (2002)

Ratings out of 10. * Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio (8) Outstanding opener. These guys work so well together and Mysterio proves that he can have an entertaining match with anyone.* Ric Flair vs Chris Jericho (4) The first half of this one is really good. That's all I can say.* Edge vs Eddie Guerrero (6) A fairly entertaining match that the crowd was not into. A few sloppy spots by Edge drops the rating on this one. Eddie is great as usual.* Christian & Lance Storm vs Booker T & Goldust (5) One of the better tag title matches on a WWE show in the past few years. That is not counting the Angle/Benoit era of course.* Chris Benoit vs Rob Van Dam (7) A match with some really awesome spots that never really seems to take off. Good but could have been a lot better.* Undertaker vs Test (3) Your basic Undertaker match. Not much too it. Not terrible.* Triple H vs Shawn Michaels (9) One of my favorite matches. Michaels looks like he never left. Amazing storytelling here with HHH working on the back of HBK. Some brutal spots with the chair and a table. Match of the night.* The Rock vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title (7) This one was hard to grade. The wrestling here is not so great but the crowd heat is incredible. For workrate I would score it a 5. The insane fan reactions definitely get a 10. Rock loses and the fans don't seem to mind.

Brock Lesnar shows his domination in this classic match with the Rock. 2 Natl. Champs rumble. Also Angle and Mysterio was a great contest. RVD and Benoit kicked some butt. Hunter Hearst Helmsley and HBK both won and lost at the same time. If they would have had Austin or Bret Hart, this would be the PPV of the Year, but is runner up to Wrestlemania.

Summerslam 2002 suffered the same consequences as the previous pay per view suffered and that was the lack of creativity in the bookings. Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio was by far one of the most entertaining matches only because of the uniqueness of the match. Many of the other matches are bland and repetitive.The Un-Americans in a great gimmick but they need a larger group than just three members to be an opposing threat and to be a credible force in the WWE.Overall this pay per view is a 6 out of a possible 10. The crowd seemed dead throughout the event until the last two matches (thats what you get for giving a pay per view to Islanders fans)and the entrance stage was less then stellar. For being the second biggest event of the year, the stage should have been almost as stellar as that of Wrestlemania to create a grand atmosphere.WWE really screwed up on a possibility to boost ratings.

What follows is my rundown on all the matches of the 2002 SummerSlam (the 15th SS for those counting), SPOILERS ahead, by the way. And ranting. Each match is rated out of 10.Match 1: KURT ANGLE vs REY MYSTERIO (9). I was a little apprehensive about RM being booked against a non-Cruiserweight, but Kurt Angle proved me wrong selling the high-flying moves flawlessly. There's some fantastic fast-paced action in this and great spots from Mysterio's 619, West Coast Pop and Tumbing Senton, to Angle's amazng German suplex reversal of Mysterio's jumping bodyscissors. Great action and, for me, the match of the evening. ANGLE WINS w/ the Ankle lock, making Mysterio tap out.Match 2: RIC FLAIR vs CHRIS JERICHO (2) Awful finish to an abysmal match. [What are the WWE bookers doing with Jericho- he has lost 5 of his 7 PPVs this year and only won the other 2 cheaply]. I don't know one person who considers Ric Flair a good wrestler- how can a quote, unquote legend get away with using only 2 moves for 30+ years? This is an atrocious match and further adds to Jericho's decline (through no fault of his own). I didn't think he could sink any lower than jobbing to John Cena, but here's proof: FLAIR WINS (which is, to be honest, a goddamn disgrace) as Jericho taps to the Figure Four. The first-ever Undisputed champion is plummeting due to pathetic match booking.Match 3: EDGE vs EDDY GUERRERO (8.5) Scientific wrestling at its very best here courtesy of Guerrero, who uses an innovative series of moves to methodically wear down Edge's shoulder (even Frog Splashing the damn thing!) EDGE WINS w/ the way too over-used Spear. (The constant use of it in run-ins have made me sick of it). Good work from both guys- Edge for his selling and Guerrero for his scientific wrestling.Match 4: THE UN-AMERICANS (LANCE STORM & CHRISTIAN) vs BOOKER T & GOLDUST (6) Good Tag team psychology from the Un-Americans in this decent match. STORM & CHRISTIAN WIN when Test does a run-in, flattening Booker T w/ the Big boot. (Anyone else miss Storm's Canadian Maple Leaf single-leg crab? He hasn't used it in ages)Match 5: ROB VAN DAM vs CHRIS BENOIT (7.5) Not as good as their recent RAW match, but pretty damn good nevertheless. Very stiff contest. Benoit's series of Northern Lights suplexes to break down RVD's arm are memorable, but VAN DAM WINS THE IC TITLE in the end w/ the Five Star Frog Splash.Match 6: TEST vs THE UNDERTAKER (6) While big men matches aren't my thing, this is one of the better types of those matches. 'TAKER WIN w/ his seldom-used Tombstone piledriver.Match 7: SHAWN MCHAELS vs TRIPLE H (7.5) Impressive return for HBK who delivers an Elbowdrop from the top of the ladder and a Splash through a table to Triple H. JR and 'The King' do a great job of hyping HBK's back injury which really helps sell Triple H's offense. His backbreaker on a chair is quite cringe-worthy. SHAWN WINS w/ a double leg pick-up and roll through reversal of the Pedigree. (HHH's shoulders aren't even down by the way). The post-match action is the real shocker, though, as HHH works over Michaels' back w/ his trusty sledghammer.Match 8: BROCK LESNAR vs THE ROCK (7). Lesnar is OK, but I'm still waiting for him to live up to his CONSIDERABLE hype. The real shock of this match is the Nassau Colisseum fans' booing of The Rock! BROCK WINS THE UNDISPUTED TITLE w/ the F-5. I was hoping he'd pull out a 450 Splash (which I've heard he can do quite well). Big cheer for Lesnar as he captures the gold.THE VERDICT: Apart from Flair's match there were no VERY bad matches at this year's SummerSlam. Mysterio & Angle's match was outstanding, and Edge & Guerrero's was also pretty good. The only bad thing was seeing Jericho slipping further down the WWE ladder. A 'face turn might be a good remedy, but he can't go on losing to rookies and pensioners (!)