An Electric Atmosphere, Iconic Returns & Emotional Victories: Why Survivor Series 2002 is one of the best WWE PPV's ever
Survivor Series is one of the most historic events in Wrestling. It's got a very simple concept yet it's become this huge marketing success for WWE. The shows have varied in quality throughout the years but it does still remain a very exciting prospect each year. It's brought us countless spectacular moments, from the Undertaker making his ground breaking debut to that immense 2016 RAW vs Smackdown Mens Survivor Series match in which Roman Reigns almost murdered Shane McMahon, we've been treated to many great spectacles across the years
We're going to discuss what is my personal favourite show out of all the Survivor Series PPVs, Survivor Series 2002. It's adored by many for a plethora of reasons, so let's run through them and conclude why Survivor Series 2002 is one of the greatest WWE PPVs of all time
As the show began we were greeted with an enormous pop from the sold out crowd in New York City. The show took place in the beautiful Maddison Square Garden which looked spectacular. The ramp was short but close to the fans which enhanced the noise. It was a fantastic setup and it made the show more aesthetically pleasing
We would open the show with show with 3 Minute Warning & Rico taking on an up and coming Jeff Hardy alongside Bubba Ray and Spike Dudley in a Tables Elimination Match. This was a very fun way to open up the show, i mean it's a stipulation match with Jeff Hardy in it, of course it'll be insane! There were some really mesmerising spots here which the crowd enjoyed, you had Jeff Hardy jumping from the top of the entrance ramp to a table in order to successfully eliminate his opponent, a huge frog-splash from the top rope to the outside by Jamal to eliminate Jeff and there was many more enjoyable spots. The ending would top everything though as D-Von would return to help Bubba eliminate Rico and pick up the victory. This wasn't a 5 star classic or anything but it was incredibly fun to watch and the return at the end was really cool to see
The momentum would not slow down as next up would be the Cruiserweight Title match which was exactly what it needed to be: a match with good action that kept the crowd invested. Jamie Noble and Billy Kidman did well here and Kidman winning was a nice touch. Trish Stratus and Victoria would do battle next in a No DQ match for the Women's Championship. The calibre of Women's wrestling around this time wasn't treated with as much respect as it is given nowadays, yet this was a really innovative contest and arguably one of the best women's matches from 2002. The weapons used weren't the usual ones you'd expect to see but they made it work and it was just really refreshing. Trish Status was such an impeccable performer and it's a shame she was in an era where the division she was in was looked down upon. Regardless, this was awesome and i thoroughly enjoyed it
The first of the two World Title matches took place next as Brock Lesnar, with Paul Heyman at ringside, would defend his WWE Championship against the Big Show. This was an iconic match for multiple reasons and it certainly divides opinions still to this day. Lesnar was still a rising star at this point and he was having a pretty good reign. He had recently defeated the Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell so he was absolutely on top form. In a shocking turn of events however, as Brock hit Big Show with an F5 which knocked down the referee, Heyman would do the unthinkable and betray Lesnar in order to make the Big Show the new WWE Champion. The match length was understandably disliked by some people but the shock factor was fantastic. Lesnar was still a certified top guy now due to his reign and Heyman turning on him made him even more over. Could it have been executed better? Sure, but i think it still worked out fairly well in the long run
Now we're really getting to the top quality matches. The Tag Titles would be up for grabs as three incredibly talented teams went to war. It was the Champs Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs Los Guerreros in an Elimination match. The amount of talent in this match is just incredible. Smackdown was truly in it's Golden Era at this stage and the tag division especially was just full to the brim with World Class athletes. If this was on almost any other show it would've been the match of the night, but we'll get to that shortly.
The difference in styles is what really made this bout so fluid and fast paced. After 13 minutes, the dysfunctional duo of Angle and Benoit would get eliminated after a fine showing. The match would continue for a few more minutes as we'd continue to see some seriously amazing Tag Team wrestling. Los Guerreros would shock the world though as they'd pin the champions and walk out of Maddison Square Garden with the Tag Team Championships. As mentioned previously, the Tag Division around this time was insane and there were many fantastic encounters during this era, and this was no different
Before we would reach the final contest, Christopher Nowinski would cut a promo in which he just disrespected New York City. A few minutes later, Matt Hardy would come out and join him in doing so, until SCOTT STEINER would make an unexpected appearance which received one of the biggest crowd reactions of the night. He took out both men and stood tall which very much pleased those in attendance
And with that we approach the final match of the night, and it's one of the most iconic matches in the companies history. The first ever (and greatest) Elimination Chamber match took place on this special night. A terrifying structure brought together by the RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff. Triple H's World Heavyweight Title would be the the prize up for grabs, with the other competitors in the match being Kane, Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho, Booker T and the returning Shawn Michaels. Triple H and Rob Van Dam would start things off as this match got underway. This was quite a jam packed match so do forgive me if i leave a certain moment out, but let's run through some of the spots.
One key factor was maintained throughout this entire match, everyone had their moments. Everybody in that chamber showed their worth. Triple H lasted from the beginning to the end, which portrayed him as a very strong champion. For a solid portion of the match, Kane was very dominant. When he entered he pretty much took out every individual in the ring, handing out chokeslams left right and centre. Booker T got the first Elimination Chamber elimination in history, which sure is a nice thing to have accomplished. Chris Jericho on the other hand achieved the joint most amount of eliminations in this match with a total of two. Rob Van Dam thrived in this sort of environment as you'd expect. His frog-splash from the top of the pod will forever be a memorable sight. And of course Shawn Michaels had his long awaited return which couldn't of gone better
In what can only be described as an emotional roller-coaster, the ending to this bout was perfection. A fatigued Triple H and a damaged Shawn Michaels were the last two men standing. They previously had that monumental encounter at SummerSlam earlier in the year, and in that match Triple H managed to badly injure Michaels despite coming up short in the actual match. Michaels had won the battle, yet Triple H had won the war. Michaels didn't just want redemption, he wished to take the thing that meant the most to Triple H, his World Championship. It was a fierce brawl where both men didn't have much left in the tank. The match would reach it's climax as Michaels would use the last bit of energy he had left to hit a Sweet Chin Music and reach the top of the mountain once more. He got knocked down again, and again, and again. But despite all that, Michaels stayed determined and defeated his former companion while also winning the World Heavyweight Title in the process. Emotions ran high in Maddison Square Garden as the final scene of the show was a teary eyed and bloody Michaels holding up the beautiful World Championship. A truly wonderful way to end a magical night of Professional Wrestling