10 shocking moments from WWE 2002
Many fans refer to 2001 as the last great year for the WWF before their post-Attitude Era decline and the eventual arrival of the PG era. That being said, 2002 was by no means a poor year for the company. In fact, one might say it even surpassed some of the Attitude Era years in terms of entertainment and storytelling value.
However you look at it, 2002 was a year of real change for the company both inside and outside the ropes. Away went the over-reliance on Austin and Rock and in came new superstars that would set the company in a completely different direction to the controversial, car crash TV fans had grown so accustomed to.
The year might have marked the official death of the Attitude Era, but it was not without its share of shocking moments. Here are the top 10 shocking moments from WWE 2002:
#1 WWF gets the 'F' out
The year 2002 signalled big changes for the company had finally secured an unrivalled position at the top of the wrestling world. The organization, known to many as the World Wrestling Federation, which had entertained millions and set the bar in terms of the cultural impact of pro-wrestling on the Western world and beyond, was about to receive a not-so-welcomed facelift.
On the 5th of May, 2002, the WWF announced that it would be changing its company name to WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). This was much more than a simple name change, however. Vince McMahon's entire vision for the product had been set on a course that would eventually turn many former fans away. By 2017, the company is almost unrecognizable from the heydeys of 1998-2001, and much of that began here, with the name change.
Of course, there were still ongoing legal disputes with the World Wildlife Fund to consider, but the change from 'Federation' to 'Entertainment' also meant that Vince could finally pursue his real dream of making his conglomerate more than just a wrestling company.
Today, if asked, Vince is probably more likely to describe WWE as being part of the movie making industry that rubs shoulders with other high-entertainment outlets such as MTV or FOX. The wrestling is just one string to Vince's bow and he wanted the world to know it.
Whether or not the name change can be directly blamed for the decline in fortunes for the company is a very contested point, but what we did know back in 2002 was that while the World Wrestling Federation was all about the second 'W', World Wrestling Entertainment would be predominantly about the 'E'