5 Worst Wrestling Matches Of 2002
Many people look at 2002 with rose-coloured glasses. They look back at that year and remember so many great things happening. Things like the SmackDown Six, Brock Lesnar becoming an absolute beast, WrestleMania X8, SmackDown having outstanding matches on a weekly basis, the list goes on.
However, those same people seem to forget the bad things that happened in 2002…of which there was a lot.
You see, the first half of 2002 was something of a crisis for WWE. After the purchase of WCW and ECW, WWE had a bloated roster and not enough TV time for them all. The creative direction was stifled, and main-event-level superstars were wrestling in mid-card matches (*cough* Steve Austin *cough*).
Although that crisis was more or less averted by September 2002 when the Brand Extension became a thing, it didn’t stop WWE’s creative direction from being trash for months. Between April and August 2002, the world title picture was composed mainly of Triple H, The Rock, the Undertaker…and Hulk Hogan.
That last name is going to be important because it’s critical to this list of the five worst matches of 2002.
5. Edge vs Booker T – WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania is supposed to be the show on which WWE superstars showcase their absolute best. So it’s baffling how WWE thought Booker T and Edge could cap off their mini-feud with a match that lasted less than seven minutes.
Although the story leading up to the match was memorable – it was the infamous ‘Japanese shampoo commercial’ gimmick – the match itself wasn’t. At that time, both Booker T and Edge were mid-carders wrestling mid-card matches in mid-card-type rivalries. Yet the payoff for that feud should’ve been something memorable, but they both suffered from time constraints.
As a result, you were left with decent offence here and there but nothing special. Nothing here was particularly bad; it’s just an underwhelming contest from two wrestlers that were otherwise known for having much better matches. It also didn’t help that the crowd wasn’t as vocal for hometown hero Edge as one would’ve expected.
Perhaps they too would’ve made more noise if the match they witnessed had more drama and excitement to it, which would likely have happened if it wasn’t bathroom break in length.