To read my review of the previous King of the Ring matches, including the King of the Ring semi-finals, WWE Women's and Cruiserweight Title Matches, and Ric Flair versus Eddie Guerrero, click HERE.

       I've spent some time dogging Hogan of late, but after his match with Angle... I'm still gonna dog Hogan. The best move WWE and Hogan could have made would have been for him to retire (or at least leave for a little while) after losing to The Undertaker at Judgment Day. Look, he was never the most agile guy, even in his prime. Now? Years past his prime? With damaged ribs? It's hard to watch. This match was entertaining, I'll give them that, but I don't think Kurt Angle is capable of a bad match. It's weird though, when Ric Flair does his old eighties-schtick, it still feels fun and entertaining. But when Hogan "Hulks up", it just feels dumb and antiquated. Luckily, the Hulkamaniacs couldn't make Hogan invincible this time, and despite Angle blasting himself with a chair (through a comical bounce off the ropes), despite the big boot (which guys have to bend down for now), despite the mighty leg drop (which is basically the Hulkster falling down at this point), the better man one. With Hogan tapping out no less, something I don't remember ever happening.

Winner: Kurt Angle via submission

       FINALLY The Rock returns to WWE. What did The Great One do in his vaunted King of the Ring return? A comedy bit with Booker T and Golddust. That'll drive up buy-rates. Still, this bit was funny. Maybe it wasn't the big monumental return one might expect for one of the true elites in the world of wrestling, but one must remember that what makes The Rock elite is his ability as an entertainer. He'll be one of the first to admit that he is not one of great all-time mat technicians (which, I must say, is becoming a euphemism for "not very popular wrestler"), but he sure can entertain the audience. And this bit, which obviously would not be his only role in the show, was entertaining. Especially the interaction with Golddust.

       So I was wrong about the participants of the King of the Ring final, and of course I was wrong about a possible involvement by Edge (and the possible involvement of The Rock), but you know what? I should have been right. Why? Because the final that went down, RVD vs. The Next Big Thing, wasn't that good. I thought Jericho would be the right choice because of his proven ability to work two matches at a Pay Per View, something that these two didn't appear able to do. Also, Jericho, the veteran, could have taken the lead in the match psychology, something that Lesnar has yet to learn and RVD has troubles with. Also, I never believed that Van Dam had a chance in winning this match, so that kinda killed it for me (and a lot of the fans in attendance, judging from the reaction). Plus, it was too short. I don't care if they already wrestled earlier that night, they had an hour in-between, and that's what the King of the Ring used to be about. Remember when they had to win three matches in one night? So they've already made it easier, and the finalists still couldn't bring it. Big mistake. It shoulda been Jericho.

2002 King of the Ring: Brock Lesnar via pinfall

       In a nice moment before the big match, Triple H ran in to his old Cliq buddies Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, and X-Pac. Tension quickly changed to warmth as the old friends embraced and wished Helmsley luck in his match with The Dead Man. This was a good moment that can only happen at a PPV until Triple H finds a way on RAW. But more than just a touchy-feely Hallmark moment, this meeting set up a sure-fire future storyline. Stay tuned...

       I might have gotten this wrong, but I was all prepared to say that Undertaker would retain his title to help restore some of lost-lustre of the bouncing WWE Championship, but then the Austin thing went down and I felt that had to change plans. So, basically, I'm blaming Stone Cold. As for the match itself, it was a good piece of business. Not the classic I was hoping for, but a worthy main event (I think Triple H's injury kept it from reaching the next level). I like that the story had a good chance to develop before The Rock entered the picture. You know he had to be involved at some point, it would have sucked if his only role was to goof off with Booker T and Golddust, and when he did the timing was right. Even better, was that his involvement did not determine the outcome of the match. Oh sure, it helped Undertaker that Triple H was still woozy from Rocky's inadvertant chairshot, but enough time elapsed from the shot and the pinfall that it wasn't the sole determiner (although Helmsley will still be pissed at The People's Champion for costing him the title, and he will justified in his anger). I liked the finish, and I like the shmoz at the end where everyone got off their finishers (especially when Rock went for the People's Elbow and realised he had no elbow pad on to take off and throw to the crowd). What's even better is the possibilities this match sets up. Triple H can get off some promos about what an ego maniac The Rock is (his buddy HBK already kicked that off in his return), The Rock and Taker can battle for the WWE Title, either at Vengeance or in a three-way at Summerslam, and then Triple H can fight whichever of the two does not have the title before getting another shot. Throw in up-n-comers like RVD, Lesnar, and Edge, and established stars like the nWo, Angle and Jericho, and WWE's abandonment issues are the stuff of the past.

Winner: WWE Champion The Undertaker via Pinfall

For more WWE content on this site, click on any of the following:

THE YEAR 2001- YEAR IN REVIEW- See how the superstars of the WWF stacked up using my rankings system for the entire year of 2001. Who was number 1, Stone Cold or Kurt Angle? Who were the top tag team, The Dudley Boyz or The Hardy Boyz? Along with my usual brand of commentary is new photos and stats for the year 2001, including title reigns and PPV information.

THE YEAR 2000- YEAR IN REVIEW- See how the superstars of the WWF stacked up using my rankings system for the entire year 2000. Who was number 1, The Rock or Triple H? Who were the top tag teams? Also, the title pictures for each belt from the WWF Championship all the way down to the Light Heavyweight Title, with my own commentary on each reign.

LITA- ONE MAN'S OBSESSION- I admit, I was in love with Lita. I also admit that this behaviour did become a bit of an obsession. I have since conquered this insanity, but you can still see pictures of the Team Extreme Diva, biographical info and random career facts, all presented while I was attempting to come to terms with the fact that I was in love with someone I saw on TV.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS- Ranking archives dating back to November 2000. Missed a posting? Want to track my biases? Find all past information here.

READER RESPONSES- Got an opinion? Share it with me by e-mailing me, and see your opinion posted, along with my response, here.

SITE AWARDS- Here I list the multitude of awards (who knows? Maybe one day there will be a multitude of awards) that WWE Rants and Raves has received.