Backlash (2002)
Backlash | |||
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Kemper Arena | |||
Attendance | 12,489[1] | ||
Buy rate | 400,000[2] | ||
Tagline(s) | One Man's Journey to Stand Alone | ||
Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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Backlash chronology | |||
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The 2002 Backlash was the fourth
Nine
Production
Background
In March 2002, the WWF introduced the brand extension in which the roster was divided between the Raw and SmackDown! brands, which is where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.[6] The 2002 Backlash was in turn the promotion's very first PPV held following the implementation of the original brand split and it featured wrestlers from both brands.[7]
Storylines
The event featured nine
The main
The main feud on the Raw brand featured The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin, to determine the number one contender to the Undisputed WWF Championship. On the April 1 episode of Raw, Ric Flair awarded Triple H with a new title belt, only for The Undertaker to challenge Triple H to a title match at Backlash. The same night, Austin decided to sign with the Raw brand, but he gave the Stone Cold Stunner to both Flair and Mr. McMahon. On the April 8 episode of Raw, The Undertaker confronted Flair about McMahon making the title match for Backlash, making Austin come out and confront him. Flair booked two number one contender's matches, the first being The Undertaker versus Rob Van Dam and the second being Austin versus Scott Hall; the winners would face each other at Backlash for the number one contendership. Austin and The Undertaker won their respective matches, however, as Flair helped to chase X-Pac from Austin's match, Austin stunned him again. On the April 15 episode of Raw, Flair fined Austin $5,000 and announced that he would be the special guest referee for the match at Backlash. Hall and X-Pac came to attack Austin, making Flair book Austin and Bradshaw against Hall, X-Pac and The Undertaker in the main event. After the match, which The Undertaker's team won, Undertaker attacked Austin with a steel chair.
Event
Role: | Name: |
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English commentators | Jim Ross |
Jerry Lawler | |
Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
Hugo Savinovich | |
Backstage interviewers
|
Michael Cole |
Jonathan Coachman | |
Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
Referees | Mike Chioda |
Charles Robinson | |
Theodore Long | |
Earl Hebner | |
Tim White | |
Jim Korderas
|
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, a match took place on a live edition of Sunday Night Heat in which Big Show defeated Steven Richards and Justin Credible in a handicap match.
Preliminary matches
The first match was for the
). In the end, Kidman attempted a Powerbomb on Tajiri, who spat red mist at Kidman and pinned Kidman to win the title.The second match was between Scott Hall (with X-Pac) and Bradshaw (with Faarooq). Bradshaw executed a Clothesline from Hell on Hall but X-Pac placed Hall's foot on the bottom rope to void the pinfall. Bradshaw punched X-Pac and Faarooq tackled X-Pac into the Ring Post. Whilst the referee was distracted, Hall performed a low blow on Bradshaw and pinned Bradshaw with a roll-up to win the match.
In the third match, Jazz faced Trish Stratus for the WWF Women's Championship. Jazz forced Stratus to submit to an STF to win the match and retain the title.
The fourth match was between Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) and Jeff Hardy (with Lita). Lesnar dominated the match until Hardy performed Whisper in the Wind on Lesnar. Hardy performed a Swanton Bomb on Lesnar for a near-fall. Hardy attempted to hit Lesnar with a chair but Lesnar ducked and performed an F5, followed by three Powerbombs on Hardy. The referee declared Lesnar the winner via technical knockout.
The fifth match was between Edge and Kurt Angle. After a back-and-forth match, Edge performed an Edgecution on Angle for a near-fall. Angle attempted an Angle Slam on Edge but Edge countered the move and performed a German Suplex on Angle. Edge performed a Diving Crossbody on Angle outside the ring. Edge attempted a second Edgecution on Angle but Angle countered the move into an Angle Slam for a near-fall. Angle applied an Ankle Lock on Edge but Edge countered into a roll-up for a near-fall. After Angle missed a chair shot, Edge performed an Edge-O-Matic on Angle for a near-fall. Edge attempted a Spear on Angle, who countered and pinned Edge after another Angle Slam to win the match.
The sixth match was for the WWF Intercontinental Championship between Rob Van Dam and Eddie Guerrero. After a back-and-forth match, Guerrero retrieved the title and attempted to attack Van Dam with the belt, who kicked and kicked Guerrero, knocking the referee down. Guerrero performed a Neckbreaker onto the belt on Van Dam and pinned Van Dam after a Frog Splash to win the title.
Main event matches
The seventh match was to determine the #1 contender to the
The eighth match was for the WWF Tag Team Championship between Billy and Chuck (with Rico) and Maven and Al Snow. After Rico distracted Snow, Snow chased Rico. Chuck pinned Maven after a Superkick to win the match and retain the title.
The main event was for the Undisputed WWF Championship between Triple H and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. After a back-and-forth match, Triple H applied a Figure Four Leglock on Hogan, who fought out of the hold. Hogan performed a Big Boot and a Running Leg Drop on Triple H. Hogan attempted a pin but Chris Jericho pulled the referee out of the ring. Jericho hit Hogan with a chair but Triple H performed a Facebreaker Knee Smash and a Clothesline on Jericho, knocking Jericho out of the ring. Hogan performed another Big Boot on Triple H and attempted another Running Leg Drop but Triple H avoided the move and performed a Pedigree on Hogan. Triple H attempted a pin but The Undertaker attacked the referee. The Undertaker hit Triple H with a chair but Hogan performed a Clothesline on Undertaker, knocking The Undertaker out of the ring. Hogan pinned Triple H after another Running Leg Drop to win the match and the title.
Aftermath
The 2002 Backlash would be the final Backlash held under the WWF name. On May 6, 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) due to a lawsuit from the
The night after Backlash,
After defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash, The Undertaker set his sights on the new Undisputed WWF Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan by challenging him to a match for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Judgment Day. In 1991, they first fought for the WWF Championship during two different pay-per-view events. At the Survivor Series event, The Undertaker defeated Hogan to win his first WWF Championship. Hogan regained the title over The Undertaker in a rematch at This Tuesday in Texas. The title was eventually declared vacant until the 1992 Royal Rumble event when Ric Flair won the title by winning the Royal Rumble match that also involved The Undertaker and Hogan. Their feud restarted on the April 25 episode of SmackDown!, when Chris Jericho defeated Triple H to become the number one contender due to The Undertaker's interference. Afterwards, Jericho and The Undertaker attacked Triple H until Hogan came down to the ring and assaulted The Undertaker. On the April 29 episode of Raw, The Undertaker interfered in Hogan's non-title match with William Regal by assaulting Hogan. The Undertaker then took Hogan's leather belt and whipped him with it and busted him open with the belt buckle. The following week, Hogan got back at The Undertaker by driving a semi-truck and running over The Undertaker's prized motorcycle, thus destroying it. On the May 13 episode of Raw, The Undertaker nailed Hogan from behind with the tire-iron then tied Hogan's ankles to his own motorcycle. Moments later, The Undertaker drove his motorcycle around the hallway with Hogan tied to it before ramming Hogan into the pile of boxes and pipes, leaving Hogan lying motionless. At Judgment Day, with the help of Mr. McMahon, The Undertaker defeated Hogan to win the now renamed WWE Undisputed Championship, his first WWE world championship win in nearly three years.
The feud between Edge and Kurt Angle continued after Backlash on the May 2 episode of SmackDown!, when Angle challenged Edge to a rematch but this time in a Hair vs. Hair match, which Edge accepted. On the May 16 episode of SmackDown!, during a segment between Edge and Triple H, Angle and Chris Jericho attacked both men, ending with Jericho manhandling Edge while Angle cut his hair once with the scissors as an example for their Hair vs. Hair match at Judgment Day. Later that episode, Angle and Jericho defeated Edge and Triple H in a tag team match after Angle nailed Edge with the steel chair and followed it with an Angle Slam for the win. After the match, Angle tossed Edge's hairpiece onto Edge. In the Hair vs. Hair match at Judgment Day, Edge defeated Angle and shaved Angle's head bald following it.
Triple H and Chris Jericho continued their feud on the April 25 episode of SmackDown!, where Jericho defeated Triple H in a number one contenders match due to interference by The Undertaker, who also cost Triple H the Undisputed WWF Championship at Backlash. The following week, Jericho challenged Hollywood Hulk Hogan for the Undisputed WWF Championship in a
Home video release
The event was released on VHS and DVD on June 25, 2002, following the company's name change the month prior (nWo: Back in Black was the first WWE Home Video release with the new name, although some copies were shipped with WWF branding).[9] As a result, the cover art, based on the event's poster, was changed to include the renamed and redesigned logo of the promotion, and the WWE digital on-screen graphic logo were overlaid on top of the WWF one, although other references to WWF were not blurred or edited out. The version included on WWE Network, however, has the original WWF digital on-screen graphics, as it was not from the DVD version of the event. The WWE Network version of this event has also replaced the original theme music (Young Grow Old by Creed) with Quench's 'Waiting For A Moment'.
Results
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Undisputed WWF Championship 22:04 | | |||
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Undisputed WWF Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (April 2002)
The Undisputed WWF Championship #1 Contendership Tournament was a tournament to earn a title shot for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Judgment Day, with the finals taking place at Backlash.
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
1 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | Pin | |||||||
4 | Scott Hall | 9:35 | |||||||
Stone Cold Steve Austin | 27:03 | ||||||||
The Undertaker | Pin | ||||||||
3 | Rob Van Dam | Pin | |||||||
2 | The Undertaker | 9:00 |
References
- ^ a b "Backlash 2002". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- ^ "WWE Pay-Per-View Buys (1993-2015)". Wrestlenomics. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ^ "WWE Backlash". The History of WWE. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
- World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- )
- World Wrestling Entertainment. May 27, 2002. Archived from the originalon October 17, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ "Backlash 2002 results". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- World Wrestling Entertainment. May 6, 2002. Archived from the originalon January 19, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ "Complete List of 2002 Released WWF/WWE DVDs". Wrestling DVD Network. Retrieved May 7, 2020.