2002: Good matches rarely talked about

[Loss]

The best stuff in 2002 took place on TV more than on PPV, so this should be an easier year for those who were paying attention; however, the booking was so atrocious for most of the year in WWE that sometimes, it was hard to enjoy the forest because of the trees.

 

My big pick would be Booker T & Goldust v Chris Jericho & Christian, RAW 12/23/02. The Smackdown Six stuff is what gets talked about the most, but this, I think, was better than anything to air on TV during the SD6 period. Nice setup with Jericho cornering Goldust backstage before the match and telling him that everyone knew he was the weak link of the team, that he was a total joke and was riding Booker's coattails, etc. Really sweet, basic tag work that accomplishes more in getting one of the participants involved (Goldust) over than any of the SD6 matches did to elevate anyone. It's a shame they never followed up, because this was such a great way to get Dustin over as someone who mattered and not just a joke. He's the savior of his team, and Jericho and Christian are terrific heels. Match goes around 20 minutes or so, and sees some really awesome comebacks from both Booker and Goldust. In many ways, I'd call this the unsung 2002 MOTY. That's not saying it was the best match of the year, because there are a few I'd place above it, but it deserves far more mention than it gets. I'd probably clock it around ***1/2-****, leaning on the higher end.

 

Anyway, there's plenty to choose from in 2002, so there shouldn't be difficulty coming up with anything.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

In July of 2002, a match on OVW TV saw Kanyon take on The Dajama. I don't have the match at hand to recap like I did with Dinsmore v Basham, but this match totally and utterly blew away just about anything WWE did that year. It went about 15-20 minutes, was built really well, and the commentary, as you would expect, was top notch. The Revolution got involved, as well as some babyfaces to counter their interference, and the near falls had the crowd going apeshit. I'm not sure if it was entirely down to the clean finish, but I rated this match above even the Dinsmore v Basham match that I touted in the 2003 thread, and I just wish I had that match at hand to do it the justice it deserves. A legit MOTY candidate, and a match that people really need to see.

[Guest treble]

The best stuff in 2002 took place on TV more than on PPV, so this should be an easier year for those who were paying attention; however, the booking was so atrocious for most of the year in WWE that sometimes, it was hard to enjoy the forest because of the trees.

 

My big pick would be Booker T & Goldust v Chris Jericho & Christian, RAW 12/23/02. The Smackdown Six stuff is what gets talked about the most, but this, I think, was better than anything to air on TV during the SD6 period. Nice setup with Jericho cornering Goldust backstage before the match and telling him that everyone knew he was the weak link of the team, that he was a total joke and was riding Booker's coattails, etc. Really sweet, basic tag work that accomplishes more in getting one of the participants involved (Goldust) over than any of the SD6 matches did to elevate anyone. It's a shame they never followed up, because this was such a great way to get Dustin over as someone who mattered and not just a joke. He's the savior of his team, and Jericho and Christian are terrific heels. Match goes around 20 minutes or so, and sees some really awesome comebacks from both Booker and Goldust. In many ways, I'd call this the unsung 2002 MOTY. That's not saying it was the best match of the year, because there are a few I'd place above it, but it deserves far more mention than it gets. I'd probably clock it around ***1/2-****, leaning on the higher end.

 

Anyway, there's plenty to choose from in 2002, so there shouldn't be difficulty coming up with anything.

I happened to have this show on tape, so I watched the match again (probably for the first time since I saw it) and it's really good. I don't really know how it compares to a lot of the SD6 stuff, since I was at school and couldn't watch SmackDown (or any wrestling, for that matter), but I wouldn't be surprised if it's better than at least some of the tag matches from around then.

 

Unfortunately, this was also on the same show that was main evented by JR/King vs. Storm/Regal, which is probably what more people remember (for the wrong reasons). But hey, it's also got RVD giving Kane Hungry, Hungry, Hippos for Christmas, so it's not all bad.