30 Men, One Match, One W1nner

William Regal defeated Rob Van Dam (5:06)

Billy (w/ Chuck) defeated Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson) (2:44)

Diamond Dallas Page defeated The Big Bossman (3:09)

Rikishi defeated Christian & Lance Storm in a Two On One Handicap Over The Top Challenge (1:43)

Rikishi eliminated Lance Storm

Rikishi eliminated Christian (1:43)

Test defeated Edge by DQ (3:43)

Steve Austin & Triple H defeated Booker T & Kurt Angle (9:48)

Spike Dudley (w/ Tazz) defeated Bubba Ray Dudley (w/ D-Von Dudley & Stacy Keibler) (2:02)

Billy and Chuck defeated Tajiri and The Hurricane (2:57)

Jazz defeated Jacqueline (1:13)

Kurt Angle defeated Kane (9:40)

William Regal & Test defeated Edge & Rob Van Dam (4:13)

Booker T defeated The Big Show (2:40)

Chris Jericho, Lance Storm and Christian defeated Rikishi and The APA in a Six-Man tag team match (3:19)

As we build toward the Royal Rumble does the weekly show get better?

What happened in the build to the Royal Rumble? Did Triple H’s return flop?

Starting off the 2002 Retrospective with the first SMACKDOWN of 2002! Make sure to subscribe and follow us on our socials

Iraq, Slaughter, Gooker This event is known for the on-screen debut of The Undertaker, who went on to become the WWF World Heavyweight Champion at the next Survivor Series, and the appearance of the Gobbledy Gooker.[2] The Undertaker replaced Bad News Brown who had left the WWF after Vince McMahon failed to live up to his promise to make him the company's first black champion. In addition, Sgt. Slaughter, who then portrayed an Iraqi sympathizer, insulted servicemen stationed in Iraq for Thanksgiving during Operation Desert Shield. In an interview, Randy Savage challenged The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Haku replaced Rick Rude, who had left the WWF over a pay dispute. In the storyline, he was suspended by WWF President Jack Tunney for insulting the mother of the Big Boss Man. Boris Zhukov replaced Akeem who had left the WWF in October.

The Undertaker would wrestle for the WWE for the next 30 years, setting a company record for longevity. He would become one of their most important and beloved stars, eventually reaching iconic status. His retirement ceremony took place at the 2020 Survivor Series, exactly 30 years later.

Challenges, Slaves, Squashes Aside from its record-breaking attendance, the event is arguably best remembered for "The Ultimate Challenge"—the main event match which saw Hulk Hogan (WWF Champion) vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion), in which both championship titles were on the line. On February 3, 1990, a week after Hogan and Warrior crossed paths in the 1990 Royal Rumble match, Hogan put forth "The Ultimate Challenge" to Warrior, and had to know whether Hulkamania or the power of Warrior was the strongest force in the WWF. On February 10, the match was officially announced as the main event of WrestleMania VI by then WWF President Jack Tunney. On February 24, Tunney announced that both the WWF Championship and Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship would be on the line for the first time ever during the match. At WrestleMania VI, Warrior won his sole WWF Championship.

Demons, Tables, Alka Seltzer

Parasailing, Cages, Heat The pay-per-view also included two other title matches. Mr. Perfect lost his WWF Intercontinental Championship to the Texas Tornado, who was a substitute for Brutus Beefcake, who had been injured in a real-life parasailing accident. The Hart Foundation won the WWF Tag Team Championship from Demolition in a two out of three falls match. Each of the matches was built up through feuds scripted by the WWF's writers, and the matches that took place at the event had pre-determined outcomes that had been decided by the WWF.