page_title: King of the Ring (2002)
section_title: Storylines
hierarchical_section_title: King of the Ring (2002) / Production / Storylines
caption_attribution_description: TNA wrestler Kurt Angle
context_page_description: King of the Ring (2002) was the tenth annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It took place on June 23, 2002, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the final King of the Ring pay-per-view event and the only King of the Ring pay-per-view to feature the Raw and SmackDown! brands.
  The main match from SmackDown! was a singles match for the WWE Undisputed Championship in which WWE Undisputed Champion The Undertaker defeated Triple H to retain the title. The main match from Raw was a singles match in which Brock Lesnar defeated Rob Van Dam in the finals to win 2002 King of the Ring tournament. The predominant match on the undercard was Kurt Angle versus Hollywood Hulk Hogan; the other matches on the undercard were Ric Flair versus Eddie Guerrero, a Women's Championship match between champion Trish Stratus and challenger Molly Holly, and a Cruiserweight Championship match between champion The Hurricane and challenger Jamie Noble.
context_section_description: King of the Ring featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines that were played out on Raw and SmackDown! – World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a hero or villain as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers were from WWE's Raw and SmackDown! brands – a storyline division in which WWE employees are assigned to a television program of the same name.
  The main rivalry heading into the event was between The Undertaker and Triple H for the WWE Undisputed Championship. On the May 30 episode of SmackDown!, the storyline began when Undertaker defeated Randy Orton to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship. Afterwards, Triple H assaulted Undertaker, claiming that if Undertaker would give him a title shot, he wouldn't retain the title. Later that night, Undertaker distracted Triple H and cost him a match against Test. After the match, Undertaker nailed Triple H with multiple chair shots targeting his arm with it. On the June 6 episode of SmackDown!, Triple H and Hollywood Hulk Hogan co-won a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring. The SmackDown! owner Mr. McMahon booked Triple H and Hogan for a singles match, which was also a rematch from Backlash between the two. In that match, Triple H defeated Hogan to become the number one contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship at King of the Ring.
  The predominant feud from the SmackDown! brand was between Kurt Angle and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. At Judgment Day, Angle got his head shaved bald after losing to Edge in a Hair vs. Hair match. Later that night, Hogan lost the WWE Undisputed Championship to The Undertaker due to interference from SmackDown! owner Mr. McMahon. On the May 23 episode of SmackDown!, Angle started wearing a hairpiece with a piece of amateur wrestling headgear after being shaven bald. On the May 30 episode of SmackDown!, Angle interrupted a staredown between Hogan and Mr. McMahon when he nailed Hogan with a steel pipe to the back of the head. Later that night, Hogan cost Angle a steel cage match against Edge. On the June 13 episode of SmackDown!, Hogan challenged Angle to a match at King of the Ring, which Angle accepted. Later that night, Angle and Undertaker attacked Hogan before their tag team match against Hogan and Triple H. After Angle and Undertaker defeated Triple H by disqualification, Hogan went after Angle and eventually stripped Angle's wig from his head.
  The predominant feud from the Raw brand was between Ric Flair and Eddie Guerrero. For the previous two months, Flair had feuded with Stone Cold Steve Austin ever since the start of the brand extension where Austin was a free agent and signed with the Raw brand on the April 1 episode of Raw, following advice from Mr. McMahon and Flair. On the May 27 episode of Raw, Chris Benoit returned to the WWE from a neck injury that he suffered the previous year at the King of the Ring event. Later that night, after Guerrero lost the Intercontinental Championship to Rob Van Dam in a ladder match, Guerrero knocked Van Dam over the top rope with the ladder. Moments later, Austin charged to the ring and attacked Guerrero along with Flair and Arn Anderson until Benoit got to the ring and assaulted Austin, enabling Guerrero to perform a frog splash on him. On the June 3 episode of Raw, Austin defeated Flair in a match where Flair became Austin's servant. If Flair would have won, Austin would have forever been on the bench. However, the feud ended abruptly with Austin's unexpected departure from the company on June 10 for his refusal to lose a hotshotted match to Brock Lesnar. That same night, Flair lost his half of the WWE ownership to McMahon and returned to active wrestling. On the June 17 episode of Raw, Flair gave a speech over losing the position of Raw owner to McMahon. The speech was interrupted by Guerrero and Benoit. Flair challenged Guerrero to a matc
caption: Kurt Angle wrestled Hollywood Hulk Hogan at King of the Ring
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