Royal Rumble 2002 Royal Rumble 2002 was the fifteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay - per - view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . It took place on January 20 , 2002 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta , Georgia . The main event was the Royal Rumble match , which Triple H won after last eliminating Kurt Angle . The other matches were Chris Jericho versus The Rock for the Undisputed WWF Championship , Ric Flair versus Vince McMahon in a Street Fight , Edge versus William Regal for the WWF Intercontinental Championship , the team of Spike Dudley and Tazz versus the Dudley Boyz for the WWF Tag Team Championship , and Trish Stratus versus Jazz for the WWF Women ' s Championship . Background . The event featured six professional wrestling matches with outcomes predetermined by WWE script writers . The matches featured wrestlers portraying their characters in planned storylines that took place before , during and after the event . The main feud was between Chris Jericho and The Rock for Jericho ' s Undisputed WWF Championship . The feud , which had begun in October 2001 while the two were members of Team WWF during the InVasion and traded the WCW Championship between them , continued at Vengeance , when Jericho defeated both The Rock and the reigning WWF Champion Steve Austin to unify the titles . On the following night ' s edition of " Raw " , Jericho successfully defended the Undisputed title over Steve Austin in a Steel cage match with the help from Booker T . During the following two weeks , Jericho had successfully defended the title against the likes of Rob Van Dam , The Big Show , and Kurt Angle . The Rock earned a match for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Royal Rumble on the January 3 edition of " SmackDown ! " by defeating Booker T . On the January 10 edition of " SmackDown ! " , The Rock and Rob Van Dam defeated Jericho and Test when The Rock made Jericho submit with the Sharpshooter . On the January 7 edition of " Raw " , buildup towards the Royal Rumble match started , with Austin saying he wanted to enter . Later that night , Triple H made his return after missing nearly eight months with an injury and announced that he too would be entering the Royal Rumble match . He was interrupted by Kurt Angle , who then announced his intentions to enter the match , which was to be his first , and mentioned his victory over Triple H at the previous year ' s Royal Rumble event when he was the reigning WWF Champion . Triple H performed a Pedigree on Angle in retaliation . During a match between Austin and Angle on the January 10 edition of " SmackDown ! " , Kane , The Big Show , and Triple H all interfered . In the end , only Triple H remained standing , until The Undertaker stared him down from the top of the ramp . On the January 14 edition of " Raw " , Triple H stated that he wants to win the Undisputed WWF Championship . Austin came out , and they fought until The Undertaker came out , and hit Triple H with a chair , allowing Austin to hit the Stone Cold Stunner . The Undertaker then hit Austin with the chair . On the January 17 edition of " SmackDown ! " , Austin and Triple H defeated Angle and Booker T . After the match , The Undertaker again came out , and stared them down . The feud between Edge and William Regal continued from Vengeance . On the December 10 edition of " Raw " , Edge mocked Regal , prompting Regal to nail him from behind with brass knuckles . On the December 13 edition of " SmackDown ! " , William Regal and Kurt Angle faced Edge and Rikishi in a tag match . After the match , Edge hit Regal with a steel chair and an Edgecution onto the chair , breaking his nose , and causing him to bleed . On the January 7 edition of " Raw " , Regal interfered after Edge ' s victory over Lance Storm and hit him with brass knuckles . Regal challenged Edge to a match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship at Royal Rumble , and Edge accepted . On the January 14 edition of " Raw " , Edge and Rob Van Dam faced William Regal and Test , where Regal pinned Edge after using the brass knuckles . On the January 17 edition of " SmackDown ! " , Regal defeated Rob Van Dam when he used brass knuckles behind the referee ' s back . Later on the night , Regal came out during Edge ' s match with Test but failed to interfere when Edge nailed him and referee Nick Patrick with a chair . Event . The first match was between Spike Dudley and Tazz , and the Dudley Boyz ( Bubba Ray and D - Von ) for the WWF Tag Team Championship . The Dudley Boyz dominated Spike in the beginning with Bubba Ray ripping off Spike ' s neck brace . Spike fought back by hitting Bubba Ray with a Dudley Dog but failed to capitalize . The Dudley Boyz then double - teamed Spike while the referee was preoccupied with Tazz . Tazz eventually came in , and both dominated . Stacy Keibler , who accompanied the Dudley Boyz , climbed on the apron , and distracted Tazz and Spike . Tazz and Spike are knocked out of the ring , but Tazz came back in , and applied the Tazzmission for the victory , and retained the title . The second match was between Edge and William Regal for the WWF Intercontinental Championship . Before the match , the referee found brass knuckles in Regal ' s tights , and confiscated them . The match went back and forth before Regal knocked Edge out of the ring . Regal applied the Regal Stretch , but Edge reached the ropes to break the hold . Edge attempted a spear , but Regal pushed the referee to receive the move . Regal took out another pair of brass knuckles and hit Edge with them . The referee recovered to count the pinfall for Regal to win the match , and the title . The third match was between Trish Stratus and Jazz for the WWF Women ' s Championship with Jacqueline as Special Guest Referee . Jazz had the early advantage , focusing on Stratus ' injured hand . Jazz then confronted Jacqueline , and they shoved each other . Stratus hit a bulldog , but Jazz countered with a roll - up , and hit a snap DDT . Stratus blocked an attack in the corner , and hit a bulldog to win the match , and retained the title . The fourth match was a Street Fight between Ric Flair and Vince McMahon . Flair gained the early advantage with punches and knife edge chops . McMahon knocked Flair out of the ring , attacked him with weapons , and sent him into the ringpost and steps . They return to the ring , and McMahon applied the figure four leglock , but Flair reversed it . McMahon reached the ropes , and went outside the ring . Flair hit a low blow , and hit McMahon with a television monitor , and a lead pipe . Finally , Flair applied the figure four leglock , and won the match by forcing McMahon to submit . The fifth match was between Chris Jericho and The Rock for the Undisputed WWF Championship . Jericho took control early in the match , and removed the padding off one of the turnbuckles . Jericho attempted the Walls of Jericho , but The Rock escaped . Jericho continued his control until The Rock delivered a superplex , and a snap overhead belly to belly suplex . Jericho came back with two Lionsaults . The Rock then countered a missile dropkick , and applied the Sharpshooter . Lance Storm and Christian came out , and distracted the referee as Jericho tapped out . This allowed Jericho to hit a Rock Bottom . He then attempted a People ' s Elbow , but The Rock avoided it , and threw Jericho out of the ring . The Rock sent Jericho into the ringsteps , and hit a Rock Bottom through the announce table . Back in the ring , Jericho countered a Rock Bottom and applied the Walls of Jericho , but The Rock reached the ropes . The Rock accidentally hit the referee , and Jericho took advantage by attacking The Rock with the title belt . Jericho signaled Nick Patrick ( a heel referee ) to come out , and referee . The Rock hit a DDT , but Patrick refused to count the pinfall . The Rock attacked Patrick , and hit a Rock Bottom , and a People ' s Elbow on Jericho . As The Rock tried to revive the original referee , Jericho hit a low blow , sending The Rock into the exposed turnbuckle . Jericho used a roll - up with both feet on the ropes to win , and retain the title . The main event was the Royal Rumble match . The Undertaker , the eighth entrant , dominated upon entering the match , and eliminated all four of the remaining participants . Matt Hardy entered next and Lita , who accompanied Matt , entered the ring to help . The next entrant was Jeff Hardy , and all three attacked The Undertaker . The Undertaker eventually eliminated them both . The Hardys returned , and continued their attack , but were thrown out again . This distraction allowed Maven , the following entrant , to eliminate The Undertaker . The Undertaker returned , beat down Maven , and eliminated him . The Undertaker assaulted Scotty 2 Hotty during his entrance , and continued his attack on Maven into the crowd , and to the backstage area , including smashing his head into a popcorn machine . The match continued with Christian and Scotty 2 Hotty battling it out , and the ring began to fill with more wrestlers . Steve Austin , the nineteenth entrant , dominated upon his entrance , and eliminated all three of the remaining participants . While he waited for the next entrant , he brought Christian and Chuck , whom he had eliminated , back in , and beat them down . Austin then eliminated the next two entrants , leaving him the only man in the ring . Triple H made his in - ring return from injury at No . 22 , brawling with Austin . The Big Show , the twenty - seventh entrant , dominated upon entering until Kane entered next . Kane eliminated The Big Show , and Kane was eliminated by Austin and Kurt Angle , the twenty - sixth entrant . Rob Van Dam made his Royal Rumble debut by entering the ring at No . 29 , taking down nearly everyone with a variety of high - flying moves , until Triple H hit him with the Pedigree . Booker T , also making his Royal Rumble debut , entered at No . 30 and eliminated Van Dam . He then did the Spin - a - Roonie , and was quickly eliminated from the Rumble after receiving a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin . The final four remaining were Austin , Triple H , Angle and Mr . Perfect . Angle hit an Angle Slam on Triple H and three German suplexes on Austin . Austin hit a low blow on Angle , but Perfect and Angle double - teamed him . Angle eliminated Austin as he was trying to eliminate Perfect . Austin pulled Perfect outside and attacked him before Angle attacked Austin from behind . Back in the ring , Perfect and Angle attacked Triple H . Austin entered the ring and hit Perfect , Angle and Triple H with a steel chair before leaving . Angle hit Perfect with a clothesline by accident , and Perfect hit a Perfect - Plex on Angle . Triple H then eliminated Perfect with a clothesline , leaving only Angle and Triple H . It went back and forth before Angle sent Triple H over the top rope with a back body drop , but Triple H held on . Angle thought he had won , and celebrated . Triple H took advantage , and executed a facebuster knee smash on Angle , followed by a clothesline over the top rope to win the Royal Rumble match , the longest in the event ' s history . Aftermath . Steve Austin won a number one contender ' s match against Kurt Angle on the January 28 episode of " Raw " to earn a match for the Undisputed WWF Championship at No Way Out . A feud between Austin and Chris Jericho started with Jericho interfering in Austin ' s match by attacking him with his title belt . The Undertaker continued his feud with Maven over the elimination during the Royal Rumble match , which grew to include The Rock after he mocked Undertaker for his quick elimination . The Undertaker ' s interference led to The Rock losing to Kurt Angle in the tournament to challenge for the Undisputed championship at No Way Out . On the February 4 episode of " Raw " , during a tag team match , The Undertaker grabbed a steel led pipe from his motorcycle and nailed The Rock in the head with it , allowing Chris Jericho to score the pinfall win . The Rock retaliated by hitting him with a chair and helping Maven win the WWF Hardcore Championship that Undertaker had won at Vengeance ; however The Undertaker performed a Tombstone Piledriver on The Rock onto the hood of a limousine in revenge . A match was made between the two at No Way Out . Kurt Angle started a feud with Triple H , unhappy about how he lost the Royal Rumble match , and attacked Triple H after a confrontation . During Triple H ' s match with Booker . T , Angle interfered and attacked Triple H . Angle then had Vince McMahon make a match between the two at No Way Out for Triple H ' s title shot at WrestleMania X8 . Triple H and his on - screen wife Stephanie McMahon were having problems , so she faked a pregnancy and demanded that they renew their wedding vows . Triple H discovered the truth , and ended their marriage . Stephanie McMahon then announced herself as the guest referee in the match at No Way Out . Royal Rumble entrances and eliminations . A new entrant came out approximately every 2 minutes .