WWE Royal Rumble 2002: Top 5 Moments from a Disappointing Event

The WWE Royal Rumble 2012 is now only three weeks away. There is a WWE title match set up, while the 30 man Rumble has a few competitors hinted at. The hype is sure to pick up in the coming days!

With that being said, I always love looking back at past events before moving forward. I do not like to "fantasy book," but to reflect on the great (or bad) moments created at said shows. Let's do this!

5. Regal Wins Gold!

I liked Edge as the Intercontinental champion. He was a good title holder to close 2001, and it was clear he was destined for more in the future.

William Regal was the perfect man to take the belt off of him to begin 2002. It is almost always better to have heel champions on the Road to WrestleMania, and Regal filled that role nicely.

Both men had a wonderful 2001, so them feuding here was fitting. Too bad Edge could not overcome the "Power of the Punch!"

4. Jericho Retains

Chris Jericho shocked the world at Vengeance 2001 by winning the WWE Undisputed Championship in December of 2001! His first PPV title defense a month later? Against The Rock at the Royal Rumble!

Wow! I think a lot of people expected Rocky to win the title here. As great as Jericho is, not many people bought into him as a long-term champion 10 years ago. Debate it all you want, but it's true.

Once again, Y2J shocked the world. Not only did he retain his gold, he beat The Rock on this night just like a real heel would...by cheating!

3. WHAT?

I can't stand the "What?" chants being used today. I can't. It is 2012 folks! Time to move past it...

That being said, this was epic in 2002. Stone Cold was a major focus on winning the Royal Rumble, and he made it well known. Stephanie McMahon had no idea what she was getting in for here talking to Steve Austin!

Michael Cole was his usual self interviewing talent in the back, but this segment belonged to the fans. They made this thing work! Just watch the video...

2. Flair vs. Vince

This street fight was good. Yes, it featured Ric Flair. Yes, it featured Vince McMahon. However, it was still a good match. Flair won in the end to please the Atlanta crowd, but it never reached "great."

Sadly, that was my problem with this PPV event. It was just "good." The card was really stacked, but none of them stood out above others. They were all entertaining, but nothing was "amazing" or "excellent." It is too bad. All of the matches on this night had a chance to be very memorable.

1. Huge Rumble Match

Now we are talking!

This Rumble match was awesome. It was loaded with talented performers, and the outcome was really unpredictable. Most assumed the winner would be Triple H, but it really was anybody's match.

Kane? Big Show? Booker T? RVD? Rikishi? Stone Cold? Triple H? Mr. Perfect? Undertaker? Jeff Hardy? DDP? Christian? Kurt Angle? The list goes on and on.

The match came down to Kurt Angle and Triple as the final two. It was only fitting that one was my pick (Triple H), while the other was my brother's pick (Angle). You could feel the tension in the air.

Who would pull it off?

Triple H!

My pick had won it, and I agreed with the decision. The story wrote itself, and there just was no reason for any other man to win. WrestleMania XVIII was on the horizon, and the WWE Undisputed title match belonged to The Game!

REMINDER: I am now on Twitter @JustinWatry! Feel free to follow me...thanks.