WWE Vengeance 2002: Top 5 Moments from the Show

WWE Vengeance made a quick return to PPV. After debuting the name in December of 2001, the next edition came in July of 2002. The name was quickly becoming a staple of WWE's business model.

This particular show featured quite a few big moments, some that still resonate in today's landscape. Before anybody asks, this PPV did feature a good opening match, but I will not be mentioning it (as I do not wish to cover "He Who Will Not Be Named" in depth). Let's get to the list...

5. John Cena Beats Chris Jericho

This was a huge moment for Cena. He was making his WWE PPV debut. His opponent? Chris Jericho!

While it was not a main event match, and the fans were not in full support of Cena, he did a great job here. Not only that, but he picked up the victory.

Jericho was on his way to defect to Raw anyway (a week later), so him losing to a young Smackdown star made all the sense in the world. As history shows us, plans worked out just fine for John Cena.

4. Triple H Picks Raw

The story here was Triple H was a free agent and had to pick signing with Raw or staying with Smackdown. It had tons of plot holes, but I enjoyed the storyline.

The conclusion would come at Vengeance. Would Triple H go to Raw or Smackdown? A show run by Stephanie McMahon or a show run by Eric Bischoff?

After a lot of stalling, Triple H made his decision, but it took a fun cameo from Shawn Michaels to do so. The next night on Raw? He gave a Pedigree to HBK and turned heel. I loved it!

3. Michael Cole and Tazz Call Some PPV Matches

I am still a little torn on this move.

Raw and Smackdown were still split at this point. Jim Ross and Lawler called Raw, while Tazz and Cole called Smackdown every week.

At the time, JR and The King called ALL matches on PPV, Raw and Smackdown alike. Of course, that did not make a ton of sense. What did WWE do about it?

They made the decision to have Tazz and Cole confront JR and Lawler over the situation to get some PPV time of their own. Well, it worked out just fine.

It may seem like a small moment, but it was one step closer to eventually fading JR and Lawler out of the commentator's booth. Lucky for us, JR and Lawler are still around to this day!

2. Christian/Lance Storm Defeat Hulk Hogan/Edge

Read that title again! What a huge win for the UnAmericans on this night...

Hogan and Edge were the tag team champions, but it was not meant to be a very long reign. Of course, this match featured a ton of interference, and it even lost the Detroit crowd for awhile, but it featured a very hot ending and new tag team champions!

The reason for this high of a ranking? It was the end of Hogan's run on PPV. He made a few more cameo appearances on PPV for the next few years, but this was the final "full time" PPV match he had.

He appeared at No Way Out, wrestled at Wrestle Mania X8, wrestled at Backlash, wrestled at Judgment Day, wrestled at King of the Ring, and he ended his run at Vengeance in July. It was a great effort in 2002 for the Hulkster, but his days as a full time wrestler were clearly done at this point.

A few weeks later, Brock destroyed him on Smackdown, and Hogan would go on to wrestle sporadic matches here and there, even to this day. It was a fun ride in 2002, but all good things must come to an end!

1. Undertaker vs. the Rock vs. Kurt Angle

Where do I even begin with this one? It is probably the second greatest triple threat match of all time. Of course, I (and WWE) won't even mention the single greatest triple threat match, so in many ways, this one is the best. Period.

This triple threat match was for Undertaker's WWE Undisputed Championship, and it was a match you could see any man winning.

It is absolutely a match you can go back and watch with a smile on your face. You add in a great call by JR and Lawler, a huge win by The Rock, and you have a classic bout.

Hats off to everybody involved here! They deserve all the credit in the world.