Kurt Angle vs John Cena - Smackdown 6-27-2002
Added 2025-03-14 16:00:09 +0000 UTCWatch: https://streamable.com/nzj0ch
Comments
I remember watching this in 2002 and John Cena became one of my top 5 faves from the get go along with Edge, Eddie, HBK, and Taker. It was until he debuted the Thuganomics gimmicks that October when he instantly became my favorite and he's stayed that way from that point on.
Chad
2025-03-20 23:37:24 +0000 UTCSteamed Ham Champion Dillon Haggett, to me it seems like 2002 was like the Nexus of Pro Wrestling where all eras meet in the middle. You had the two best wrestlers of the 1980s with Hogan and Flair, the two best of the 1990s with Austin and Rock, the two best of the 2000s with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, and the two best of the 2010s with Cena and Orton. They literally had every all time great who ever existed from about 1977 up until about 2017 all in the same company in a two year span. My mount Rushmore is Hogan, Austin, Rock, and Cena. All four were in the company at the same time.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-15 19:20:15 +0000 UTCThey literally had 8 of my top 10 best wrestlers of all time on the roster at the same time, all except for Bret Hart and obviously Roman Reigns, and they also had my top 5 superstars of all time with Austin, Rock, Hogan, Cena, and Flair as well.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-15 19:13:32 +0000 UTCAngle lost his hair in a match were if he lost his head would be shaved. He was already going bold, but this was a way that was part of his story. As a joke he did wear a bad wig under wrestling headgear, storyline.
Karen
2025-03-15 18:50:15 +0000 UTCAnd the theme was The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson.
Steamed Ham Champion Dillon Haggett
2025-03-15 16:25:04 +0000 UTCJust those first three names alone is fucking insane. The three most recognizable names in all of pro wrestling in the same company at the same time.
Steamed Ham Champion Dillon Haggett
2025-03-15 16:14:56 +0000 UTCI was there live for this! It was an insane moment then, and even insanier in retrospect. I was in college at the time, and I was pretty internet-savvy so I knew who Cena was from his Prototype days, but I never expected to see his debut in-person. Also, he really did that whole "wear the home sports team colors" thing from the jump lol.
Noct
2025-03-15 13:37:08 +0000 UTCI mean yeah I agree with all of these, but it would be incorrect to say that the product particularly sucked at the time. Just because business is down doesn't mean the product is bad. Before the renaissance era, the ruthless aggression era was considered the second best era in pro wrestling history behind the attitude era. Now it's a three way race between attitude era, ruthless aggression, and renaissance era. Many people who grew up during the ruthless aggression era will tell you that it was their attitude era. At least viewership was up during these years.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-15 07:57:17 +0000 UTC@Ian Hernandez I suppose it comes down to 4 factors: 1. They lost their top draws in rapid fashion. Many more casual fans were Rock and Austin fans, not WWE fans. Turning Austin heel was also a really bad idea commercially. 2. The death of and Vince's spite toward WCW made many WCW fans simply quit wrestling, rather than watch both or move over. 3. I unironically think Triple H's "reign of terror" drove people away. Didn't smackdown outdraw RAW at that time, despite RAW being the clear A-show? 4. WWE also became more Wrestling focused at this time, and I guess some primarily wanted the segments and angles.
.
2025-03-15 06:16:18 +0000 UTCI guess the best analogy for today would be like if 99% of fans didn't know anything about NXT and Trick Williams, Oba Femi or Tony D answered an open challenge from Gunther or Kevin Owens and had a competitive match.
.
2025-03-15 05:43:15 +0000 UTCI understand your perspective, but just because business was on the decline doesn't mean it wasn't an enjoyable time to be a WWE fan. The problem with the business at the time was that fans started to tune out after the attitude era but that doesn't make it any less great as the attitude era. Fans just felt no need to tune in anymore after the Monday Night War.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-15 04:33:51 +0000 UTCAnd yet, at this time, business was kind of dwindling, so interesting to think about the way that all that works, by the way, not trying to dump on your comment, I’m literally saying how that’s so interesting when you look back on it how they had all those stars, and yet business was not hot at all.
Ian Hernandez
2025-03-15 04:31:01 +0000 UTCThe slap that started the ruthless aggression era. I remember watching this as a 7 year old kid and being very impressed with Cena, but in the months after this debut, Cena kinda died down over the next four months and was literally a week from getting fired before Stephanie heard Cena rapping with the other superstars and that gave Cena another chance and once he became the doctor of thuganomics, he never looked back. By the time 2002 ended, you knew Cena was going to be the future of the business. It was only a matter of time.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-15 03:25:48 +0000 UTCGlad you guys enjoyed! Hard to believe this was 23 years ago.
CG
2025-03-15 02:22:16 +0000 UTCAh nice submission. Cena was actually the second to last of the OVW Class of 2002 to debut: Brock debuted on the March 18th, 2002 episode of Raw, the night after WrestleMania X8 and a week before the first draft Randy debuted on the April 25th, 2002 episode of SmackDown, a couple of weeks after the Brand Split went into effect Batista debuted on the May 9th, 2002 episode of SmackDown as Reverend D-Von’s associate Cena debuted here on the June 27th, 2002 episode of SmackDown Shelton Benjamin was the last member of the OVW class of 2002 to debut, debuting on the December 26, 2002 episode of SmackDown alongside Charlie Haas as Team Angle
Steamed Ham Champion Dillon Haggett
2025-03-14 18:38:00 +0000 UTC2002-2003 was literally the two most stacked years in the history of wrestling. WWE had Austin, Rock, Hogan, Flair, Angle, Triple H, HBK, Undertaker, Kane, Goldberg, Jericho, Edge, Eddie Guerrero, Jeff Hardy, Christian, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Rey Mysterio, Lesnar, Cena, Orton, and Batista all showing up on TV every single week. What a moment in time to be a WWE fan.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-14 18:36:35 +0000 UTCBut once he put on the sneakers, chains, throwback jersey, and jorts on just four months later, there was no stopping him. WWE put a rocket strapped to his back and started putting him in the ring with the other smackdown main eventers such as Lesnar, Angle, Undertaker, Big Show, Guerrero, and Benoit. From November 2002 on, Cena was unstoppable at that point.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-14 18:29:16 +0000 UTCYep. Cena was a week away from being released, and Stephanie overheard him rapping with the other superstars so they gave him one last chance to prove himself, and he did.
Flynn Vicci
2025-03-14 18:26:40 +0000 UTCAt that point, Angle has already been in wwe for 3 years and was already a multi time wwe champion
Matthew Harvey
2025-03-14 18:10:10 +0000 UTCI was in the audience for this. I was 11 years old. Had no idea who John was, obviously. Definitely thought it was just gonna be a regular squash, but he got us thinking he was gonna win. My sister and I misheard his name and we were rooting for "John Single!" Couldn't have fathomed we were seeing the future of the industry. Time flies, man.
Vito
2025-03-14 17:24:34 +0000 UTCContrary to what you think, John floundered around for months after this and almost got fired until Stephanie McMahon heard him freestyle on a tour bus. That was Cena’s in. He started his Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick shortly after.
Gai Valentine
2025-03-14 16:26:36 +0000 UTCWhether you like him or not, all of those guys were headed up by Jim Cornette and they’re the only ones who ever get mentioned when people talk about OVW
Gai Valentine
2025-03-14 16:24:37 +0000 UTCDuring this time, we got Batista, Cena, Brock, Orton, Shelton Benjamin, and a few others that made their debuts around this time. That referee (Brian Hebner) is Earl Hebner's son.
Christopher Barnes
2025-03-14 16:11:30 +0000 UTCThat wasn't Cena's music. They just played the Smackdown theme because he didn't have a theme when he officially debuted.
Christopher Barnes
2025-03-14 16:08:49 +0000 UTCExcellent suggestion 💯💯
Phillyman!!
2025-03-14 16:01:59 +0000 UTC
