Survivor Series (2002)

Infobox Wrestling event
name=Survivor Series (2002)


tagline=
theme="Always" (Saliva)cite web|date=2002-10-17|url= http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_10_17.1.jsp|title=WWET and Saliva Launch Promotion With The World Premiere of "ALWAYS" Video This Sunday on WWE Sunday Night Heat|publisher=WWE Corporate|accessdate=2008-01-18|quote="Always" will be the official theme song of WWE’s Pay-Per-View spectacular Survivor Series on November 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York. As part of the event, Saliva will be performing "Always" live via simulcast from The World, WWE’s Entertainment Complex in Times Square.]
promotion=World Wrestling Entertainment
brand=Raw
SmackDown!
date=November 17 2002
venue=Madison Square Garden
city=New York, New York
attendance=17,930cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#2002|title=Survivor Series 2002 results|publisher=Pro Wrestling History|accessdate=2008-01-18]
lastevent=Rebellion (2002)
nextevent=Armageddon (2002)
event=Survivor Series
lastevent2=Survivor Series (2001)
nextevent2=Survivor Series (2003)

Survivor Series (2002) was the sixteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on November 17 2002 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands.cite web|date=2002-11-17|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/news/1037591979.shtml|title=Full Survivor Series Results - 11/17/02|publisher=WrestleView|accessdate=2008-01-18] The official theme song was "Always" by Saliva,cite web|date=2002-10-17|url= http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_10_17.1.jsp|title=WWET and Saliva Launch Promotion With The World Premiere of "ALWAYS" Video This Sunday on WWE Sunday Night Heat|publisher=WWE Corporate|accessdate=2008-01-18|quote="Always" will be the official theme song of WWE’s Pay-Per-View spectacular Survivor Series on November 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York. As part of the event, Saliva will be performing "Always" live via simulcast from The World, WWE’s Entertainment Complex in Times Square.] who performed the song and Chris Jericho's entrance music live from The World.cite DVD-notes|title=Survivor Series 2002 [DVD] |titleyear=2002|year=2002|publisher=WWE Home Video|location=Stamford, Connecticut|publisherid=WWE59354]

The main match on the Raw brand was an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship involving reigning champion Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and Kane. Michaels won the match after last eliminating Triple H, pinning him after executing Sweet Chin Music. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand was Brock Lesnar versus The Big Show for the WWE Championship, which Big Show won by pinfall after chokeslamming Lesnar on a steel chair. The featured matches on the undercard was a Triple Threat Elimination match for the WWE Tag Team Championship involving Edge and Rey Mysterio, Los Guerreros (Eddie and Chavo Guerrero), and Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. Los Guerreros won the match and became WWE Tag Team Champions after last eliminating Edge and Mysterio.

Background

The main feud heading into Survivor Series on the Raw brand was between Triple H, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels over the World Heavyweight Championship. The feud started on the October 21 edition of "Raw" when Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff announced that the first ever Elimination Chamber would take place at Survivor Series. [cite web|url=http://onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/021021.html|title=Raw results - October 21, 2002| accessdate=2008-01-21|publisher=Online World of Wrestling] [cite web|url= http://pwwew.net/tv/raw/021021.htm|title=Raw results - October 21, 2002|accessdate=2008-01-21|date=2002-10-21|publisher= PWWEW.net] Bischoff did this, as he wanted the Elimination Chamber match to be better than SmackDown!'s Hell in a Cell main event at No Mercy. [cite book|first=Michael|last=McAvennie| title=WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition|publisher=Simon & Schuster|origyear=2003|origmonth=April|isbn=0-7434-6373-0|pages=p. 308|quote=In what could have been misconstrued as a sign of Apocalypse, Eric Bischoff publicliy gave Stepahnie McMahon credit on October 21 "Raw"-No Mercy's Hell in a Cell match between Brock Lesnar and Undertaker was "...a spectacle. No...it was a "bloodbath"." No one to be out-promised, however, the GM promised it would pale in comparison to the "ingenious creation" he had in mind for "Survivor Series". With that, Bischoff's ever-smug look suddenly gave way to a cold, icy stare as he announced, "At Survivor Series, you "will" bear witness to the Elimination Chamber."] On the October 28 edition of "Raw", Bischoff stated that the Elimination Chamber would be combinations of WWE's Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and WCW's War Games matches, in that a countdown timer comes from the Rumble and War Games, the enclosed cage format from War Games, and the elimination process from the Rumble and Series.cite web|url= http://onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/021028.html|title=Raw results - October 28, 2002|accessdate=2008-01-21| publisher=Online World of Wrestling] cite web|url=http://pwwew.net/tv/raw/021028.htm|title=Raw results - October 28, 2002|accessdate=2008-01-21|date=2002-10-28|publisher=PWWEW.net] Bischoff also added that the match will involve six superstars. This led to Bischoff revealing the six participants for the contest; Triple H, Chris Jericho, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Kane and Shawn Michaels.

The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Brock Lesnar and The Big Show over the WWE Championship. Lesnar won the title three months prior at SummerSlam by defeating then-champion The Rock.cite web|date=2002-08-25|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam07/history/2002/mainevent/|title=Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. The Rock for the WWE Undisputed Championship|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-01-22] cite web|first=Ryan|last=Byers|date=2006-08-18|url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/columns/44248/411%5C%5Cs-Roundtable-Review:--Summerslam-2002.htm|title=411's Roundtable Review: SummerSlam 2002|publisher=411mania.com|accessdate=2008-01-22] Two months later at No Mercy, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match to retain the title, pinning him after an F-5.cite web|date=2002-10-20|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/history/2002/sdmainevent/|title=Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-01-22] cite web|date=2002-10-20|url= http://www.wrestleview.com/news/1035159473.shtml|title=Full WWE No Mercy PPV Results - 10/20/02|publisher=WrestleView| accessdate=2008-01-22] On the October 24 edition of "SmackDown!", after claiming nobody on SmackDown! could defeat him, Big Show issued a challenge to WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, who accepted later that night.cite web|date=2002-10-24|url=http://pwwew.net/tv/smackdown/021024.htm|title=October 24, 2002 SmackDown! results|publisher=PWWEW.net|accessdate=2008-01-22] cite web|first=Brendan| last=Johnston|date=2002-10-24|url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/tv_reports/30550/411s-WWE-Smackdown-Report-10.24.02.htm|title=411's WWE SmackDown! Report 10.24.02|publisher=411mania.com|accessdate=2008-01-22] The next week on "SmackDown!", Lesnar faced off against Rey Mysterio, which ended in a no-contest after Big Show interfered and tossed Mysterio into the crowd.cite web|date=2002-10-31|url= http://pwwew.net/tv/smackdown/021031.htm|title=October 31, 2002 SmackDown! results|publisher=PWWEW.net|accessdate=2008-01-22] cite web|first=Brendan|last=Johnston|date=2002-10-31|url= http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/tv_reports/30553/411s-WWE-Smackdown-Report-10.31.02.htm|title=411's WWE SmackDown! Report 10.31.02|publisher=411mania.com|accessdate=2008-01-22] Shortly after the match ended, Big Show slammed Lesnar through the announce table. On the November 8 edition of "SmackDown!", after Lesnar defeated Eddie Guerrero in a non-title match, Big Show attacked Lesnar and slammed him off the stage.cite web|date=2002-11-08|url= http://pwwew.net/tv/smackdown/021108.htm|title=November 7, 2002 SmackDown! results|publisher=PWWEW.net|accessdate=2008-01-22] cite web|first=Brendan|last=Johnston|date=2002-11-07|url= http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/tv_reports/30558/411s-WWE-Smackdown-Report-11.07.02.htm|title=411's WWE SmackDown! Report 11.07.02|publisher=411mania.com|accessdate=2008-01-22]

The other main feud on the card was between three tag teams, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, Edge and Rey Mysterio, and Los Guerreros (Eddie and Chavo Guerrero), over the WWE Tag Team Championships. At the previous pay-per-view, No Mercy, Angle and Benoit defeated Edge and Mysterio in the finals of a tournament to determine the first WWE Tag Team Champions.cite web|date=2002-10-20|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/history/2002/results/|title=No Mercy 2002 results|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-02-03] cite web|first=Charles|last=Williams|date=2005-07-25|url= http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/sdtagtourneyreview.htm|title=Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit defeated Edge and Rey Mysterio|publisher=AngleFire|accessdate=2008-02-03] cite web|first=Rick|last=Scaia| date=2002-10-20|url=http://www.oowrestling.com/recaps/ppv/20021020.shtml|title=No Mercy 2002 results|publisher=Online Onslaught|accessdate=2008-02-03]

Event

References

External links

*cite news|title=2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts|work=Wrestling’s Historical Cards|publisher=Kappa Publishing|date= 2007|pages=112
* [http://www.hoffco-inc.com/wwe/ppv/ppv/sur02.html hoffco-inc.com - Survivor Series 2002 review]
* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/2002/ Official 2002 Survivor Series website]