Backlash (2002)

Backlash (2002)
Promotional poster featuring Triple H
Tagline(s)	One Man's Journey to Stand Alone
Theme song(s)	"Young Grow Old" by Creed
Information
Promotion	World Wrestling Federation
Brand (s)	Raw SmackDown!
Date	April 21, 2002
Attendance	12,489
Venue	Kemper Arena
City	Kansas City, Missouri
Pay-per-view chronology
WrestleMania X8 Backlash (2002) Insurrextion (2002)
Backlash chronology
Backlash (2001) Backlash (2002) Backlash (2003)

Backlash (2002) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) promotion, which took place on April 21, 2002 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The event starred talent from the Raw and SmackDown! brands. It was the fourth event under the Backlash chronology and the final Backlash under the WWF name. This was the first WWE pay-per-view event after the Brand Extension. Nine professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card.

The main match from the SmackDown! brand featured Hollywood Hulk Hogan defeating Triple H to win the Undisputed WWF Championship and the featured match from the Raw brand was an encounter between The Undertaker and Steve Austin with Ric Flair as special guest referee, which The Undertaker won. The other main match from Raw was a Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship between Rob Van Dam and Eddie Guerrero, which Guerrero won by pinfall to win the championship.

Background

See also: Professional wrestling

The event featured nine professional wrestling matches with outcomes predetermined by WWF script writers. The matches featured wrestlers portraying their characters in planned storylines that took place before, during and after the event. All wrestlers were from either one of the WWF's brands - SmackDown or Raw - the two storyline divisions in which WWF assigned its employees.

Aftermath

The night after Backlash, The Big Show betrayed Austin in a tag team match against the nWo and joined the stable. For the next two weeks, Big Show claimed that he turned on Austin because he was in the main event for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 2000 while Austin had neck surgery but the following year at WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin competed in the main event for the WWF title while Big Show wasn't. At WrestleMania X8, Austin was scheduled a match against Scott Hall while Big Show was at WWF New York Times Square. Later that night, Austin and Bradshaw united with Flair in a battle against the nWo stable, but Flair betrayed both wrestlers and became affiliated with the nWo although he never officially joined. Flair's betrayal eventually led to Booker T's drafting by Flair to be the newest nWo member on May 13, 2002. And a feud between Austin and Flair escalated on that episode when Austin gained revenge by costing Flair the Undisputed Championship against Hulk Hogan. This led to a Handicap match at Judgment Day pitting Austin against the team of Flair and Big Show, which Austin won.

After defeating Steve Austin at Backlash, The Undertaker set his sights on the new Undisputed Champion Hulk Hogan by challenging him to a match for the Undisputed title at Judgment Day. In 1991, they first fought for the WWF Championship during two different pay per view events. At the Survivor Series event, Undertaker defeated Hogan to win his 1st WWF title. Hogan regained the title over Undertaker in a rematch at This Tuesday in Texas. The title was eventually declared vacant until the 1992 Royal Rumble event when Ric Flair won the title by winning the Royal Rumble match that also involved Taker and Hogan. Their feud restarted on the April 25 edition of SmackDown!, when Jericho defeated Triple H to become the number one contender due to Taker's interference. Afterwords, Jericho and Taker attacked Triple H until Hogan came down to the ring and assaulted Taker. On the April 29 edition of Raw, when Undertaker interfered in Hogan's non-title match with William Regal by assaulting Hogan. Taker then took Hogan's leather belt and whipped him with it and busted him open with the belt buckle. The following week, Hogan got back at Taker by driving a Semi truck and running over Taker's 18-wheeler prized motorcycle, thus destroying it. On the May 13 episode of Raw, Taker nailed Hogan from behind with the tire-iron then tied Hogan's ankles to his own motorcycle. Moments later, Taker drove his motorcycle around the hallway with Hogan tied to it before ramming Hogan into the pile of boxes and pipes, leaving Hogan lying motionless. At Judgment Day, with the help of Vince McMahon, Undertaker defeated Hogan to win the Undisputed Championship, his first WWF Championship win in nearly three years.

The feud between Edge and Kurt Angle continued after Backlash on the May 2 edition of SmackDown!, when Angle challenged Edge to a rematch but this time in a Hair vs. Hair match, which Edge accepted. On the May 16 edition of SmackDown!, during a segment between Edge and Triple H, Angle and Chris Jericho attacked both men, ending with Jericho manhandling Edge while Angle cut his hair once with the scissors as an example for their Hair vs. Hair match at Judgment Day. Later that edition, Angle and Jericho defeated Edge and Triple H in a tag match after Angle nailed Edge with the steel chair and followed it with an Angle slam for the win. After the match, Angle tossed Edge's hair piece onto Edge. In a Hair vs. Hair match at Judgment Day, Edge defeated Angle and shaved the Angle's head bald following it.

Triple H and Chris Jericho continued their feud on the April 25 edition of SmackDown!, where Jericho defeated Triple H in a Number 1 Contenders match due to interference by The Undertaker, who also cost Triple H the Undisputed title at Backlash. The following week, Jericho challenged Hulk Hogan for the Undisputed title in a No disqualification match with a stipulation added that if The Undertaker or any Raw superstar interferes in the title match, will be suspended. During the title match, Triple H interfered and distracted Jericho, enabling Hogan to pin Jericho to retain the title. On the May 9 edition of SmackDown!, Vince McMahon ordered that if Triple H lays his hands on McMahon, there will be consequences. Triple H then challenged McMahon to fight him in the ring until Hardcore Holly, Test, Lance Storm, Christian and Reverend D-Von came to the ring and beat Triple H down. Jericho then came down and nailed Triple H with the steel chair then locked him in the Walls of Jericho, ending with McMahon to announce a Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day, which would be a WrestleMania X8 rematch between the two. Later that night, Jericho and Triple H interfered in each other's matches. First, Reverend D-Von defeated Triple H after Jericho nailed Triple H with the donation box. Then during Jericho's tag team match along with Angle against Edge and Hulk Hogan, Triple H interfered and nailed all four of them with a sledgehammer. Vince McMahon distracted and dared Triple H to nail him with a sledgehammer, enabling Jericho to nail Triple H with the steel chair. They concluded their feud at Judgment Day, when Triple H defeated Jericho in a Hell in a Cell match.

Brock Lesnar continued his feud with Matt and Jeff Hardy on the April 22 edition of Raw when Lesnar defeated Matt Hardy by knockout. On the May 13 edition of Raw, the Hardy boyz fought Lesnar in a Handicap match and won by disqualification due to interference by Lesnar's manager Paul Heyman. Heyman then announced a tag team match pitting Lesnar and himself against the Hardyz at Judgment Day. During the event, Lesnar and Heyman were victorious after Heyman pinned Jeff Hardy following an F-5 by Lesnar.

Results

#	Results	Stipulations	Times
Sunday Night Heat	The Big Show defeated Justin Credible and Steven Richards	Handicap match	02:11
1	Tajiri (with Torrie Wilson) defeated Billy Kidman (c)	Singles match for the WWF Cruiserweight Championship	09:08
2	Scott Hall (with X-Pac) defeated Bradshaw (with Faarooq)	Singles match	05:43
3	Jazz (c) defeated Trish Stratus	Singles match for the WWF Women's Championship	04:29
4	Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Jeff Hardy (with Lita)	Singles match	05:32
5	Kurt Angle defeated Edge	Singles match	13:25
6	Eddie Guerrero defeated Rob Van Dam (c)	Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship	11:43
7	The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin	Singles match with Ric Flair as special guest referee to determine the number one contender for the Undisputed WWF Championship	27:03
8	Billy and Chuck (c) (with Rico) defeated Maven and Al Snow	Tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship	05:58
9	Hollywood Hulk Hogan defeated Triple H (c)	Singles match for the Undisputed WWF Championship	22:04
(c) – refers to the champion heading into the match

See also

• WWE Backlash
• List of WWE pay-per-view events

External links

• Official website