#FiftyMatches - The Rock Goes Hollywood

July 21, 2002

The Undertaker v. The Rock v. Kurt Angle

WWE Undisputed Championship

Vengeance 2002

"The most awesome triple threat match I've ever seen in my life!" -Jim Ross

On April 19, 2002 the first movie to feature The Rock in a starring role arrived in theaters.

And the people came.

"The Scorpion King" earned more than $36 million in its opening weekend. At the time, it was the best April opening weekend ever. When those first showings were underway on the Friday of that weekend, The Rock was still a professional wrestler. By that Sunday, he was a movie star. World Wrestling Entertainment and professional wrestling would never be the same again.

Fans had barely noticed The Rock's time filming his first movie role, a cameo in "The Mummy Returns". There's no conspicuous gap in his appearance schedule leading up to the film's release on May 4, 2001. That was just over a month after The Rock appeared in the main event of WrestleMania X-7, by almost every measure the biggest and most successful professional wrestling pay per view in history up to that time. The night after he lost the WWF Championship to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, fans were delivered the explanation for why The Rock would be off television for the next four months.

WWE has always sought stars who can transcend the world of professional wrestling, but in The Rock, the company overshot its mark. While the Two Man Power Trip ran wild on Monday Night Raw, Dwayne Johnson was on a movie set filming "The Scorpion King", the movie that would make him a bigger star than he could ever dream of becoming in WWE, and ensuring his eventual departure from the company.

Professional wrestling fans didn't really have a problem with The Rock's tentative first steps into the broader entertainment industry. It began with a few guest appearances on television. That led to his role in "The Mummy Returns", and the opportunities that followed. Only then did fans realize the price they would have to pay for The Rock's success. Little more than a year after his first extended hiatus for "The Scorpion King", his career in professional wrestling was in its twilight.

What made it all the more painful was the fact that for a brief period of time in 2002 there was little arguing that The Rock was the greatest champion in the history of WWE. His claim to that title was enhanced when he defeated Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X-8, but The Rock did not hang around WWE for much longer after his monumental victory. On April 2, 2002, just days before the U.S. premiere of "The Scorpion King", he pinned the recently unseated, former Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho in a SmackDown! main event. Then, The Rock went away.

Aside from a surprise appearance for a tag team match with Hulk Hogan against Kurt Angle and Jericho on SmackDown! in May 2002, The Rock was not seen on WWE television. Then, without warning, The Rock made a surprise return to Monday Night Raw on June 17, 2002, and delivered one of the best promos of his professional wrestling career.

This moment was necessitated by the sudden departure from WWE of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Those watching at the time may remember that this entire two-hour episode of Raw was spent teasing Austin's arrival for the end of the show. WWE knew Austin would not be the payoff, and those in charge must have understood that there was only one person that could be brought out for the final segment in Austin's place that would satisfy the fans. That was The Rock, whose scathing criticism of Austin would help set up their final showdown months later at WrestleMania XIX.


The Sunday after his surprise return, The Rock appeared at King Of The Ring 2002. He made his presence known during the main event between The Undertaker and Triple H. Rock interfered, attempting to cost Taker the match, but failed. Reportedly, it was an impromptu decision after Triple H suffered a leg injury during the match.

The Rock disappeared from television once again after that night, but that didn't keep him out of story lines. While Rock was away, he was promoted as the next challenger to face The Undertaker for the Undisputed Championship. Soon after, Kurt Angle nearly defeated Taker by submission, putting himself in line for a title match as well.

The road map to the triple threat title match at Vengeance 2002 was clearly laid out. Rock returned on July 9, 2002 to stoke the flames, hitting the ring after a SmackDown! tag team match pitting The Undertaker and an appropriately green-clad John Cena against Angle and Jericho. Rock laid out both of his future opponents. The following week on SmackDown!, Rock defeated Angle by disqualification.

Even as WWE company was losing the tug of war with Hollywood for The Rock's lucrative future, he was being positioned as the best the professional wrestling industry had to offer. Vengeance 2002 was his coronation. On that night, The Rock became the first seven-time champion in WWE history. It seems trivial today. The mark has since been eclipsed by no fewer than four other performers. Still, it was treated as something special; a historic accomplishment.

I must offer a bit of honesty. it took some time to convince myself that this match belonged on this list of the Fifty Matches That Defined The Decade. Most agree it's a great match, but is there even more to it? Does it have a historic element that makes it more?

In many ways, this match is the end of an era in WWE, albeit a brief one. This period of transition linking the Attitude Era to the era of more "legitimate" stars like Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle came to a close at Vengeance 2002.

The Rock's was essentially the last Undisputed Champion in WWE history. After his victory, Rock was immediately put on a collision course with King Of The Ring tournament winner Brock Lesnar, a man with only months of experience on WWE's main roster. The Rock performed his role to perfection in making Lesnar truly the next big thing in WWE. At SummerSlam 2002, Lesnar defeated The Rock to become the youngest champion in WWE history. Not long after that, the World Heavyweight Championship was introduced and the presence of two top titles immediately diluted the prestige of the other.

For The Undertaker, this was his last run as the central figure in WWE's main event. Without question, he was the focus of many more great matches and moments. He even had another reign as a world champion, but again, with the second top title in play, he was never again presented as the top star in the company and the industry.

It's almost ridiculous to call this period a "run" for The Rock. He was rarely around, even as story lines revolved around him. The thing to take away from this time and this match is that The Rock was there when WWE needed him the most. He filled the void left by Austin's unexpected departure, and helped make a huge star for the industry in Brock Lesnar, even if Lesnar wasn't as long for the business as some may have hoped at the time.

After SummerSlam 2002, The Rock went away again, this time to film "The Rundown". He wouldn't be seen again in WWE until the following year.

As for that record for best April opening weekend, The Rock still holds the title. Not as "The Scorpion King", but as one of the stars of "Fast Five", which more than doubled "The Scorpion King's" take in its opening weekend in April 2011. The Rock is still a huge movie star, but thankfully for The People, he's now finding the time and the freedom to entertain us as a professional wrestler again. His days in the ring are still numbered, but he's back and fans can only hope, he'll keep his promise to never go away again.