WWE 2001-2002

[e-moose]

So I stayed up all night Thursday night and right through to 3PM Friday watching videos on YouTube of WWE events circa 2001-2002 surrounding the co-owner Ric Flair and NWO "poison" era. It's totally striking just how stacked the roster was in 2002. It's a who's who of damn near everybody who was anybody from the '80s and '90s and '00s.

Flair, Hogan, Undertaker, Nash, Michaels, Big Show, Austin, Rocky, Kane, HHH, Page, S. Steiner, Booker T, Jericho, Dudleys, Hardys, Lesnar, Benoit, Guerrero, Cena, Batista, Orton, Edge, Christian, Mysterio, Henry were all there for some or all of 2002.

It's also totally striking just how many HUGE earth-shaking events happened in quick succession in the period.

- WWF purchase of WCW
- HHH quad injury and subsequent return
- storyline of Flair buying Shane's & Stephanie's 50% stake in WWE, owning and running Raw for several months, and eventually losing that to Vince.
- unification of WWE and WCW championships, with Jericho defeating both Rock and Austin to become the "undisputed WWF champion", then holding that title for 3 months
- NWO "poison" injected into WWE
- Rock vs. Hogan @ WrestleMania 18
- WWF offically changes name to WWE
- the initial separation of Raw and SmackDown rosters and first ever draft by McMahon and Flair
- Michaels returns!, with the NWO!
- Austin so-showing and leaving WWE
- Nash injured and Vince McMahon declaring the "end of the NWO era"
- Vince McMahon names the initial General Managers of Raw and SmackDown as Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon
- re-introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw

Extremely eventful times!

[cero2k]

agree, things were happening every week back then, even if it felt like Triple H vs Rock every night

[badnewzxl]

Def agree here, moose; I've always considered the WWE's best era to be the Ruthless Aggression Era bc they picked up a LOT of solid wrestlers after WCW and ECW folded. Their midcard was FANTASTIC. Their tag teams were FANTASTIC. And they had so many well known wrestlers, every other match on almost any ppv card was stacked! WM17, 18, 19, and 20 are four of my favorite (and I'd believe they are four of the BEST, also) WMs of all time.

[e-moose]

Flair, Hogan, Undertaker, Nash, Michaels, Big Show, Austin, Rocky, Kane, HHH, Page, S. Steiner, Booker T, Jericho, Dudleys, Hardys, Lesnar, Benoit, Guerrero, Cena, Batista, Orton, Edge, Christian, Mysterio, Henry were all there for some or all of 2002.

How could I have forgotten KURT FRIGGIN' ANGLE? #-o