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WWE booking Brock Lesnar to challenge The Rock for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2002 was a huge deal at the time. Few rookies ever received a title match just four months into their debut, let alone against a legend in the main event of the second-biggest show of the year. WWE had faith that Lesnar was the right talent to invest in with such an opportunity.

Rock had returned from a hiatus filming movies in Hollywood to come back and win the WWE Championship from The Undertaker. Brock was billed as “the next big thing” and had multiple major moments in a short time ahead of this showdown. WWE deserves credit for setting the stage for one of the greatest torch-passing moments of all time.

Brock Lesnar Vs. The Rock Had An Underrated Build

WWE didn’t have a heated storyline for The Rock vs Brock Lesnar as it mostly focused on their respective characters. There were lots of training videos that showed each man preparing for the biggest fight of their respective careers. Lesnar working out and taking ice baths were shown to make fans aware of how serious this match was for him. Rock had the same kind of training videos that sold the importance of each man’s motives.

RELATED: 10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About The Rock

There were some small interactions on Raw and Smackdown to set up the big match, but it wasn’t like the typical feud with an overkill of promos. Rock’s star power was established and made him one of the biggest names in all of pop culture. WWE bringing Rock back for such an important show felt even bigger than in the past since he compiled a few major acting roles.

The Rock Sharpshooter

Brock’s momentum was growing each week to make WWE double down on crowning him so quickly. The King of the Ring victory earned Lesnar the #1 contender’s spot for a SummerSlam 2002 title shot. Rock had to win the WWE Championship and retain it on a few occasions to even get there. The story was simple of two wrestlers at different stages in their careers trying to prove they are the best.

The Fans Wanted It

The main reason the SummerSlam 2002 match worked was the fans becoming completely invested in the match at the show. WWE fans started to boo Rock more in 2002 when his acting schedule caused him to miss months of WWE television at a time. The audience shifted towards Brock Lesnar heading into the match and were rooting for him in that venue.

Rock already received a lot of boos earlier that year during his WrestleMania 18 classic against Hulk Hogan. The hostile crowd didn’t phase him as Rock showed a more aggressive side and used the audience to benefit from the story being told. Paul Heyman still interfered like a heel and Lesnar wasn’t stopping at anything to win the WWE Championship.

Brock Lesnar v The Rock SummerSlam 2002 Cropped

Even with the heel actions, Brock was treated as the face by the crowd. Any major passing of the torch moment needs the audience to have an investment in the finish. Rock made sure his polarizing reaction was used throughout the match with the various counters and false finishes. Lesnar and Rock had an underrated great match that played to the crowd to create the right timing.

It Worked To Perfection

The entire match between Brock Lesnar and The Rock had fans losing their minds at SummerSlam 2002. This show was considered an all-time great WWE PPV with other classics like Triple H vs Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle, and Rob Van Dam vs Chris Benoit putting pressure on Rock and Brock to close the show strong. The audience investment made their match just as impressive as the others on the card.

Rock dealing with the boos and having a few strong false finishes had the audience believing he would win. However, Lesnar reversing the Rock Bottom to hit the F5 and score the win created a massive pop. It truly felt like we were witnessing something special of Brock taking the top spot away from Rock as he transitioned to Hollywood.

Brock Lesnar WWE Champion

Lesnar was a great WWE Champion and even turned face shortly after this program due to the crowd support growing. Rock even benefited since his departure to boos allowed him to return the following year with the Hollywood Rock heel persona. WWE used the big stage to set up a massive attraction match that would pass the torch. Both men were on point this night to make SummerSlam 2002 the ideal scenario of a young wrestler taking the torch from a legend.