The Attitude Era is arguably the greatest in WWE history, and the Ruthless Aggression Era had a lot of expectations to live up to. WWF was no more with WWE, the new name moving forward as of May 6, 2002. Mr. McMahon infamously did a speech on "Ruthless Aggression" just 24 hours after King of the Ring on the June 24, 2002, edition of Raw.

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This era was exceptional with the likes of Batista and John Cena becoming main eventers. Steve Austin and The Rock stepped aside from professional wrestling but it also witnessed Shawn Michaels returning to in-ring competition for the first time in four years. Triple H and The Undertaker were still marquee players as was Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar was a star. WWE still had firepower at their disposal and whilst the majority of the first batch of main events in this era were quality, some were underwhelming.

10 The Rock Vs. Hulk Hogan - No Way Out 2003

Hulk Hogan v The Rock No Way Out 2003 Cropped

Sometimes one and done is just enough and that was the instance in The Rock and Hulk Hogan's series of matches. They tore the house down at WrestleMania 18 but their rematch 11 months later at No Way Out 2003 was a disaster as they were unable to replicate their magic.

Hogan was no longer functioning at the peak of his powers. This time they closed out the show at No Way Out and it proved to be an unwise decision. Mr. McMahon interfered and Sylvain Grenier was a biased referee. Nonetheless, Rock registered another win over Hogan in a forgettable contest.

9 Shawn Michaels Vs. Triple H - Armageddon 2002

Triple H v Shawn Michaels Armageddon 2002 Cropped

Shawn Michaels defended the World Heavyweight Championship against his former best friend Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell match at Armageddon 2002. Both men are exceptional in-ring performers, but their match at Armageddon completely missed the mark.

Triple H won the first fall in a street fight, and if Michaels was going to retain his championship he would need to win the next two falls in succession. He did half of the job as he won the steel cage match to take it into a decider. However, the Game reclaimed the Big Gold Belt as he pushed Michaels off the ladder and he crashed and burned through the tables below, and unhooked the World Heavyweight Championship.

8 Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker - Unforgiven 2002

The Undertaker v Brock Lesnar Unforgiven 2002 Cropped

Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker closed out Unforgiven 2002 with the Next Big Thing's WWE Championship up for grabs. This was a stern test for Lesnar, and it was interesting to see if he could back up his victory over The Rock with a scalp over The Undertaker.

Both men wore the proverbial crimson mask and it was a war of attrition that lasted for 20 minutes. This was a fantastic title bout and neither man could be separated as this match went to a double disqualification. Afterward, Undertaker sent Lesnar crashing head-first into the Unforgiven sign.

7 Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman Vs. Edge - Rebellion 2002

Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman v Edge Rebellion 2002 Cropped

Rebellion 2002 was the first SmackDown exclusive pay-per-view, and it was a unique handicap match that headlined the show. Edge challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, and Lesnar's agent Paul Heyman was Lesnar's tag team partner. There was a caveat as Edge could clinch the WWE Championship if he pinned Heyman.

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This match was better than expected, and Edge showed glimpses that he was destined to be a main eventer. The Next Big Thing did everything in his power to ensure that Heyman was not the legal man. Nonetheless, it was a valiant effort from Edge but Lesnar retained the WWE Championship with his patented F5.

6 Royal Rumble Match - Royal Rumble 2003

Undertaker Royal Rumble 2003 Cropped

The 2003 Royal Rumble match was the first one under the WWE banner and it was a remarkable Rumble match. Both wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown competed with the winner choosing to face the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion in the main event of WrestleMania 19.

Chris Jericho set up his feud with Shawn Michaels as he snuck up behind HBK to eliminate him from the Rumble and he left him battered and bloodied. Jericho had a good outing as he endured just 40 minutes and he eliminated six men from the Rumble. The Undertaker returned as the 30th entrant and he made an impact by removing 5 men from the equation. Nevertheless, it was whittled down between Undertaker and Brock Lesnar which guaranteed the winner to be representing SmackDown. Lesnar got the better of Undertaker to win the Rumble at the first attempt.

5 The Rock Vs. Brock Lesnar - SummerSlam 2002

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SummerSlam 2002 signaled the changing of the guard with The Rock's WWE Championship at stake but he had a hungry challenger in Brock Lesnar, who won that year's King of the Ring tournament. Rock isn't a stranger to hostile receptions but he received a chorus of boos as fans knew that he was going to embark on an acting career in Hollywood.

Rock and Lesnar told an excellent story, and the Great One made Lesnar look like a million bucks. Lesnar dominated the match, and he captured the WWE Championship for the first time after he put Rock away with the F5. To date, he still holds the record as the youngest man at the age of 25 to hold the WWE Championship.

4 Kurt Angle Vs. Brock Lesnar - WrestleMania 19

Brock Lesnar v Kurt Angle WrestleMania 19 Cropped

Both Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar headlined WrestleMania for the first time in the main event of WrestleMania 19 with the Olympic Gold Medalist's WWE Championship at stake. Credit has to be given to Angle for wrestling in this match with a broken neck.

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Angle and Lesnar's matches together were remarkable encounters and this one was no different. However, there was a scary moment as Lesnar landed flush on his head as he attempted a shooting star press. Thankfully, Lesnar was able to continue the match and he executed the F5 to become a two-time WWE Champion.

3 Triple H Vs. Shawn Michaels Vs. Booker T Vs. Kane Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Rob Van Dam - Survivor Series 2002

Shawn Michaels Survivor Series 2002 Cropped

For the second time in the history of Survivor Series, there was no traditional Survivor Series elimination match on the card. Nonetheless, Triple H defended the World Heavyweight Championship in the inaugural Elimination Chamber match with Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Kane, Chris Jericho, and Rob Van Dam as his challengers.

This World Heavyweight Championship match was violent and several competitors shed blood as expected. Triple H had to go to the hospital afterwards as Rob Van Dam botched a Five-Star Frog Splash with Triple H's trachea crushed. Ultimately, Michaels came away with the World Heavyweight Championship as he laid out Triple H with picture-perfect Sweet Chin Music.

2 Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker - No Mercy 2002

Brock Lesnar v The Undertaker No Mercy 2002 Cropped

Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker collided in one of the most brutal Hell in a Cell matches in WWE history at No Mercy 2002. The Next Big Thing put the WWE Championship on the line in a match where Undertaker has made several wrestlers, famous.

Lesnar and Undertaker knocked it out of the park in arguably the best match in their series of matches together. Both men were bleeding and Undertaker wrestled with a broken hand. Nonetheless, Lesnar picked up one of the biggest wins in his career as he beat Undertaker cleanly with a jaw-dropping F5.

1 The Undertaker Vs. The Rock Vs. Kurt Angle - Vengeance 2002

The Rock WWE Championship Vengeance 2002 Cropped

It's not surprising that three of the all-time greats in The Undertaker, The Rock, and Kurt Angle hit a home run in one of the best triple threat matches in WWE history at Vengeance 2002. Undertaker defended his title with Rock and Angle no stranger to holding the WWE Championship.

There were a plethora of near-falls and false finishes in this breathtaking match. Angle removed Undertaker from the equation with the Angle Slam. That allowed Rock to take advantage of the situation by executing the Rock Bottom on Angle. Undertaker attempted to break up the fall but it was too late with Rock making history as the first man to win the WWE Championship seven times.