In March 2002, the WWF Draft took place. Raw snagged the heavy hitters: The Rock (temporarily), The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and the nWo. SmackDown , drafted by Vince McMahon, seemed to get the "wrasslers." Led by Triple H and the returning Hollywood Hulk Hogan, the early 2002 SmackDown roster was a mix of legends and technicians.
Heyman’s philosophy was simple: shorter promos, logical storytelling, and long, competitive matches that ended cleanly. He turned SmackDown into a 100-minute wrestling clinic, and the centerpiece of that clinic was the legendary "SmackDown Six."
SmackDown’s exclusive PPVs in 2002 told a coherent, progressive story:
Following the draft, SmackDown found itself with an abundance of world-class cruiserweights and technical wrestlers. Rather than floundering in the midcard, Paul Heyman grouped them into a tag team division that arguably stole the show every single week. The core group consisted of Edge, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Chavo Guerrero. wwe smackdown 2002
: In March 2002, WWE introduced the Brand Extension , splitting its massive roster into two distinct brands: Raw and SmackDown .
If Brock Lesnar was the sledgehammer of SmackDown, the tag team division was the scalpel. This is where the legacy of 2002 is truly cemented.
Let’s have some fun. 2002 was a wild year for style: In March 2002, the WWF Draft took place
If you want to understand modern wrestling, go back to . Find a subscription to the WWE Network (now Peacock). Start with the July 4, 2002 episode (the birth of the SmackDown Six) and watch through December.
The matches these teams produced on free TV were pay-per-view quality. The No Mercy 2002 Tag Team Championship match between Edge/Mysterio and Angle/Benoit is widely considered one of the greatest matches in WWE history. The "2 out of 3 Falls" match between Edge/Mysterio and The Guerreros on a December episode of SmackDown showcased a level of pacing and psychology that the modern product
To understand SmackDown’s golden year, you must go back to March 25, 2002. The WWF (still using the "F" for a few more months) held the draft lottery on Raw . The roster was split into two exclusive brands: Raw and SmackDown . The core group consisted of Edge, Rey Mysterio,
Long live the blue brand. Long live the SmackDown Six.
You cannot talk about 2002 without mentioning the legendary . This group of six men carried the show with incredible in-ring psychology and athleticism:
The latter half of 2002 is famous for the a group of wrestlers who consistently delivered elite matches and are credited with making SmackDown the "wrestling" show: Kurt Angle Chris Benoit Edge Rey Mysterio (who made his WWE debut in July 2002) Eddie Guerrero Chavo Guerrero