Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock

[9.0] "Everything about the Brock Rock program ruled. From the match to the build-up, it was so sports-focused. Then, when it came time for the match itself, they wasted no time getting into it. The crowd was electric, and I loved how The Rock leaned heel during certain portions of the match when he was getting booed, on route to capping off one of his best runs when he returned in 2002 with one of the best performances of his career. He put Brock over big time, who went on to be one of the guys in the company during his first run. Excellent piece of business right here. ****1/2"

[9.0] "My hot take is that I always thought this was the best match on the show. It has everything, an established star, an fast rising one, a hot crowd and a great but simple story. It's pretty nonstop for it's duration which deserves more praise than it gets. 16 minutes on paper isn't long for a main event but when you're keeping the pace that these two are, it's a great compliment to their conditioning."

[7.0] "A good match up here between Rock and Lesnar as we witness the crowd already buying how credible Lesnar is. Leading into this huge push I do remember Lesnar beating up Hogan on Smackdown and using his blood and smearing it on himself as a sash of bloody honor, so its kind of funny he's kind of supposed to be a monster heel, but the crowd was split. That being said, we know Rock was going Hollywood, so that crowd was ready for someone new and all the elements here clicked. Love how the match started and they traded back and forth a bit, they made the explosive moments count for sure and ultimately Brock ends up with his first World Title."

[6.0] "Very good, but nothing special. This is the end of Rock's full time wrestling career, and it seems like he knows it, because he gives Lesnar a LOT of this match to give him the biggest boost he possibly can. He gets enough offense in to give Brock a good test, but this whole thing, rightfully so, was about giving Lesnar the rocket. The audience is electric for it too. It is a fast paced and intense match. But that is about it. The energy is there, and the storytelling worked, but the action really isn't anything to write home about. Brock was too green for this spot. His selling wasn't there at all, his timing wasn't anything special, and his moves are simplistic. He was in this spot because he was smashed over. Now, as I'd mentioned before, he is a very fast learner, and every PPV shows his growth. But I think this push was too much too soon, and it shows in the quality of the match. Great for Lesnar and Lesnar fans, nothing special as a Summerslam main event."

[7.0] "A match that I think is really good not great. This match gets significantly better when Paul Heyman is taken out and no longer involved, but I commend him for the announce table spot. A good way to really put Brock over with his first title win, and the crowd was really into this. ***.75"

[10.0] "A classic for the ages. Probably very few people love this match as much as I do - it's just something special because it's a dream match. Instead of doing his usual entrance, The Rock runs to the ring because he's been wanting to fight Brock for weeks and this is the payoff to that anticipation. However, Brock quickly throws Rock around with unmatched power and starts targeting his injured ribs. What makes this match so great in my eyes is how surreal the crowd dynamic becomes; the crowd turns on their favorite star because he's heading to Hollywood, while passionately supporting a five-month rookie. The people boo The Rock. "Rocky sucks" and "Let's go Lesnar" chants become an incredible catalyst and Rock's adaptation to it creates an improvised heel performance. His gradually increasing shock and anger at the negative reactions, his facial expressions, his antics outside the ring and arguments with the crowd, unexpectedly taking control with a low blow and even talking to himself after Brock kicks out of the Rock Bottom. Just like at WrestleMania X8, the man delivers an unbelievable performance. The double kip-up spot is crazy. Brock is now on top of the mountain. ****1/2"

[9.0] "Two of the greatest bumpers ever going at it full energy. This is one of the most spirited Rock performances I've seen, from the moment he emerged from the tunnel drawing the line and sprinting to punch the shit out of the beast of a man that is Brock Lesnar. Boy, that man was scary. Really, really great."

[8.0] "The match that made Brock Lesnar a star. Even though the face/heel dynamic was wrong, that's really the only problem I had with this match. Everything else was solid. Rock sold well and Brock looked like a beast. Even Rock's sharpshooter looked better than it usually does. And Brock winning was the right decision at the right time. It's not higher because we all know what the 10/10 is on this show. Still, great match."

[10.0] "A fantastic clash that stylistically shouldn't have meshed as well as a it did. The hot start and the back and forth finishing stretch are so good, but my favorite is probably the middle with all the smaller spots like Rock's insane dragon screw to set up the sharpshooter, the bear hug into gator roll from Brock, and Rock shining the post up real nice before he catapults Brock into it (which got huge air). Just a wonderful torch pass in which Rock perfectly worked around the crowd being ready for him to do so."

[8.0] "This match is excellent, a very nice passing the torch moment from Rock to Brock, and a lot of elements that surrounds it were great. The match started very heated and Rock went straight after Lesnar, he didn't want to wait any longer and both started a brawl, but Lesnar was the one who was able to dominate and conquer Rock for the majority of the match. The back and forth action was interesting to watch, and Heyman's interferences attracted a lot of heat to the match, it was almost a handicap during some moments. Rock was getting booed and the reactions were very mixed, because the audience knew Rock was about to leave for Hollywood, and despite being the evident heel, Lesnar was cheered a lot of times. Those complex feelings actually helped the match and made it more intriguing and remarkable. The ending stretch is super thrilling, after Rock managed to hit Heyman with the rock bottom on the table, they've returned to the ring and the victory could go either way, but it was Lesnar who got the best out of Rock, becoming the youngest WWE champion ever, a super important moment for him and the company - {****}"

[8.0] "This was a great match, taking place just to send Rock off to Hollywood for a while and to make Lesnar more credible after killing Hulkamania a few weeks prior. Seeing Paul Heyman take the worst Rock Bottom through a table in history damaged it a little, but the Rock/Lesnar portions were great."

[6.0] "An important but not necessarily great main event title match. Brock was a phenom and Rock had some bursts of effort but he was on his way out and this was a showcase for Lesnar. The double kip-up was a little cringe and there was way too much Heyman involvement. The match suffered from some of the worst Rock tropes but the crowd and Lesnar's sheer aggression and power kept it exciting."

[7.0] "That was a memorable match due to the fact that this "rookie" Lesnar beat Rock in the main event of a major show. It's not an epic match, but it's still very good. This was a passing of the torch match with Rock putting over Lesnar clean right in the middle of the ring. That's exactly as it should have been. Lesnar dominated, Rock made the big comeback, her took out Heyman and the last few minutes were full of excitement. I like how it was booked. Since The Rock's movie career was picking up, it was the right time to have him put over the next big thing in Lesnar. The crowd told a big story because of the way they supported Lesnar and they wanted Rock to lose."

[7.0] "This was a very good main event, it felt huge and important, You have the Rock is slowly moving into Hollywood vs the next big thing Brock Lesnar and these two had an really fun match the crowd was red hot and into it the whole time. Brock hit an F5 to win and to cement himself as the future of the WWE"

[7.0] "Loved the frantic pacing of this one. Slightly spoiled by Heymans continuous interferences (although putting him through the table was great) and Rock's overacting with his facials. Overall a really solid match."

[9.0] "The build and promo video to this match is A+ top tier. One of the best. Brock was on such a rocket ship at this point the crowd is already begging for him to win the title here. To Brock's credit, he looks like he belongs here in his first big Main Event. Rock is sent off to Hollywood and a new star is crown who pretty much dominates WWE when he's there for the next 20 years. Mission Accomplished. ****1/2"

[8.0] "[3.75*] Very underrated match. Of course Heyman's interferences are dumb and irritating but it's probably by design lol. The action itself is fucking great and electric. The crowd's reaction to Rocky kinda changed the dynamic of the match a little bit and he's just so awesome at playing with people's feelings. I really loved the dynamic here, the babyface did heelish things, the heel was just trying to win and the manager was a douche. It all came together greatly and in result we had a damn entertaining 15-min match that could've been a classic if longer."

[8.0] "Brock's crowning moment gets a bit tarnished by Heyman's unnecessary and annoying involvement that mostly served as a cheap device to protect The Rock. It's a shame because they were doing very good without Heyman... Still a very solid big time main event that could've been great had Heyman at least not played such a big part in it, especially since Brock was meant to look like that unstoppable force, but hey, Brock becomes the youngest world champion in WWE history so not much to complain about. *** 3/4"

[9.0] "Brock Lesnar had the best rookie year a WWE wrestler has ever had in 2002 and this was when he was crowned WWE's next big star. As for the match itself, it's a fantastic match with really amazing and hard hitting in ring action and psychology between each other, the crowd was hot behind Lesnar and booing Rock for most of the whole thing as he was diving further into Hollywood around that time and it was an amazing passing of the torch."

[10.0] "Absolutely love this match, insane that they strapped the rocket to lesnar this soon and it was great to see rock put him over as a future star of the company on his way out to hollywood. Outside of that, it was a fun match, lots of back and forth, near falls, all the good stuff"

[10.0] "I loved this match! Brock is young but already an incredible worker and the Rock is still in his athletic prime. These two go all out. In this era, Brock incorporated a wider array of wrestling moves. He shows his technical advantage over Rock early on. Strangely, when Rock does get the upper hand, it comes from the Sharpshooter. To be fair, this was one of his better looking ones. The crowd goes ballistic at the thought Brock might tap. The crowd is heavily behind Lesnar, despite him playing the heel. The crowd also boos the Rock. I was watching back in this era. Lesnar was genuinely over because the crowd respected his legit background. Rock was getting go away heat because he was viewed as a traitor for skipping so much time to film movies. Anyway, that explains the crowd cheering even when Heyman interferes for Brock. The buildup to the finish is wonderful, with a Rock Bottom and near fall followed up by a Brock Bottom (you read that right) and another near fall. The two legends trade a series of reversals until Brock catches Rock and hits the F5 for the pin. No constant finisher spam! This match put a huge smile on my face. Definite 10/10 in my book."

[8.0] "An excellent Main Event with an audience almost 100% behind Brock Lesnar. The crowd is excited throughout the match. It's very good and The Rock sells the future champion very well. (4*)"

[8.0] "This match is tuff, Brock is Brock also this was when he was seen as the next big thing so him beating the Rock for THE championship is such a pivitol moment in his career also The Rock is so good at being a heel this match was very good had some slow moments but always good to see these two in the ring! A great Main Event and a great way to close SS 02"

[7.0] "It was a decent match, The Rock was always a limited wrestler and Brock was still a rookie. Didn't really like all the distractions etc but there were some cool moments like the double kip up. 3.84/5"

[10.0] "It is by no means a flawless workrate classic, but I watched it for the first time today out of context and it held up... probably gained with the knowledge of what happened in the next 22 years (e.g. the Rock put Paul Heyman through the announcers' table, much like his Bloodline did recently). A pleasure to watch Brock when he put in the effort and the Rock at his most athletic and developed. Love how he played into crowd boos by hitting a low blow on Brock. I can't call it less than very good (10/10), even though I wouldn't give it more than 4 stars."

[6.0] "An alarming miscast in roles as the majority of the crowd ended up cheering Lesnar on and wanted his work to reflect their support for him so there should have been an audible to change roles during the match. Some did cheer for Rocky but Lesnar supporters drowned them out. There is an obvious moment where the crowd cheers are quelled when Brock cheats by using a chair but they are still not persuaded to be against him. The walloping between the two is awesome and the atmosphere was quite electric most of the match but Heyman's involvement ruined the rhythm of the match and Rock working babyface through his wrestling was the wrong call. When Rocky delivered the Rock Bottom to Heyman the crowd cheered but they did so because they did not appreciate Paul's interference as it led Brock to cheat; their cheers were not because they were on Rocky's side. Not a horrific match at all in terms of their wrestling but it terribly suffered from booking flaws that could've been easily solved especially considering the conclusion. ***"

[10.0] "Shocked at how relatively low this match is rated. To me this is an absolute classic of SummerSlam, and one of the best star making performances of all time. The ripple effects this match caused are insane - Brock turns into the next face of WWE and the fan reaction pushes the creation of Hollywood Rock. The action was great and the ending drove the fans crazy"

[9.0] "This was great. This match was all about emotion and skyrocketing Brock Lesnar to the stratosphere and it couldn't have been better. Rock might the best there ever was at crowd interaction and Brock was a once in a lifetime beast."

[8.0] "What a atmosphere this match had! The crowd was mixed, partly because of Lesnar's great booking and partly because they were getting tired of Rock, but it resulted in a huge involvement from them throughout the whole bout. Rocky once again was able to adapt to getting booed with his facials and body language, while Brock didn't have to change much and just had to still look like a menace to get cheered. The action was really fast, they kept it mostly inside the ring and had some nicely executed near falls and a smooth exchange for a finish. Overall a fantastic way to put the title on Brock."

[9.0] "4.25 Just a fantastic main event that trruly felt like it was deserving of the main event spot. These 2 went around 15 minutes and it was all gas no brakes just fantastic action start to finish In front of a red hot crowd who desperately wanted to see Brock be crowned as the next big thing."

[10.0] "Highly underrated match. I think first run Brock is him at his peak and I believe this match is proof of that. The Rock has a fantastic send off here as he passes the torch to Brock by making him look like an absolute monster. These guys went back and forth and it NEVER slowed down or got boring even for a second. Heyman was also wicked entertaining here with his interferences making me laugh every time. A perfect finale for the greatest Summerslam of all time, and one of the best matches in either mans career."

[9.0] "This match is the perfect WWE match, you've got elements of pro wrestling and sports entertainment. The crowd at this year's SummerSlam was super Lesnar heavy because of the feeling of the Rock abandoning the WWE fans for Hollywood. The Rock's selling abilities really showed why Lesnar was "the next big thing." Lesnar's offense at this time was pretty powerhouse based and his selling abilities were on point, his second run in WWE hasn't really shown that he can sell unless he's in the ring with someone he approves. I love the finish and the new door that WWE opened in 2002. ****1/2"

[9.0] "There we go. Back to the speed I like on this show. Lesnar goes for a pin 20 seconds into the match and it's clear this match is not going to fuck around. This is a good fucking match. Lesnar absolutely beats the hell out of Rock and Heyman cheats for him every opportunity he gets even though Brock clearly doesn't need it. There's a double kip up at 9 that made me pop hard. There's a lot of the same until they go out of the ring and do the same shit you would expect from WWE stuff out of the ring. The closing segment was so hot and when that F5 hit, it felt well earned. Really good match."

[6.0] "Everybody knows who's gonna win as Rock leaving for Hollywood again was no secret so he gets the Golbderg/Lesnar Mania 20 treatment. Rock charges in and attacks but Brock gets a overhead release belly to belly for 2. Back breaker and the crowd immediately goes into the "Rocky Sucks" chant. Brock attacks the ribs and sends him out and just pummels him. Back in, Brock gets another suplex for 2. Rock slugs back, but Paul trips him up and Brock stomps away. Power slam gets 2. Crowd gets on Rock again, so he starts using his subtle heel persona. Good for him, they wanna turn on him just like that fk em. Brock stays on the ribs, but a blind charge hits shoulder first into the post and Rock gets a belly to back suplex. Both do the kip up at the same time in a nifty spot, and Rock slugs away. DDT gets 2, however. Rock goes after Heyman, then gets Brock isin quite possibly THEE worst looking sharpshooter ive seen yet. Rock goes after Heyman again (now that's just dumb) and Brock catches him with the bearhug that put out Hogan. Rock makes the comeback and gets a nut shot but Brock won't slow down. Lesnar goes back to the ribs, and Rock fights back again. Outside Rock clears JR and Lawler's table and Heyman gets his tubby self put through it with the rock bottom. Brock gets posted and back inside rock bottom only gets 2 1/2. BROCK BOTTOM! ? Only 2. Rock with a spine buster and he goes for the Hollywood elbow but Brock pops up and murders him with a clothesline. He goes for an F-5 but Rock counters, rock bottom avoided, and the F-5 finishes it to give Brock the title. It was a good main event."

[9.0] "****1/4 (8.5/10) It just so happened to be the newest car in town who got the biggest pop of the night. This cat just so happened to, also, be the most animalistic among the bunch. No one knows how to work a crowd like the Rock, though. Although, a Babyface, he received a lot of heat from the audience, and he played it to his advantage. This match does not get talked about enough, aside from it being the moment when Lesnar was first crowned champion. Not the best match of the night, and some argue that ANGLE/MYSTERIO was second best, but I would place ROCK/LESNAR at second praise. Though, according to Cervantes, comparison are of an odious nature, so, instead, I'd like to acknowledge that this fight was another reason why SummerSlam 2002 was possibly the best SummerSlam ever."

[6.0] "This suffered a bit from following a special match between HHH and Michaels, but was still better than most main events of this period. Not a classic by any means but a really fun closing sequence, plus Brock showed off his full toolbox and bumped like a madman"

[7.0] "This was the last we'd see of the Rock as a full-time wrestler. Lesnar was still exciting at this point, and hadn't ditched the agility that made him interesting and not just another nig man with a spear. There was still not much actual wrestling in the match, and it wasn't as exciting a brawl as the Shawn/HHH match, but it was still one of the better main events of the era."

[8.0] "The atmosphere for this match was amazing. The crowd was going nuts the entire time, alternating between "Rocky", "Rocky sucks" and "Let's Go Lesnar" chants. I don't remember the Rock being so hated back then -- it's pretty wild to see. This definitely had a big fight feel to it with both guys running through their hits. Even Paul Heyman took a Rock Bottom through the announcer's table. It was going to be hard to follow the Michaels/HHH match but damn did this deliver. ****"

[8.0] "The technical level in this case wasn't bad, but what made it special was the atmosphere, the typical warmth of Summerslam. Coming after a classic like the Unsactioned match between Triple H and Shawn Michaels must not have been easy, but The Rock and Brock Lesnar were still able to ignite the crowd with a dynamic and fun match to follow, which in addition to entertaining pleasantly it also represents a symbolic passing of the torch, since Brock became one of the youngest world champions in history with that victory"

[8.0] "The next big thing has arrived. Pretty hard act to follow after that Triple H-HBK masterpiece in the co-main event, but this was still an awesome match with Brock Lesnar taking the Undisputed Title just five months after his debut. It just had a red hot atmosphere with many of the fans turning against The Rock during the match. I don't know if it was because he was leaving or if it was just because Lesnar is such an awe-inspiring athlete, but it definitely affected the match with The Rock embracing the heel role in the match and changing up his style. It just had an awesome big match feel and Lesnar's win is a memorable moment."

[9.0] "I am a little biased as I was in the building when this went down as a youngster. This was back when wrestling was still real to me damnit. This match was wild and a great time. Very happy I got to be in the Collesium that night."

[7.0] "Not a good wrestling match by any means but it was a great spectacle for the way The Rock worked the crowd through the match as they began to turn on him and get behind Lesnar, putting him over clean as a whistle as the future of the company. Lesnar is still mighty green at this point but The Rock does a brilliant job of leading him through it."

[5.0] "It was a good match, but the best part for was Lesnar showing his amateur wrestling skills. You can notice the fans turning on Rock as the match went on. Brock looked good, Paul Heyman interfered way too much which hurt the quality of the match."

[8.0] "Crowd were hot in this match, a great amount of energy involved and some great selling, very good main event."

[8.0] "This was an awesome match with great performances from Lesnar and The Rock. The crowd was red-hot the entire match and I love the finish with them countering each other until Brock finally hits the F5. ****"

[10.0] "Entertaining, fast paced action, the crowd was hot through the entire match, the selling and the chemistry between The Rock and Lesnar was great. An underrated classic."

[8.0] "There will never ever be a rookie sensation like Brock Lesnar and this was the culminating point of an outstanding rise for the Next Big Thing. His last step was defeating a departing Rock, who was going back to Hollywood. Before going away for a while, he made sure to put Brock over and the mission was accomplished. An exciting and fast paced contest that kept the crowd on the edge of their seat for the entire contest. Brock was an absolutely vicious monster out for blood and Rock really sold well how he never faced a phenomenon like him before. My one knock is that Heyman's heel manager tactics take away from Brock's dominance. Brock didn't need Heyman's help to win. But aside from that, a really satisfying main event to conclude a phenomenal show."

[8.0] "This was a very exciting match from start to finish. While Lesnar's not really near the sound in-ring general he'd become in the next two years, and especially in his second WWE stint, he's still able to keep up with The Rock pretty well. His selling may not've been perfect at times, but he hit most of the notes that he was supposed to in this bout solidly enough to where he was able to look like a beast for the most part. He played smart as well by targeting Rock's injured ribs, with standing and grounded bear hugs, and of course with his signature suplexes. The Rock's still able to hold his own though, as in spite of Lesnar overpowering him, he's still able to use his heart and quickness to gain momentum at times in this match. This is shy from a higher score though in part to a few points, but for one notable reason. I don't think the amount of interference by Heyman was needed; you do want to somewhat protect Rock and continue to portray Lesnar as the clear heel, but if you want to make him look like the monster that he's supposed to be, then I don't know if the constant interferences by Paul portray him in the best light. Especially when you have a crowd that clearly wants to cheer for Lesnar but isn't supposed to because of said interferences. However, the announcer's table spot with Rocky giving the Rock Bottom to Paul through it was pretty cool, seeing how rare it is for Heyman to actually take significant bumps like that. Speaking of the crowd though, while they do harken a bit on the face-heel narrative of the story, it's no doubt that they add a 'crazier' vibe that does elevate the overall excitement and tension to the match as well. It'd also be one of the most important crowds in WWE history too, as it would be the kick starter to Rocky's heel turn in 2003. As after Lesnar did a very slick and cool reversal of Rock Bottom into an F-5 for the pinfall victory, and to crown him the youngest ever WWE champion, the Rock cut a promo calling out the crowd for booing him during his match, and decided to turn on them before taking a hiatus until his return in '03. Overall though, a very fun and memorable main event match in spite of its minor flaws, and a very important match as well due to it solidifying Lesnar to superstardom, and due to it being the backstory to one of the greatest heel characters of all time, Hollywood Rock. (****)"

[8.0] "This is a really good main event match and is the beginning of brock lesnar just a really fun match. ****"

[5.0] "This was solid but ultimately nothing special. There was a nice story of Rock being aggressive early and paying for it. Brock targets the ribs and does some great work on top. But all of Rock's comebacks came across as very generic and cheesy to me. Not only that, but the final 1/3 of the match checks all the boxes for the WWE epic match list. Finisher kickouts, finisher stealing, interference, weapons, low blows, you know the deal. **1/2"