10 shocking moments from WWE 2002

#3 Brock Lesnar defeats Hulk Hogan

There's a new kid in town.

Any list about WWE in 2002 will inevitably include multiple mentions of Brock Lesnar. The full extent of Lesnar's arrival in WWE will be discussed later, but of his many dominant victories on the way to becoming the company's 'next big thing', one, in particular, deserves special treatment here.

As a way to ready Lesnar for his shot at Rock's Undisputed Title, the current WWE Universal Champion met the legendary Hulk Hogan on an episode of Smackdown in August 2002. Hogan had recently turned babyface after leaving the NWO following his match with Rock at Wrestlemania. This helped to set the stage for a historic and beloved icon to meet a hungry young heel.

The match was by no means a one-sided affair, but it is clear throughout that Hogan didn't really pose much of a threat to Lesnar. The company wanted to paint this newcomer as a serious threat to everybody on the roster, regardless of how long you'd been around or how many championships you had to your name.

Lesnar finished the match by effectively draining all the energy from Hogan's body after applying a bear hug submission move. For years, fans were used to seeing Hogan's arm be raised and dropped twice by the referee only for him to regain his power by resisting the third drop and coming back to win the match. This time, no such comeback was on the table as the Beast walked away with a dominant win.