Global Warning 2002: WWE Returned to Australia with a Stadium-Sized Statement

Rikishi and Rico open Global Warning with a short comedy-driven stipulation match built almost entirely around personality and crowd reaction. Rico stalls, preens and tries to avoid the humiliation attached to the stipulation, while Rikishi gives the enormous Melbourne audience an easy babyface to rally behind. The wrestling is deliberately basic because the finish matters more than the route there. Rico misses a moonsault, Rikishi answers with a Samoan Drop and gets the pin in just over two minutes. The post-match Stinkface and dancing with young fans extend the crowd-pleasing tone. As a wrestling match, there is barely enough material to evaluate. As an opener for a massive international stadium crowd, it does exactly what is required and gets out before the joke wears thin.

Mark Henry and Randy Orton against Reverend D-Von and Batista is fascinating mostly because of where two of the younger wrestlers are heading. Orton and Batista are still developmental-stage prospects on the national roster, while Henry and D-Von provide the experience needed to anchor a simple tag structure. The match stays compact and physical, with Batista's power spots standing out and Orton showing flashes of the smooth timing that will soon become central to his singles work. D-Von absorbs the finishing stretch, allowing Henry to score the pin with a running powerslam. Nothing about the bout suggests a future WrestleMania main-event rivalry between Orton and Batista, which makes the historical contrast interesting in hindsight. The match itself is competent supporting action rather than a major attraction.

Jamie Noble and The Hurricane give the card its first genuinely strong wrestling match, combining cruiserweight speed with a clear heel-versus-babyface structure. Noble works aggressively and uses Nidia's presence to create distractions, while Hurricane keeps the crowd invested through quick counters and bursts of offense. The match has enough time to develop without losing the urgency expected from the division. Late in the bout, Hurricane becomes distracted by Nidia and Noble capitalizes with a backslide, adding his feet on the ropes for leverage to steal the pin. The cheating finish protects Hurricane and reinforces Noble's character without undermining the quality of the preceding action. Their post-match collision and Hurricane's chokeslam on Noble give the audience a final payoff. It is a polished title defense and one of the event's better undercard matches.

Hardcore Holly and Chavo Guerrero against Billy and Chuck receives unusually generous time for a non-title tag match, allowing the teams to build a more traditional structure than most of the early card. Billy and Chuck use size and tandem control, while Holly brings physicality and Chavo provides the quicker movement. Maven's presence at ringside adds another familiar SmackDown face without dominating the match. The middle section can feel long because the stakes are modest, but the teams keep enough motion to prevent the bout from becoming flat in the stadium environment. Chavo eventually scores the deciding pin on Chuck, giving the makeshift babyface pairing a clean result. The match is solid and professionally worked, though it lacks the storyline urgency or championship importance needed to become memorable beyond the complete event.

Kurt Angle and Test provide one of the strongest conventional singles matches on the show because their styles create an immediate contrast. Angle brings speed, amateur-based transitions and relentless urgency, while Test relies on size, strikes and the threat of one decisive power move. The match feels more substantial than a touring exhibition because both wrestlers are protected television acts with clear identities. Test creates several believable openings and even introduces a steel chair late, only for the attempt to backfire when he accidentally strikes himself. Angle immediately capitalizes with the Olympic Slam for the pin. The finish is simple but effective, preserving Test's power while giving Angle a decisive victory. It is compact enough to avoid dead stretches and polished enough to stand out as one of the card's better non-title matches.

Lance Storm and Christian defending the WWE Tag Team Championship against Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman gives Global Warning its fastest sustained pace. The champions control with timing and teamwork, while Mysterio and Kidman bring aerial offense that reads especially well in a huge stadium because every burst creates visible separation. Mysterio is still new to WWE, making his exchanges feel fresh, and Kidman is a natural partner for the same style. The match accelerates late as Mysterio hits an Asai moonsault on Christian outside the ring, leaving Kidman vulnerable. Storm uses one of the championship belts and then pins Kidman to retain. The cheating finish protects the challengers while keeping the champions firmly heel. It is an energetic title match and one of the best reasons to watch the undercard.

Edge and Chris Jericho deliver the best one-on-one wrestling match before the main event, working at a pace that feels much closer to a pay-per-view than a touring special. Both men are already established upper-card performers, so the crowd reacts to counters and near-finishes rather than waiting for a single signature spot. Jericho controls stretches with aggression and tries to force the Walls of Jericho, while Edge repeatedly creates openings through speed and timing. The finish is especially satisfying because Edge escapes the submission attempt and turns the scramble into an inside cradle for the pin. Nothing about the result feels accidental even though the move is opportunistic. Edge's post-match climb onto the scaffold to acknowledge the massive crowd gives the victory an appropriately celebratory image. It is the strongest conventional singles bout on the card.

Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler are placed in a match that reflects the early-2000s presentation of WWE's women's division more than the athletic direction the company would eventually take. The crowd responds loudly to the spectacle, and Val Venis serving as guest ring announcer reinforces the overtly entertainment-first framing. Torrie and Stacy work quickly, with Nidia interfering to create a brief heel advantage before Torrie fights back. The match ends once Torrie strips Stacy to satisfy the stipulation, and the post-match sequence extends the same tone. There is almost no opportunity for sustained wrestling, psychology or competitive escalation because the premise is the entire attraction. As a historical piece of the era it is revealing. As match quality, it is one of the weakest portions of an otherwise increasingly strong second half.

The Rock, Triple H and Brock Lesnar give the Melbourne crowd a legitimate stadium main event with three wrestlers positioned at very different points in the company's hierarchy. Rock is the reigning champion and established global star, Triple H is already a decorated main-event fixture, and Lesnar is the rapidly rising challenger who will face Rock at SummerSlam two weeks later. The triple-threat structure allows Lesnar to look dangerous without requiring him to take the fall. Triple H survives the F5 and Rock's offense long enough to keep the finish uncertain, while Lesnar even kicks out of the Pedigree late. Rock eventually hits Triple H with the Rock Bottom and pins him to retain. The match is energetic, star-heavy and smartly protective of Lesnar, functioning as both a stadium payoff and a preview of the coming SummerSlam title change.