 Traditionally, the winner of the match earns a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania.For 2002, the winner earned a match for the Undisputed WWF Championship at WrestleMania X8, following the unification of the WWF Championship and (WCW) World Championship as the Undisputed WWF Championship at Vengeance in December 2001.2002 was the fifteenth event in the Royal Rumble chronology and the last to occur before the introduction of the first brand extension in March, which split the roster into two distinct brands, Raw and SmackDown, represented by the shows of the same name.