The 2002 King of the Ring was the 10th annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) that featured the 16th King of the Ring tournament. It took place on June 23, 2002, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the only King of the Ring PPV and the first King of the Ring tournament held under the WWE name after the promotion had been renamed from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to WWE the previous month. It was also the final King of the Ring pay-per-view event and the only King of the Ring pay-per-view to feature the Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions following the introduction of the brand extension in March. It was also the final King of the Ring event to be produced as a pay-per-view, although the King of the Ring tournament has continued to be held periodically. The King of the Ring's June PPV slot was replaced by Bad Blood in 2003. One further King of the Ring event was held in 2015, but not on PPV.

Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena in the Arena District of Columbus, Ohio. Since completion in 2000, the arena has served as the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is one of two facilities in Columbus, along with Greater Columbus Convention Center, that hosts events during the annual Arnold Classic, a sports and fitness event hosted by actor, bodybuilder, and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.