10 Awesome Moments From The WWE Invasion
3. Rob Van Dam's Meteoric Rise
The Invasion did give birth to one superstar.
In 2021, the rise of the super worker makes 2001 Rob Van Dam seem pretty tame. But back then, the nearest WWE had was Jeff Hardy, who was their home grown daredevil.
Despite arriving as a villain, RVD soon became beloved by the WWE fans and he stole most shows, living up to his name as the Whole Damn Show. With his brilliant call and response and innovative style, he became one of the most popular wrestlers in the company.
In fact, he became too popular to deny and within two months, he went from beating Jeff Hardy for the Hardcore title to main eventing No Mercy and coming dangerously close to winning the WWE Title. Some excellent character work between him and Stone Cold, who saw RVD as a threat to his throne as leader of the Alliance. The best bit of all, is RVD didn't even realise he was adding to Stone Cold's insecurity.
This was encapsulated brilliantly when Stone Cold, after a rousing speech to the Alliance, threatened to beat up the next person through the door. It was RVD, and to the delight of the fans, Stone Cold did nothing.
Although RVD never had a proper top run in the company, there is no denying how quickly his stock grew during the Invasion.