When it comes to ranking wasted storylines in pro wrestling history, there can be only one true winner of the title the infamous Invasion angle from 2001. When WWF shocked the world by purchasing WCW, they brought to an end the most heated, personal and monumental rivalry in wrestling history. It was an all out war for supremacy that had left one company dead in the water and the other standing atop the entire industry as the sole survivor and king of the wrestling world. WCW vs WWF had defined an era in professional wrestling and, with the McMahons buyout of their competition, the stage was set for the biggest crossover in sport and door to the fantasy booking room was left wide open for everyone to peer in. The world was finally going to get what it had long been clamouring for but never thought it would see; as two worlds would collide and WCW talent would step into the enemys ring to face off against their WWF counterparts. Paul Heyman said it best: Where theres chaos theres opportunity and the impending chaos had fans licking their lips like King Mabel at the catering table. The question was, who would be first to make the jump into foreign waters? Viewers wouldnt have to wait long for their answer, as Lance Storm made his WWF debut on May 28th, firing the first shot in this new civil war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIReklrm8CU As skilled a performer as Lance Storm was and he really was a great technician between the ropes he was far from the big name appearance that would have demanded headlines in the sports pages. Sadly, as the weeks progressed and more and more WCW talent began to filter over, it soon became apparent that the likelihood of a main event player showing up was increasingly slim. Truth be told, WWF was not at fault for this predicament as their hands were largely tied by the insane guaranteed money written into the previous WCW contracts; essentially allowing its top performers the luxury of sitting back while the money train kept on rolling. Not only did it hurt the angle but, more than anything else, it cheated the fans out of what could have been the single greatest storyline in wrestling. The only real winners in this scenario were the ones cashing the guaranteed cheques. The contract debacle forced WWF creative to think outside the box and before long the WCW invasion had been watered down into a partnership with the reformed ECW crew, which would eventually be christened The Alliance. To make matters worse, the WWF had put their own spin on the equation and instead of it being WCW and ECW, the spotlight had quickly focused on the new owners of these groups Shane McMahon (WCW) and Stephanie McMahon (ECW) making it less about the organisations and more about the McMahon family feud. When the Invasion PPV arrived in July, fans were left with a main event that seemed more than a little off-balance on paper. On one side, you had a Hall of Fame team that comprised of a legendary cast: Austin, Taker, Kane, Angle and Jericho. Their opposition, although big names in their own right, were nowhere near the headline attractions to counter this cast of characters that dominated the Monday Night Wars; despite the presence of long-serving Atlanta men, Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page. What should have been WCW Nitro stalwarts like Sting, Goldberg, Hall, Nash and Hogan was instead a mix of notable ECW alumni and WCW names that were still willing to perform outside of their guaranteed contracts. Even without these icons that defined the Monday Night Wars in WCW, heavyweight replacements like Scott Steiner, Lex Luger and Ric Flair were also noticeably absent. It was like watching a band reuniting without the original singer...or lead guitarist...or even the bass player or drummer for that matter. What we were left with was essentially a WCW tribute band of session musicians still using the old band name on a technicality. What was even more baffling was the neglect of the high-profile company staples they did have at their disposal. Key players in ECW history like Raven, Tommy Dreamer and Mike Awesome were all used to little effect despite all being top guys in their old Philly home. Even former ECW Champion, Jerry Lynn, was left out in the cold and ignored completely for the duration of the storyline despite being under contract. Interestingly enough, there had initially been talks of carrying on the WCW brand as its own show alongside WWF programming; however, the decision to nix this idea reportedly following a poorly received WCW Title match between Booker T and Buff Bagwell on Raw proved to be an equally dangerous move. The resultant angle that followed proved that there was no Plan B after the WWF-owned WCW shows were canned. While there were some plus points to the Invasion angle the rise of Rob Van Dam being a memorable highlight the whole ordeal served more as an exhibition for WWF stars to showcase their superiority over their former competition. Even the headline spots within The Alliance were eventually given to WWF defectors in order to cover for the perceived lack of star power in the inherited WCW/ECW talent pool. The last legitimate WCW Heavyweight Champion, Booker T, was a prime example of this pro-WWF bias, as he quickly lost his Alliance leadership status following Steve Austins switch and would soon lose his coveted WCW Championship crown to The Rock upon his return to action at SummerSlam 01. Soon enough, the storyline had run its course and the WCW/ECW Alliance had lost the war once again. Vince McMahon and his WWF had inevitably regained their dominance with The Rock pinning long-time rival, Steve Austin, to secure sole supremacy for the Fed in the winner-take-all showdown at the Survivor Series; bringing the Invasion angle and The Alliance to an abrupt end. Ironically, the megastars that would have made the WCW Invasion truly awesome would all join the WWF/WWE in the coming months and years, starting the very next night on Raw. Flair would appear the night after Survivor Series as the new co-owner; Hogan, Hall and Nash would surface the following February in nWo colours; while Scott Steiner would debut in late 02 at the Survivor Series. Even Bill Goldberg would eventually find himself in a WWE ring, making his impact the night after WrestleMania XIX by spearing a hole through The Rock himself. Had those men been on the team sheet when WCW stepped up to bat in May of 2001, chances are the resulting dream matches and storylines would have been a string of home runs and the wrestling landscape today could be a whole different world to behold.
Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack.
@MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!
