By far the worst aspect of 2001 was the botched 'Invasion' angle. What should have been the hottest story in wrestling history turned into a creative nightmare for the then-WWF, who handled the situation terribly. The idea had money written all over it, because fans had yearned for years to see top WCW stars battle it out with their rivals in the WWF. When the angle should have been simple, it was convoluted, and a lack of real star power hurt it badly. The Invasion Pay-Per-View still pulled a healthy number, drawing in well over 700,000 purchases. Regardless, the company should have gleaned much more money from the WWF vs. WCW concept than it did, but they only have themselves to blame. Top WCW names such as Sting, Ric Flair and Goldberg were unreachable, due to contracts with Time Warner/AOL. More content to sit at home, these men would have been huge for the story. Instead, fans got Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page, with the latter being treated awfully. This led to the WWF booking Steve Austin and Kurt Angle to join The Alliance side, which was a poor substitute. The entire 'Invasion' angle was far from satisfying for fans who had waited years to see it. The entire situation has gone down in history as one of the most poorly-handled messes in promotional history. Do you think WWE have a lot to regret about 2001? Do you agree with the points raised here? Let us know what you think down in the comments section below!
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.