10 Storylines WWE ENJOYED Ruining

8. The Invasion

Ted Dibiase Randy Orton
WWE.com

They really, really f*cking enjoyed this one. Or at least some of the wrestlers did.

It's genuinely hard to put yourself in the place of one of Vince McMahon's loyal soldiers in March 2001. You read or hear the news that the boss has finally put the competition out of their misery and you - you and your colleagues and your hard graft - have won the war you've been in while making all this money the last few years. It's WrestleMania next week too - a big payday and a big party. Wrestling's worked out pretty well, all told, eh?

Or has it? The Chairman's making bank, but what about you, Bradshaw? Is there place for an ageing bar brawling tag team with some younger, hungrier combos potentially looking for work because of your actions? What about you, Undertaker? WCW had an awful lot of stars and if any of them can be convinced to come in, they might have a bit more novelty value than this biker look you've been working. What about you, Steve Austin? Your work's never been better but the clock is ticking and there's never been a larger locker room nipping at your heels. What about you, Haku? Well, you only f*cking re-signed in January so it's pretty rich to hang out in that WWE gang anyway.

There were a myriad of reasons why the Invasion failed, top down. There are just as many as to why the existing talent would have wanted it to go exactly as it did.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett