10 WWE Pay-Per-View Shocks Nobody Could Predict

5. Stone Cold Joining The Alliance

Paul Heyman Stephanie McMahon Steve Austin Shane McMahon Invasion 2001
WWE.com

It was only really after the fact that wrestling fans realised how bogus the WCW/ECW 'Invasion' of the WWF in 2001 was. At the time, the Invasion pay-per-view that July did monster business for the company, and it seemed like all was well even without top WCW stars like Goldberg, Sting and others.

The WWF couldn't hide from the fact that the invading side was light on star power, though, and that's why the writing team decided to install Steve Austin as the group's focal point and turn one of their most trusted lieutenants heel for the second time in less than a year.

Smashing the unsuspecting Kurt Angle with a boot to the stomach and his patented Stone Cold Stunner, the ruthless Austin turned his back on the WWF and sided with WCW/ECW against Vince McMahon's promotion. To add insult to injury, he also dragged Booker T on top of Angle for the match-deciding pinfall.

The Invasion was far from perfect (nobody can argue that), and shocks were clearly always around the corner, but Stone Cold joining Team Alliance was not one that was earmarked to happen on the bumper 'Us vs. Them' pay-per-view.

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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.