40 Years Of Fascinating WWE WrestleMania Facts (Part 2)
4. WrestleMania X-Seven: The "WCW Wrestlers" Were Supposed To Help Shane McMahon
The writing was on the wall and the screen for how well the 2001 WCW Invasion was likely to go as soon as the old Nitro graphic flashed up and the cameras panned way, way up into the gods to locate the select few World Championship Wrestling talents in attendance at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Shane McMahon offered a shout-out to draw the crowd's attention to the group, but that was the extent of their contribution to what proved to be the beginning of the end of WWE's cultural dominance.
Per various stories from those there at the time, Shawn Stasiak allegedly wasn't great at keeping their involvement a secret, and when the leak reached Vince McMahon, he scrapped them getting where near his family affair. In hindsight, it was a smart booking call - the wrestlers were booed thanks to years of fan conditioning about the Atlanta outfit, and the younger McMahon being kept babyface was crucial to the contest's bizarre but brilliant outcome.