That Time Christopher Daniels Was Nearly The Higher Power

First, some context.

By April, the WWF required a massive plot point that'd keep things ticking until the end of the year. Russo and McMahon bashed their brains together long enough to come up with something that, whilst it didn't make much sense, was nonetheless captivating.

After The Ministry repeatedly attempted to both kidnap a young Stephanie McMahon and (by default) torture her father further, an exasperated Shane booted daddy dearest out of The Corporation. Remember that development, because the WWF creative team didn't. Or, maybe they did and they just didn't care.

On the 27 April pilot episode of the new SmackDown program, Shane and The Undertaker amalgamated their resources to form The Corporate Ministry. This, fans were told by upset announcers, could only be battled by the short-lived Union formed by Mick Foley, Big Show, Test and Ken Shamrock.

If you're struggling to keep tabs on who was warring with who and why, don't worry. If anything, this article shows how out-of-control some of the angles WWE expected fans to digest around this period were.

This is where one of the stories' most subtle nuances was expanded upon. Once he'd joined forces with Shane, 'Taker started telling how he served a mysterious 'Higher Power'. In June, and with the McMahon vs. Austin rivalry still in full swing, it was nonsensically revealed to be none other than Vince himself.

"It was me, Austin! It was me all along, Austin!"

Those words, uttered by Vince during the big 'Higher Power' unveiling on the 7 June Raw, kept the ball rolling. They also, in the minds of some, completely killed an angle that had serious potential. Wouldn't it have been better if someone new had debuted as the overseer of The Corporate Ministry?

They almost did.

CONT'D...