WWE's Biggest Booking DISASTER Every Year (1986-2026)

26. The Entire Invasion (2001)

WWF Invasion 2001 Steve Austin Paul Heyman Shane Stephanie McMahon Alliance WCW ECW
WWE.com

Speaking of memes, the McMahon family could be that cartoon of the guy looking in a mirror whilst pointing. 'Get in there and make it all about you'. That's precisely what they did with the once in a lifetime WCW and ECW invasion of the WWF back in 2001.

All of it became a backdrop for family in-fighting and the ongoing McMahon power struggle as Vince tried to stop his kids from supplanting him. Shane became the head of WCW, and Stephanie was installed as the new face of extreme by becoming owner of ECW. It was a little much for fans to digest.

Pre-invasion, people salivated over dream matches like Hulk Hogan vs. Steve Austin, Sting vs. The Undertaker and even Goldberg vs. Austin, but none of those happened due to hazy contractual stuff (most on WCW's dime sat on guaranteed contracts rather than taking pennies on the dollar to rip up those deals and come in) and the usual wrestling politics.

So, in lieu of money spinning dream bouts, the WWF went with an "Alliance" between WCW and ECW that saw the likes of Austin and Kurt Angle jump ship just to keep the story ticking. What should've been a generational storyline turned into a wishy washy muck heap of turns, title changes and threats.

Meanwhile, Shane and Stephanie sat atop it all pushing the same old tired clan battle with their father. By November and the "Winner Takes All" match at Survivor Series, fans were ready to put a red pen through the invasion completely.

Contributor

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.