All Hail The Alliance! Looking Back On The Invasion

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we discuss The Invasion of WWE by WCW and ECW.

What do you think of The Invasion storyline?

Jack Goodwillie: It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible as it did yield some wildly entertaining programming. The Booker T-Steve Austin grocery store brawl? Kurt Angle’s little hat? Kurt Angle karaoke? Anything involving Kurt Angle? You can’t miss. That might actually be the storyline’s best contribution. It cemented Angle as a focal point of pro wrestling for the next 15 years.

Steven Jackson: The Invasion should have been the biggest storyline in the history of North American wrestling. Instead, it was a wasted opportunity, ruined by egos and politics.

Chad Gelfand: The Invasion storyline is one of my first memories of wrestling, so I do look back on it with a certain nostalgia. However, now knowing the history behind the storyline, I realize just how much greater it could have been if WWE decided to buy out certain contracts or just delay the storyline altogether.

John Corrigan: I loved The Invasion. Just like Chad, 2001 was my second year of watching wrestling every week, so I wasn’t “smart” to the business yet. Without any knowledge of WCW, I had no idea that stars like DDP were being wasted. I just enjoyed the idea of WWE being under siege. Even 20 years later, July 9, 2001 sticks in my mind as the night The Alliance was born. That episode of Raw is probably my favorite.

Which WCW or ECW wrestler during The Invasion made the best transition to WWE?

Goodwillie: Rob Van Dam. A lot of people may say it was Booker T, but hear me out. While Booker did endear himself to the fans years later, his booking was a bit of a mixed bag for his first 18 months or so in the company. RVD, however, was made to look like a threat from the onset and backed it up with a unique string of performances in the ring. It may have been a bit unfair, as Van Dam was in the midst of his prime here. It’s also key to remember he got a taste of WWE life back in 1997 when he appeared on Raw as part of a storyline with Paul Heyman and ECW, so that may have aided him in the transition.

Jackson: Booker T was able to bring the momentum he had gained in WCW straight into the WWF, and most notably, in a prominent spot.

Gelfand: RVD. He was a guy who came in, and by Invasion, was already extremely over with the crowd. Hell, he was getting cheered over the likes of Jeff Hardy. WWE missed the boat not putting the title on RVD around this time.

Corrigan: Booker T. Although RVD was beloved, Booker was instantly thrust into main event storylines with The Rock and Stone Cold. He also ingratiated himself into WWE’s “sports-entertainment” atmosphere whereas RVD focused more on the in-ring aspect.

Which member of The Alliance did WWE drop the ball on?

Goodwillie: There is no reason why Raven couldn’t have been a big factor on WWE programming for at least four more years before heading off to TNA. Raven can be a polarizing personality, so it’s possible he may have irked someone backstage when he came in, or that Vince McMahon may have just had no interest in doing anything with him. But we didn’t get to see Raven achieve even a taste of the potential he and his character could have had in WWE. In past save files of EWR and TEW, I usually make Raven a WrestleMania opponent of The Undertaker. It’s tough to say if the match itself would have been worth a damn. I guess it depends on which Raven is showing up, but there is no doubting the potential the build to the match could have had.

Jackson: Mike Awesome could have been a huge deal removed from the shackles of WCW. Instead, he couldn’t get out of the bottom of the card, which was such a shame. Could you imagine a few years later if we got to see Mike Awesome vs. Brock Lesnar!?

Gelfand: DDP. Turning one of the most over and beloved faces in WCW history into a stalker who gets his ass kicked every week by The Undertaker was one of those baffling decisions that show some of the self-sabotage that was present throughout the entire angle.

Corrigan: I agree with all the picks mentioned and had never considered what Raven or Awesome could have achieved. I’ll go with Lance Storm because even though he had a lengthier run than most from The Invasion, WWE still dropped the ball with him. While he certainly doesn’t fit into “sports-entertainment,” that could have been incorporated into his character. He’s a tremendous technician who could have stayed in the Intercontinental Championship scene for years, having compelling matches with up-and-comers like John Cena and Randy Orton.

Do invasion angles work?

Goodwillie: They can! Just like anything else in wrestling, it depends. In this case, the lack of star power was the number one thing that hurt The Invasion. Bad booking comes in a close second, and like any great storyline, something as big as an invasion angle needs to be written in reverse. There needs to be a clear endgame in mind. Without it, what’s the point? I don’t think WWE had an endgame in mind for The Invasion – its primary purpose was to placate the fans, pop an easy rating and take a victory lap while Mr. McMahon danced on the grave of WCW.

Sure enough, none of those answers are sufficient in the justification of an invasion angle. If the goal was to get Kurt Angle over and press the reset button on Steve Austin, then I guess it succeeded but it still feels like a colossal waste. I may have done it differently. Check back here on the 20th anniversary of WWF InVasion to find out.

Jackson: Invasion angles do work, but they have an expiry date. The problem with The Invasion was that so much time was put into it with so many people that things got lost and forgotten. However, the ROH vs. CZW feud worked because it was contained to around five months, and only involved certain people. It really needs to have an equal playing field from both those involved, but if you don’t get that, the results are hugely disappointing.

Gelfand: Most of the time they don’t because they are rarely evenly contested. Wrestling is one of the most ego-centric businesses and rarely is one company willing to look bad to help put over another company. In the short term, these angles work, but they tend to fall apart over the long term.

Corrigan: Aside from the CZW vs. ROH deal, I can’t think of an invasion angle that worked. The NWO doesn’t count because that was just a faction as opposed to two companies, or the remnants of one company, working together.