The Invasion

[Death From Above]

I haven't got all of my thoughts together yet though I intend to ramble on about this later. I will say as a hint as to some of where I'd go, I think they botched this right from the beginning on the last Nitro through to how they introduced WCW being purchased. I also think they fucked up not rebranding Smackdown when they found out no network would take on Nitro as a separate show because it had a rep for losing money. But I'll get to all that later when I've had more time to smooth out some things.

 

There are a couple realities that I think need to be acknowledged, though not necessarily respected totally when it comes to redoing this thing. One, the biggest reason an Invasion could never be perfect wasn't money, but politics. There are certain WCW people that would have been flat out hard to use and control the way WWE would want (in other words, there is no Invasion scenario where WWE doesn't win, which is fine). Second is all those fat contracts. They left too many of them on the table, and while it's nice to imagine using some of them, I don't think using the lot is realistic.

 

Anyway, if this subforum is going to be a thing, there's going to be a thread on this, so feel free to do whatever with it, while I try and get something resembling a readable scenario done myself.

[Smack2k]

To add to that......I think third that for that invasion to be good, the WWF guys, including the big guns (like Austin / Rock / etc..) would have to be willing to lose cleanly here and there to make it as good as it could be....they werent going to do that, especially for guys that were trying HARD to put them out of business...

 

As bad as the Invasion was, in real life, with most WCW big guys missing and hte WWF stars never willing to let them become over if they were there, it never would have been great....

 

The Nitro thing is shocking...WCW had a rep for losing money, but the Nitro show was still getting 2's. That number with WWE's name and peronnell behind it now, and the knowledge they were printing money, shocks me that channels would still say no unless it was just due to not wanting wrestling on their channel or not doing their due dillegence and really looking into things...

[Death From Above]

I've sort of gone back and forth in my head over the years about weather having WCW "take over" Smackdown in the short term would have been better, since brand split is a thing anyway. Or if it would be better just to use a smaller stable of guys. I've leaned more towards the second option over time as being probably much more feasible.

 

The other thing that sort of works against the Invasion is that in a lot of theories you'd like to end with some sort of WCW vs WWE Wrestlemania, but because the purchase by sheer chance happened just before Wrestlemania X-7 it's pretty much impossible to make that happen. I don't think you can stretch out the angle a year and make it remotely interesting. WWE clearly didn't think so in real life either.

 

There are actually 4 PPV's between WM X-7 and Invasion, as Invasion is the real life 2001 PPV before Summerslam, which kills most of the momentum from the purchase anyway. In theory, I think you can get 5 PPV out of the angle without it getting terribly dull, starting after X-7, the 5th of those being a blow-off at Summerslam where you can then take whatever guys you're keeping from all this and just run with it from there as normal. I have the blow off sort of worked out in my mind, I'm just getting together how I got there exactly still.

[El Boricua]

It might have been possible to stretch it until Wrestlemania. After all, half of the actual card was basically WWF guy vs. WCW guy. Although it would have involved having the WWF guys looking vulnerable for a while (something that I have a tough time believing would have happened). Maybe having the WCW guys showing up by waves could have helped in that regard.

 

Still, the problem was always going to be that you needed to set up the top WCW guys that were on hand at the same level as the WWF guys and Vince was never going to do that. When Bradshaw of all people is successfully leading the charge to run guys off, you've got a credibility problem for the WCW guys right away.

[fakeplastictrees]

A general outline of events:

 

- Shane McMahon 'buys' WCW.

 

- Shane vs. Vince at WMX7 with the stipulation if Shane wins Smackdown will be under his ownership. Shane Wins.

 

- 4/5/01- Smackdown becomes a WCW show. The name "Smackdown" remains. Vince/Shane (with lawyers and security in tow) sign a truce to let the other operate with any interference.

 

- 3 months go by with no brand interaction. The brands are split and vaguely mentioned by each other.

 

- In July during a WHC match (The Rock vs. Kurt Angle) toward the end Booker T comes through the crowd- beats up both men, takes out a few security guards and leaves Raw with WWE title. The 'war' has begun.

 

- Vince Mcmahon (with about 5 WWE scrubs armed with weapons [bats, pipes, wood plank, etc.] and security in tow) arrives to Smackdown (but is not let in the building). Outside the building McMahon calls for Shane to 'be a man' and let him in to get his title back. Vince and his guys are let into the building (this is around the close of the show), the only stipulation: No weapons. Vince/Shane have a promo with the 5 WWE guys in the ring with Vince. Vince makes some threats,gets pissed, and KO's Shane. Out comes the WCW roster and beats the shit out of the 5 guys WWE guys while Vince heads for higher ground and watches his guys get destroyed before being ushered out of the building by his security team.

 

- Raw. Vince declares war. Rock vs. Booker T for SummerSlam (champion vs. champion). WCW tries to invade Raw, but fails.

 

- Smackdown. Shane accepts Vince's SS mainevent match. Shane also suspects there is a mole in WCW as someone tipped Vince off as to the planned happenings on Monday which is why they were never executed. At the end of the show during DDP/? vs. Kronick (champions) for the Tag Team Titles...Kurt Angle arrives through the crowd with a bat. Shane and a few WCW wrestlers come to the ring (4-6) only for Kronick to start beating on the WCW guys alongside Angle. Kronick (keeping with their mercenary gimmick) was the mole and has jumped side to WWE for the money. The show ends with Shane screaming at Angle and Kronick as the police escort all 3 wrestlers out of the building and try to keep some of the WCW guys from beating their asses.

 

-Matches made for Summer Slam:

Angle vs. DDP

Booker T. vs. The Rock (champion vs. champion)

Kronick(stripped of the belts) vs. Palumbo/O'Haire

Shane vs. Vince II (Steel Cage)

Undertaker vs. Rhino NHB

Team WCW(Storm,Kidman,Kanyon,Chavo) vs. The reformed Radicalz.

The Hardyz vs. Jindrak/Stasiak (ladder match WWF tag titles).

 

-After SummerSlam begins the DDP/Taker stalker angle. Rhino (feed up with WWE politics, etc.) is the first man to jump ship from WWE to WCW and cuts a HUGE promo to open Smackdown.

 

-September- WCW's first PPV. Prior to this all PPVs have been WWE PPVs and WCW was strictly featured on TV. The Impact Players reunite and become the first tag team to feature a WCW and WWE performer. Because of this they are both allowed to compete on both Raw and Smackdown. Austin quits wrestling.

 

-October- WWE announces that they have successfully put a stop to WCW legally broadcasting PPVs again. September marks the first AND LAST WCW PPV under the WWE banner. Both WWE an WCW via for Austin. WCW/WWE brawl on Raw. Austin comes out and whips ass for WWE. During this month there are a number of segments featuring guys like Raven, Credible, Storm, etc. (mentioning they just got out of a meeting, or have a meeting to go to, or just got off the phone with an old friend...subtle stuff).

 

-November-Survivor Series.

War Games: Team WWE (The Dudley Boyz, Angle, Kane, Jericho) vs. Team WCW (Booker T, Rhino, Palumbo, O'Haire,and a mystery partner*)

DDP vs. The Undertaker

The Impact Players vs. The Hardy Boyz (tag team titles)

Steve Austin vs. Shane McMahon

The Rock vs. Benoit for the WHC

 

 

Dec- Vince and Shane decide things have gone too far and its better if they just call an armistice, until they work out their differences. A few WCW and WWE guys are in the ring during this segment (on Raw). This is when The ECW guys come to the ring and Raw ends as it did when the Nexus took over Raw. We see Paul Heyman standing in the shadows. ECW is now a new threat. With both WCW and WWE believing the other is behind ECW...the war is back on.

 

DEC PPV-

Angle/Austin/Rock WHC

RVD/Jeff Hardy (ladder match Hardcore championship)

Sandman vs. Matt Hardy

Extreme Rules: The Impact Players vs. The Dudleyz Boys (tag team championship match) (this is ECW vs. ECW)

Benoit vs. Booker T

Buried Alive: DDP vs. The Undertaker

Cruiserweight Inter-promotional Invitational (the winner becomes the first undisputed WWE/WCW/ECW CW champion and is allowed to travel between Smackdown and Raw to defend the title).

 

Jan 2002- The Royal Rumble for the first time becomes the site of WW3. Vince, Shane, and Heyman agree...winner take all. WWE wins. Vince decides the WWE should be one, but likes competition and declares that the future of Raw and Smackdown will be decided next Monday night in the first ever WWE draft.

 

 

 

*This person will be WHOMEVER is available.