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More on the Invasion...

Bet you're sick of stuff regarding the Invasion now, but it still seems to be a popular topic on the BLOG!~! so here goes....
 
One thing nobody's neccessarily brought up yet and just a thought - was the 'Invasion' really neccessary in the first place? Think about it like this - WCW had lost all credibility with wrestling fans by the point that Vince bought them out, right? So realistically, turning the whole shebang into "two separate companies" was never going to work - look at the reaction it got in Tacoma when they did 'WCW' at the end of the show with Bagwell vs. Booker, and that was really before they'd totally botched the angle (outside of DDP....). And really, was it "WWF vs. WCW" that the fans were clamouring for, or was it more stuff like Rock vs. Hogan, Austin vs. Goldberg, just as matches?
 
Basically what I'm getting at is this - would it have been smarter to just bring the big stars from WCW in as their own acts - essentially like how Goldberg and Steiner were eventually brought aboard - just to run dream matches that way, rather than even making use of WCW as a company? That way none of the younger wrestlers (O'Haire, Palumbo, Lance Storm, et al) would've had the WCW stigma attached to them like they did post-Invasion, and natural babyfaces like DDP and Van Dam could've just played those roles without being shoehorned into heeldom due to their WCW links. So basically, it's an injection of talent to freshen up the roster, rather than an 'Invasion'. Think of the buyout as bringing in more wrestlers rather than the tainted WCW name.
 
This worked well for UFC in bringing the PRIDE stars across, did it not? Some fans wanted a UFC vs. PRIDE type thing there but in reality UFC probably drew more by establishing guys like Rampage and Wanderlei as stars in their own right and by running the dream matches that the fans had wanted for years anyway (well, most of the time...). I dunno, just some food for thought.

Yeah, but that's apples and oranges.  PRIDE had zero value except for the talent, whereas WCW's only value was the name.  While freshening up the roster also could have worked as a strategy, clearly the MONEY ($$$$$$$$$$!) was in pulling the trigger on the one feud that fans had been waiting for 20+ years to happen:  WWF v. WCW itself.  Guys like DDP and Van Dam were useful as new uppercard players, yeah, but the only storyline that the fans wanted to see was them invading from another promotion.  It was a rare case where the fans were almost literally trying to give the promotion their money and only needed the slightest excuse.  

Comments

  1. You don't think that having the inagural WCW match be Booker T vs Buff Freakin' Bagwell was the WWE botching the angle?

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  2. The Invasion buyrate proves just how much $$$ was in it.

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  3. That was an awful idea.

    WCW should of just invaded and run roughshod, as heels, through the WWE.  Vince never allowed it, case closed.

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  4. In Tacoma, of all places. Save that for a southern swing or at least Chicago or Detroit.

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  5. It was moronic, especially given that the next Raw was at the Phillips Arena in
    Atlanta.

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  6. Whew...post-WM time fucking sucks...

    We're stuck talking about something that happened eleven years ago. 

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  7. I hear ya.  I wish we'd come up with some fresh topics, somehow.  I swear, the Invasion, Hart-Montreal and UT WM streak is played out.

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  8. I don't see how the Invasion could have ever worked. Like what was said, nobody cared about WCW there at the end. I think they made the very best of a bad situation. Were there really that many potential 'money' matches besides Goldberg vs. whoever? I really don't think anyone considered DDP to be in the same league as the Undertaker, for example.

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  9. Yeah, but the Invasion ppv had one of the largest buy rates ever so your argument is invalid.

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  10. How bout a discussion on a potential Cena heel turn?

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  11. How about some pet theories on why Chris Benoit killed his family?

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  12. I thought the summer of the invasion was fantastic!!! Of course I was stoned for much of that summer so everything seemed pretty good :) (Seriously once during an episode of Raw I couldn't stop laughing at the "wacky" antics of Patterson and Brisco) Great summer!!!! 

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  13. He was framed by Kevin Sullivan. 

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  14. Artist_Formerly_Known_as_KtuluApril 27, 2012 at 3:55 PM

    Really, another invasion thread? Why don't we stop looking at topics that have already been beaten into the ground, and focus on more fresh ones? Like Montreal!

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  15. The moment DDP pulled off the mask he was easily over enough to be in the same league but within a week they started burying him and Taker figured out a way to sell even less than normal for the blowoff.

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  16. I vote for another discussion about whether the Rock deserved to steal a spot from another member of the roster at Wrestlemania!

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  17. You know what I always thought was very funny? When Lance Storm would come out and say, "If I could be serious for a moment." Because he was already a serious guy all the time so it worked as a joke. Does anyone want to share their fave Lance Storm moments?

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  18.  The way those DDP-UT matches went was embarrassing.  You're right, Takers level of no-selling was something to behold.

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  19. Push Daniel Bryan by turning Cena heel while putting Savage into the Hall of Fame and resenting the Rock returning.

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  20. Also, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar Lesnar. Brock Brock, Lesnar Brock Lesnar. Paul Roma.

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  21.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aymVoTXLfIs

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  22.  THIS.  You only get one chance to make a first impression... and I remember JR even telegraphing that it was going to suck, saying he wasn't responsible for what was going to happen when they turned it over to AA and, who was it, Chris Cruise?

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  23. How about that time Storm had a zillion belts and was the best thing on WCW and Nash came out and cleared him away with a big boot? That was the epitome of WCW. Man, some things about that company I do not miss at all.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8spuULS2fog

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  24. I agree that the invasion never should have happened, not just because it was a flop, but because who cares. Whenever people talked about WWF vs WCW, it was just comparing individual wrestlers who they wanted to see each other fight, but couldn't because they were in two different companies. So, when WCW died, I was just glad that the possibility now existed to see those matches, but who cares if it took place in the middle of an 'invasion' storyline.

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  25. I never knew Sullivan got into the framing business. How pedestrian.

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  26. Actually i think the champion lately has been Michael Cole Sucks. It seems like we get another email with nothing constructive to say beyond "doncha hate Cole?" at least once a month.

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  27. Who made a botch in his first sentence, saying Bagwell is going after the WWF title. I would've loved if it was Schiavone. That would have been surreal and I always liked Tony. He truly was the greatest commentator in the history of our sport.

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  28. Wasn't there a long discussion on this blog about how few considered DDP to be 'championship' material? I don't think he was ever meant as a serious opponent for the Undertaker. Sting or Goldberg would have worked, but not sure if anyone considered a threat to theUdnertaker

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  29. Artist_Formerly_Known_as_KtuluApril 28, 2012 at 12:13 AM

    You forgot Lex Luger not winning the title in 89

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  30. Best of a bad situation. That PPV was built up somewhat well, but don't you think they could have gotten a lot more mileage out of the whole thing? was the pop in the buy rate worth the money they spent on the contracts? I really have no idea, not sure if anyone has analysed the Invasion on a purely financial basis. Again, the point in the original post was basically that nobody cared about 'WCW', but they did care about Goldberg, Sting, maybe a few others.

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  31.  Actually just the other day there was a discussion that mainly seemed to consist of everyone saying they actually did think he was championship material, so I think Scott was in the minority on that one.

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  32.  I think we talked about this on another thread. Storm hates Russo, but russo gave him 3 belts..until Nash. And while torm never badmouths Big Kev for that, there's never been a logical explanation for booking that segment with no follow-up at all.

    Didn't Big Kev kill Wrath dead, too? Gotta love the Clique.

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