Since the turn of the millennium, WWF is at a huge high. The ratings are the highest they have ever been and almost every event is selling out.
On the other hand, 2000 would be the worst year in WCW history. Financially and in ring performance is scraping by. WCW lost over $60 million in 2000 and it would be the last full year the promotion would see.
2000 was also the last year for ECW. Major stars that played a role in the last years of ECW like Rob Van Dam, Taz and Rhyno made their move to WWF soon after.
While WCW is struggling, WWF is capitalizing with the edgy, outlandish programming the audience wanted to see.
New stars that would become major stars were able to really show their personalities and athleticism. 2000 was one of the most important years in WWF.
Stars like Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn made the jump from WCW to WWF.
Those stars became instant threats to the guys that were already there. Which led to the biggest show in WWF/E history, WrestleMania 17.
However, right before WrestleMania, Vince McMahon purchased WCW in March 2001. Making WWF the biggest promotion in the world with full control in the United States.
Which led to one of the biggest moments in wrestling history occurred with Vince McMahon appearing on Monday Night Raw and Monday Nitro at the same time. However, that moment led to the infamous Invasion angle that dominated WWF programming for the next year.
Fans were full of anticipation with the rivalry. WCW and WWF were under the same roof.
The Invasion was the biggest dropped ball in professional wrestling history. With WCW major stars riding off their massive contracts from Time Warner like Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, Sting, Scott Steiner and Ric Flair, WWF had to use what they had.
The Invasion did not live up to the hype because the major stars we wanted to see were not in the WWF at the time. Also, WWF did not have the money to buy out those contracts because of the failure of the XFL(WWF’s attempt at football league that lost $35 million).
The Invasion angle surrounded around an ongoing McMahon storyline with Vince, Shane, and Stephanie. The rivalry started in July and ended at the Survivor Series.
The Invasion was hurt by lack of major stars on both sides. WWF had stars: Kurt Angle, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin(who defected to the Alliance). While The Alliance(WCW & ECW) had stars: Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Diamond Dallas Page, and a few others.
Fans continue to dream of the what could have been when talking about the Invasion. Dream matches we no longer can see, could have happened in the early years of the millennium.
Now since most of those stars are retired or have passed on, we can only question, what if?
David Jacobus
Intern