WWF Invasion (July 2001)

It was supposed to be a PPV that would feature WWF Superstars competing against WCW Superstars for the very first time. A cataclysmic encounter that would have been a major moneymaker if done right.

But as history has shown, the Invasion angle that ran throughout 2001 was anything but done right. For you see, it went from being about WWF vs. WCW to being another glorified reinactment of the McMahon family feud that had been beaten to the ground considerably. Vince representing WWF, Shane-O-Mac owning WCW, and because she has nothing to do at the time, let’s give Stephanie ECW and have her join forces with Shane for whatever reason and then you had Austin jump ship to that Alliance and… my head hurts.

There have been potshots made prior to the event; the occasional run-in from low-tier WCW guys such as Lance Storm and Mike Awesome to Diamond Dallas Page’s stalking of the Undertaker’s wife (for reasons that are baffling to anyone with any semblance of common sense) to the eventual WCW matches on WWF programming (kicked off with a horrific Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell match that granted Buff his walking papers shortly thereafter)… and then ECW comes along and joins forces with WCW and… shit.

And then we come to Invasion… I can remember the anticipation of how they’re going to pull this off and thinking it might be the greatest thing ever, how could they possibly fuck this up… and then I can also remember the disappointment and utter contempt that I had for this entire feud. Even today, when I look back at that entire angle, it still leaves a really bitter taste in my mouth. There are very few wrestling storylines that really make me sick to my stomach. Many letdowns, but none of them to a sickening level. The Invasion angle was the sole exception. Perhaps the easiest thing to book and they end up fucking it up. If there is one thing that the whole Invasion angle does succeed at, it’s cementing WWE’s long-standing talent in taking sure-fire wins and turn them into unbelievable failures.

But I digress… anyway, let’s sloth through this thing.

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ECW Guilty As Charged 2001

This is the final PPV event produced by the original Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion before going bankrupt and left in relative obscurity until a DVD set revitalized interest in the brand… but that’s not part of this story. The story of ECW’s final woes is a sad one – no more television deal, no more PPVs, no more money, very few worthwhile talent remaining, even less exposure – and that’s the overall environment that we see ourselves in watching this show.

Now a disclaimer and a disclosure, if you will; the individual featured in the above image is the Zombie, a one-time gimmick featured in the first episode of WWE’s rebooted ECW series in 2006. While it might seem ill-fitting to feature an image from WWECW on a musing of an original ECW event, in another way, it’s perhaps the more fitting… as I will touch on later.

Let’s get on with it.

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WWF In Your House II (July 1995)

WWF In Your House II
July 1995, Nashville TN

So this is the second 2-hour In Your House event for July, which followed the rather horrific 1995 King Of The Ring, which ranks as one of the worst WWF/WWE PPV events, if not one of the worst pro wrestling PPV cards ever conceived. And after having witnessed that PPV in its entirety, it’s safe to say that I’m rather apprehensive of this card. After all, historically speaking, WWF in 1995 was not particularly good, as Diesel was tanking as WWF Champion, there was a notable lack of compelling content on display, and to call the roster cartoonish and hokey is akin to calling Big Show a big guy.

On the flip side, WCW was giving us the Hulk Hogan show… that was equally painful… considering I hadn’t been following wrestling, I certainly dodged that bullet… and yet here we are.

Meh…

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The First WWF In Your House PPV (May 1995)

WWF In Your House I
May 1995, Syracuse, NY

In a vain effort to attempt to separate a potential PPV audience from their money, the WWF decided to launch In Your House, a series of monthly 2-hour PPVS that would beef up the PPV count to one a month. This would eventually evolve into the current format of monthly PPV events with the occasional WWE Network special and lots of raised prices.

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