This is the first time I've done something like this. The column will consist of my friend Matt Peddycord and I talking back and forth about the Invasion angle.If the column is well-received, we will do more together. We will also take requests for the next topic. But before I get ahead of myself, let's see how this goes.


Kyle Fitta: The angle all started when Vince McMahon aired on Nitro, stating he was going to destroy WCW. Without his knowledge, Shane McMahon bought WCW and "saved" it. Do you believe this was the right way to start this angle?

Matt Peddycord: No, I think if you had someone outside the WWF saying they bought it out from under Vince, only then would it have been a good idea. Ric Flair was probably the best option at the time. I know he wasn't working for WCW, but maybe even Hulk Hogan. That would have been a real shock. Unfortunately, the WCW talent that could have made a splash to kickstart the Invasion angle were owned by AOL/time Warner contracts. Those people chose to stay home and get paid for doing nothing. You can't really blame them for that though.

Kyle Fitta: Yeah, the contract issue was a major detriment to the Invasion angle. Why didn't they wait, though? After all, they ended up signing a lot of the WCW major players the following year. Instead, the WWF hot-shotted which screwed it all up from the get go. I mean, I understand why they picked Shane McMahon, because he was feuding with Vince then, but it wasn't the choice. To me, Eric Bischoff is the only choice that made sense, as he the mastermind behind WCW's success. Plus, can you imagine how intense Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff promos face to face would've been? You would have felt the genuine hatred.


Matt Peddycord: Eric Bischoff would have been a great choice for a leader and would make sense considering he would have the "kayfabe" cash to seriously buy up WCW. However, my line of thinking with the Invasion angle is that if Vince really wanted the angle to have been successful, he certainly was in a position to buy up those contracts after the one of the most profitable year in wrestling history meaning the year 2000. I think since he had finally defeated the one company that ever made him #2 for even just a short period of time, he wanted to crush and punish WCW even after purchasing their assets.


It's the equivalent to someone saying that if they had the money, they would buy up a specific restaurant location that gave them stomach-wrenching food poisoning and/or terrible customer service just so they could burn the place down.

Kyle Fitta: Indeed. It's what made Punk's shoot have so much truth behind it. McMahon has proven multiplie times his ego's why his wallet and company aren't bigger. Hell, I think McMahon's entire purpose was to show how everything in WWF was better than its competition, especially since most of the top the WCW/ECW guys were WWF talent. To me, that's Vince just saying ''See, I have to use my own guys to make the Invasion work."


Anyway, do you think a perfect way of forming WCW and ECW would've been if Bischoff and Heyman (who everyone knows always hated each other) realized they had to team up together to take the WWF down?

Matt Peddycord: Yeah, I think that would have been a sufficient way to put them together. I just don't think it would have happened. Then again, I don't think anybody saw Eric Bischoff ever working for the WWE, let alone appearing on-screen with Vince himself. Having said that, I just don't think Paul Heyman is like Vince in that respect. At least, I haven't seen the evidence to point to that he is.

Kyle Fitta: I disagree. I believe Heyman would have worked with Bischoff if McMahon asked him. Heyman is one of the few promoter McMahon's treated with remorse. Vince helped ECW when it was about to go out of business by giving them money and allowing them to promote their big PPV on his show, as well as gave him a job after his company died. Out of respect, I believe Heyman would've done it. For Bischoff, I think he would have been in a situation where he would have to do it, unless he didn't want a job. Anyway, what did you think of Austin's heel turn?

Matt Peddycord: Well, let's just say for sake of argument that it did work out and they formed an alliance between the two companies/factions. If an alliance between Bischoff and Heyman was to happen, you could eventually slow burn their partnership into a shoot-work scenario where they ultimately couldn't get along because they couldn't set their egos aside to better manage their crews against the WWF. Although everyone could probably see it coming knowing their past, that's okay. Not every feud needs to be a surprise. Sometimes it needs to happen and it could still be compelling TV. As for Austin's heel turn, Austin can be a great heel. He proved that in WCW and in 1996 working for the WWF.


By 2001 though, he wasn't going to be a heel people would boo. People weren't clamoring to hate Austin like Hulk Hogan in 1996. It just wasn't necessary and short of sacrificing small children, he wasn't going to get booed because he was just so entertaining.

Kyle Fitta: That would be the most logical way of doing it. I'm in the minority because I actually liked Austin heel turn....at first. It showcased both phenomenal writing and storytelling. Let me quickly explain it: Since Rikishi hit Austin with a car, Austin realized he wasn't who he once was when he couldn't beat Triple H at No Way Out. He still wanted to be champion, but knew he couldn't beat the Rock alone, so he sold his soul to the devil himself Vince McMahon.


However, the Rock left to make a movie and they illogically kept Austin's arch rival, Triple H heel (although got sidelined for a year due to a quad injury) who could have feuded with Austin again just with their roles reversed. Shortly, they kept Austin babyface by showing his soft side, something nobody wanted to see. He subsequently joined WCW, rendering the entire purpose of his heel turn to begin with, and therefore left WWF without a suitable figurehead.

Matt Peddycord: Yeah, I just don't think the WWF audience was ever even close to wanting to boo Austin. If you really think about it, he was only on top for two years before he had to leave for the neck surgery. It isn't like other babyfaces in the past that people were really sick of seeing.

Kyle Fitta: Albeit being poorly explained, I believe WWF being babyface and WCW/ECW being heel was a decent idea. However, there are people who thought it should have been heels and babyfaces on both sides. (or like nWo and WCW where the fans decide who they like). I think that would have been too perplexing for the average viewer to remember who was face or heel (especially with people switching sides). Do you feel this way too?

Matt Peddycord: It depends. I don't think they should have suddenly turned one way or the other because of what group they were in. For example, Booker T was a babyface before coming to the WWF. I don't think he should have suddenly became such a jerk of a character, because he's not a bad person, he just wanted to make an impact on the WWF, and felt he had something to prove. He wanted to shake things up. Maybe that type of booking is too perplexing for the average watcher, but I think it makes for more compelling TV than just a bad guy against a good guy. But with that type of booking, then you run into odd problems like why would Booker T side with someone like Rhyno who was a heel, just because they are on the same team. So maybe with the type of Invasion angle we got, the way it was done was the best case scenario and just easier to book for the average watcher.

Kyle Fitta: That has been one of the biggest logic flaws in wrestling. Just because a wrestler turns roles doesn't mean they should change. For example, as a heel Kurt Angle had to cheat to beat people. Once he turned face, he started beating the same people cleanly. The bottom line is, just because WCW/ECW were heels didn't mean they had to cheat to win. They were trying to kill the WWF. That alone is enough for WWF fans not to like them. The WCW/ECW stable were booked so inferior to WWF, they weren't even a believable threat and made the feud drag.

Matt Peddycord: I'm trying to think outside the box a bit to make this into a real invasion angle. People didn't necessarily have to boo WCW, but the WWF gave their fans no choice but to boo them. WCW was finished. Booker T knew that. He could have just wanted to shake things up a bit, not necessarily 'take over the company'.

Kyle Fitta: We've been mostly negative about the Invasion angle, so I believe we should talk about some of the positives. Can you think of some good things that happened because of it?

Matt Peddycord: Throughout the Invasion angle, we got to see the comedic side of Stone Cold Steve Austin that we hadn't ever seen before. I can remember some really good matches that took place. The best one for me was the Angle-Austin WWF world title match at SummerSlam. For a year that had some incredible wrestling, that one certainly still stands out.


For me personally, I attended my first WWF PPV when the Alliance angle ended: Survivor Series 2001. While it's a memory I will never forget, you still can't help but feel it was one big 'screw you' to Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW for having that show in Greensboro, North Carolina.


When Ricky Steamboat called the Greensboro Coliseum the Madison Square Garden of the South, he was right. I don't know that it directly affected the town, but wrestling has been pretty much dead in Greensboro ever since. The crowds who come to see WWE are not very responsive and clearly not as into wrestling as they were thirty years ago. You could go back just fifteen years ago and see a huge difference.


Kyle Fitta: The Invasion angle added some great wrestlers to the roster and fans were able to see some of the best wrestling in WWF's history. It also was a launching point for new stars., as it cemented Kurt Angle as a credible main eventer, finally made Jericho a world champion, and allowed RVD to become a household name. In addition, it gave us Paul Heyman and Jim Ross, arguably the best announcing duo ever. They were so good that they made even the rough times entertaining. Lastly, it was gave us one more compelling Stone Cold's great run as an in-ring performer.

To be honest, I always preferred WWF over WCW. I didn't become a fan of the product until I started watching re-runs. So, it wasn't a sad day when I watched that, but looking back it surely was. After all, there were so many classic matches and things that happened in that arena. Knowing that you lived most of these moments, it must have surely sucked for you. Although I think people involved in WCW can now laugh at how poorly McMahon screwed up potentially the hottest angle ever.


Even though WCW was dying in 2001, it still managed to get a 3.0 rating on the last Nitro compared to Raw's 4.7. Raw's ratings throughout 2001 stayed around that rating. So, after doing a dream angle, they didn't gain any viewership. On top of that, the previous year they average around a 6.0 rating, which is about 1.5 million less....AND WCW WAS STILL ALIVE! And, according to Dave Meltzer, the WWF made 68, 973,00 dollar profit from late 1999 to early 2000, while late 2000-01 only made 15,987,000 dollar profit, which is a 52, 986,000 difference. They ultimately lost a lot of their viewers and then failed to replace them with WCW's viewers. In conclusion, epic fail.


I believe there are two reasons why. Number one: laziness. When they became a monopoly, they became less creative and thus the shows became formulaic, nonsensical and things lacked continuity. Number two plays into the first: McMahon's ego. The lead writer in 2000 was Chris Kreski, and he was one of the few writers that made storylines layered and logical, because he actually paid attention to the shit he wrote. As a result, the company was at its peak. However, McMahon replaced Kreski with his inexperienced daughter and the rest is history.


Anyway, this was fun. I want to thank Matt Peddycord for joining me and everyone for reading.

The next night things appeared to be improving: Lesnar broke Triple H’s arm and Cena was going to give a farewell on TV. Then, I heard Big Johnny say that he’ll name John Cena’s opponent at Over The Limit, but I felt like there was no way the WWE could be that stupid. As a result, I eagerly watched John Cena’s promo. He rambled on about how there’s a difference between being hurt and injured and other shit that foreshadowed that he wasn’t going anywhere. That led Big Johnny coming out to name Cena’s opponent at Over The Limit. We found out that Cena would be facing Johnny and that led to a god-awful match where the Big Show turned on Cena, which fooled nobody.To recap, Cena, who needed time off to heal and reform his gimmick, stayed on TV to feud with the general manager and someone he has feuded with a million times (and never had a good match with) instead of taking time off to help Lesnar’s dominance feel more believable. Oh, and I also read that Lesnar wasn’t going to get his rematch. The point was just to put their figurehead over.

Last Hope:

Because of Lesnar’s limited dates, Paul Heyman stepped in to do his dirty work. In fact, it was the best move WWE could’ve possibly made. The only flaw that Lesnar has that’s noticeable is his talking ability, something Heyman excels at. The slow-roasted (at least when it comes to these days) build to Summerslam wasn’t lighting the world on fire, but it was keeping the story moving. On the 1,000 Raw, it began to ignite, as both HHH and Heyman brought their a-games by delivering a well-done segment. Stephanie McMahon contributed to the segment, even if it took personal heat with Heyman to deliver a promo that wasn’t contrived for once.


As things became more dramatic after Steph slapped Heyman, he passionately delivered a bombshell where he said to Stephanie that she got her wish to see her husband get hurt (which portrayed Heyman as this evil bastard and made it feel as if Mr and Mrs. HHH bit off more than they can chew). Awesome! As Stephanie was kicking Heyman’s ass, Lesnar finally came out and Cole shouted, “HERE COMES THE (MOTHER FUCKING) PAIN!!!!”. Intensely,Lesnar threw shoulder blocks into Triple H’s midsection. Out of desperation, H made his comeback and then both intensely threw strikes back and forth until Triple H started to get the better of Lesnar. Then the what seemed impossible happened: Triple H clotheslined Brock Lesnar over the top-rope while Heyman looks on stunned and like a buffoon. So………

TRIPLE H BEAT A FORMER MMA FIGHTER IN A BRAWL AND LESNAR GOT HIS COMEUPPANCE FOR BREAKING HIS ARM~!!!!!!








The WWE struck gold when they signed Brock Lesnar to a deal, as there isn’t anyone on this planet that has the presence for the business and is already a huge moneymaker. The price-tag for Lesnar was high, but they still could’ve easily made oodles of profit off him and then, hopefully, signed a lengthier deal. Instead, they’ve pissed him off by deceiving him to the point where he actually negotiated with Dana White. They’ve also absurdly wasted a lot of his dates. The feud with John Cena only needed his return, that ass-kicking promo, and the match. The audience didn’t need to see Lesnar attack Josh Matthews, interfere in Cena’s match against Otunga just to kick him in the balls, or have a long winded contract signing that became void in a week. Before someone goes there, they could’ve done something else to set up the Triple H match. Those three things didn’t make people say now I’m buying the PPV! And the feud with Triple only needed an appearance at the 1,00th Raw and then Summerslam. They could’ve done something like Lesnar giving Stephanie McMahon an F-5, which would’ve created enough heat and anticipation for the match. And don’t give me the man on women violence BS story, either, because they should stop being so timid about their reputation if that’s why. There are women being beaten, raped and killed all over TV. So give me a break. But at least there’s going to be a Brock Lesnar DVD soon. That’ll get WWE their money’s worth.







Ultimately, Lesnar came in as someone who was supposed to legitimize the WWE. So far, he hasn’t done anything but look weak and thus has lost his dominant aura. The WWE can put c-list celebrities with no fighting backgrounds over their top-stars, but they cannot put Lesnar over them for some reason. Everything about Lesnar is refreshing from his hybrid, MMA-esque style, the way he carries himself, to his dominant figure. They could’ve done something across the lines of bitter Heyman trying to conquer WWE by using an his uber-heel as his henchman and then had Undertaker, the most loyal WWE wrestler in the company, end Heyman and Lesnar’s reign of terror at Wrestlemania. The WWE basically had commissioner Gordan defeat Bane because they didn’t want Gordan to look weak and then had Bane get out of dodge because Batman got the upper hand. I don’t know if WWE is too conservative or just don’t understand the formula for good vs evil, but maybe the WWE creative staff needs to watch more superhero or Rocky movies to understand the concept. When the protagonists are invisible, the antagonists are irrelevant. And when you give your core audience everything they want to see, they become tired of the lack of suspense and doubt.

For the most part, I’m enjoying what WWE has done the past two weeks and I’m still looking forward to the match from at least an in-ring standpoint, but there’s no way of defending this up-to-this-point failure. They’ve turned Brock Lesnar into just another heel on the roster, one that loses to the top star, hides, and then runs away after losing a fight. Vader wasn’t even this poorly booked during his WWE run. There’s an ever so slightly possibly this Lesnar situation being fixed, and the only solution that might fix it is if Lesnar practically kills Triple H to the point where he’s taken by ambulance out of the building or the match is 70-80 percent Lesnar. But I hardly doubt they’d ever do that…..because how could Triple H’s credibility ever recover from that!? Most likely, what they’ll end doing (even if Lesnar does win, which is still up in the air at this point) is having Lesnar win via Heyman, which means they’re booking him even more as paint-by-the-numbers heel (when he should be extremely more superior than that).