How would 2001 have played out if there was no Invasion?

[Pinc]

So obviously 'how would you have booked the Invasion?' is the most discussed counter-factual on the wrestling internet, but I was out walking around today thinking about WWF 2000 and what a shame it was that the Invasion ruined the roll they were on. It got me wondering about a different hypothetical which I can't remember seeing discussed on here before. Where do you think the WWF was heading if both WCW and ECW had stayed in business, and the WWF had stuck to their original plans for 2001 after Mania X7?

The medium-term plan from the night after X7 seems to have been for Austin and Triple H's Mega Powers angle to carry them through the Spring/Summer while Rock was away. It would've been very strange if Rock did anything but come for Austin upon his return, so it's a little difficult to work out how the original Austin and Triple H angle was meant to play out in only four months (assuming Rock still came back in the run up to SummerSlam). They'd probably have double dated with Jericho and Benoit at King of the Ring like they'd been doing with Taker and Kane at Backlash/Judgment Day. Does that mean the Mega Powers Explode at King of the Ring and we get Austin vs (babyface?) Triple H at Fully Loaded (which is never renamed InVasion)? And then Austin moves straight on to Rock for SummerSlam? That all feels way too rushed, so do they stay together as a pair until after Rock gets back?

Away from the title picture it was an interesting year for a bunch of other talent too. Does a lighter roster mean Chris Benoit gets elevated a few years earlier? Is Rikishi's comeback late in the year a bigger deal, and would he have still been an upper card heel if the world hadn't changed by the time he got back? Were there any other talents who were due a big push until the Invasion sucked up all the creative oxygen? Do their ratings still slide the way they did in real life? Do they still bottle out of the Austin heel turn by years' end or does Steve stay a baddy into X8? What do yous reckon?

[air_raid]

Not to be that guy, but Team Chris vs Austin & HHH and Hunters injury is likely to have been fated to happen whether the WCW invasion was also going on or not so how it would have played out is a different question to what the plan was.

In terms of the plan, it’s been acknowledged that had Benoit not gone on the bench injured in the TLC3 match that only happened because HHH got injured - precipitating a massive rewrite of that episode of SmackDown - that KOTR would have happened with Austin v Jericho for the belt and Benoit v HHH. Something to occur in one of those matches would have continued the friction between Austin and HHH that was already a month old, so I’m not sure they’d have delayed them having a match any later than SummerSlam. The most obvious way to get there would be a four-way for the belt at Fully Loaded with Austin v HHH v Jericho v Benoit where are at Vinces urging they’re supposed to work together to keep the title on Austin but fall out at the end.

Beyond that, I have no idea. Hunter turning face gives him an excuse to have another run with Angle only slightly earlier than they did meet (No Way Out 2002) but even with Austin a heel you start to run into “everyone’s worked everyone” territory if you have him go through Taker & Kane, Jericho, Benoit and HHH by Unforgiven or so. That roll they were on which you refer to rolled nicely to WM17 but that was the Season Finale of pro wrestling and there weren’t many places to go thereafter without an influx of new talent.

I suppose if you’ve turned Steve Austin heel with Rock leaving for a while, the obvious thing to plan for would be Austin v Rock 3 for Mania 18 with hero Rocky avenging three Mania defeats in a row to win the belt back, if you can’t know that he’ll be leaving again. Which probably leaves HHH with Angle unless you stumble into a new heel for Hunter to fight, or turn him back again. Which is considerably more likely.

Edited November 13, 2021 by air_raid

[IANdrewDiceClay]

You know, take away the Invasion thing, and its probably not much difference. Austin only worked with WWF regulars anyway. Undertaker, Benoit, Jericho, Angle, Rock etc. At the top of the card they could have just done the same stuff.

I suppose the only change you have is maybe K-Kwick would have done a bit better had the midcard not been crowded.

[air_raid]

5 hours ago, IANdrewDiceClay said:

I suppose the only change you have is maybe K-Kwick would have done a bit better had the midcard not been crowded.

I remember the WWF Magazine pushing pre-debut that K-Krush was going to be a serious bad guy. Funny.

Still waiting on Scott Vick, Reckless Youth and for Ron Waterman to get the Lesnar push.

[tiger_rick]

I still think ECW going bang is inevitable so the only freshness I can imagine in the WWF is RVD arriving and getting over. Perhaps Jeff Hardy also climbs up the card without that massive influx of talent, though Trips had already been a cunt to him early in 2001.

It's hard to see beyond another interminable Austin/HHH feud perhaps with them finally doing that Triple Threat with The Rock. Jericho and Benoit would have been the placeholders in the meantime but they weren't committing to them, nor Angle, Hardy, RVD or anyone.

I don't actually see it being that different beyond the Invasion period.

If WCW hung around, I imagine they still need to cut costs massively so I think people like Hogan, Nash and Hall come in around 2002 anyway and we still get that nostalgia era. Lack of WCW trademarks would at least have spared us the WWE nWo.

[sivy]

I think it would of been interesting to see what would of happened to guys like rhyno or Raven. Raven was starting to get some decent TV time after mania. Then once he joined the alliance he was just another guy