WWF Invasion 2001 Review | Wrestling With Wregret

It's finally time for me to review the Invasion PPV, 20 years later!
06:07 Edge & Christian vs. Lance Storm & Mike Awesome
08:10 Nick Patrick vs. Earl Hebner
09:45 APA vs. Sean O'Haire & Chuck Palumbo
11:31 X-Pac vs. Billy Kidman
13:43 Raven vs. William Regal
14:41 Big Show, Billy Gunn & Albert vs. Shawn Stasiak, Kanyon & Hugh Morris
15:55 Tazz vs. Tajiri
17:10 Hardcore Championship: Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam
19:12 Bra & Panties Tag Team Match: Stacy Keibler & Torrie Wilson vs. Trish Stratus & Lita
21:10 Inaugural Brawl: Team WWF vs. Team WCW/ECW
25:24 Final Thoughts
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[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

The referee match was so fake, everyone knows that after taking a bump the referee is knocked down and it takes forever to recover

[@TakerKaneanite619]

They must have ate their Vitamins and said their prayers.

[@Couldbedumber]

Only when hit by active competitors, think of wrestlers as fire type and refs are grass type, grass type is ineffective against itself

[@CheezusChrist1776]

Earl Hebner isn't your average referee. Just ask the Game-uhh

[@DasNordlicht91]

Referees are only weak when they’re officiating. If they’re in a match, they become somewhat powerful. In which case, Mick Foley probably would’ve gotten KO’d for five minutes if he got attacked during the match.

[@ichigome5554]

All the bumps in that match were ref bumps.

[@dasstu]

Imagine if Patrick vs Hebner began with a big brawl. Everyone throws a punch, and then it’s just Mick Foley standing in a ring full of dead refs for six minutes.

[@NightYoshi]

That would be the greatest match ever. I so wanna see that now lol.

[@lysergicpillamyd483]

Can someone book this?

[@enigmaskull3495]

Refamania

[@johnalbent]

The flying elbow from the ref on the outside was epic!

[@1412JD]

Or if Foley takes a bump and plays dead for 10 minutes

[@theshyguygaming]

If there's a benefit to this situation, it's that Paul Heyman got himself out of debt.

[@djgaben6187]

To be fair, wwe did pay off Heyman's debt when he signed on.

[@eastsidereviews727]

Paul Heyman really is the big winner in all of this. That and he never had to pay for any music rights.

[@davisenas9949]

BRO! If you go into detail on how that was all possible, that man should be in JAIL. Is he a scumbag? YES, is he also a genius? FUCK YES! There needs to be a movie about that whole situation alone one day.

[@lobonegron5068]

Paul Heyman should be in witness protection for how many people he screwed over.

[@lutherheggs451]

@@davisenas9949 LMFAO he is in no universe a genius....A genius wouldn't have screwed over all the talent and drove a company into the ground...A company that had been getting support from WWF at that and he still ran it into the ground...There was nothing innovative or genius about letting anyone with a passion for wrestling wrestle. There was nothing innovative or genius about letting your whole roster do all of their stupid crap, gee wonder why half to three quarters of the roster is dead..Oh thats right because they were allowed to do anything.

[@TheChrisHype]

I don’t know why, but Brian cutting off Vince and Jericho’s “Never EVER be the same a-“ made me laugh way harder then it should have.

[@giarichards8379]

I literally spat out my dinner. That’s why I should never eat watching these videos. 😭😂

[@KakashiRinObito14]

fucking brian man now i have to search for the clip myself 😂

[@aztecwrrior1997]

I felt robbed

[@sharkasattack7794]

With a dry, cool wit like that I could…

[@Rudy04]

You joke, but that Fred Blassie standing up moment is bad ass

[@evolvedcopper2205]

I was not yet a fan of wrasslin but seeing it in clips as I got older I popped for it

[@BringSomeNoise]

“What if they’d waited ONE WEEK until they were in Atlanta to do Booker v Bagwell?” is one of the great What Ifs of wrestling. Sure, the match would still have been bad, but the crowd would likely have been a lot more forgiving.

[@jackcarraway4707]

The match wasn't even that bad; the completely uninterested Tacoma crowd is what made it infamous. Meanwhile, Raw was in ATLANTA FUCKING GEORGIA the following week.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

@@jackcarraway4707 And every time, they've gone to Tacoma, that crowd has always been uninterested.

[@davisbowe8668]

@@jackcarraway4707 Yeah I don't get why people say the match was bad. I mean, the match wasn't great but it was hardly the worst match they've ever had on Raw.

[@maxmeza4859]

Nothing wouldve happened smark,lmao

[@jackcarraway4707]

@@davisbowe8668 That title belong to THAT Jackie Gayda match.

[@CDpanda365]

"Hurry. Hurry!" "The Last Ride...The Last Ride!" "The Undertaker....is a great WWF Superstar." Thanks for making me relive that every time you call The Last Ride lmao

[@enigmaskull3495]

“Undertaker…won the match!”

[@eazyd]

This SINGLES MATCH is good.

[@davidhall6464]

This 'special match' is great!

[@DenniDownBad]

Can I just say that the cgi intro to Just Bring It! was amazing to look at? It also bamboozled me completely

[@eyeguydojima7131]

@@DenniDownBad Speaking of games that came out around that time, it amazes me how well Tekken Tag Tournament has aged. Like that game still looks pretty good!

[@AJTRIP20]

Jericho said that when he first came to WWE he was given a match with X-Pac to see how good he was. Because if you couldn't have a good match with Pac you couldn't work. I guess this was Kidman's turn.

[@jb888888888]

But how did they test Sean Waltman then?

[@jb888888888]

@Joe15 24 But if going up against Waltman/Kid/X-Pac is the test, how do you test the test?

[@Yeeter5]

@@jb888888888 Test would be the test

[@stevenreid2571]

Who watches the watchmen???

[@jb888888888]

@@stevenreid2571 Not me, I don't have HBO.

[@vahalo2886]

Fun fact: The Invasion ramp wasnt properly set up until the Refs match, it's why Team Canada didnt get an entrance and the matches from Heat had to cut to the ring when the lads were walking on the ramp

[@The_Chocolate_One]

Yo! Man, can we just take note of how much longevity R-Truth/K-Kwik has? Man was in the Invasion storyline and is still doing his thing today in 2021.

[@clintstewart5545]

2024 and he is still relevant , about to have another Wrestlemania match

[@bigfatmel74]

​@@clintstewart5545the Truth is timeless

[@redbigun]

Brian: "We're officially underway with my look at the Invasion storyline..." Me: "Don't say it." Brian: "20 years later..." Me: *Feels old instantly* *sighs*

[@aceisking]

Invasion storyline was my don't say it

[@gatchywatchyentertainmentb2090]

@@aceiskingHA!

[@thomasberry4486]

Partial correction: Austin has gone on record saying that he always preferred working heel; however, he regretted turning heel after he was super over with the crowd.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Vince: why did you betrayed the wwf Stone cold: you made me do this Vince: what the hell are you saying Stone: you said that you wanted the old Stone cold back, so I went naco to screw your life again

[@CamaroAmx]

More like in real life: Vince: Austin. I want to move to the alliance storyline. Austin: Why? Vince: I want star power in the alliance. I don’t think many WWE long time fans know the alliance guys. Nobody is a big enough draw to keep fans interested. Austin: Ok, I guess. Who am I going up against? Vince: Angle and big show. Austin: so what’s the big difference from a year ago? It’s the same feud just buried with this alliance storyline. Vince: I know. But the fans will think it’s new and fresh because of the alliance. Besides, no one has any idea what to do with all these new wrestlers who’s contracts I got saddled with. Don’t worry, in 6 months most of these wrestlers contracts will be expired and we wean down the roster to a more manageable number and then we can go back the way it was. We have an extra 25 or so guys. Maybe 2 or 3 will get over and the rest can be moved down the card or released. Plus look at it this way, fans don’t exactly have a viable alternative right now. Then again, it’s not like these new wrestlers have any other place to go where their going to make the kind of Money they do here.

[@awzthemusicalreviews]

"This self-promoted conflict that you've backed yourself into" When you say it like that, it sounds like WW1 images would've been more appropriate

[@PierzStyx]

That makes it sound like all the major players in WWI *didn't* want to go to war when they really did. You can find comments from European leaders decades before justifying colonialism by saying they would need all the men and resources from the colonies for the inevitable coming conflict between the European nations to prove who was the true world power.

[@awzthemusicalreviews]

@@PierzStyx oh, no doubt. But my point was that the tensions and ensuing chaos didn't exactly appear out of thin air after Franz Ferdinand got shot. Plus, I think Russia can be the most accurate analogy to the joke, since joining WW1 after not learning anything from the Russo-Japanese War was essentially Nicky shooting himself in the foot Edit: Also, the Ottomans. It can be said that they backed themselves into an unwinnable situation, I think lol

[@speedcola4378]

LOL

[@carlosdanger127]

Europe worked itself into a shoot brother

[@branthall1787]

@@awzthemusicalreviews The Ottoman Empire was basically the UK now. A former superpower convinced that it hasn't fallen from grace despite the rest of the world being able to see clearly what they themselves could not.

[@MrLewisTan]

Tajiri is pretty underrated. I really don't recall many of his matches in these reviews. His buzz saw was vicious

[@kenterminateddq5311]

4:12 I never thought that Zane would bring up Jerry Lynn while talkin' about the Invasion storyline because I thought he got released or just sat home while being on contract during the Invasion. It's a shame cause it would have been really sweet to see Jerry Lynn & Rob Van Dam as teammates or in a storyline together in WWE because of their beloved rivalry in ECW.

[@nexusgiga]

God I need this so badly

[@andresgc770]

IIRC, RVD and Jerry Lynn had a match on Heat during the early months of the Invasion angle, and it apparently was pretty well-received. But then the WWF chopped it down to 8 minutes (with most of Lynn's offense getting edited out), presumably so they could show more Raw/SD recaps and scenes from WWF New York...

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@andresgc770 is it on KZbin or Network?

[@andresgc770]

@@kenterminateddq5311 I feel like I've seen it on KZbin, but you know how those vides sometimes get removed due to copyright. Might still be here or on Dailymotion, though! (It's definitely not on the Network, as the last Heat episode they uploaded was from 1999.)

[@lewisaino]

If they wanted somebody important why not use Lynn

[@johnnypowerup8019]

That pop for "The Old Stone Cold" was massive. It's too bad they didn't run with Austin as the top baby face here at this time. I think I've heard JR describe how he was against the heel turn, and tried to convince Vince to keep Austin babyface. Vince would reply, "We owe it to him to try. He wants to do it."

[@CheezusChrist1776]

I think you may be conflating the original turn after Mania and the turn here. Mania was done because of Austin but I'm fairly certain the Invasion turn was just done out necessity with such a glaring lack of stars for the alliance

[@pdawg193]

I actually believe that Austin was really playing Triple H's role since Triple H was out with a torn quad.

[@jonathanmagee2831]

But lets imagine if "The Old Stone Cold " didn't help the WWF and the turn was done that night instead where he attacks all the WWF guys.

[@CheezusChrist1776]

@@jonathanmagee2831 it was literally the go home angle for the ppv (highest non-Mania ppv ever) and I'd say a very healthy percentage of ppv buys were people who wanted to once again see "The Old Stone Cold"

[@jonathanmagee2831]

@@CheezusChrist1776 I get that but hypothetically how different would things have played out had the turn happened on the go home show.

[@DAStephens]

Hebner vs Patrick is a 5 star classic. Still the only match I’d rewatch from the InVasion.

[@Brendan7001]

You're a 5 star classic. I love you.

[@giarichards8379]

Bra and panties is a close runner-up. 🤟

[@pmoneygetter]

Certified Match of the night lol 😂

[@aaronlishus897]

It was pretty entertaining! That and The Trish/Lita/Torrie/Stacy Tag Team match.

[@eyeguydojima7131]

It puts Bret and Shawn to shame! lol

[@SteelyDanzig]

WWF made a huge mistake not buying out a least a couple of those big Turner contracts. Austin vs. Goldberg and Undertaker vs. Sting would've paid for themselves twice over in 2001.

[@hectorrico8661]

Goldberg would have been better off feuding with Big Show instead of HHH. Big Show said Undertaker retrained him. Groomed him, and it shows. I always wanted Bret Hart and Sting to have a best 2 out of 3 matches. The same ways Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat did in the 80s.

[@1krani]

I would've liked to see Austin vs. Scott Steiner. Both brawlers, both trash talkers, some people have called Scott Steiner the R-Rated version of Steve Austin. Plus, unlike Triple H, Austin wasn't an insecure egotist.

[@SteelyDanzig]

@@1krani I think you're giving him a bit too much credit calling Austin "not an insecure egotist". There's a reason we didn't get Austin vs. Hogan at WrestleMania X8

[@1krani]

@@SteelyDanzig We didn't get that match because Austin correctly predicted what went down: Hogan got all the face reactions no matter what Rock did and Austin didn't want to be forced to work a heel match when he was supposed to be a face. Being protective of your character and your business is not the same thing as being insecure. Keep in mind this was after 2001, when Austin already got burned by TWO lackluster heel turns and likely didn't want to shoulder a third one, least of all due to a crowd reaction. Also, Hogan was a backstage politicker himself, which likely contributed to Austin's decision. Meanwhile, Scott got by on his talent, his mic skills, and the fact no one wanted to mess with him.

[@hectorrico8661]

@@SteelyDanzigThat would have sucked. Hogan has no ring psychology, just a song and dance like Ric Flair. Austin was so injured all he could do is stomp and punch. No matter how they disected it Hogan wanted to win it all cheesy.

[@gatorsfan4ever]

Who here remembers when Brian, Grimm, and a pair of adams did their own invasion angle? Pepperidge Farms remembers

[@starhunter9085]

*I watch that video all the time.*

[@michaelrivera8360]

I member a good ol times

[@garretindall2820]

I also remember 🤟🏽🤘🏾

[@kiashangovender5221]

That's what I thought of when I got the notification for this video

[@mohdhazim3704]

I remember it

[@jaycerrito3142]

15:27 I only remember Big Show having the Alleyoop as a finisher in SmackDown Just Bring It. I can tell it was short-lived

[@fattiger6957]

I completely forgot about that until this video. Good thing he didn't stick with it. It was a super weak looking finisher.

[@sbz88]

Even when he was supposed to be the heel, RVD still got massive pops from the crowd.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Stacy and torrie: we have better bodies than lita and Trish Also Stacy and Torrie: we are ashamed because we are in our bra and panties

[@FIXTREME]

Even more so Stacy and *Torrie* : We are wastes of money providing horrible matches to the various shows/PPV's.

[@EmmaBonn96]

Having better bodies and choosing to show them is different from being forcibly stripped. The difference is consent

[@residentelect]

@Semaj I'd pretty much lost interest in WCW by late '99/early 2000, until one night after work I was half-heartedly watching a Nitro rerun and saw Miss Hancock's (Stacy Keibeler) ring entrance 😳 She was dressed in the business suit, miniskirt and heels which made her legs look never-ending... I made sure to set the VHS to record _every_ Nitro and Thunder from that point on...

[@deathtowrestling2518]

@@FIXTREME As much money as they both MADE the WWE as legit draws, I'd hardly call them wastes of money. Besides, no sane normal fan watches the women for whether they can wrestle or not.

[@maxdecphoenix]

@@residentelect lol i had a very similar introduction to her. After months of not watching WCW, I flipped over to TNT during a commercial break just to see what they were fucking up now and saw her escort someone to the ring. Unlike you though, she wasn't enough to make me suffer through WCW at that point.

[@JMFabiano]

Jerry Lynn should have given them that new meaning to JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGEMENT DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

[@comixproviderftw_02]

20:56 That Stephanie scream 🤣🤣🤣

[@CSC52698]

Growing up as a kid, it didn't matter whether the storyline was good, or not. As a kid this was awesome, shocking, and new on so many levels.

[@Disneymagic24]

cause you didnt know hardly anything about wrestling and didnt need to. thats what made wrestling fun. just watched, thought it was real, and reacted to it. didnt analyze everything like some expert like everyone does nowadays

[@CSC52698]

@@Disneymagic24 did not have KZbin, or social media posting spoilers. I do know that they had spoilers back then, but I didn't know anything about it.

[@ryankeefe6222]

💯 agree as a kid seeing wcw and wwf (I at the time wasn’t that familiar with ECW because I was steered away from watching it) going at it was awesome it wasn’t until later I realized what a missed opportunity it was

[@blueweegie6541]

@Awesome Sauce I didnt watch it during the good times of nwo but in the dying days I did n seeing all these wrestlers invade was amazing to me for that reason. So the guys I saw on wcw where the guys I saw invading kind of thing

[@CSC52698]

@Awesome Sauce I started watching in '97. Started off with WCW. Didn't watch WWE until 2000. I would watch Nitro until 9, and then it was time to turn the channel. Of course I wanted guys like Goldberg, and Sting to appear at first, but I didn't know anything about what went down backstage.

[@daoust26]

Mike awesome was criminally underrated. He could’ve been a huge star in wwe before lesnar showed up.

[@fattiger6957]

WCW had already massively devalued him with Russo's terrible gimmicks.

[@robertstuart480]

I'm going to post a bold take. "Invasion" was actually a good PPV. The rest of the storyline after that was a trainwreck.

[@UncledadBFD]

The evidence is there

[@Brendan7001]

I'm going to post a bold take. "You" are actually a good person. I love you.

[@ryankeefe6222]

Top to bottom a good show even the ref match and the bra and panties match were at least entertaining

[@1krani]

@Joe15 24 WWF didn't offer them enough money, I guess. They were getting paid to sit at home and do nothing. As Scott himself said, the alternative was getting paid the same amount to get beaten up every night.

[@TheMaxxAwesome]

@Joe15 24 Steiner was still nursing some injuries too. I think he was still suffering from Dropfoot even when he was eventually brought into WWE.

[@monkeyman5866]

"Then things begin to fall off the rails pretty quick." I'm pretty sure that's WWE's corporate mission statement.

[@aaronlishus897]

"Then. Now. Forever."

[@tvolution1]

Booking wise it probably didn’t make sense, but that Austin turn at the end still gets the emotions going. Let’s also praise the guy with the sign at the end who predicted that Austin would screw WWF.

[@toptenguy1]

Well.. McMahon begged for the "Old Stone Cold" to come back.. What would the Old Stone Cold do? OPPOSE VINCE MCMAHON. :)

[@jonathancampbell5231]

It made sense because The Rock was coming back and The Alliance didn't have any heel who could counterweight him. Giving Team WWE both of the top babyfaces would just have made the other side look even weaker than they did.

[@lewisaino]

I always thought it was going to be Y2J

[@jonathancampbell5231]

@@lewisaino Y2J should have joined The Alliance, along with Big Show. At least then it would be led by guys who were big in WCW at one point.

[@CamaroAmx]

I think wwe wanted Austin as part of the alliance to bring legitimacy to the stable and also to have a big star in it. It’s the same reason why they added big show and angle to the ECW roster when they revived the brand. But just like that idea, it took away from the actual WCW/ECW wrestlers who ended up being in supporting roles at best. The story stopped being about WCW/ECW vs WWE and more like Austin vs the rest of the top WWE guys with the alliance being more like lackeys to Austin. And Austin being in the alliance never seemed like the right fit. Same with WWE guys being on ECW. And because of their addition, it became the same as RAW or Smackdown.

[@moopert86]

So glad you speak so highly of the RBD Hardy match here. This is a match I love that is not spoken about enough.

[@Michael-gc4bt]

Looking back at the invasion PPV 20 years later …. 20 YEARS LATER ….. 20!!!! Years!!! Later!!! God that hit me right in the feels 😆 I remember watching this, feel way too old now. Great video as always :)

[@MarkWhiley]

Never quite understood why they did that whole thing with Big Show not joining with Shane at Backlash 2001 and then relegated Show to do basically nothing in the Invasion storyline. They seemingly wanted to cross off any obvious defectors to WCW but then they were worried about not having enough star power and moved Austin over. Show could've been utilised much more as a heel in the Alliance faction, with WCW credibility, than he was with the WWF grouping. There was also Show's history in The Corporation to go off of.

[@DBecks09]

Exactly they could have turned some guys like Big Show or Jericho to give the alliance some boost in star power.

[@gabepollock1641]

@@DBecks09Show and Jericho would’ve been good defections. Austin’s whole heel run in ‘01 was a mess, and even if you go with “he worked for WCW and ECW”, he left the former acrimoniously and the latter was a stopover before he could officially start with the WWF. There’s no sense to having Austin there other than him already being heel-aligned. If HHH hadn’t blown his quad, that’s probably gonna be his spot, with Stephanie on the other side. Turning Show, Jericho, and HHH would’ve done more and made more sense.

[@PierzStyx]

I think that the Stone Cold heel turn made storyline sense. They wanted the Old Stone Cold and that is what they got, the Old Stone Cold hates Vince more than anything. But you're right that given the crowd reactions what they should have done is keep Stone Cold face and turn someone else heel to double cross the WWF team. Looking back having Angle take over that role might have worked well.

[@lewisaino]

I always thought if it was Y2J then it would be more worthwhile.

[@goldenarms36]

i think the crowd were into the RVD vs Jeff Hardy match cause it had that ECW feel

[@DasNordlicht91]

That “Old Stone Cold” pop rivals the one from the 1/4/99 Raw and from Backlash 2000.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

That’s the holy trinity of Stone Cold pops

[@davidhall6464]

What about when Foley won the title on Raw?

[@DasNordlicht91]

@@davidhall6464 That's the 1/4/99 Raw pop I was referring to. :)

[@dtcarpediem]

I try to show the video from KZbin to others that either aren’t wrestling fans (so I’m trying to show them moments that stick out to us diehard fans) or folks that are too young and didn’t grow up during this time (I’m 38 and hell I was 18 when this happened………Damn I feel old 😂). Anyway when I try to show it to them it’s really hard to explain just how awesome that moment was seeing it live along with the build up. It’s cool seeing Stone Cold reach his final form of pure badass, but I feel like that moment needs to be seen along with the buildup and maybe even before that to full appreciate everything that happened 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤘🏾🤘🏾.

[@ericgrubbs6818]

I was at this PPV. That Jeff Hardy/RVD match was amazing. The crowd was going nuts and I still can think back to being there live. Man what a great memory. On a side note, in my opinion. Chuck Palumbo was such a good talent, sad WWE wasted him with the Billy and Chuck gimmick.

[@m.d.1395]

Is there another KZbinr I trust with such a retrospective? In my mind, nope. Wrestling with Wregret, let's get it!

[@robchuk4136]

Current WWE has made me nostalgic for Bra and Panties matches at this point.

[@ZackGoller]

Even though the heel turn by Austin at the end doesn't make a lick of sense in hindsight... Can't help but admire how Jim Ross sold that. So incredible. Nice review, Brian!

[@TheFishingNomad]

The first PPV I ever watched. Back then I thought it couldn't be better. Looking back I now know how much better it could've been.

[@timbartschwolfman]

Paul Heyman--"The Fight is on The Fight is on" Jim Ross-"My God The Battlelines have been Drawn"

[@awzthemusicalreviews]

A Commentary Team Called Quest

[@timbartschwolfman]

@@awzthemusicalreviews ?

[@awzthemusicalreviews]

@@timbartschwolfman ignore me lol just a stupid joke about how that rhymes

[@majintv24]

I get it.

[@ymd2516]

“Stephanie just shrieks at the end” Stephanie : “YEAHHHHHHHH!!!! YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!” I was howling at that 😂 😂 😂

[@amysmileyreid95]

RVD vs Jeff Hardy. That is all.

[@jcace13]

The only matches a young me remembered from this show were RVD and Jeff Hardy for them being so awesome and that women's tag for obvious reasons.

[@Dr.Quarex]

I was always an Albert fan and even I had the same puzzled reaction as you to him coming out as Intercontinental Champion

[@micshork]

One of the biggest missed opportunities in Professional Wrestling History. Adam from Whatculture did a pretty great version of he had booked it. They should have bought out the WCW contracts.

[@kevinlee9929]

Not 1 of. THE biggest missed opportunity.

[@robbiesilverwolf]

You sure all of them would of accepted the buy out when the alternative was sitting at home getting a pay check instead of doing a wwe road schedule? In Triple H own words Goldberg would sit out when he had a hang nail

[@CreationsVibration]

WHO BETTER THAN KANYON?!

[@Undertakerlover1306]

EVERYBODY

[@rometime9791]

A lot of anti depression pills

[@hulkhogan4203]

Damn few

[@ShawnSandiego]

@@rometime9791 No. Bad Rome Time. Bad. 😒

[@Terrythetroll.]

NOBODY!!!

[@tun-tunninc.6492]

I'll admit. I only ordered this PPV for Stacy/Torrie v. Trish/Lita

[@hothotheat3000]

Nothing to be ashamed of.

[@Obscusion2]

I don't remember if it got brought up in commentary, but putting Rhyno into the Inaugural Brawl was actually really clever, since he was the final ECW World & TV Champion, so that way all three promotions had their respective World Champions (& secondary champs, for WCW & ECW) in the match. I also think this was Rhyno's only time in a PPV main event in WWF/E, and I wouldn't be surprised if Paul Heyman pushed to have Rhyno in that spot because of what he represented. Overall, though, InVasion was definitely a solid start to the storyline proper, & I definitely know that RVD's match with Jeff here is what made me start to pay attention to him from then on out.

[@ryankeefe6222]

If I remember correctly I’m pretty sure they brought up that he was the last ECW champion during the match on commentary I also remember being 8 at the time and asking my grandfather while we were watching this “if he was the last champion why doesn’t he have a belt”

[@Venemofthe888]

Just a shame rhyno was injured not too long after Summerslam because he could of been a huge player

[@HamanKarn567]

Earl Hebner should have ended the undertaker's streak.

[@nlee4566]

Facts!!!

[@Powelljacob1408]

Funny thing is, Nick Patrick IS a trained wrestler!

[@RoyStantz]

Watching the main event, the guy that I thought was going to turn heel was Jericho, for two reasons. First off, he wore purple tights with barbed wire on them to the ring. They were very similar to the ECW logo at that time, eh? Secondly, Jericho was getting fairly clogged in the midcard with Angle now being pretty much the #1 babyface at the moment. So yes, it would make plenty of sense for Jericho to join the Alliance since he had been screwed over time and time again by Austin and Vince.

[@nexusgiga]

Huh. I didn’t even think about it

[@steveharvey2102]

I always thought Chris was supposed to be the red herring so we would be surprised when it was Austin who turned.

[@disclaimer.imjokin]

Amd he was WCW

[@kitschychris8910]

I would love to see a retrospective on Chris Kanyon. Underrated and underutilized (esp. in WWE)!

[@eastsidereviews727]

I have a feeling the Dark Side of the Ring episode on him is going to be a bummer.

[@Venemofthe888]

He was so underrated and honestly isnt talked about as much as he should. He did a lot of different moves and invented a few. If anyone wants some moves that are a little unique watch his matches

[@KingLex87]

Who Betta Than Kanyon !!!

[@KingLex87]

@@Venemofthe888 he was dubbed The Innovator of Offense for a reason

[@jetblack81]

Yip If WWE ever tries to be lgbtq friendly just show them what happened to Kanyon.

[@youtubeburr]

Jericho’s genuine confusion and then surprise when he realizes vince is saying his catchphrase is an all time moment

[@maxpokebruh27]

I lose it everytime I hear the way Brian says Diamond Cutter.

[@RockNRollHorrorshow]

That RVD vs Jeff match is probably one of my favorite matches of all time. I owned the VHS tape of this show, but I had a weird thing where the audio glitched for the main event and there was no audio at all, so I really have never watched that match in full.

[@adriandowney4394]

This was the last PPV I saw with my uncle before he passed will always be special 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@KingKrakenSports]

First ever PPV I watched as a kid. Been So excited since you announced you were doing this next

[@spiceupyourlife7755]

The whole invasion storyline was another McMahon family drama

[@SonBlackHeart22]

So true which is why I don't care that much about this angle outside of a few good moments this angle was the Mcmahons fighting again for no reason. 😒

[@glennwelsh9784]

Which was a major reason why it sucked.

[@TruthWarriorB88]

Pretty much. 😂😒

[@DasNordlicht91]

And this was just fresh off of even more McMahon family shenanigans for most of 2000 (famously being the focal point of WrestleMania 2000’s main event) and a few months before Invasion with Vince vs. Shane at WrestleMania x7. So, to see what could’ve been a fascinating scenario with invading promotions turn into yet more McMahon drama is a very big disappointment.

[@fattiger6957]

Once or twice would have been fine, but the whole thing dominated storylines for years. Then the next WM's title picture was all about HHH/Steph and turned the champion (Jericho) into an after thought.

[@TheFriendlyWeirdo]

One thing I’ll give the Invasion storyline credit for is that they are trying to make this seem like life and death with all of these people talks and backstage promos by Vince

[@samtromans2252]

Really glad to see this event reviewed, a favourite from when I first got into wrestling. Completely agree with Brian in that they could have kept Stone Cold face without needing to get along with Vince. Great episode as always Brian!

[@universallove7741]

Thank you Brian for bringing back sooo many good memories and feelings while Watching this !! I literally could feel in my body those feeling and emotions I felt Watching this and the overall Time period while watching this video. And love the 2001 series thus far and the continued memories to come

[@glennjoyce7682]

You hit the nail on the head, Brian...this angle should have been long term booking over the course of a year or so

[@Fixxer315]

The Invasion angle represents one of the best lost opportunities in wrestling history. This should have been the kind of angle to sustain the company well in to 2002, much like the nWo did for WCW in 1996-1998. Granted some elements were out of WWF's control, such as major WCW players being unavailable. However, they really blew it on just about every level, staring with the introduction of DDP as Sara's stalker (and subsequent beatdown by UT). But where it was clear this angle was going off the rails was the rushing of the storyline. The introduction of RVD and Dreamer, along with the emergence of the ECW stable was great. But they then watered it down by having ECW talent join WCW talent, and then it really went off the rails with the introduction of Stephanie McMahon as the new ECW owner. Essentially, they blew several months of storytelling by doing it all in one night. That night made Vince Russo seem like a patient storyteller. BTW, check out Wrestlecrap's "Rewriting the Book" page, which has a great retelling of the Invasion angle. While not ideal, it told a far more compelling story than what the WWF actually did.

[@zackvanhalen]

I was actually at the Invasion PPV in Cleveland when I was a kid. RVD vs Jeff Hardy stole the show. The rest of it was eh... I had already been to several episodes of Raw from 98-2000 and several house shows during that time, and I even then I thought the Invasion PPV was way less exciting. There was nothing cooler than going to WWF shows in 98/99.

[@G33kCulture]

Thanks for keeping me company tonight, brother. I saved watching this for a night when I could use a pick me up. Hope all is well, great job on ROH.

[@jeffreypridemore100]

I just showed my wife “The old Stone Cold” Raw the other day. She asked what a pop was. I showed her a fuckin pop

[@dbone3356]

Only one bigger that I can remember than when he came down to help Foley beat The Rock for the belt on Raw.

[@jeffreypridemore100]

@@dbone3356 it makes me tear up every time. What a beautiful moment

[@dbone3356]

@@jeffreypridemore100 "That'll put asses in seats". Knowing that just makes it better. I don't blame Tony for doing his job though. I was a huge Mick Foley fan at this time. He was easily up there with Rock and Austin for me.

[@dtcarpediem]

Hell Yea I remember as a young adult (I was 18) “Marking” out huge during that moment. The lead up to him finally losing it, breaking the pool cue and speeding towards the arena to open up not just a can but a whole “grocery store aisle filled with cans of whoop ass” lol. I teared up (for joy) a little too back when it originally happened just at the shear moment of badassness (I know it’s not a word shut up lol) that this was 🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾.

[@dbone3356]

Actually I rewatched this earlier tonight and having just watched the Foley/Rock title change recently as well... I'd have to say the latter pop is better. This one is *louder* not by much. But the other one is more... Explosive? It's more of a pop. This one you knew was coming. The other one was a surprise. It's not that you knew it was coming either, it's how they built up to it. Shot of ring as WWF guys getting beaten down... Fans booing, chanting for Austin, starting to become restless thinking things are doomed as we stay on this for an uncomfortably long time. Cut to outside, more WWF guys getting beat up. But wait. What's this black truck? *fans start to cheer* Austin gets out beats fools with a pool cue, leaving them laying. Back to ring. WWF guys still getting their asses handed to them. Fans still restless. But now, hopeful? Cautiously optimistic? He's back, and kicking ass, but it seems to be too good to be true. Let's not get our hopes up. We've been hurt before. Plus he is still outside. He has to make it in the building before even getting to the ring. A lot could happen to screw this up... Man... We've been watching them get beatdown, waiting for an update for a really lon... Oh. Cut to backstage. WWF guys getting beaten. Well not for long cause... Cause... Austin is gonna... The hell is he? Wasn't he just outside? *door opens* Ohmigawd. It's him. The rattlesnake. Stone cold. More fools getting beaten with a pool cue, one (Chuck Palumbo I think) getting tossed over what looks like a laundry hamper. Austin beats the other guy some more then walks off. Back to the ring. WWF guys getting beaten down. I wonder how far it is from that area to the ring? How long will it ta- *glass break* Really? Couldn't have held off for another 30 seconds? Even another 10-15? Again. Don't get me wrong. It was good. I just feel they blew their load a *bit* too early. So with that in mind, I prefer the Foley/Rock title change pop.

[@GayLatinoBear]

Ok the booking for the Austin heel turn actually does work when you pay attention to KOTR Austin was only a success once he hit WWF but he had his moments in WCW, despite being screwed by older management, and was able to be himself in ECW. When he joined the WWF he turned into something Vince didn't like and despite his success it was a 4 year battle from 1997-2001 kayfabe wise. When Austin finally joined up with Vince it was supposed to be mutual: I keep the title for you but you have to be there for me. When Vince abandoned Austin during the triple threat, when Austin arguably needed him the most, that might've been what did him in

[@adamandanna]

Yeah its a mixed bag. I kind of likened it to the Hogan Turn at the time except we already had Austin turn heel at Mania. I get from that perspective but imagine if they propped up DDP or Booker T instead of burying them as not being Flair or Sting, Yeah those guys didn't sign now put over these guys as a threat

[@KegOfMeat]

Invasion is the highest bought non WrestleMania PPV ever

[@michaelrivera8360]

Because people were interested in it and that is with the Alliance having no big names imagine if Hogan,Nash,Steiner,Flair,Sting,Goldberg etc were in the Invasion

[@Facelessman254]

Out sold even a few wrestlemanias including wrestlemania 19

[@ryankeefe6222]

I still think just the idea of wcw vs wwf is really what sold that show big time

[@JungleBunkRootsMusic2022]

@@michaelrivera8360 It could've been the highest grossing ppv of all time if it had those big wcw stars.

[@fattiger6957]

Even though the story got off to a rough start, people were really excited for it back in the day. I'm sure a lot of those buys came from wrestling fans hoping there would be a surprise debut of some of WCW's main eventers like Nash, Hogan, etc.

[@JustJames83]

This ppv was on C4 in England for free, so good to be reliving these good times Keep up the great work Bryan you are killing it

[@Slick5150]

18:00 The most Ignored PSA ever

[@kevinramsey417]

That Heyman promo on Smackdown before Survivor Series was straight fire though.

[@HPLovecraftsCat87]

Kurt Angles home of the gold promo the next week was the best thing about the Invasion.

[@jordancourtney9142]

Another amazing video, also your work on ring of honor is great!

[@butteryfistful2426]

These reviews are just excellent, great stuff BZ

[@christopherbenoit5585]

Clicked so fast great underrated show just because of what “it could’ve been”

[@indyalmighty]

Whenever I see Taz my mind just goes "NI NU NI NU NI NU NI NU"

[@CheezusChrist1776]

Mine goes straight to "Soupbones Cole"

[@tysheinin8733]

Can of Coke to you, sir!

[@comixproviderftw_02]

All I think of is his AEW commentary

[@BlakOwlEntertainment]

@@comixproviderftw_02 But I digress. 😆

[@technounionrepresentative4274]

Oh my mow

[@leonardlorenz2987]

Long day at work 13 hours come home and find this Thank you brian!!!!

[@dc8rdecoded]

I remember this being of the few Channel 4 PPVs in England, which was free viewing. We normally get Sunday Night Heat, but not that night, so many of us were oblivious to the Scotty/Chavo match and kept saying “It was a tie!” and were confused why Heyman was yelling “6-5” on Raw the following weeks.

[@TheCamSays]

10:30 “MOM, DON’T FORGET TO TAPE CELINE DION: THE CONCERT.”

[@monkeyman5866]

I remember I watched the Bra and Panties match from this show after Randy Orton won the royal rumble a few years ago. It was a really weird palette cleanser.

[@CheezusChrist1776]

"Palette cleanser"

[@blueweegie6541]

@@CheezusChrist1776 why u correcting him? Hes says it the same way

[@CheezusChrist1776]

@@blueweegie6541 more like "mallet cleanser" amiright?

[@mserinquinn]

That ref match is amusing but also a big missed opportunity to have the Hebners do twin magic

[@SpanishFly120]

Earl Hebner vs Nick Patrick may not be a mat classic, but holy shit at that flying forearm Jack Doane hit on the outside during it, lol.

[@Nicky66D]

By the way, if you’re hearing a sound in the background, The Z-Man has his AC on, because he doesn’t want to sweat from the weather he’s in.

[@sunshineholmes3487]

I can second that. I live in northern Nevada like Zane and an AC is a requirement right now.

[@REDACTED9494]

"How do you learn to fall off a 20ft ladder?"

[@carmagician9272]

Even though my favourite years in the wwf were probably 97-99, the amount of talent they had in 2001 is incredible, every wrestler was on fire

[@RhyaOdas]

These classic ppv reviews might be the best thing on KZbin

[@Brendan7001]

And you're the best user on KZbin. I love you.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

Actually the separate tunnels or entrance ramps were used for the bragging rights ppvs

[@DasNordlicht91]

And of course, TNA used it in their glory days, while AEW currently has it for their shows.

[@devonchavis3108]

Royal Rumble 2003 used it as well

[@pygmalionxxx]

Hebner, did you beat up Nick Patrick? “Damn right,I did!”🤣

[@joshuaarthur6043]

What's up bro I appreciate the content reliving classic PPVs brings back a lot good memories keep up the 🔥 work#WRESTLINGWITHWREGRET#SALUTE#W3GANG

[@Pensfan5919]

Of course, as I'm looking to write my own take on this. Oh well, always thankful for new content and for anniversaries like this.

[@jonbourgoin182]

THIS was Austin’s worst heel turn. Screw WM17, this was AWFUL.

[@drewjames2237]

That segment between torrid Wilson and Stacy Keibler launched the women's division staight up my co- I mean the wwe universe atmosphere

[@SaveUsDCS2003]

THE LASSSSST RIDE! That's good shit pal!

[@JM1993951]

I, for one, never hated X-Pac. I do agree that his character got a little stale following his tag team storyline with Kane but I never got tired of seeing him. He always had one of the best matches on any card.

[@KingLex87]

Yeah I didn't get "X-Pac heat" then and I still don't get it now

[@AndyJP]

Was there any story behind why Jerry Lynn wasn't a part of this? He was always awesome to watch!

[@frankf684]

He was released after a knee injury and at the time of this show he was in TNA.

[@michaelsinger4638]

Austin had two failed heel turns during this time.

[@fattiger6957]

I actually kinda liked his heel team with HHH.

[@RobZone300]

@@fattiger6957 the beat downs of The Hardys and Lita instantly sold him as a heel...

[@marmcd2003]

@@fattiger6957 Yeah if Triple H didn't tear his quad I always wonder how it would have panned out. I know it was suppose to lead to Triple H turning face and facing Austin. But I always wonder if Hunter was ever suppose to beat Austin for the World title at the time. I always feel like Angle ended up getting Triple H's push.

[@fattiger6957]

@@marmcd2003 I dunno about the Invasion angle, but IMO had HHH not been injured, he would have been the first Undisputed Champion instead of Jericho. After all, WWE treated Jericho as an afterthought going into WM.

[@marmcd2003]

@@fattiger6957 Well Triple H got hurt in May 2001, Invasion Angle started the same time, you have to think that Triple H would factor into it.

[@MikeStaks]

22:45 the ddpy reference was hilarious lmaooo

[@aotphixion]

yaaaaassssss!!!!! #1 wrestling channel on the tube!