After a few weeks of storyline progression, The WWF had one of their biggest selling non-mania pay per view buy rates of all time, as WCW went up against WWF. The idea was simple. It was their guys against ours. I remember reading an article as a kid where the author was pitting the WWF champion against the WCW champion, and the Intercontinental champion against the Television champion. Well it was here.

It so happened that ECW folded during the same time period as WWF and Vince scooped them too. The WWF were being invaded by WCW and WWE in the storylines led by Steph and Shane.

The only problem was that they did it so so wrong.

The storyline was hot, but it wasn’t legendary. But the main let down for me was the pay per view itself. Representing the WWF in the main event on July 22, 2001 were:

• Steve Austin
• Kurt Angle
• Chris Jericho
• The Undertaker
• Kane

No real problem there. Although Austin and Jericho made a name for themselves in WCW, they became real stars in the WWF. Angle and Kane debuted and stayed with Vince for their entire careers, and other than a small run in WCW, The Undertaker is WWF through and through.

The problem I had was with the WCW / ECW team. They were:

• Booker T
• Diamond Dallas Page
• Rhyno
• The Dudley Boyz

The Dudleys had an awesome first year with the WWF in 2000 and were bona fide WWF stars by then so although they did a lot with ECW, they seemed to be there because they could fill a massively obvious hole that was left when Sting and Goldberg couldn’t or wouldn’t jump to the WWF.

The wrestlers at WCW had a lot of leverage with their contracts with WCW and Ted Turners cheque book. A lot of the wrestlers had the option of sitting out the remainder of their WCW contracts instead of being released from them and being free to wrestle elsewhere. The two people that symbolised WCW the most at the time, and possible ever, were Sting and Goldberg.

July 2001 was good, but it just didn’t feel like a true WWF vs WCW/ECW war without them.

WWF Invasion 1992 Video US $5.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday Jul-05-2009 21:10:58 PDT Bid on this Item   | Watch this Item

In what was probably a plea for people like me to write about, he mentioned that he would like to fight Fedor.

“I feel sorry for the person they have me fight, but I do need one warm-up fight. I managed to come off a huge back surgery. It’s been a year since I’ve competed. I think one warm-up fight to get things going. After that, I don’t want no more warm-up fights. I’m hoping by my fourth fight, possibly fight Fedor Emelianenko at a catchweight. That’d be something that I’m looking forward to possibly by the middle of next year.”

In my own personal opinion, the fight will never happen and if it did, Ortiz would get destroyed.

After a few minutes of show boating and interacting with the crowd, Edge threw Jeff Hardy to the turnbuckle and charged at him. He immediately went down holding his leg and the referee stopped the match. Edge said “Sorry” to the fans in San Diego as he was being helped backstage.

There is, as always, a chance that this could be a kayfabe injury, but any storyline progressions usually happen on TV. WWE haven’t released a statement on their website yet.

The set has a release date of August 25, 2009

Documentary chapters:

Jim Crockett Promotions
Georgia Championship Wrestling
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Black Saturday
The Expansion
Crockett Sells to Turner
Greatest Talent in the World
New Management
Bill Watts Era
Bill Shaw Hires Eric Bischoff
Hulk Hogan Arrives
Nitro Debuts
nWo
Cruiserweights
Goldberg
WCW Ratings Champ
Celebrities
Goldberg vs. Hogan
Mistakes Begin
Vince Russo
A Corporate Merger
McMahon buys WCW
Legacy of WCW

Bonus features:

• Lost in Cleveland (Cactus Jack vignette)
• Bill Watts Defends Himself
• Spam Man
• The Origin of Goldberg
• Bischoff Gives Away RAW Results

Matches:

$1,000 Challenge Match
Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A.
NWA World Championship Wrestling – June 15, 1985

Sting, Lex Luger & Barry Windham vs. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (w/ JJ Dillon)
The Main Event – April 3, 1988

United States Championship Match
Dusty Rhodes vs. Barry Windham
Great American Bash – July 10, 1988

NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match
Ric Flair vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat
Chi-Town Rumble – February 20, 1989

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express
Wrestle War – February 25, 1990

NWA United States Tag Team Championship Match
The Midnight Express vs. The Southern Boys
Great American Bash – July 7, 1990

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Steiner Brothers vs. Sting & Lex Luger
SuperBrawl – May 19, 1991

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sting vs. Big Van Vader
Great American Bash – July 12, 1992

WCW International World Heavyweight Championship Match
Rick Rude vs. Sting
Spring Stampede – April 17, 1994

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan
Bash at the Beach – July 17, 1994

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Ric Flair vs. The Giant
Nitro – April 29, 1996

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Dean Malenko
Clash of the Champions XXXIII – August 15, 1996

War Games Match
Team WCW- Sting, Lex Luger, Ric Fair & Arn Anderson vs. Team n.W.o.- Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall & a Mystery Partner
Fall Brawl – September 15, 1996

United States Championship Ladder Match
Syxx vs. Eddie Guerrero
Souled Out – January 25, 1997

United States Championship No Disqualification Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
Uncensored – March 16, 1997

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Title vs. Mask Match
Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera
SuperBrawl VIII – February 22, 1998

WCW Unified World Tag Team Championship Match
The Steiner Brothers vs. The Outsiders
SuperBrawl VIII – February 22, 1998

Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan & Dennis Rodman
Bash at the Beach – July 12, 1998

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Halloween Havoc – October 25, 1998

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Booker T vs. Lance Storm
Nitro – August 7, 2000

“I know Michael attended live UFC events a few times in the past. You know we lost a great ambassador for the sport and he truly help the sport grow, so offering a tribute is the least we can do.” – Dana White

White then announced a special post fight ceremony to be held where Michael Jackson will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

“I know the hall of fame is more for the fighters, but Michael helped the sport grow so I think we can make an exception in this one instance.”

Piper’s bail was set at $5000 and he will have to appear in court later this month.

This story pissed me off a little bit because Piper* had recently spoke about the number of deaths in the pro wrestling industry. He spoke to a UK reporter stating:

“Thinking about the friends, the brothers I’ve lost, makes me feel lonesome. I lived with these guys, literally.
“I wonder why no-one on the outside catches on to what’s happening? I guess it’s because they don’t care.”

So drinking and driving is a good way to set an example for the wrestling business is it Roddy? You’re a Hall of Fame (for what that’s worth) Megastar, you need to be one of those rare wrestling success stories and set an example to the younger guys in the business, not driving around drunk.

It is thought that Vince is trying to get him back for a further program after the success with the Jerico angle, maybe he will re think his plans now!