NWA invasion (1998)

[Madagascar Fred]

couldn't find the old thread about it, I wanted your opinions on the NWA invasion led by Jim Cornette in early 1998

Cornette wanted to "revolutionize" wrestling at that time by going old-school (similar to his SMW approach): old titles (NWA World & World Tag Team Titles), old-school wrestlers (Barry Windham, R&R Express), old-school type matches

that stuff just bombed worse than anything I've ever seen...esp. during that time of hardcore attitude, this went over like a fart in the church...boring storylines (Windham turning on Blackjack partner Bradshaw, Headbangers feuding with Rock & Roll Express), the awful introduction of the New Midnight Express (Bodacious Bart and Bombastic Bob IIRC, aka Bart Gunn & Bob Holly, yay!) and Jeff Jarrett in his futuristic spaceship outfit, plus 27 titles around the waist of Dan Severn (IIRC most of em were MMA titles anyway)...man they tried ANYTHING

I'm 100% sure this was all Cornette's idea...man how do you people praise this guy for crap like this?

[horsemen4ever]

What I didn't like they tried to make Tommy Young a heel by enforcing NWA rules in NWA title matches, how dare he enforce the rules.

[Super Nintenjoe KBD]

Loved it.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

I enjoyed it, but it was definitely out-of-place in the Attitude Era.

[Metalheadbanger Man]

Jan 6, 2011 11:05:25 GMT -5 Mighty Attack Tribble said:

I enjoyed it, but it was definitely out-of-place in the Attitude Era.

I think the idea of it was for Cornette to bring "real wrestling" back to the WWF, to counteract the Attitude style. The NWA Invasion was the result of all those vignettes in late '97 where Cornette moaned about the industry.

In the long run, it obviously didn't work. I read somewhere that even Vince had no idea Rock & Roll Express were on his payroll for a while.

[turkeysandwich]

I was a kid at the time, who was obsessed with classic wrestling and renting old tapes, so I "got" all of the NWA references, so I liked it at the time.

That being said, even as a kid I knew it had no chance of getting over. I was always trying to argue with my friends that the WWF was superior to WCW. This was the one time I thought the WWF had reached the point of no return, and would never be the number one wreslting company again.

[MolotovMocktail]

I read it as Cornette heeling it up by giving Attitude fans what they didn't want, but still drawing in enough smarks to side with him, as they agree on his views on what wrestling should be.

The reason it bombed was because aside from guys like the RnR Express and Windham who were past their primes, it was a very small faction as compared to someone like the Alliance, they did not go after anyone significant (Bradshaw was the highest-level guy they feuded with), and the announcers glossed over it on their shows, with everything else going on with Austin etc.

[Stu]

I didn't expect it to revolutionize the industry, but I enjoyed it for what it was. Not every angle can be significant enough to change the business, but they can still be entertaining nonetheless. Plus, it was still unusual at the time for WWE to acknowledge on air other wrestling companies.

[Corporate H]

I just remember being a dumb kid thinking "this isn't the nWo." Wasn't it gone two months later? One of the few times I actually changed the channel to Nitro.

[Deleted]

Jan 6, 2011 12:07:06 GMT -5 Metalheadbanger Man said:

Jan 6, 2011 11:05:25 GMT -5 Mighty Attack Tribble said:

I enjoyed it, but it was definitely out-of-place in the Attitude Era.

I think the idea of it was for Cornette to bring "real wrestling" back to the WWF, to counteract the Attitude style. The NWA Invasion was the result of all those vignettes in late '97 where Cornette moaned about the industry.

In the long run, it obviously didn't work. I read somewhere that even Vince had no idea Rock & Roll Express were on his payroll for a while.

I sort of doubt that because apparently to a quite of few WWE personal Vince McMahon knows everybody's first name on his payroll. From all the wrestlers, to the writers, to the graphic designers, to the guy who sells T-Shirts in the concessions.

[Baixo Astral]

I enjoyed the hell out of it, personally - a lot of people I liked getting a short WWE run.

[Brainbustaaah!]

Jan 6, 2011 14:18:53 GMT -5 @supersweetbotch said:

Jan 6, 2011 12:07:06 GMT -5 Metalheadbanger Man said:

I think the idea of it was for Cornette to bring "real wrestling" back to the WWF, to counteract the Attitude style. The NWA Invasion was the result of all those vignettes in late '97 where Cornette moaned about the industry.

In the long run, it obviously didn't work. I read somewhere that even Vince had no idea Rock & Roll Express were on his payroll for a while.

I sort of doubt that because apparently to a quite of few WWE personal Vince McMahon knows everybody's first name on his payroll. From all the wrestlers, to the writers, to the graphic designers, to the guy who sells T-Shirts in the concessions.

"CONGRATULATIONS LOUIE!"

[Dave at the Movies]

It was an NWO ripoff and Jim Cornette said he hated it and that it was all Russo's idea and that it was designed to fail. Again that is according to Cornette and I'm sure most know that he knows how to talk out of his ass sometimes so take it for what it's worth.

[Jimmy]

I had heard that Russo and McMahon were both high on it at first before it bombed.

[Greer]

I've never seen crowds so dead during the Attitude Era.

I mean come on. Kaientai could get pops. Everybody was over at that time.

If you couldn't get over then, there is a problem.

[Deleted]

It was just weird. I(and many kids my age) had no idea what NWA was at the time so it was just confusing, and even knowing of the NWA now it's just strange. Cornette thinks wrestling is going in the crapper so he rebels against the WWE. Meanwhile the WWE, who Cornette is so fervently standing against, is kind enough to allow Cornette to bring in his NWA friends, and Championships, and have them defended under NWA rules.

It's always weird going back and watching those shows and seeing Barry Windham in such a minor role in the whole thing. I feel like Barry Windham could've had a pretty decent role in WWE on his own, NWA shenanigans aside, so that in itself is awkward.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

In retrospect, it wasn't the right time for a storyline like that, and most of the invaders were past their primes anyway. Windham was the one NWA guy I had any interest in seeing at that point.

[Deleted]

Maybe it's the old-timer in me, but I liked what I saw of the NWA angle. It gave Jeff Jarrett something to do. And it brought back Tommy Young!

But, in a way, it rivaled the Ric Flair "Real World's Champion" angle as a flop. Fans that didn't know who they were wondered who these clowns were with "fake" title belts (even though they were real), fans that DID know didn't really want to see what was offered.

Add to that the fact they dragged their feet to bring the NWA Champion, Dan Severn, in. (When Dan finally came in, the angle was long-gone and there was no impact, and he basically did nothing but have his "neck broken" by Owen Hart, a gimmick he was no longer doing.) Kinda like how the InVasion angle went; don't bring in THE MAIN GUYS associated with said-invaders and it's just a dry-run. Kill the angle and bring in the main guys, you're scratching your head wondering "what-if'?

They made do with crowning an NWA North American champion to fill the void.

So, to summarize, could it have been better? Absolutely. But, as we all know, the WWF/Vince McMahon is slow to learn from the past.

[MolotovMocktail]

I think they also wanted to do an angle with Severn vs. Shamrock, who had fought each other for real in the UFC, but never got around to it.

[CM Dazz]

I've seen bits and pieces of this within the last year or two, but don't really remember seeing it as it happened. While I was watching WWF a little at the time, I was watching much more WCW.