"The day that it died was when it became Vince McMahon versus Shane" - Lance Storm on WWE's failed WCW Invasion
Lance Storm revealed the three critical failures of the 2001 WCW Invasion angle in the WWE during a recent appearance on the It's My House podcast.
The WCW Invasion storyline is primarily considered a missed opportunity in pro wrestling history.
The story's main goal was to portray WCW stars as invaders, but Storm felt that the lack of different shows prevented it from happening. The feud between Vince and Shane McMahon acted as the pivot of the WCW storyline, and Storm felt it was the wrong creative direction.
Lance Storm explained that the WCW contingency required a different figurehead than Shane McMahon. He also noted how Paul Heyman's presence helped when ECW joined forces with WCW to form The Alliance.
He said that Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair would have been ideal contenders to lead the charge from WCW's end. Instead of being an all-out war between two rival companies, the WCW Invasion was predominantly a McMahon vs. McMahon saga:
"I think the other thing too is once they couldn't get us on a different separate show where like, once we're all just showing up and wrestling on the same show, it doesn't feel like outsiders anymore. Yeah, but I think the big key, and I sort of jokingly call it as the day that it died, was when it became Vince McMahon versus Shane. If Paul Heyman had remained - like when we did the Alliance with ECW, which is a really cool angle, I thought that was the best angle done in the whole invasion that one moment where the guys that were in WWE that were actually former ECW guys turned and joined us WCW guys - If Paul Heyman had remained like when he jumped up from the announce desk and got in the ring, If he remained the spokesperson of the ECW crew. Or if we had Eric (Bischoff) or Ric Flair as the head instead of Shane McMahon, I think at that point, it could have been so much bigger, because it wasn't at that point McMahon versus McMahon, it was actually WCW ECW because no one's more associated with the ECW brand as Paul Heyman, it was his baby," revealed Lance Storm.
Who are the babyfaces here?: Lance Storm on the confusion amongst WCW stars during the Invasion angle
Lance Storm stated that incoming talent from WCW wasn't sure whether they were babyfaces or heels.
The apparent confusion regarding the heel-face dynamic affected how the stars planned their matches and angles. This was because they were unsure of how the crowds would react:
"I remember one point in time, early on we were doing a segment, and Jericho even said to me, he's like - who are the babyfaces here? - because when you're constructing angles, matches, and everything, it's like good to know what you're supposed to do, like to get a certain specific reaction, and it's like if we don't know if the crowd is supposed to cheer this happening or not you change the way you do things so that confused issues," Lance Storm added. H/t It's My House
The recent podcast appearance also had the former WWE producer talk about the pressure of being the first WCW star to invade WWE.
Lance Storm also revealed he is a big fan of Jim Cornette and the precious lessons he received during his time at Smoky Mountain Wrestling.