WWE storyline failed because wrestlers took it too seriously, Chuck Palumbo says
Chuck Palumbo recently gave his take on why one of the most memorable storylines in WWE history did not go according to plan.
In 2001, Vince McMahon obtained the contracts of several wrestlers after buying WWE's arch-rivals WCW. As part of the infamous Invasion angle, former ECW and WCW stars invaded WWE and tried to take over the company's programming.
Palumbo, a member of the ECW/WCW Alliance faction, said on Monte & The Pharaoh that the story would have been more successful if wrestlers cooperated:
"Now, you're gonna have almost twice the talent up in WWF [WWE]. You're not gonna have twice the TV time. You still only have two hours of television or three hours of television, but now you've got twice the [number of] guys. Who's gonna lose a spot? Who's gonna gain a spot? These things are running through those guys' heads, and unfortunately, a lot of those guys took this Invasion too seriously." [35:42 – 36:04]
Before joining WWE, Chuck Palumbo spent three years in WCW between 1998 and 2001. He won the WCW World Tag Team Title three times with Shawn Stasiak and once with Sean O'Haire.
Chuck Palumbo says some WWE veterans helped WCW wrestlers
While some WWE stars feared for their jobs, others had no problem helping former WCW wrestlers adapt to their new company.
Chuck Palumbo added that Billy Gunn, John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL), and The Undertaker were among those who offered words of wisdom:
"Billy Gunn, right away, very helpful. 'Taker finally came around a bit (...) I don't know if they felt like that [WCW wrestlers taking spots]. They must have felt a bit threatened because you got a lot more guys coming in and the TV time was the same. I get it. Even guys like John Layfield ended up coming around and helping us out." [37:59 – 38:38]
Palumbo is arguably best remembered for his same-sex couple storyline with Gunn. They won the WWE Tag Team Title twice in 2002.
Do you have any favorite memories of the Invasion angle? Let us know by hitting the discuss button.
Please credit Monte & The Pharaoh and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.