Rebooking the WCW/ECW Invasion Storyline: Part 1

March 26, 2001

The seeds for the WCW/ECW storyline were sown on the March 26, 2001 Raw when WWF boss, Vince McMahon announced to the world on a dual broadcast of Raw and WCW Monday Nitro, that he had purchased WCW and won the six years Monday Night ratings war.

Initially, it was booked perfectly and little needs to be changed.

McMahon announced the firing of Jeff Jarrett, declaring that he was GG-OO-NN-EE, gone!

Later, on WCW Nitro, Booker T defeated Scott Steiner to become WCW World Champion. The title change made sense as Booker had signed on with the WWF and Steiner hadn't. In this alternate reality however, Steiner had signed on but Booker as WCW Champion still made more sense and that history will be adhered to. The in-ring action concluded with a match between Ric Flair and Sting which Sting won.

McMahon then sauntered down to the ring on Raw and read out a list of WCW superstar names:

Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Booker T, Buff Bagwell, Scott Steiner, Sting and Goldberg.

All got positive reactions except for Hogan and Luger. Why McMahon referred to Hogan who had left WCW in July 2000, is anyone's guess.

Shane McMahon stole the show, arriving live in Panama City at Nitro and declaring that his dad who had not signed the contract, instead wishing to do so at WrestleMania X-7, had been usurped and declared that he had instead signed on the dotted line and purchased WCW right from under his father's nose!

War was declared!