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The kind feedback I received for part 1 and part 2 of this series has been much appreciated. This is a fun but massively time-consuming and difficult undertaking.
Summerslam 2001 is in the books and the build is now focused on Unforgiven 2001, which will have four weeks of build.
Obviously, the events of 9/11 had a major effect on the WWF's booking of the Invasion storyline and those will be reflected here. The WWF dealt with that tragic event in a very classy way at the time and there is no need to alter that.
In the re-booked storyline, Goldberg is back! The dissension between Stone Cold and Da Man will play a huge role in the ongoing storyline which will eventually culminate in a match between the two. A fantasy match-up that never took place in reality.
I mentioned Sting in my last introduction and the "Icon" will appear, just not yet. A few of the veteran names will soon be phased out of the storyline as the focus is put on the young stars on both sides of the Invasion storyline.
Going forward the teams of WCW and ECW will also look to form an Alliance in their bid to take down the WWF.
Champion roll call (as of August 19, 2001)
WWF Champion - Stone Cold
IC Champion - Lance Storm
European Champion - Edge
Hardcore Champion - Rob Van Dam
WWF Tag Team Champions - The Dudley Boyz
WCW Champion - The Rock
US Champion - Ric Flair
Cruiserweight Champion - Billy Kidman
WCW Tag Team Champions - Undertaker & Kane
ECW Title - Chris Jericho
That is still a lot of Championships and to simplify things, there will more unification matches over the coming storylines to make each title mean more.
Let's get to the post-Invasion Raw as SK re-books the build to Unforgiven!
August 20, 2001 - Monday Night Raw
Goldberg enters the ring and questions why Team WCW are led by a "WWF guy" in Stone Cold. He calls Austin a "Goldberg wannabe" and states that if Austin doesn't step aside then the "Rattlesnake is next!"
Raven defeats Christian and announces the re-formation of his "Flock." WWF members, Stevie Richards and Perry Saturn announce they have defected to ECW and pledge loyalty to Raven as do WCW members, Billy Kidman and Chris Kanyon.
Backstage, Eric Bischoff expresses concern to Stone Cold of the growing power of ECW and expresses his willingness to do a deal with them. Austin rebukes it. Bischoff then states that Goldberg always did what was best for WCW. Austin leaves.
In the main event, Stone Cold defeated ECW Champion Chris Jericho. Post match, ECW forces batter Austin. Goldberg runs and spears the ECW wrestlers. Goldberg and Stone Cold stare down post-match.
August 23, 2001 - Smackdown
Booker T challenges The Rock to a WWF Championship match next week on Raw. Rock accepts.
ECW Champion, Chris Jericho announces that due to no WWF superstars coming to his aid in his bout with Stone Cold on Raw and only ECW superstars battering Austin, that he had defected to ECW.
Vince McMahon meets with Paul Heyman backstage and states he is impressed with the re-birth of ECW and queries whether they can do a deal and unite against the "common" enemy in WCW. McMahon reminds Heyman of the money he gave to him in the 1990s to keep ECW afloat. Heyman mentions to McMahon that all he remembers is McMahon allowing ECW to die earlier that year.
Heyman states that he will give McMahon an answer on Raw.
Goldberg crushes Perry Saturn in the main event.
August 27, 2001 - Monday Night Raw
Paul Heyman calls Vince McMahon to the ring and cuts essentially the same promo he cut on McMahon in reality on the pre-Survivor Series 2001 Raw, where he lambastes McMahon for stealing his ideas from ECW and using them to make himself a billionaire, while ECW was left to rot. He said McMahon stole his best talent, including former ECW World Champion, Tazz who he turned into a nobody.
Tazz steps up and chokes out Heyman and re-joins the WWF.
Raven kidnaps Kurt Angle backstage as revenge for Angle objecting to Raven crucifying The Sandman in 1996. Raven attempts to crucify Angle, but is interrupted by The Sandman who states that this is not the way ECW do things. Raven lays out Sandman but is then run off by Rob Van Dam and Sabu.
Booker T defeats The Rock to win his fifth WCW World Championship.
August 30, 2001 - Smackdown
Eric Bischoff opens the show and announces with glee that Team WCW and Team ECW are now united as one. Their common goal is to destroy the WWF. They call out Rob Van Dam, Sabu and The Sandman for interfering in Raven's business and book the three of them in a triple threat bout where the winner will retain his job, but the losers will be fired.
The Rock expresses his regret at losing the WCW World Championship on Raw and wants to redeem himself by bringing the WWF Championship "back home to the WWF." Rock challenges Stone Cold to a title bout at Unforgiven.
In the main event, RVD defeats Sabu and Sandman to retain his job but stares down Paul Heyman after his win.
August 20, 2001 - Monday Night Raw
Goldberg enters the ring and questions why Team WCW are led by a "WWF guy" in Stone Cold. He calls Austin a "Goldberg wannabe" and states that if Austin doesn't step aside then the "Rattlesnake is next!"
Raven defeats Christian and announces the re-formation of his "Flock." WWF members, Stevie Richards and Perry Saturn announce they have defected to ECW and pledge loyalty to Raven as do WCW members, Billy Kidman and Chris Kanyon.
Backstage, Eric Bischoff expresses concern to Stone Cold of the growing power of ECW and expresses his willingness to do a deal with them. Austin rebukes it. Bischoff then states that Goldberg always did what was best for WCW. Austin leaves.
In the main event, Stone Cold defeated ECW Champion Chris Jericho. Post-match, ECW forces batter Austin. Goldberg runs and spears the ECW wrestlers. Goldberg and Stone Cold stare down post-match.
August 23, 2001 - Smackdown
Booker T challenges The Rock to a WWF Championship match next week on Raw. Rock accepts.
ECW Champion, Chris Jericho announces that due to no WWF superstars coming to his aid in his bout with Stone Cold on Raw and only ECW superstars battering Austin, that he had defected to ECW.
Vince McMahon meets with Paul Heyman backstage and states he is impressed with the re-birth of ECW and queries whether they can do a deal and unite against the "common" enemy in WCW. McMahon reminds Heyman of the money he gave to him in the 1990s to keep ECW afloat. Heyman mentions to McMahon that all he remembers is McMahon allowing ECW to die earlier that year.
Heyman states that he will give McMahon an answer on Raw.
Goldberg crushes Perry Saturn in the main event.
August 27, 2001 - Monday Night Raw
Paul Heyman calls Vince McMahon to the ring and cuts essentially the same promo he cut on McMahon in reality on the pre-Survivor Series 2001 Raw, where he lambastes McMahon for stealing his ideas from ECW and using them to make himself a billionaire, while ECW was left to rot. He said McMahon stole his best talent, including former ECW World Champion, Tazz who he turned into a nobody.
Tazz steps up and chokes out Heyman and re-joins the WWF.
Raven kidnaps Kurt Angle backstage as revenge for Angle objecting to Raven crucifying The Sandman in 1996. Raven attempts to crucify Angle, but is interrupted by The Sandman who states that this is not the way ECW do things. Raven lays out Sandman but is then run off by Rob Van Dam and Sabu.
Booker T defeats The Rock to win his fifth WCW World Championship.
August 30, 2001 - Smackdown
Eric Bischoff opens the show and announces with glee that Team WCW and Team ECW are now united as one. Their common goal is to destroy the WWF. They call out Rob Van Dam, Sabu and The Sandman for interfering in Raven's business and book the three of them in a triple threat bout where the winner will retain his job, but the losers will be fired.
The Rock expresses his regret at losing the WCW World Championship on Raw and wants to redeem himself by bringing the WWF Championship "back home to the WWF." Rock challenges Stone Cold to a title bout at Unforgiven.
In the main event, RVD defeats Sabu and Sandman to retain his job but stares down Paul Heyman after his win.
September 3, 2001 - Monday Night Raw
Rob Van Dam wrestles The Rock in a non-title bout to begin the show. After Rock defeats RVD, Raven's Flock enters the ring and batters RVD. Rock makes the save. They shake hands post-match.
Edge and Christian team up to lose to the Dudley Boyz in a non-title bout.
The Undertaker beats Lex Luger in the main event.
September 6, 2001 - Smackdown
RVD announces that he has spoken to Vince McMahon and decided to join Team WWF. He challenges Raven to a match tonight and Chris Jericho to an ECW title and Hardcore title unification match at Unforgiven and vowed to retire the last remnants of the old ECW.
Stone Cold and Goldberg team to defeat the Hardy Boyz. After some miscommunication during the bout, the pair once again stare down post-match.
Lex Luger challenged Kurt Angle to a match which he loses.
In the headline bout, The Rock and RVD team to defeat the Dudley Boyz in a non-title match.
September 10, 2001 - Monday Night Raw
Lex Luger fights Edge in an Intercontinental Title bout which he loses. Post-match, Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman advise Luger that the Alliance has no room for losers. As Edge's brother, Christian interfered in the bout and has poked his nose into Alliance business they advise Luger that he must beat Christian at Unforgiven or he will be forced to retire.
DDP and Kevin Nash defeat Undertaker and Kane in a non-title bout. This enabled them to pick a team to challenge the champions on next week's Raw.
In the main event, Kurt Angle battled Booker T to a no-contest, when Alliance and WWF team members ran in.
September 13, 2001 - Smackdown
In the first WWF event since the tragic events of 9/11, the show largely matches the real-life airing of the episode.
In a change, Kurt Angle defeated Ric Flair to regain the United States title in the main event.
September 17, 2001 - Monday Night Raw
Kurt Angle states that he is proud to be United States Champion again, but wants to unite America even more and challenges Booker T to a one on one match at Unforgiven with no outside interference like there was last week.
Goldberg battles the Undertaker to a No Contest after Kane interfered. Goldberg announced that "Kane is next."
In the headline bout, Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo defeated The Undertaker and Kane to win the WCW Tag Team Championships. The Hardy Boyz challenge them to a title bout at Unforgiven. Eric Bischoff emerges and states that the titles will be unified at Unforgiven and the Dudley Boyz will be added to the match. He sarcastically wishes the Hardyz "good luck."
September 20, 2001 - Smackdown
In the go-home show for Unforgiven, Edge defeated Lance Storm in a non-title bout. Scott Steiner challenged him to a title bout at the pay per view which Edge accepted.
Rhyno and Ric Flair teamed to lose to the Hardy Boyz. Rhyno declared that Flair was past it while Flair insisted better to be a "has-been" then a never was.
Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman booked the pair in a bout at Unforgiven to draw a line under their squabble as no room for dissension on Team Alliance.
In the main event, Rock and RVD defeated Stone Cold and Chris Jericho when Rock pinned Austin.
Unforgiven 2001 - September 23, 2001
Winners on the Unforgiven card emboldened below:
WCW Championship - Booker T vs Kurt Angle
WWF Championship - Stone Cold vs The Rock
Goldberg vs Kane
ECW & Hardcore Title Unification Match - Chris Jericho vs Rob Van Dam
Retirement Match - Lex Luger vs Christian
Intercontinental Title - Edge vs Scott Steiner
WWF & WCW Tag Team Unification Match - The Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boyz vs Sean O'Haire & Chuck Palumbo
Ric Flair vs Rhyno
Kurt Angle defeated Booker T to win his second WCW Championship in the feel-good ending to the card as the American hero won the gold, two weeks following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Rhyno beat Ric Flair in his final match before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the storyline.
Lex Luger, who adorned his 1993-1994 American flag attire in light of the occasion retired, after losing to Christian.
The WCW Tag Team titles were unified into the WWF Tag Team Championship's lineage.
Rob Van Dam finally won the ECW World title, when he unified it into the Hardcore Title.
