WCW relaunch in 2001

[sMark]

So, in 2001 after WWF bought out WCW, the original plan was to relaunch WCW under WWF banner in the summer of the same year, this didn't happen by many well known reasons, but there was a second chance - if somehow Alliance would won Survivor Series. Yeah, i know, the fans tired of the angle (basically because all WCW guys were portrayed as jobbers) and Vince didn't give a damn anymore. But by november of this year couple of big fat WCW/AOL contracts expired and with some effort WCW could become a thing once again.
So, here we are in November 2001, Alliance won at Survivor Series and Nitro can come back with the new roster:

Steve Austin - i still don't like the idea of Austin defecting to WCW, but since WWF will not willing to hire Goldberg at the moment, new brand needed a top name to run with.

Sting - was watching from his couch at home and didn't like what he saw, but i still think he could sign a contract if WCW was about to relaunch, even under McMahons

Flair - contract expired in November, and we all know he returned the very next night.

DDP - needed a lot of push to come back to his original main eventer position, but the guy could pull it off

Steiner - contract expired in November 2001, wrestled at independent scene, until signed by WWE 1 year later

Big Show - could be the guy who betrayed WWF, since he really got nothing in WWF since 1999 and could become a major player in new WCW

Bugwell - was released by WWF in May, but still could be rehired and be a part of tag team with O'Haire or Steiner. New nWo -new tag team

Bischoff - was fat at the moment...and that's it.

Radicalz - same with Austin

RVD - could really become a new rising star here

Rey Mysterio - contract expired in November/December - debuted a year later, the face of WCW Cruiserweight division

Psichosis/Juventud Guerrera - were both released by WCW in 2000, still both were good workers and familiar names for Cruiserweight division

Elix Skipper/Kid Romeo/Alex Wright - great unappreciated workers, who never got their chance in WWF

Bottom row - same as Austin and Radcalz


The basic idea is to give this roster enough star power, while being as true as possible to the original WCW.
Only good workers (because this is what was needed the most), some stars who could rise here (Benoit, Eddie, RVD, O'Haire), Cruiserweight division, nWo vs WCW angle, no guys who really killed WCW (aside from Bischoff, but he is only a manager now)

What do you think guys? Could new WCW really work, or there were no fans anymore and Vince was right after all?

 

[TDFG]

I would have liked to have seen WCW takeover Smackdown or at least get it's own show under the WWE banner.

It's hard to give reason(s) for and against your roster, I'm pretty sure Sting would not have joined WCW under the control of WWE at that time because he didn't agree with some of the angles that were being played out on WWE television.

Stone Cold Steve Austin didn't belong in The Alliance and he shouldn't be part of any relaunch of WCW.

The thing also about your relaunch is that with The Radicalz, Big Show, RVD, The Dudley's, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Rhyno etc. making the roster your damaging the WWE roster of that time.

The WCW Roster at that time basically would have consisted of:-

GM/Part-timer - Ric Flair.
N.B.T. (Chuck Palumbo, Shawn Stasiak, Shawn O'Haire, Mark Jindrak, Reno, Mike Sanders)
Upper-Card - Booker T, DDP, Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, Kanyon, Hugh Morrus.
Tag-Teams - Kronik, Vito & Stambouli.
Cruiserweights - Elix Skipper, Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, Chavo Guerrero, Billy Kidman, Lash LeRoux, Evan Karragis, Hayashi & Yang.
Others - Stacy Kiebler, Torrie Wilson, Arn Anderson, Scott Hudson.

 

[Vinny1979]

I don't like the roster but there was another way the Invasion should of ended and it would of made a lot more sense. As we all know the WWF won the Survivor Series which means they were the surviving entity that night and all of the Alliance members were storyline fired. The Alliance should of won except for the champions of the WWF at the time. Alliance would take over Raw making it Nitro, Flair returns and WWF is presumably gone. In 2002 WWF makes a comeback as WWE because remember the WWF was "gone" but WWE would be a new, fresh company and Vince could of came out and said he wants his company back etc and it starts the Invasion all over again but this time done right with Hogan, Hall, Nash, Bischoff, Goldberg, Flair etc, etc etc. It would of been better and it would of made Vince even more money but we all know how it ended.

 

[Just Do It]

I don't like the roster but there was another way the Invasion should of ended and it would of made a lot more sense. As we all know the WWF won the Survivor Series which means they were the surviving entity that night and all of the Alliance members were storyline fired. The Alliance should of won except for the champions of the WWF at the time. Alliance would take over Raw making it Nitro, Flair returns and WWF is presumably gone. In 2002 WWF makes a comeback as WWE because remember the WWF was "gone" but WWE would be a new, fresh company and Vince could of came out and said he wants his company back etc and it starts the Invasion all over again but this time done right with Hogan, Hall, Nash, Bischoff, Goldberg, Flair etc, etc etc. It would of been better and it would of made Vince even more money but we all know how it ended.

It ended by not giving your brand a "hiatus" and losing, literally millions of casual fans.

 

[sMark]

The thing also about your relaunch is that with The Radicalz, Big Show, RVD, The Dudley's, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Rhyno etc. making the roster your damaging the WWE roster of that time.

The WCW Roster at that time basically would have consisted of:-

GM/Part-timer - Ric Flair.
N.B.T. (Chuck Palumbo, Shawn Stasiak, Shawn O'Haire, Mark Jindrak, Reno, Mike Sanders)
Upper-Card - Booker T, DDP, Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, Kanyon, Hugh Morrus.
Tag-Teams - Kronik, Vito & Stambouli.
Cruiserweights - Elix Skipper, Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, Chavo Guerrero, Billy Kidman, Lash LeRoux, Evan Karragis, Hayashi & Yang.
Others - Stacy Kiebler, Torrie Wilson, Arn Anderson, Scott Hudson.

I know. But these guys worked for WCW once (except for RVD, Rhyno and Dudleys as far as i know), and WWF will still look strong. Not as strong as going into WMX7, but they still had Rock, HHH, Taker, Kane, Angle, Jericho, Edge & Christian & Hardys for god's sake) and will have a room for making new stars.
The basic idea behind this roster is to take all the best guys (avaible) WCW ever had, and all the best ideas WCW ever had, modernize it a little and run forward in WWF style.
For example, look at WCW most famous years (1996-1998) - you have former WWF headliner (Hogan), nWo (with leader being the guy who beat anyone else easily - Hogan), some good midcarders (Radicalz, Raven, Jericho and couple of others), and strong cruiserweigh division - this is how WCW became the leader in Monday Night Wars.
Here you have - former WWF headliner (Austin), nWo (With leader being the guy who ended people's careers - Steiner, btw Steiner already was Hogan's replacement in Black & White, when Hollywood wasn't there), some good midcarders (Radicalz, Raven, RVD and others) and strong cruiserweight division.
BUT, this new roster is more talented than WCW in 1996-1998, especially in main event scene and nWo now doesn't have alot of pointless members, but have the guy who could rise like Steiner once did (O'Haire).
Dudleys and Rhyno could be a new Raven's stable (much stronger than The Flock in WCW)

 

[HBKperfect23]

First I'd like to say, I know I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed the invasion angle. Did we know WWF was going to win the whole time? Of course. Did Vince make it about his homegrown stars? For sure. The angle was fresh and I think it made for some great tv. DDP/Taker, RVD, Rock/Jericho, Booker T were all enjoyable.

I do think things could have been done differently. I wanted to see WCW take over smackdown. Shane is now running WCW Nitro in smackdowns time slot. Do not acknowledge WWF on WCW tv and vice Versa. Build the WCW stars up as much as possible. When the time warner contracts expire, bring in sting, the nwo, Goldberg, Flair. Have a little rehashed WCW vs nwo feud with the nwo angle finally ending with the two entities merging under the WCW banner. Have nitro go off the air with them finally acknowledging WWF and that the "war" will take place. Then invade with all the top guys.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The whys and wherefores are pretty much academic because of the fundamental... Vince bottled letting WCW run as a seperate company.

Originally he was keen to do just that, sending Shane over to legit run it with the right help as a way to "help groom him" to take over the company. Why that changed is up for debate... did Steph and Trips have an influence the other way? Was it down to the high priced talent needed not being prepared to accept a lower buyout to return? WCW didn't need off of them but it needed Sting, Nash and or Goldberg at minimum to work as an outside entity... with Page, Booker and the other guys who had built themselves up and potentially Chris Jericho being the guy to crossover there was good scope for a smaller but profitable company within a few years.

Once the decision was made it would all be internal with the 20 deals they picked up in the fire sale, and Buff was gone after one night then it was clear it was never going to be anything near where it could have been,

 

[American Male]

It would of happened had it not been for Booker T and Buff Bagwell stinking up the joint.

If they couldn't sign any big WCW names it shouldn't of happened period.

Or they should of just waited until the big lucrative contracts were expired.

Vince Russo was pitching for another WCW Invasion storyline during his short time back around 2002 that would of been interesting. WWE had a chance to redeem itself and re do the Invasion but they didn't.

 

[Nature Boy]

I really don't know.

WCW is still my all time favourite promotion.

WWE can only do WWE.

They have proved this time and time again.

WBF, XFL, almost all of their movies and their awful attempt at ECW.

I was so sad when WCW closed.

I'm actually glad the WWF/E didn't touch it at the time.

However, to play the game...

If Shane Ran WCW and it was kept entirely separate

NO interaction with Raw or SmackDown
NO Vince, Linda or Stephanie making 'surprise' appearances

Then perhaps it could have worked.

You would have had the current WCW stars, at least those who were availiable - Flair, DDP, Booker T, Sting

And in 2001/2, there was all this amazing young fresh Talent

Samoa Joe
AJ Styles
Nigel McGuiness
Eric Young

They could have become a part of the 'New' WCW.

But then again, in 2002 we get ROH and TNA, so who knows?

But I really don't think I would have trusted the WWF to know how to run it and keep it separate.