| Date: July 22, 2001
| Venue: Gund Arena | City: Cleveland, Ohio
| Attendance: 17, 964 | Buyrate: 770, 000

The biggest buyrate in history for a non-Wrestlemania PPV belong to the Invasion of wCw and ECW on the WWF. Since King Of The Ring the Invasion has taken centre stage with Shane McMahons wCw joining together with Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon’s ECW. Wrestlers such as DDP and Booker T lead the charge with the likes of Lance Storm, Mike Awesome, Sean O’Haire, Chuck Palumbo, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer joining forces with ex-WWF superstars Rhyno, The Dudley Boyz, Raven and Justin Credible. Vince McMahon agreed to the challenge set by the Alliance so tonight will feature WWF vs. Alliance matches all night.

The main event is the Inaugural Brawl. 5 WWF wrestlers against 5 wCw/ECW wrestlers. The teams put forth are WWF Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Kane and Chris Jericho against wCw Champion Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, The Dudley Boyz and Rhyno. It’ll be one fall to the finish. Steve Austin and Kurt Angle have had their run-ins with Booker T recently, especially with Booker T attacking Austin at King Of The Ring. Undertakers problems have continued with DDP who has persisted with stalking his wife. It’ll be a big main event and although it isn’t the dream team wrestling fans would have dreamed of, it’ll do the trick for tonight.

In the evenings only title match, Jeff Hardy, who lost his Light-Heavyweight title to X Pac, defends the Hardcore title against Rob Van Dam. Hardy beat Mike Awesome for the belt, with a little help from Edge and Christian. Jeff Hardy against Rob Van Dam is a dream match for wrestling fans who can’t wait to see the two athletic superstars go at it. A few weeks ago The APA defeated The Dudley Boyz for the WWF Tag Team titles after Spike Dudley attacked his half brother with a crutch. Faarooq and Bradshaw have been at the forefront of defending WWF and when Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo ran in and got involved in a match it was the tag team champions that beat the crap out of them and kicked them out of the arena. The Acolytes go toe to toe with Palumbo and O’Haire tonight in a non title match.

There were two titles changes within a week when X Pac beat Jeff Hardy for the Light-Heavyweight title and Billy Kidman beat Hurricane Helmes for the wCw Cruiserweight title. Tonight, X Pac and Billy Kidman meet in a one on one non-title match to find out who is the better of the smaller athletes. We’ll also get a tag team bra and panties match to decide which promotion have the better women. Trish Stratus and Lita will have to put their differences aside when they take on Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler who have been cosying up to the WWF women’s boyfriends as of late. The referees have also had their run-ins as the wCw referees continue to be bias towards their Alliance partners. Earl Hebner has taken exception to this and tonight will take on head wCw referee Nick Patrick!

Edge and Christian have gone on record saying that they find Mike Awesome to be totally not awesome and Lance Storm to be one of the most boring men they have ever met. Edge and Christian cost Mike Awesome his Hardcore title and so tonight we get a tag team match between these two teams. Also tonight we’ll get Tazz vs. Tajiri, William Regal vs. Raven and Big Show, Billy Gunn and Intercontinental champion Albert against Shawn Stasiak, Chris Kanyon and Hugh Morrus. On Heat prior to the event, Chavo Guerrero defeated Scotty Too Hotty.

Lets get to the action.

A video package kicks us off with war connotations. Former Presidents talk about war as we see images of wCw and ECW wrestlers. Interestingly it looks like pictures of house show matches are cut in. Fireworks then go off in the arena and we’re treated to quite an elaborate set with two entrance ways. Jim Ross welcomes us to Cleveland, Ohio and we also get a shot of WWF New York. Ross is joined by Michael Cole. There seems to be a bit of an edit here and Mike Awesome and Lance Storm are already in the ring.

Edge & Christian vs. Lance Storm and Mike Awesome

Christian is wrestling in his 28th consecutive PPV, more than anybody has ever wrestled on consecutively. Christian carries Edge’s King Of The Ring trophy. It’s Christian that kicks things off with Mike Awesome. Awesome has the early advantage, using his power but he misses with a splash in the corner allowing Christian to take the advantage and tag in Edge. This is of course a PPV debut for Lance Storm and Mike Awesome. Awesome tags in Storm who gets hit with a flying head scissors. Edge hits a dropkick off the second rope and then hits Mike Awesome with a dropkick before back body dropping Lance Storm onto Mike Awesome. Edge then back body drops his partner Christian onto his opponents but it doesn’t go smoothly. Christian looks like he got his foot caught on the rope. Edge covers Lance for the first near fall of the match. Edge tags Christian who gets double teamed by Awesome and Storm. Edge has wrestled the most PPV matches without main eventing of everyone in history. Storm throws Christian into the ring post and tags in Awesome. Mike hits an elbow drop for a two count.

Mike Awesome hits a clothesline on Christian and then a power slam and splash for a two count. This referee represents WWF, they’ll change throughout the night. Awesome tags in Storm and they hit a double shoulder barge on Christian for a two count. Lance hits a running knee for another near fall. Christian hits a cross body to get back into the match. Storm tags Awesome who runs in and knocks Edge off the apron. He then drops Christian on the top rope before hitting an Alabama Slam and bridging through. Edge saves the cover but Awesome hits a clothesline on Christian. Awesome tags Storm who lays in the boots to Christian and hits a backbreaker. He then tags in Mike Awesome who hits a huge frog splash off the top rope! Edge saves the cover and then Awesome goes for potentially a powerbomb off the top rope but Christian back body drops the bigger man to the mat. Awesome tags in Storm and Christian tags the current King Of The Ring. Edge takes both of his opponents down with back body drops and dropkicks. He gets a near fall on Storm.

Edge accidentally runs Storm into Christian! Mike Awesome then gets involved and Lance rolls Edge up only for Christian to push Edge on top of Storm. All hell breaks loose and Christian hits a clothesline off the top on both men. Edge spears Awesome for a two count. Edge then saves Christian from a superkick but takes it himself. Awesome pins Edge who kicks out! Awesome then goes for a running powerbomb but Christian spears Awesome and Edge pins him for the three! Edge and Christian, arguably WWF’s best tag team, win the opening contest, beating Mike Awesome and Lance Storm in a decent match.

Rating: 6.75/10

Vince McMahon celebrates Edge and Christians win backstage. William Regal then walks in an informs McMahon that Austin and Debra have arrived. McMahon is keen to give Austin space. Regal can’t believe Raven has challenged him to a match. Vince gives him a dramatic speech and Regal understands what he needs to do.

There’s a video package next for Earl Hebner and Nick Patrick, the two senior officials.

Earl Hebner vs. Nick Patrick – Special Guest Referee: Mick Foley

Mick Foley gets a good pop as he comes out to referee this match between officials. Nick Patrick is out after Foley and is accompanied by 3 fellow wCw referees. Earl Hebner comes out with plenty of fellow WWF referees. Both are in their referee shirts. Nick Patrick is slightly bigger and younger and he slaps Hebner in the face. Hebner comes back with kicks and stomps before getting the first near fall of the match. The two men then roll on top of each other and lay in right hands as this match starts to resemble a Women’s match. Patrick then sends Hebner to the outside where all the other referees square up. A “Foley” chant breaks out. Back in the ring and Hebner hits some big right hands. Patrick then hits a low blow before baseball sliding Hebner to the outside. The wCw officials then lay in some boots until the WWF referees chase them off. Foley then sends the wCw referees to the back!

Nick Patrick gets in the face of Foley until Hebner runs at Patrick and takes him down! He hooks the leg and gets the three! Earl Hebner beats Nick Patrick tonight! After the match Nick Patrick gets in Mick Foleys face so Foley lays him out and rams Mr Socko down his throat!

Rating: 2.25/10

We get a Tough Enough promo and then a replay from Smackdown with DDP abducting Debra.

Debra is backstage furious about what happened on Smackdown and Undertakers wife Sara tells her that DDP is a pervert. They both look forward to their husbands taking him apart tonight.

We get a horrendously photoshopped image of the APA and Palumbo and O’Haire followed by a video package showing the history between the two teams.

The APA (Bradshaw & Faarooq) vs. Chuck Palumbo & Sean O’Haire

Faarooq and Bradshaw are the WWF Tag Team Champions at the moment whilst Palumbo and O’Haire are the wCw Tag Team Champions. No titles on the line in this one though. The APA’s demeanor as they make their entrance makes me think they’re going to lose tonight and they’re not happy about it. Palumbo and O’Haire run down to the ring and this one gets underway. The Acolytes hit a double spinebuster on Chuck Palumbo before Bradshaw hits a powerslam and drop an elbow. Bradshaw hits a suplex but O’Haire breaks up the cover. That distracts Bradshaw long enough for Palumbo to hit the big man with a clothesline. O’Haire tags in and he hits a clothesline on Bradshaw before laying in some right hands. It’s another WWF referee in this one. Bradshaw hits a suplex and tags in Faarooq. wCw are looking for their first victory tonight. Sean O’Haire hits a knee to Faarooq and pins him for a two count. O’Haire tags Palumbo who stomps away at Faarooq but Faarooq hits a big shoulder block and tags in Bradshaw.

The APA are three time tag team champions and Bradshaw lays into Palumbo. The big Texan hits a fallaway slam and sets up for a powerbomb but Sean O’Haire kicks Bradshaw in the face before hitting a reverse death valley driver. Palumbo pins Bradshaw for a two count but he can’t keep the advantage as he gets hit with a DDT. Bradshaw tags Faarooq who hits a clothesline  but gets hit with a clothesline. Sean O’Haire then drags Faarooq out of the ring and throws him into the ring steps. Back in the ring, O’Haire tags in and hits a big knee to Faarooqs face. Bradshaw and Faarooq are two men that were in the WWF for the whole of the Attitude Era. Faarooq hits a spinebuster on O’Haire and both men make tags. Bradshaw comes in boot first before hitting a powerslam on Palumbo. All four men get in the ring and we get a double team move on Bradshaw. Palumbo hits a super kick on Faarooq before Bradshaw hits Palumbo with a Clothesline From Hell! Bradshaw pins and beats Palumbo! That’s three wins from three for the WWF and a big win for the APA!

Rating: 4.5/10

Vince McMahon is backstage with Chris Jericho. Jericho says how wCw never had a leader but ECW has always had Paul Heyman. Jericho then insults Heyman before McMahon steals Jericho’s catchphrase.

Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon are backstage with Billy Kidman. Kidman tells the McMahons that it’s all in control. Heyman they shows up and says that there is a lot of pressure on Kidman. Billy is confident and says that tonight he’ll show why they say X Pac sucks.

X Pac vs. Billy Kidman

This is the WWF Light-Heavyweight Champion (X Pac) against the wCw Cruiserweight Champion. Again, no titles are on the line. An “X Pac sucks” chant breaks out pretty early. X Pac arm drags Kidman across the ring and keeps the early advantage. X Pac knocks Kidman down but soon it’s Kidman with the knockdown and a drop toe hold. Billy applies a headlock but Kidman gets out of it and hits a hurricanrana. Kidman then hits a hurricanrana sending X Pac out of the ring. Back in the ring and Kidman gets the first near fall of the match. Billy hits a flying headscissors on X Pac before Pac sends Kidman out of the ring. X Pac then hits an impressive body press to the outside. X Pac and Kidman are both relatively new champions with X Pac beating Jeff Hardy and Kidman beating Shane Helmes. X Pac applies a sleeper hold. Pac was beaten by Jeff Hardy at the last PPV, King Of The Ring. He’s in the top 10 of all time in terms of PPVs wrestled on. Kidman counters the sleeper but X Pac hits a suplex. It seems as though the crowd are behind Kidman in this one. X Pac misses with a top rope move.

Kidman hits elbows and dropkicks and a Sky High powerbomb for a two count. Kidman then lays into X Pac in the corner but X Pac powerbombs him down and pins him with his feet on the ropes but Kidman kicks out. X Pac then goes for a powerbomb but Kidman reverses it into a facebuster. Kidman then goes up top but X Pac counters it with an X Factor! More surprisingly, Kidman kicks out! X Pac goes for the Bronco Buster but Kidman gets his foot up. The wCw Cruiserweight Champion then goes up top and hits a shooting star press for the three count! Billy Kidman beats X Pac tonight in his WWF PPV debut! That’s the Alliance’s first victory tonight.

Rating: 5/10

Shane, Stephanie and Heyman are celebrating and DDP arrives. DDP says he’s in Undertaker and Austins head tonight.

Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson are backstage saying that it’s a shame that the fans are going to miss out on Torrie’s breasts and Stacy’s ass tonight. They say they might give the Hardy Boyz a private showing tonight.

William Regal vs. Raven

It’s a first time meeting between these two men on PPV. Raven is looking for his first PPV victory on the 6th time of asking. Regal hits some big left hands in the early going and a clothesline. Regal then hits a double underhook suplex and goes for the Regal Stretch but Raven crawls outside the ring. Back in the ring and Regal hits uppercuts for the first near falls of the match. Raven attempts a dropkick but Regal catches him and slingshots him out of the ring. Again, Regal throws him back into the ring but this time Raven throws Regal out of the ring before following it up with a baseball slide. Raven then hits a Russian legsweep on Regal into the barricade. Back in the ring and Raven hits a clothesline for a two count. This match is not clicking at the moment. Raven hits a snapmare and applies a chinlock. Regal gets out of it and hits a suplex for a two count. Raven hits a right hands off the second rope and tries for it again but Regal hits him with a right hand before ramming his knee into the side of his head.

Ravel then rolls Regal up from nowhere for  two count. Raven hits a bulldog for a near fall. We get a succession of pinfalls and kickouts and the crowd are not into this match whatsoever. Raven goes for his Evenflow DDT which Regal reverses into a suplex. Both men collide into one another and Raven goes to the outside. The referee sees to him and Tazz runs out and hits a suplex on Regal! Raven then hits the Raven Effect DDT which is enough for the three! Raven beats William Regal with a lot of help from Tazz. That’s Ravens first win on PPV and puts the score at 3-2 WWF tonight. Not a great match though.

Rating: 3.75/10

Vince McMahon is backstage with Kane and Undertaker motivating them for the main event tonight.

The Big Show, “The One” Billy Gunn & Albert vs. Shawn Stasiak, Hugh Morrus & Chris Kanyon

A few notes going into this one, Billy Gunn and The Big Show are now a tag team, Albert is the Intercontinental Champion, Shawn Stasiak is the only man fighting for wCw/ECW tonight that has previously wrestled on WWF PPV (in a losing effort to Kurt Angle at Survivor Series 1999) and the wCw guys come out to Mr Perfects music! Which is because Shawn Stasiak was ripping off Mr Perfect in his last run at wCw. The three WWF guys start the match by gorilla press slamming the wCw guys! It’s wCw referee Charles Robinson in charge of this one. Billy Gunn and Chris Kanyon start the match and Gunn hits an electric chair drop. Kanyon gets the first near fall of the match and he hits a Russian leg sweep on Gunn. Kanyon tags in Shawn Stasiak as a “Meat” chant breaks out. Stasiak receives an elbow to the face and a neckbreaker. Gunn tags Albert who hits a big clothesline and splash in the corner on Stasiak. It’s not long before all 6 men are in the ring! They all pair off and in the ring Albert hits a big scissors kick on Stasiak and a Baldo Bomb! Morrus breaks up the cover and then hits a DDT on Albert.

Hugh Morrus tags himself in but receives a powerslam. Albert tags in Billy Gunn who hits the Fame-Asser on Hugh Morrus! Chris Kanyon breaks up the cover and Stasiak plants Gunn with a reverse DDT! Stasiak covers Gunn and Gunn shoves him away! Morrus covers Billy and gets the three count! The wCw guys win the match and Big Show didn’t even get in! Big Show makes the most of it after the match, chokeslamming and powerbombing all three wCw guys. Big Show, Albert and Billy Gunn may be the three men standing but they lose this match. That ties the series tonight three all (or 4-3 wCw if you count the Sunday night Heat match).

Rating: 3.75/10

Shane McMahon is with Booker T who is counting the Chavo win from earlier. Booker T says he owns Chris Jericho having beaten him before.

William Regal gives Tajiri an intense motivational speech for his match with Tazz tonight!

Tajiri vs. Tazz

Big match between two former ECW guys. This is actually Tajiri’s PPV debut and he sprints down to the ring. He hits a big spinning heel kick for the first near fall of the match. Tazz hits a belly to belly suplex and attempts another suplex but Tajiri hits him with lefts, rights and kicks before getting hit with a clothesline. Tazz hits a snapmare and then locks on a body scissors. Tazz then slaps away at Tajiri’s chest in the corner but again Tajiri hits kicks. Tazz applies a cross arm breaker but Tajiri gets his foot on the ropes. Tazz hits a big Alabama Slam and covers Tajiri who kicks out. Tajiri hits a handspring elbow knocking Tazz out of the ring but Tazz pulls Tajiri out. Tazz has won 50% of his 10 PPV matches thus far in the WWF. Back in the ring and Tajiri locks on the Tarantula! He breaks the hold and hits a basement dropkick for a two count. Tajiri hits some big kicks to the check of Tazz but gets caught on the third kick and Tazz hits a T-Bone suplex. Tazz goes to pick Tajiri up but Tajiri spits the green mist in his face and kicks him in the chest. Tajiri makes the cover and that’s enough for the three! Tajiri beats Tazz tonight!

Rating: 4/10

The Hardy Boyz are backstage getting ready. Matt warns Jeff about Rob Van Dam. Van Dam then appears and attacks Matt with a chair!

We see Hardcore Holly signing autographs in WWF New York. A fan in a wCw shirt is in line and Holly berates him and rips off his shirt!

Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Rob Van Dam – Hardcore Championship Match

This is the only title match tonight and it is between two very athletic superstars. Jeff has only won 33% of his PPV matches which isn’t a great record. He misses with a legdrop early on and Van Dam kicks him in the face. RVD is extremely popular. Hardy dropkicks RVD into the middle turnbuckle and pins him for a two count. Hardy hits a legdrop for a two count and then hits an atomic drop. Jeff misses with a sunset flip and RVD hits a standing moonsauolt for a two count. Van Dam then hits a suplex and a rolling senton for a two count. RVD hits some big forearms and then leaps to the top but Jeff Hardy pushes him out of the ring. Jim Ross refers to Jeff Hardy as, next to Earl Hebner, the most eligible bachelor in the WWF! Jeff leaps up to the security barrier but RVD meets him up there and both men end up going flying off. They battle into the crowd where Jeff Irish whips Van Dam into a barricade. RVD then hits a moonsault off the barricade! That earns him a two count.

Van Dam suplexes Hardy onto the barricade before jumping off the ring apron with a spinning heel kick to the Hardcore Champion! Jeff Hardy won the title by beating Mike Awesome with help from Edge and Christian. Rob Van Dam gets a near fall on the outside and then throws Jeff Hardy into the ring. The crowd chant “RVD” and he bows to the fans. Jeff Hardy then sunset flip powerbombs Rob Van Dam to the outside of the ring. I’ve seen Grand Master Sexay do that before. Jeff Hardy pulls a huge ladder from under the ring and sets it up outside the ring. He then climbs to the very top but RVD slides into the ring and pushes the ladder over! That was a long way down. How do you learn to fall off a 20 foot ladder? RVD grabs a steel chair but Jeff jabs the ladder into his challenger. Hardy then whacks Van Dam with the chair and then swings it again but RVD flies up with a big kick, hitting the Van Daminator! That sends Jeff flying off the stage. Van Dam throws Jeff back onto the stage and hits a spinning legdrop but Jeff kicks out.

Back in the ring and Rob Van Dam lays into Jeff Hardy. He sits Hardy up in the corner before dropkicking a chair into his face! Van Dam then goes for a split-legged moonsault but Hardy gets his knees up. Hardy hits a DDT but only for a two count. Hardy hits a belly to back suplex on the Hardcore title but only for a two count. Hardy, who is bleeding from the forehead, hits a jawbreaker and goes up top for the Swanton Bomb but RVD gets out of the way and Hardy falls on the belt which Van Dam puts on top of Hardy before going up top and hitting the 5 Star Frog Splash for the three count! Rob Van Dam wins the match and the Hardcore title!

Rating: 7.25/10

Vince McMahon is backstage giving Kurt Angle an inspirational speech. Angle says enough with the Americana bullshit and tonight he’s going to kick ass for himself. Oh it’s true.

Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Stacy Keibler & Torrie Wilson – Bra & Panties Tag Team Match with Mick Foley as Special Guest Referee

Trish Stratus is looking for her first PPV win tonight on the 6th time of asking. These women get right into it and it’s Torrie Wilson starting the match against Trish Stratus. The two women exchange slaps and Trish hits a clothesline. Trish follows it up with a clothesline and then attempts to rip Torries top off but Stacy makes the save. Trish takes both girls down with a clothesline and makes the tag to Lita. Neither Torrie or Stacy want to get in the ring but Lita drags in Stacy and rips her shirt off! Stacy runs away and Lita chases her around the ring allowing Torrie to get involved. Stacy then takes Litas top off! Lita hits a snapmare and throws Stacy around the ring. Lita goes to the top but Stacy gets out of the way of a high cross body. Both women makes tags and Trish knocks Torrie down with clotheslines.

Torrie throws Trish around the ring by her hair and then pulls Trish’s top off! Trish then pulls Torrie’s bottoms off! Lita and Trish hit poetry in motion on Torrie and then rip off Torries top! Lita hits a moonsault on Stacy and Trish and Lita then rip off Stacy’s bottoms to win the match!

Rating: 2.5/10

Paul Heyman gives an intense speech backstage to his team. They seem pumped up!

We then see Steve Austin and Debra who are much more sedated. Vince McMahon turns up but Austin says he doesn’t need his pep rally. Because Stone Cold says so.

Video package for the main event now, dating all the way back to Shane McMahon buying wCw from underneath his fathers nose.

Team WWF (“Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker & Kane) vs. Team wCw/ECW (Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley & Rhyno)

This is the big one. With the pre-show, both sides are technically level which means it’s all on this match. Booker T and DDP are wrestling their first match on WWF PPV tonight. Vince, Shane, Stephanie and Heyman are all at ringside for this one. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho join Christian as the only men to have wrestled on every PPV in 2000 and every PPV so far in 2001. The Dudley Boyz and Steve Austin join those three men as the only 6 to have wrestled on every PPV in 2001 so far. Kurt Angle gets a huge pop. Undertaker attacks DDP as he’s making his entrance and the main event gets underway! All 10 men go at it on the outside until Austin and Rhyno go at it in the ring to officially start the match. Austin hits a low blow  before hitting DDP and Bubba Ray Dudley with right hands. Austin then hits the Lou Thesz Press On Rhyno and drops an elbow. Austin gets the first near fall of the match and follows it up by popping Rhyno on the top rope and hitting him with chops and right hands before hitting a superplex! D-Von Dudley breaks up the cover attempt. Austin tags in the man he beat at last months PPV, Chris Jericho.

Jericho lays into Rhyno with the crowd right behind him. Rhyno hits a clothesline and tags in Booker T. Booker T hits some kicks and chops to Jericho until Jericho ducks a big kick and hits a hiptoss and arm drag. Jericho then hits a bulldog for a two count. Rhyno interrupts the count and accidentally hits Booker before Jericho disposes of Rhyno. Jericho hits a dropkick off the middle rope for a two count and then tags in Kurt Angle. Angle hits Booker with right hands much to the crowds enjoyment. Booker hits a spinning heel kick to slow the momentum and then tags in D-Von Dudley. D-Von hits a spinning elbow and lays in the boots to the former WWF Champion. Kurt explodes out of the corner with a big clothesline and then tags in Kane. Kane rams D-Von into the top turnbuckle and hits a sidewalk slam for a two count. Kane sets D-Von up for a chokeslam but Bubba Ray saves his half brother. Kane hits a side suplex on D-Von. Bubba Ray tags in and The Dudley Boyz hit a modified 3D on Kane for a 2 count.

Kane hits a big boot on Bubba Ray and then heads to the top where he hits a big clothesline. D-Von breaks up the pinfall attempt and Kane tags in his brother, The Undertaker. Undertaker hits big rights and lefts on Bubba Ray but Bubba Ray hits a clothesline for a two. Undertaker hits old school on Bubba Ray and then gets distracted by the rest of the opposition team. Bubba Ray tags in Rhyno who lays into Undertaker. DDP wants the tag and Rhyno obliges. Page hits elbows and boots to Undertaker before taking him down with a clothesline for a two count. undertaker fights back but DDP hits another clothesline. DDP tags in Booker T who hits a big kick on the Dead Man for a two count. Undertaker hits a DDT and Rhyno breaks up the cover. Undertaker then tags in Austin who lays into Booker T like there’s no tomorrow. Austin goes for the Stunner but Booker T pushes him away. Austin takes Booker T outside the ring and suplexes him over the barricade.

Austin tags Jericho who hits some knife edge chops and tries for the Walls of Jericho but DDP rushes in and he gets caught in the Walls of Jericho. Jericho breaks it up but gets caught on the ropes. Booker tags in D-Von who lays into Jericho in the corner. D-Von tags in Bubba Ray who hits some right hands of his own. D-Von is tagged back in but Jericho fights both men off and tags in Kurt Angle. Kurt lays in to both Dudley Boyz, hitting a belly to belly suplex on both men. The numbers eventually become too much and Bubba hits a Bubba Bomb on Angle. D-Von hits a legdrop and Undertaker breaks up the cover. D-Von then tags Rhyno who is getting a big rub by being in this match. Rhyno hits a belly to belly suplex on Angle and Austin breaks up the cover. Rhyno tags Bubba Ray who tags D-Von as the heels make quick tags. Angle, Austin and Undertaker all have decent enough win records on PPV. Booker T tags in and hits a big scissors kick on Angle followed by the Spineroonie!

DDP tags in and hits a tornado powerbomb on Angle. Austin keeps getting involved and looks increasingly angry in this one. D-Von hits a flying headbutt to Angle crotch as he tags in. D-Von tags in DDP who applies a sleeper to Angle before dropping him to the canvas for a two count. DDP applies a front facelock but Angle gets out of it and tags in Austin but the referee doesn’t see it because he was distracted by Bubba Ray Dudley and so the tag doesn’t count. DDP tags in and hits a Diamond Cutter and in comes The Undertaker! 9 men are then in the ring with Austin on the apron! Rhyno accidentally Gores Booker T! Undertaker hits a big sidewalk slam on DDP followed by a chokeslam. Booker T pulls Austin off the apron and wCw referee Charles Robinson gets in the ring and stops Undertaker from hitting the Last Ride on Booker T! Undertaker instead hits Last Ride on Robinson! All 10 men fight around the ring and Undertaker fights DDP through the crowd!

Kane goes at it with The Dudley Boyz as Austin gets his knee seen to by an EMT. The Dudley Boyz double team Kane and pull out some tables from under the ring. Kane then chokeslams D-Von through an announce table! Bubba Ray hits Kane with a TV monitor and then Bubba Ray and Rhyno suplex Kane through another announce table! Jericho flies off the apron and shoulder blocks Rhyno through a table. Kurt Angle and Booker T are the two men left in the ring but Bubba Ray is up and helps Booker T to double team Kurt Angle. Kurt battles back and hits a suplex on Booker and an Angle Slam on Bubba Ray! Angle then applies the Ankle Lock to Booker T who Booker kicks him off into the referee! Vince McMahon throws the WWF title to Kurt angle but Shane slides in and grabs it and smashes his father in the face with it! Angle then gets rid of Shane and Bubba Ray before hitting the Angle Slam on Booker and locking on the Ankle Lock! Booker T taps but there’s no referee! Austin gets back in the ring and Stunners Kurt! He puts Booker T on top of Angle and the referee counts the 3! Austin has helped wCw and ECW win this match! Austin lays into Angle after the bell and shares a beer with Shane, Stephanie and Heyman!

Rating: 8.25/10 

 

Well that was an interesting show. It didn’t feel like the best quality matches I’ve ever seen but it was something special to see WWF stars going at it with (former) wCw and ECW superstars. The Alliance won the war 6 matches to 5 including the pre-show match in which Chavo Guerrero defeated Scotty Too Hotty. It then looked good for the WWF with the home team winning the first three matches. Edge and Christian are arguably the best team in the WWF at the moment and together they beat Lance Storm and Mike Awesome, two men more associated with singles careers. Earl Hebner then beat Nick Patrick and The APA beat the rookie team of Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire. I liked all three of these results although I did think Bradshaw and Faarooq might have been upset. I’m not sure any of these feuds will continue into Summerslam but for now it gave us a good taste of the tag team divisions as well as a “fun” referees match.

The first win for the Alliance came when Billy Kidman beat X Pac. This wasn’t too much of a surprise to me. Although X Pac is still young (under 30!) it feels like his time is running out. Kidman looks like a star and had success with wCw and I can see this continuing with the WWF. Raven then beat William Regal which was a surprising result. Raven has been a bit part in the Alliance so far whereas Regal is the commissioner of the WWF. I would’ve liked to have seen Regal win this match but it was Tazz that got involved and helped Raven to win. I can definitely see Regal and Tazz feuding into Summerslam. Kanyon, Morrus and Stasiak, 3 wCw jobbers, then beat Big Show, Billy Gunn and Albert. Again, I would have liked to have seen WWF win this match but they can’t win them all. I’m not sure where any of these 6 men are heading. Big Show is definitely a man that could be playing a bigger part in this storyline.

Tajiri beat Tazz in a match that could have gone either way. Tajiri is really over at the moment and a major babyface with a lot of potential. Tazz has been doing a lot of announcing so maybe his career is coming to an end. Jeff Hardy then lost his Hardcore title to Rob Van Dam. Van Dam is a hell of a worker and is extremely popular to the WWF audience. I like him as Hardcore champion, he could bring a lot to the belt and the division as a whole. Trish and Lita beat Torrie and Stacy which was probably a popular decision. It meant the WWF audience go to see the wCw ladies naked for the first time. Then in the main event, Steve Austin shocked the world when we turned on  his team and joined the Alliance. I definitely didn’t see this coming. It looks like they’re really persisting with his heel turn, which on the whole I’ve enjoyed but is generally considered a failure. This gives Austin loads of faces to work with, like Kurt Angle, Jericho, Undertaker and Kane. I guess it makes sense for him to be on the heel team for the time being. I can only see Austin vs. Angle at Summerslam which will be a first time ever on PPV. The Alliance may have won tonight but this war continues.

Overall Rating: 48/100 (ranked 108th out of 126)

Match Of The Night: The Inaugural Brawl
Worst Match Of The Night: Earl Hebner vs. Nick Patrick
Surprise Of The Night: Austin turns his back on WWF
Worst Booking Of The Night: Raven beats William Regal
Superstar Of The Night: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Invastion 2001 Will Be Remembered For: The first major battle between WWF and The Alliance & the night Austin turned his back on the WWF