Bruce Prichard Says If He Could Go Back, He Wouldn't Have Done This Massive WWE Angle

In 2001, wrestling's "Monday Night War" came to an end when WWE purchased WCW. In the months that followed, the company initiated an "invasion" storyline, depicting an onscreen conflict between WWE and WCW performers. However, very few of WCW's top stars appeared at this time, and the storyline would eventually go down as a significant disappointment. Speaking on "Something to Wrestle," WWE executive Bruce Prichard was recently asked if he would still go through with the storyline, knowing everything he knows now.

"I wouldn't have done [the WCW invasion]," Prichard said. "The Kevin Nashs, the Hulk Hogans, Scott Hall, Sting, Ric Flair, all those guys — they weren't coming. So, from our vantage point, we were not interested in the talent. We were interested in ... the IP and ... the TV slot on TNT."

It wasn't until WWE's purchase of WCW was complete that the company learned TNT's then-parent company Time Warner had no interest in airing more professional wrestling in WCW's former time slot. WWE took possession of WCW's rings and other physical assets, as well as the company's tape library, and were given the option of buying WCW's contracts or letting them go.

According to Prichard, WWE's business was in a strong place and the company didn't want to deal with the "headaches" of many WCW stars. On top of that, the decision on whether to buy WCW or not came down to the last minute, with the creative team scrambling to come up with a storyline that would fit, resulting in the Shane McMahon character purchasing WCW.

"Look, the last [WCW] show and the Cleveland show that we had, it was a spectacle in history, so I get it," Prichard continued. "But without the WCW stalwarts, I don't think that an invasion would've worked, and obviously it didn't with what we had."

The WCW invasion angle lasted from March 2001 through November of that year, culminating at WWE Survivor Series. By that point, various performers had changed sides, with the lines between WWE and WCW becoming too blurred for the storyline to remain believable. In the years since, it has become commonly accepted that the WCW invasion angle was a failure, with wrestlers from Lance Storm to Eric Bischoff sharing various opinions on why it did not work.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Something to Wrestle" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.