The badly botched Invasion angle has been discussed ad infinitum on this website and all others. We all know that what could have been the biggest angle in history is in danger of dying, and will take some creative booking to save.
However, there has been one thing that the WWF has done right in the Invasion. Despite what they’ve done to most title belts in the promotion, and notwithstanding the burial of the talent that should be holding the title, the WCW Title is remarkably strong.
Some wrestling commentators have said that the WWF has done a poor job in promoting the WCW Title, but I whole heartedly disagree.
The WCW Title was introduced into the WWF in late June, around the waist of Booker T, who was pegged as the mega babyface leader of the then upstart WCW. However, due to booking problems and an overall hatred of the WCW brand, WWF fans quickly turned on WCW and Booker T, forcing the WWF to change its plans.
And as the WCW stars and most of the WCW titles became worthless, the WWF has taken steps to preserving the WCW Title as best it can. Compared to how WCW itself treated its top title in 2000, Vince McMahon has done a downright incredible job.
After a brief reign by Kurt Angle, Booker T lost the WCW Title to The Rock. But the match was actually the main event of the WWF’s second biggest PPV broadcast of the year, and the title change was put over as something major.
The Rock, the WWF’s biggest star, wore the WCW Title proudly for over two months, restoring some prestige and importance to the title. Critics of the Rock might say he is not as strong in the ring as he should be, but most fans still view him as the top star in the business, and him holding the WCW Title did nothing but elevate the belt in the eyes of WWF fans.
Now the WCW Title is involved in the promotion’s hottest storyline, the on-going tension between The Rock and Chris Jericho. It was promoted that Chris Jericho could never win the “big one.” The WWF creative team put a WCW Title match on par with a WWF Title match, as “big” matches Chris Jericho has been involved in. When doing commentary on Jericho and his streak of losing big time matches, Jim Ross put the WCW Title match at the same level as his WWF Title matches, giving the WCW Title added credibility.
A major story since Chris Jericho defeated The Rock at No Mercy has been that Jericho did indeed finally win the “big one” and that occasion was for the WCW Title. As every other title in the WWF has become worthless, the WCW Title has been kept at a higher level, almost on par with the WWF Title itself.
There is a lot to criticize the WWF for in its handling of WCW since its purchase in March 2001. However, the treatment of the WCW Title has been excellent thusfar, and it stands as a strong major title in the promotion, or as the flagship belt of a new promotion, if such a federation were ever to launch.
