'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#10 Shane McMahon purchases WCW
We cannot compile a list of shocking moments from WWF 2001 without mentioning the purchase of WCW by Vince's son Shane McMahon. This would not just make the top 10 of 2001's shocking moments, but would probably feature somewhere in the top three of an all-time list. Every wrestling fan knows where they were when this segment was aired.
Trending
In late 2000, it appeared as though WCW would be bought by a partnership which included Eric Bishoff, the GM of WCW throughout its heydey. The deal rested on whether Turner Broadcasting still wanted to air Nitro and Thunder on its programming. When the company acquired a new CEO, a decision was made not to continue WCW's weekly shows claiming that they did not fit in with the long-term vision of the corporation.
WWF were then left as the only viable purchaser of WCW and acquired all of the rights to its video library in March 2001. On Monday, 26th of March, Vince McMahon opened RAW with a split screen also showing Nitro's broadcast from Panama City Beach in Florida. The plan was for Vince to finalise his purchase on live television.
Then, in scenes that delighted both WWF and WCW's audiences, Shane McMahon appeared on Nitro claiming that he had struck a deal to purchase WCW from under his father's nose. This was all within the confines of kayfabe of course, but it did set the scene for the Invasion Angle that would dominate WWF programming for the remainder of the year.
As iconic a moment as this is, it will always be felt in rather bittersweet terms. Fans knew there would have to eventually be a winner in the Monday Night Wars, and WWF certainly had the better roster and long-term planning of the two. However, as with most walks of life, a little competition usually brings the best out of all involved, and with the absence of WCW in 2017, WWE are often accused of not trying hard enough to entertain its fanbase.
It is an era of wrestling we shall perhaps never know again, but as the old adage goes - all good things must come to an end.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
