10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 2001

#5 Ric Flair returns to the WWF

Return of the Natch'

Whether or not the Invasion Angle was a success is still up for debate amongst wrestling fans today, but the fact that the storyline didn't even make it to Wrestlemania 18 should tell you a lot about how invested the company were in the whole thing. The official end to the angle came with Survivor Series 2001 in a winner takes all match between the two sides.

After a Rock Bottom and a pinfall victory for The Rock over Stone Cold, WWF finally emerged as the victor, just as they had in real life by winning the Monday Night Wars.

The PPV also saw many of the mid-card belts unified, essentially incorporating and eventually wiping out the legacy of WCW and ECW into the WWF. By the time the new year came around, the Invasion Angle was all but a distant and largely regrettable memory.

However, Shane and Stephanie would not give up the fight without adding one more sting in the tail. After Vince began a transition back to being a heel, forcing former Alliance members out of his company, a returning Ric Flair would come in and shatter Vince's mood with a shocking announcement.

Flair informed Vince that his two children had sold their shares of the WWF to him, making Flair a joint owner of the company along with McMahon. In one stroke of writing, Flair's return led to the WWF reverting to the days of old, with Austin coming back into the fold by turning babyface and attacking his former enemy for stripping him of the WWF Championship.