The Invasion (professional wrestling)
It is important to note that some of the WCW wrestlers' absences were out of the WWF's control.  Many of WCW's top wrestlers had contracts with AOL Time Warner, WCW's parent company, and were willing to sit at home rather than wrestle for less money. Ric Flair and Rey Mysterio were not signed until the end of the Invasion because they were tied to their contracts, and therefore their absence was out of the WWF's control.  In addition, Scott Steiner was recovering from an injury.  Others, such as Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Goldberg, were not signed until well after the storyline finished.  Because of this, the WWF's opponent allegedly lacked the strong identity of WCW.