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If we've learned anything as fans of professional wrestling over the last 14 years, we've learned that invasion angles are easier dreamed than done. The NWO angle led to a huge boom in business but ultimately the death of WCW. The WCW/ECW invasion of the WWF was doomed from the moment Buff Bagwell stepped into a Monday Night Raw ring, and the nail was hammered into the coffin when Stephanie McMahon put on her first ECW beret. Even the third ECW brand was neutered before RVD and Sabu took their second hits.

What can WWE learn from those botched invasions? I can think of a few things.

Containment: Do NOT let the angle swallow the entire promotion. It should be one of two or three major storylines, but no faction can hold up an entire promotion at once. The NWO couldn't do it and neither could the Alliance. Focusing on feuds like Cena vs. Barrett, Undertaker vs. Daniel Bryan, and Justin Gabriel vs. Matt Hardy will keep the storyline prominent but still leave room for other established Superstars to carry the show.

Define Your Characters & Their Motivations: There should be a clear reason why all eight NXT Rookies joined together to do what they did, especially the babyface Rookies (Daniel Bryan, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Darren Young).

Their motivations should be simple, consistent with their characters, and logical in a kayfabe context. In this case, the eight Rookies were humiliated on television and not given a fair shot at success, being constantly interrupted by Matt Striker, derided by the announcers, and rejected by the WWE Universe. Character-wise, they shouldn't be buddies, they shouldn't act like they love each other, and they shouldn't all be total pricks either. They should be eight angry and motivated wrestlers, fighting for a spot in the business they love, willing to use any means necessary to succeed.

Wade Barrett's motivations must also be spelled out clearly, since, as the winner of NXT, he really had the least incentive to mess with the status quo. Having seven motivated, angry young men supporting him in his quest to become WWE champion seems to be good reason to shake things up.

Let the Rookies Win, but Believably: The Alliance always looked like a bunch of schmucks, to the point where the face of the WWF, Steve Austin, had to be added to the mix. The NWO always made WCW look like a bunch of schmucks, to the point where half of the NWO had to turn babyface. For the NXT Rookie angle to maintain credibility, a few of the Rookies must win big matches in believable ways that fit with their characters.

Daniel Bryan should be able to snatch someone like John Morrison, R-Truth, or even C.M. Punk into a clean tapout. Justin Gabriel's 450 splash should beat Matt Hardy or Rey Mysterio clean. And eventually, Wade Barrett should have a long, back and forth match with John Cena and beat him with some minimal but effective shenanigans from the other Rookies.

Maintaining credibility is key, otherwise no one will ever buy into any of these eight Rookies as legitimate main event Superstars.

Set an End Date & Storyline Climax: The NWO angle didn't really seem to be going anywhere, and the Alliance Invasion angle ended with a whimper after losing all of its steam quickly. For the NXT invasion angle to work, it has to be planned out well, with key plot points and a climax in mind from the very beginning. The best way to keep the storyline interesting, as any writer of "Lost" will tell you, is to know how and when the story will definitively end.

Attention to detail in a storyline like this is key because that will allow WWE to pepper shows with subtle clue that fans will be rewarded for catching. They may have already begun, giving the NXT Rookies matching armbands and a gangster-feel, having them beat up both babyface Cena and heel Punk, and having Michael Cole disappear unscathed while Justin Roberts, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker, and even the timekeeper were all brutalized. All of these details can either be read as clues to the motivations of the Rookies or fodder for speculation of further storyline twists. The interest generated by this week's subtleties prove that fans want to tune in to follow a logical, exciting storyline to a satisfying conclusion. By setting an end date, WWE can make sure that every week means something, every show contains interesting plot points, and almost every fan will want to keep tuning in.

Keep Vince Away: Where does Vince McMahon fit into this storyline? Unlike the NWO and Alliance angles, the tremendous strength of this angle is that the NXT Rookies have no interest in "destroying" the WWE, a prospect which always stretched suspension of disbelief too far, anyway. These Rookies just want to be a part of WWE, and in the process, they have to destroy the acts who are keeping them down. It's storyline survival of the fittest, and Mr. McMahon, the character, should have no real problem with that. So McMahon should not be anti-NXT Rookies. On the other hand, Rookies fighting to take over WWE should not be aligned with the boss, because he could easily just give them their spots.

So where does Vince fit into this angle? He doesn't. Stay out, Vince. Stay. Out.

Follow Up Competently: Before the angle is completely over, WWE must make sure the Rookies are set up to transition well to their next roles. This is another area where the Invasion angle seemed to fail. If the goal of the NXT angle is to make at least four or five new, marketable stars at upper card or main event levels, make sure to focus on those stars and give them a logical next step in their evolution.

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The buzz generated by this NXT Rookie angle is the sort of thing that gets old school wrestling fans excited to watch WWE regularly again. Let's hope the WWE brass is willing to learn from history and deliver something worthwhile here.

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