So it was once and forever shall be muttered.....
''Bring Back The Attitude Era!!''
All over the net and all around the world there is an apparent group of people that want to see the attitude era make a come back. Now I want to be very clear that this thread is not to discuss the idea of bringing back the attitude era. No, instead I want to explore why bringing back or starting a new attitude era just wouldn't work.
I'm always fascinated with people who seem to think that just by bring back the attitude era that everything will be better. That the golden age of wrestling will begin exactly where it left off. That immediately all problems currently plaguing the WWE will all but seem to vanish over night by simply just going back to a more edgy product. I don't know about any of you but I'm just tired of hearing or reading of these comments all over the net. Like the Attitude era was the end all be all to wrestling. That the attitude era is what wrestling should be like from now until the end of time. However,I'm not about to use this thread as a platform to unload all of my grievances and issues that I have with the so called "golden age of wrestling". Instead I want to discuss the possibility of another attitude era like cycle surfacing in today's wrestling world.
The attitude era only start for one reason. That was the immense tension between then WWF and WCW. The Monday night wars as people would remember them. This made for some exciting and compelling T.V on a weekly basis. You had your major factions such as the NWO an D-Generation X . You had mega stars like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. All existed and thrived like they did because of the more edgy product. I would also take a guess that most people only tuned in,not because they cared about wrestling but only because they desired to see these guys raise hell and kick candy ass. All these factors I mentioned above played very big roles in not just the success of the WWF but the overall success of the attitude era in general.
So, my inquiry is can you have a successful attitude era like product today without a Stone Cold Steve Austin? Without a Rock or NWO?? Will WWE still be compelled to toss out shocking and tense television week in week out without a rival company to compete with? What about WWE's strong family ties now?? Will they risk tossing that all out the window after spending years and years rebuilding their company image after all the violent and mature themes that was portrayed with the attitude era? All those people that abandoned the product after WCW went under,after Austin and Rock left. Will they all come faithfully(and I use that term very loosely)back? Will they even be able to accept another attitude era without guys like Austin and Rock? Or will we just be dealt with another batch of fans who will be forever and endlessly be comparing the new attitude era to the old one?
It just wouldn't work.
The attitude era came into being under very special circumstances, being the war between WWF and WCW viding for supremacy over the other. Without the direct competition and threat of possibly being run out of business; there is simply no need for another attitude era. All it would do is devalue the company and tarnish its family like image that, like I said WWE has tried so hard to reconstruct over the years. Plus we all know the secret formula to success. Kids + Familes + family friendly WWE=$$$$. Its all about trying to establish a new generation of fans. Not temporarily catering to a certain demographic.
In order to have a successful attitude like era, you need attitude superstars. Guys like Rock and Austin were one of a kind. Can you replicate the same amount of success that the old attitude era had with guys like Punk? Orton or Cena? Or even with a generic group of new generation of superstars? Dont forget. With being an attitude era like superstar, you need to be violent. Excessive amounts of blood and chair shots to the skull among other violent angles. Without all the blood and chair shots to the head, will the hardcore crowd still tune in? Even with the over the top storylines and absurdity involved. I can't imagine WWE could even come close to capturing the same type of energy and atmosphere over a long period of time before people eventually migrate to something else.
In conclusion. The WWE was forced to adapt to the ever changing world around them. This was obvious when WCW gained a strong foothold in the ratings. The world was changing and they did the smart thing. In order to not only outlast WCW but survive as an industry,they had to change as well. It was necessary, it was urgent, it needed to happen. Today there is no cry for such urgency to trigger such a drastic change in the product, so what's the point? My answer is that there simply isn't any to justify such a leap in product overhaul.
Perhaps someday in the future but not today.
Time for Q and A!
Would a more edgy(attitude era) Product work in todays world? Why or why not? Please provide specifics to avoid spamming.
With today's WWE family friendly image, is it even logical to go back to an attitude era? Try thinking of it not as a fan but as one of those WWE suits and ties.would it be a smart business move?
Personally,would you approve of another attitude like era? Again,why or why not?
Keep it clean and sound off below!
''Bring Back The Attitude Era!!''
All over the net and all around the world there is an apparent group of people that want to see the attitude era make a come back. Now I want to be very clear that this thread is not to discuss the idea of bringing back the attitude era. No, instead I want to explore why bringing back or starting a new attitude era just wouldn't work.
I'm always fascinated with people who seem to think that just by bring back the attitude era that everything will be better. That the golden age of wrestling will begin exactly where it left off. That immediately all problems currently plaguing the WWE will all but seem to vanish over night by simply just going back to a more edgy product. I don't know about any of you but I'm just tired of hearing or reading of these comments all over the net. Like the Attitude era was the end all be all to wrestling. That the attitude era is what wrestling should be like from now until the end of time. However,I'm not about to use this thread as a platform to unload all of my grievances and issues that I have with the so called "golden age of wrestling". Instead I want to discuss the possibility of another attitude era like cycle surfacing in today's wrestling world.
The attitude era only start for one reason. That was the immense tension between then WWF and WCW. The Monday night wars as people would remember them. This made for some exciting and compelling T.V on a weekly basis. You had your major factions such as the NWO an D-Generation X . You had mega stars like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. All existed and thrived like they did because of the more edgy product. I would also take a guess that most people only tuned in,not because they cared about wrestling but only because they desired to see these guys raise hell and kick candy ass. All these factors I mentioned above played very big roles in not just the success of the WWF but the overall success of the attitude era in general.
So, my inquiry is can you have a successful attitude era like product today without a Stone Cold Steve Austin? Without a Rock or NWO?? Will WWE still be compelled to toss out shocking and tense television week in week out without a rival company to compete with? What about WWE's strong family ties now?? Will they risk tossing that all out the window after spending years and years rebuilding their company image after all the violent and mature themes that was portrayed with the attitude era? All those people that abandoned the product after WCW went under,after Austin and Rock left. Will they all come faithfully(and I use that term very loosely)back? Will they even be able to accept another attitude era without guys like Austin and Rock? Or will we just be dealt with another batch of fans who will be forever and endlessly be comparing the new attitude era to the old one?
It just wouldn't work.
The attitude era came into being under very special circumstances, being the war between WWF and WCW viding for supremacy over the other. Without the direct competition and threat of possibly being run out of business; there is simply no need for another attitude era. All it would do is devalue the company and tarnish its family like image that, like I said WWE has tried so hard to reconstruct over the years. Plus we all know the secret formula to success. Kids + Familes + family friendly WWE=$$$$. Its all about trying to establish a new generation of fans. Not temporarily catering to a certain demographic.
In order to have a successful attitude like era, you need attitude superstars. Guys like Rock and Austin were one of a kind. Can you replicate the same amount of success that the old attitude era had with guys like Punk? Orton or Cena? Or even with a generic group of new generation of superstars? Dont forget. With being an attitude era like superstar, you need to be violent. Excessive amounts of blood and chair shots to the skull among other violent angles. Without all the blood and chair shots to the head, will the hardcore crowd still tune in? Even with the over the top storylines and absurdity involved. I can't imagine WWE could even come close to capturing the same type of energy and atmosphere over a long period of time before people eventually migrate to something else.
In conclusion. The WWE was forced to adapt to the ever changing world around them. This was obvious when WCW gained a strong foothold in the ratings. The world was changing and they did the smart thing. In order to not only outlast WCW but survive as an industry,they had to change as well. It was necessary, it was urgent, it needed to happen. Today there is no cry for such urgency to trigger such a drastic change in the product, so what's the point? My answer is that there simply isn't any to justify such a leap in product overhaul.
Perhaps someday in the future but not today.
Time for Q and A!
Would a more edgy(attitude era) Product work in todays world? Why or why not? Please provide specifics to avoid spamming.
With today's WWE family friendly image, is it even logical to go back to an attitude era? Try thinking of it not as a fan but as one of those WWE suits and ties.would it be a smart business move?
Personally,would you approve of another attitude like era? Again,why or why not?
Keep it clean and sound off below!
