Some Thoughts From Rewatching Attitude Era

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Now that I finally got myself a Network sub, I've been watching every PPV from King of the Ring '96 onwards and just thought I'd note a few things that make the product seem not that different to how it is now.

- It's pretty great yeah, but honestly, the exact same logical problems you see today were all over the place back then, and in some cases way worse. Austin counts his own pinfall to win? WTF?

- Austin's matches are hit-and-miss with me tbh, sometimes the psych is really engaging and other times they're no different from a Reigns/Sheamus match.

- Heel Lawler is a great commentator but also as annoying as heel Cole was. He is SUCH a dick seriously. And by the way, the whole 'Brian Christopher is not my son' bit was hilarious.

- Vince on commentary has two standout moments for me. 1) During a cage match he literally says "He tried to yank him off ... and he got all of it!" I spat out my drink laughing. 2) Vince sums up the entire Attitude Era main event booking at one late 97 show where he says "And yet another official goes down!"

- Triple H was always awesome. Haters can suck it. However DX as a whole? Weak early on. And their video cutting entrance thing is very annoying, that would be hated big time today.

- Same problem of solid midcard with performers who are over, being not utilised to fullest extent. But also the anti-smark in me realises not everyone can be main event.

- Austin and Rocky's time on top was fucking brief.

- I like Bulldog and Faarooq way more in retrospect. What the hell happened with Faarooq? He felt like a legit badass in 96/97, why'd his push fall apart?

 

[The Butcher]

I always notice the crowds.

For better or worse.

 

[braveh]

1998 and 1999 - era WWF is very Vince Russo-esque A bunch of stables. They break up, nothing makes sense, "who is in which stables???", swerves etc....I'm not a big fan of that writing from the point of view of watching a weekly soap opera...1998 survivor series was AWESOME though!

I always notice the crowds.

For better or worse.

How do you like the 2006-era kid who punched Randy Orton at One night stand?

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

How do you like the 2006-era kid who punched Randy Orton at One night stand?

I thought he was an arrogant little shit and was glad that Orton freaked him out with that stare.

 

[Lee]

The thing with AE is a lot of it was great, a lot was shit yet every match had a story. A reason why. Watch the Raw when Mankind first wins the title and see the focus on a match involving D'Lo. It's crazy.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Austin "winning" at Over the Edge is one of my favourite finishes in wrestling. The odds were completely stacked against him and I was completely sold into the match because I just didn't know how he'd pull it off. As Vince said "by my hand only" Austin of course uses Vince's hand and leaves. Vince comes out the next night and says the result was a no contest. Austin of course still keeps the belt.

As long as there is at least some logic in storylines I'm happy, and I think the attitude era did a tremendous job in that regard

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The thing with AE is a lot of it was great, a lot was shit yet every match had a story. A reason why. Watch the Raw when Mankind first wins the title and see the focus on a match involving D'Lo. It's crazy.

This is exactly right. Russo gets a lot of shit (and lot of it justified) but what I thought was great- and even more so looking back, was that almost every wrestler on the roster was involved in some kind of storyline, even if it was just a backstage segment one week. Even though some matches were shit, each one progressed a story in some way. There wasn't many useless matches just thrown on the card to fill time.

 

[#tamale]

- It's pretty great yeah, but honestly, the exact same logical problems you see today were all over the place back then, and in some cases way worse. Austin counts his own pinfall to win? WTF?

Every era has problems. People forget how awful Heyman's ECW was at times.

- Austin's matches are hit-and-miss with me tbh, sometimes the psych is really engaging and other times they're no different from a Reigns/Sheamus match.

Blasphemy! I can only really remember Austin having bad matches with Undertaker. They just didn't click.

- Triple H was always awesome. Haters can suck it. However DX as a whole? Weak early on. And their video cutting entrance thing is very annoying, that would be hated big time today.

From 99-01, Triple H was probably the best wrestler in the world.

- Same problem of solid midcard with performers who are over, being not utilised to fullest extent. But also the anti-smark in me realises not everyone can be main event.

My issue with creative today is that they are not focused on making each segment as entertaining as possible. Godfather was an attraction on Monday nights. It did not matter if he won or lost, he entertained the audience. That's why I get pissed when you show the same damn recap in the beginning of the show towards the end of the show and I look on the WWE youtube channel and those segments are not on television. I know they want to push the youtube channel, but why can't we get that content on television instead?

- Austin and Rocky's time on top was fucking brief.

But fun as hell.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

But fun as hell.

Oh absolutely mate, hell yeah!

So far my favourite things are DX, Artist Formerly Known as Goldust, anything to do with Foley or Taker, and Brian Christopher & Lawler.

Al Snow & Head losing by the 'Head & Shoulders' shampoo being pinned to the mat is one of the ridiculous but possibly greatest things I have ever seen.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Farooq & Bradshaw... one of the best make shift teams of all time, Al Snow & Steve Blackman a nice second.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Farooq & Bradshaw... one of the best make shift teams of all time, Al Snow & Steve Blackman a nice second.

Seconded, I am looking forward to rewatching them. Not sure they had many PPV appearances from what I remember though.

Shamrock is another one I like way more on rewatching. He's like a halfway point between Lesnar and Angle. His personality isn't much but what he does have is very good. Straightforward on the mic which is no bad thing.

Triple H commentary quotes from King of the Ring 98:
- "I'm bi a lot of things but lingual ain't one of them"
- "That's what separates champions from losers ... not how much stroke you got with the guy running the show, not how much you can stick your nose up somebody's butt, it's about who's got it in that ring". Nice kayfabing maaate

Jaysus, Hell in a Cell II. It's not technically a 'good' match but the spectacle of it is awesome. When Taker just charges up the cell wall at the beginning after Mankind. I read that Taker was genuinely scared during those minutes after Mankind went off the cell. He does a a good job for the most part of staying in character but also he does just sort of hover on the cell roof looking as though he doesn't know what to do next. I forgot how early it happens too, for some reason I remembered it as an endgame spot. It feels really serious when they remove the mask mask and McMahon comes out and everything. Foley's smile when he gets back up is chilling as well.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Idk why but the biggest memory I have from the AE was commentators being beaten up in their hometowns.