Was The Attitude Era Really That Good? Why do it's fans hate the PG Era?

[thats the bottom lineee]

If i ask all the people in this site what their favorite wrestling era is from the wwe/f, the vast majority (including myself) would say the attitude era. But why do attitude era fans hate the pg / reality era?

It's because they did not grow up with it. This does not count for everybody as i grew up in the ruthless aggression era but prefer the attitude era by a mile, but for most this is true. The fans in the 80's did not really like the attitude era, only about 40% did with probably 30% being true wrestling fans who watch today for the love of the sport.! The current kids will probably hate the next era unless it's truly magical!

So what I ask you is... do you agree with me?
Comment Below!

 

[RoyalSkull]

I think it just had more memorable gimmicks and story lines. Even the mid and low card guys had gimmicks and feuds in the Attitude Era.

 

[Peoples_Trashman]

I feel mainly because they went from.. "F U boss im kickin ur @$$" an being able to drop almost every swear word known to man the more ruthless an assholish ur character became the better chance you had to get tv time. a lot of ppl only got tv time because they were in groups. or GANGS.. They went all out Austin being put on a cross type undertaker symbol the Kane an Katie vick Tripple H ordeal.. had a guy who was a "porn star" Mark henry mae young an the birth of a hand Goldust Character even stuck out a lot more"... even if it was centered around ROCK, Austin an HHH they still threw Curve balls everynow an then like Jericho beating the rock an austin.. Bringing undertaker in changing his character... and through the years a lot of characters were just revamped an the storys now or just remade just a lil different.. Punks feud with Lauranitis almost same as Austin Mcmahon, Cena is a hogan knock off u almost can predict if an when he loses an hes always screwed.. They really aren't anything to raise or push the bar.. Anymore theres really no Curve ball . And Tag Team was more important then To this day NEW AGE OUTLAWS are one of my fave teams they both with from crappy gimmicks to at least a chance with the IC title might not have been very good singles.. but together they were awesome but them randomly being put together from goof Singing Rockstar wannabe gimmicks to Out Laws. now its just like "oh hey u 2 are now a tag team since u both work the same style... Or we have nothing to do with u so ur gonna be in a tag team" or instead of oen just turning on somebody wit no real signs of change. it hav things build up to turn. I may be weird I do miss the days of were the show had at least 3 random matches with jobbers. then a big good match at the end. PG era. U don't seem the same intensity. i remember when somebody was a "MONSTER" in attitude era an even before a monster would fight 2 guys at once and some of the guys now they try an shove in your face to like. once fans start liking them.. they are taken off tv.. they could bring back more managers. i don't count ICKY VICKY as a manager cuz her character is just teh same as before minus the power.. they had to put swagger in her group just to keep him from the dark matches.. she gives him more heat. an no mater who Cena fights hes gonna have 50percent or more ppl booing him.. ok before that woulda at lest strait up turned a guy HEEL No matter how much their merchandise sales i remember he was beter as a heel with the rapper gimick they need to try again but not the rapping go back to his old gimmick the Proto Type if you have ever watched any on youtube .. They gotta quit changing some of the "monsters" from Heel to face back to heel... Cuz u turn em face you kill the monster then u turn em back heel to bring back the monster then turn them heel again to bring it back.. i dunno how many times kane went from dangerous to goofy to dangerous to goofy back to dangerous...... Ok I think my period has ended the blood is gone....

 

[bigpawpa27]

The attitude era was just just a great wrestling era. It brought out the best in both WCW & WWF. It was the best era for a fan because both shows didn't let you down in the height of there day. I mean I still watch the product from today but for me it's just the attitude era made you want to drop what you were doing and watch each and every week.

 

[saintsrlfc95]

The attitude era was the most entertaining era no doubt, but from 2005-2010, the WWE standards dropped a bit and turned into a PG show, so I would like to see a rebirth of the attitude era in 2012.

 

[DexVendetta88]

The attitude era is as good as everyone says because I can't recall any show during that era that didn't disappoint. You have to realize that the WWE/F has always been PG when you think about it. The attitude era was just that time in the WWE/F where you can kick the boss' ass, cuss all you want, and get away with it at the end of the day. Also, the storylines and gimmicks were more detailed and memorable at the time. In short, the attitude era never disappointed, and it was a great time to be a wrestling fan.

 

[mdj2010]

The attitude era wasn't just about the WWE. It was exciting because it was just the most succesful period in profesional wrestling. Competition was at its peak and this created controversy and the neccesity to always be looking to raise your game. Steve Austin, The Rock, The NWO, DX, Sting and so many more made that era incredible.
Having said that, not everything was 'great'. I often stick on old episodes of Raw, Smackdown, Nitro and Thunder and am amazed at how rose tinted my memories are, because there was a lot of crap alongside the better stuff.
But, compared to today, there was so much more variety and excitement. The live crowds were more hyped and it just made for better shows all round.
Personally, I do my best to avoid being constantly down on the PG era and get sick of the constant forum posts from people whining about whats wrong with this era.
The other major factor is that the attitude era was one of the only time periods in wrestling where being a wrestling fan was cool, or at least acceptable. Today, it seems that even self professed wrestling fans are embarrased by their adoration for the business. Personally, if its wrestling, its better than 99% of the crap filling our TV netowrks and still makes for one of the best live events on the planet.

 

[Wald]

I started watching wrestling in 1989 so for me between then and 1994 is my favourite of all-time, so I do believe a lot of it has to do with when you got into watching and who your favourites are. No matter what any wrestler does from now until I die not one of them will come close to topping Bret Hart as my favourite wrestler for example.

That said the Attitude Era was exciting, mostly because it was something completely new with title changes on weekly shows, storylines that brought in millions more fans, swearing, nudity, violence and a stripping back of even pretending wrestling was real. It was exciting because by 1994/95 wrestling had gone too cartoony with characters like Doink, Duke 'The Dumpster' Drozey, WCW guys wrestling on Baywatch and all the rest of the crap. This was the exact opposite to what made wrestling so lame by 1995 and 1996 (although the nWo obviously started the ball rolling in 1996).

PG Era is fine however, you don't need to bring back the attitude era to make wrestling great again. The WWE just needs to sort out creative and we will be good once more. And i don't that as an 'imgz creative sux' point, I mean it as they need to sit down and set out continuous stoylines that are 3 months in advance and see them through.

The WWE's biggest problem nowadays is that it wants to be taken seriously as an entertainment show, but tell me a popular story based entertainment show that has people changing their storylines right before they film?

Vince basically needs to decide what he wants and then leave it. That will fix wrestling

 

[Negrodamus]

The attitude era was at a time where everything was better music, movies, sports and the economy. That was a big time for everything but when it comes to the actual show I still feel it was better also because it was still a privately owned company, all the watered down changes came when the company went public so now they have to answer to shareholders, investors.

I disagree with a lot of people on here about it was good cause they could cuss, in actuality they had great stories and characters that gelled well.

also saying Ass and Bitch are heard on primetime tv and that was the so called cussin that went on so to say that they were able to cuss as the reason for it being the way it was is ridiculous. A lot of those storylines would have been equally amazing if it was done now.

That era just had better storylines better feuds, better characters etc. If Austin got hurt or left then The Rock HHH Angle or a number of others could carry the show there was always a couple of #1 guys, since then and up until now If Cena wasn't there it was hard to sell the product.
There was also proper competition where you always had to put on a quality show or fear going under.

But mainly the Clinton era was the best time in North America for everything

 

[Cats Pajamas]

The attitude era was like a big fat line of coke. Divas were not only competitive but they more aggressively tried drawing you in as eye candy. You had Austin finishing most shows by putting away a few beers. Zambonis, cement trucks, motorcycles and so on all made a parking lot out of the floor surrounding the ring. Hardcore matches (which I detest) were rampant and you had Foley or HHH bleeding all over the damn place. Wrestling was a party, supercharged on coke, that older kids could enjoy now.

It was a great time to be a wrestling fan and a terrible time to be Maven.

But it had to come down sometime and when it did it came down hard. They did what they needed to do from a business standpoint to keep things motoring forward by cutting certain aspects out of there programming. The other downside was the amount of stars that left the roster in such a short time as well as superstars they would invest enormous pushes on who would turn around and leave. This followed by another string of retirements or very limited schedules (looking at you Undertaker).

I could easily understand a more fickle fan losing interest in wrestling as their favorites retired if the WWE couldn't build new stars quick enough. Things like Lesnar leaving had a ripple effect that creates a gap in the WWE Programming Timeline.

So was the Attitude Era better than now? Technically, sure it was. But they're in a rebuilding phase still. Soon enough, the worlds largest wrestling company will find a new niche and you'll be sitting pretty for another terrific era.

But coming down sucks...

 

[Brahma Bull]

Yes. It was a lot better. Not for the cussing, the blood, or the nudity (but as I guy I do miss that). It was better because the storylines were way better, and feuds actually meant something. Now all feuds are either you have the title i want it now or you interfered for no reason, now we are enemies. Before, feuds would culminate over a long time, and while it did occur, they didnt forget storylines all the damn time. Who ran over Austin? We fucking found out, we didnt wait for the answer then have it be no one.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

The Attitude Era was good in that it gave the fan who had grown up with Hogan, Warrior and Savage when they were kids a reason to keep watching once they were teenagers. The simple fact is that you prefer different things when you are 15-25 than you did when you were 5-10, and the Attitude Era was the best way to keep the kids from the 80's who were sick if Hogan, Warrior, Savage, ect... to watch their show.

And the culture was changing. I mean they were talking about the President of the United States getting Blowjobs from interns every night on the evening news. Howard Stern and Jerry Springer were becoming household names. The days of training, saying your prayers, and taking your vitamins while shaking hands and kissing babies were over.

People didn't want to see the same old shit, they wanted something different because they were different, they had grown up, they had gotten older, and watching Sesame Street was so entertaining anymore.

The reason that so many people clamor for the Attitude Era is because what they did well, they did VERY well. They built stars that could stand the test of time (Austin, Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley, Kane), something that NO other company has been able to do since the creation of Sting in the late 80's. Their Characters that they have evolved to better fit the current environment (The Undertaker went from being a nearly silent Zombie mortician from the old west to a bad ass satanic cult leader and then later into a biker who demanded respect and would beat it out of people if he felt that he needed to, Bret Hart went from very good wrestler but very bland "good guy" character to one of the most hated and over heels in the business). While the other guys were taking their former and current upper-card stars, they took guys that other promotions over looked and turned them in to mega stars (Jericho, Guerrero, Benoit). That is one thing that Vince is very good at, taking what little you have and turning it into something huge...

But not everything was so great in the Attitude Era... "I choppy choppy your pee pee"?... an old lady giving birth to a... hand? Seriously, what in the Hell was that even supposed to mean? What in the Hell Happened to the Intercontinental Championship? What was the point of the Light Heavyweight Championship? How did Jerry Lawler, one of the greatest talkers in the business, the man who paralyzed an international celebrity and threw balls of fire at opponents, get reduced to simply screaming about women's breasts?

The Attitude Era was the logical outcome to Hulkamania, and soon enough the current Era personified by everything John Cena will give way into a new Era for the kids of this Era who get older and say, "Fuck that, I am sick of Cena, I sick of "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect", I sick of ALL of this, I want something different." and when that happens you know that WWE will give them "different" because they are the only company who has done so in the bast and delivered over the long haul.

 

[Crunk Panda™]

For me the 'Attitude" Era was great, mostly because of the competition. The Ratings wars are part of what kept me intrigued. It felt like every Monday was like the super bowl to some extent. WCW had it's team and WWF(E) had it's team. I had friends who were hardcore WCW fans who would throw Goldberg up in arguments and the rest of us ride or die WWF fans.
There was always that one up factor going on between each entity.
Aside from that aspect, I think the wrestlers who peaked during that time frame were a lot closer to realistic. It was almost a throwback to some of the older days where you didn't really have characters, you had people who were selling themselves and sure, they bolstered their own personality to some extent...but, they were them. I didn't really feel like I was being force fed a type of person.
Sure, we still had popular characters like Taker, Mankind, Kane, etc... but, in the WWF, at least for me, those were acceptable...you always need characters. Just not everyone as a character. I think now we are just slowly starting to see a revival of that side of things. We have people whose gimmick is...well, it's them.
I never really saw a "PG" era per say, I just started to see more of a manufactured product where some people from writers to owners thought the knew better than the boys or the fans. Attach any moniker you want to it.
Do I miss the days where Stone Cold came out chugging beers and flipping people off? Yes. Do I miss seeing someone like The Rock come out in a flashy shirt and jaw jacking for a few minutes on end? Of course. Do I miss those Diva moments where every pay per view you were guaranteed tits or on RAW there was a decent chance a boob may pop out? Definitely.
Not to jump in defense of WWE, but I don't think they so much changed as society did. People in America seemingly love to be offended...but not in a good way. More like a "I'm boycotting you and suing you" kind of way.
I mean, we have wrestlers who can't even say something on twitter with no real malice behind it without having GLAAD or another group getting up in arms about it...so what choice does that leave the WWE who is in it to make money?

 

[VencomHardcore]

For me, The Attitude Era WAS NOT the best. I prefer the Territories. I grew up when there were options for wrestlers and the product was very fresh. What I loved about the Territory system was that the bigger promotions could bring in top wrestlers who had followings regardless of where they were from. This ensure quality wrestlers, great fueds and an entertaining show.

I think many attitude era fans have missed out on what was truly a great system in wrestling. And depending on where you lived, you had access to a different television product. Hell, I didn't see the WWWF on television where I lived because Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett had the area on lock. Did I lack great wrestling ? No. I had the best in the world . Legends, Hall of Famers and some riveting fueds.

The territories were better because it was based on good content. The fans NEVER complained about production values, fireworks or even demanded such from the company. They enjoyed the product and paid to see people perform.
It was way better to me than the Attitude.

Another reason the Territory system was better is that if a wrestler could shine at what he did best. He wasn't packaged into a gimmick he couldn't play off. He wasn't thrown under the bus because the show needed ratings and he may not deliver them although he was over with the crowd. During the Territory system, if you could put asses in seats, you stayed on the card. Plain and simple.

Diversity - The territory system offered true wrestling diversity. All sizes, types and styles of performers and wrestlers. You didn't have cookie cutter types.

People talk about Austin, The Rock and others who came from the Attitude Era but those name pale in comparison to the Hall of Famers and Legends that came from the Territory System. Most of those inducted in the Hall of Fame came from there even our beloved Jim Ross and Eric Bischoff [ I know people hate him. lol ]

Thats my take.

 

[avi01]

yes attitude era was that good. I`ve been watching some of the old raws this week and it was terrific, from start to finish. Better characters, great great stars, gripping storylines, most people with a mic knew what to do with it, the crowds were amazing...it was fun and exciting. It`s not the language, it`s not a pg thing...the shows were simple better than today.
Now about PG, I think it`s just a scapegoat. Maybe during Linda Mcmahon`s campaign they got stupid with it but now? Not really. The problem is that the show is not that fun and it`s wrong to just say it`s because the show is pg. Now, it`s stale. In comparison to the attitude era, it will probably always fail..it shouldn`t be compared imo. However many shows now are just dull, it comes down to poor creativity, it`s not pg. Changing that won`t make the writers better unless Vince really is a complete maniac with the re-writes and is actually restricting creativity from the writers. It`s true tho that back then, WWE was taking more risks to be better.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

In my opinion it has nothing to do with blood, cursing, or the 'puppies'. There were just more stars and it seemed like everyone was doing their part and getting solid airtime. Situations like today of Mason Ryan and Alex Riley suddenly missing months of TV while Kofi and Santino barely get consistent airtime were non-existent in the Attitude Era. Crash Holly was on every week just like the Holly and Al Snow and sometimes were in storylines that kept me more entertained than the main event storylines! The key for more was that it was a much more story-driven show and everything made sense and had a payoff (unlike the Nash text storyline) so it was a great show to introduce to your friends cause they could get into too. Today, the stories make no sense and WWE's idea of building a feud is making 2 guys face each other 4 weeks in a row so unless your friends have an amateur wrestling background it's very unlikely that they'll be able to connect with the current product.

 

[AwwwwYeahhhh]

Better wrestlers, characters, and storylines. Two of the three most popular (IMO) wrestlers of all time were in their prime during this era. Stone Cold and the Rock..

Also, this isn't the reality era. It's still the PG era. CM Punk, who we thought would lead us into the reality era, is just as watered down as everyone else now.

 

[wweking]

I understand WWE fans' frustration with the current product. But I really don't understand why the "PG Era" is the worst thing that has happened to wrestling since the Montreal Screwjob.

There are some things I would like Attitude Era "purists" to consider:

1. The wrestling product in WWE has improved significantly since then.

2. The lack of blood, the somewhat of a decrease in the exploitation of women and the sharp drop in profanity has made parents more comfortable and willing to bring their children to WWE live events and watch WWE programming. This keeps the money flowing in and ensures the well being of the promotion. Sometimes the tastes of a few have to be sacrificed to protect the bottomline.

3. There are alternatives if you feel the need to bash. You want blood and guts? Go watch Combat Zone Wrestling. You hate storylines? Go watch Ring of Honor? You want the Attitude Era all over again: "Cross the line" and go watch TNA.

4. WWE public relations have improved significantly since toning down on their act. Politicians aren't hounding them as before during the Attitude Era, when several representatives attempted to have WWE taken off the air.

5. Did I mention that the wrestling has improved significantly? There are programs that come on now that actually have WRESTLING on them and don't have 50 minutes of promos and 10 mins of wrestling. Granted, sometimes WWE Overkills with the Randy Orton promos, but otherwise they usually keep the show balanced.

6.WWE's "PG-Era" has benefitted far more than it hurts in my view.. The "Attitude Era" was NOT known for it's wrestling matches. Outside of that barbaric spectacle between the Undertaker and Mick Foley in Hell In A Cell, how many wrestling matches can anybody cite for it's merits AS a good wrestling match? The "Attitude Era" was full of over-the-top CHARACTERS talking and doing skits. They didn't wrestle much at all. Today, they do. Nobody is going to mistake the WWE as ROH or New Japan, but there are quite a few very talented workers in the WWE. The fans need to put their focus back on the wrestling matches, instead of waiting around, hoping for The Rock to come out, raise his eyebrow, and talk about monkey anuses.

7. Blood in wrestling matches got so out-of-hand in the 90's that it lost all meaning and became nothing more than cartoon bloodletting. The same for the ridiculous overuse of "weapons". Wrestling became nothing more than a live version of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Wrestlers don't bleed because they CAN, they bleed to add drama to the story they're trying to tell. The fans lost sight of that, and came to expect bloodbaths in every match. The guys were killing themselves (sometimes literally) only to be booed if they didn't bleed enough. Jeez.

The 90's completely destroyed what credibility women in wrestling had. They went from being respected workers and entertaining valets and managers, to little more than porn extras. For the most part, the fans still see women in wrestling as porn extras, fake boobs and big hair, catfighting for our amusement. The other promotions respect their female wrestlers and market them as such. Vince turned his female wrestlers into Divas (porn extras) in the 90's and he's finding it VERY difficult to change his audience's minds now that his Divas Division is looked upon as a joke by just about everybody. His efforts to put some credibility and respectability back into the Divas isn't going so well, as the constant and frequent "who's hotter?" questions can testify.

8. This one always falls on deaf ears. The "WWE fans" have such a strong (misguided) loyalty to Vince and the WWE that they refuse to even consider watching anything but the WWE, no matter how often they complain about it. There is such a wide variety of wrestling promotions and wrestling shows out there, that those "WWE fans" are really short-changing themselves by whining about the WWE but continue to watch it. You want Vince to change various things about the WWE? Hit him where it hurts: his wallet. Just stop watching the WWE, and better yet, watch other promotions. As long as more fans watch the WWE, no matter what Vince puts on, he'll keep doing what he's doing. You have nobody to blame but yourselves. Complaining in this section won't make any difference. Either watch the WWE and accept what Vince puts on TV, or watch other promotions.

9. Exactly. The WWE has done a remarkable turnaround. The WWE is seen (again) by the mainstream as family entertainment. Big-money advertisers are lining up, the Government isn't hounding them anymore, the media has stopped digging around WWE trash cans looking for scandals, WWE performers (especially John Cena) are in demand in other forms of entertainment and make frequent appearances on other TV shows. The WWE is "cool" again to paren.

 

[GameOver]

Anybody who watched it would know the answer.
Attitude era had something for everyone, everyone played a role, everyone got a shot.
There was fueds going on from openers through to main eventers
Tag teams were galore and stables aswell
and not to mention some kick ass wrestling that told a story and the commentry team was JR and King for the most part.
Promo ability was off the chart for the whole roster, as i said everyone was playing a part as a team to try and survive WCW and ultimately dominate again
Stories were compelling and entertaining

Sure there was alot of crap too, and they went way too far most of the time but noone can get it right 100% of the time.
I think a healthy mix of the 2 could still work

Then ofcourse you had the onslaught from WCW and the stuff they were doing right aswell which made for great TV viewing across the board.

In the Cena era, it's the opposite
No meaninful fueds for most people
No storylines worth a shit for most people
topo much emphasis on Soap and none on actual wrestling
Stars that can't talk for shit
and TNA sucks for the most part. watching some explosion yesterday and TNA from 7yrs ago was alot better back then then it is now., excluding the production and commentry values.

Can't deny though that Cena era has put WWE back in the global spotlight, but is it better quality? I say no.

 

[Arsenal]

If i ask all the people in this site what their favorite wrestling era is from the wwe/f, the vast majority (including myself) would say the attitude era. But why do attitude era fans hate the pg / reality era?

It's because they did not grow up with it. This does not count for everybody as i grew up in the ruthless aggression era but prefer the attitude era by a mile, but for most this is true. The fans in the 80's did not really like the attitude era, only about 40% did with probably 30% being true wrestling fans who watch today for the love of the sport.! The current kids will probably hate the next era unless it's truly magical!

So what I ask you is... do you agree with me?
Comment Below!

No, you're wrong. I grew up with Hulkamania and the "Golden Era" which I still consider the best times I've seen in wrestling. Then the "Attitude Era" came along, and again, wrestling was great because of compelling, over the top characters and intriguing storylines, not because of the swearing or partial nudity. The current PG Era is lackluster because the storylines are weak and the characters are bland, boring, and a bunch of clones. If they had the same kind of iconic characters and great storylines that they had back in the late 80's and early 90's, you wouldn't hear nearly as much complaining about the product.

 

[DirtyD79]

Yes it was better. Not simply because of the blood, swearing, and sexuality but also because at that time there was more competition. If Monday Night RAW was getting too stupid you could jump over to Monday Nitro and vice versa. You could also wait until ECW came on later in the week. Because of the competition companies were forced to be creative and bring something to the table the other ones didn't have. Monopolies don't benefit anyone but the monopoly and even then only in the short term.

It also saw more shades of gray in terms of characters. It wasn't simply good guys versus bad guys. It was more than a bunch of Dudley Do-Rights battling the mustache twirlers. Babyfaces weren't afraid to fight the heels on the heels' terms. They'd grab foreign objects too. If a woman decided to get herself involved in the match, well she was fair game. Sorry toots, the whole equal rights thing cuts both ways.

It was also a change in the way wrestling shows were presented. No more whole shows of jobber squashes and non-finish main events. The show was superstars versus superstars. Titles changed hands on the weekly show instead of just on pay per views. This gave a reason to tune in because anything could happen.

 

[justinept]

What makes the Attitude Era so great is that it happened more that 10 years ago, and most people on this thread have completely blocked out all the awful, shitty gimmicks/angles that occurred during the era.

Seriously. When Mae Young gave birth to a hand ... or Triple H had sex with "Katie Vick" ... people were absolutely repulsed. But now, 10 years later... you guys completely forgot about it.

Instead of remembering the times that Vince McMahon dropped his pants and made wrestlers kiss his ass ... or the time that Vince McMahon made Trish Stratus get on her knees and bark like a dog in the middle of the ring ... you guys just want to gush over how people used to curse during the era.

You guys give the era a pass on angles that involved the Big Bossman cooking Al Snow's dog ... or The Bossman desecrating The Big Show's dad's coffin ... or the ludicrous "choppy choppy your pee pee" segment involving Val Venis and Kai En Tai.

You guys remember loving all the times that The Undertaker tried to sacrifice someone on a cross ... yet, many of you probably complained that last Monday's Raw was too much like a horror movie with Kane stalking people backstage.

You guys think story lines make no sense these days - or that they go nowhere - but not one person can tell me who was behind GTV ... or who lifted the briefcase during the Austin vs. Shane and Vince McMahon ladder match at the KOTR 1999.

You guys complain that the return of Chris Jericho "let you down" but somehow not one person on this thread remembers being let down when Vince McMahon revealed himself as the higher power ... or when Mick Foley revealed that it was Rikishi that ran over Steve Austin --- not one person admitted confusion when Rikishi claimed he did it for The Rock only to find out a month later that Triple H paid him to do it.

Face it. The Attitude ERA featured bad writing ... terrible stories ... dropped angles... gigantic let downs ... ya know, all those same things you complain about with today's product.

The only differences is that it had - Austin, Rock, 'Taker, Foley, Triple H, Angle, Jericho and a number of other stars that were given the freedom to cut a promo and make things interesting.

 

[justtxyank]

What makes the Attitude Era so great is that it happened more that 10 years ago, and most people on this thread have completely blocked out all the awful, shitty gimmicks/angles that occurred during the era.

Seriously. When Mae Young gave birth to a hand ... or Triple H had sex with "Katie Vick" ... people were absolutely repulsed. But now, 10 years later... you guys completely forgot about it.

Instead of remembering the times that Vince McMahon dropped his pants and made wrestlers kiss his ass ... or the time that Vince McMahon made Trish Stratus get on her knees and bark like a dog in the middle of the ring ... you guys just want to gush over how people used to curse during the era.

You guys give the era a pass on angles that involved the Big Bossman cooking Al Snow's dog ... or The Bossman desecrating The Big Show's dad's coffin ... or the ludicrous "choppy choppy your pee pee" segment involving Val Venis and Kai En Tai.

You guys remember loving all the times that The Undertaker tried to sacrifice someone on a cross ... yet, many of you probably complained that last Monday's Raw was too much like a horror movie with Kane stalking people backstage.

You guys think story lines make no sense these days - or that they go nowhere - but not one person can tell me who was behind GTV ... or who lifted the briefcase during the Austin vs. Shane and Vince McMahon ladder match at the KOTR 1999.

You guys complain that the return of Chris Jericho "let you down" but somehow not one person on this thread remembers being let down when Vince McMahon revealed himself as the higher power ... or when Mick Foley revealed that it was Rikishi that ran over Steve Austin --- not one person admitted confusion when Rikishi claimed he did it for The Rock only to find out a month later that Triple H paid him to do it.

Face it. The Attitude ERA featured bad writing ... terrible stories ... dropped angles... gigantic let downs ... ya know, all those same things you complain about with today's product.

The only differences is that it had - Austin, Rock, 'Taker, Foley, Triple H, Angle, Jericho and a number of other stars that were given the freedom to cut a promo and make things interesting.

This is a great post. It's the foundation of nostalgia. We remember all the best parts of the era gone by and forgotten on the garbage. I would suggest though that despite all the things you said being true, the era still was better. While there was a lot of that silliness happening, there was a lot more creative writing happening and a lot more ingenuity and passion on the parts of the wrestlers themselves. Additionally, the product itself is so much different now. The attitude era was still a time when matches had to be constructed. Now they are basically about getting in a few spots and going home.

I want to touch real quick on GTV that you mentioned though. It wasn't stupid or nonsensical why it wasn't explained. It was supposed to be Goldust's big return. Then there were delays with the network as USA didn't like it, then he asked for his release and went to WCW. They eventually did reveal Glen Ruth as being the guy behind the whole thing to kill the angle, but it wasn't nonsensical originally.

 

[wrestlingfanatic98]

What makes the Attitude Era so great is that it happened more that 10 years ago, and most people on this thread have completely blocked out all the awful, shitty gimmicks/angles that occurred during the era.

Seriously. When Mae Young gave birth to a hand ... or Triple H had sex with "Katie Vick" ... people were absolutely repulsed. But now, 10 years later... you guys completely forgot about it.

Instead of remembering the times that Vince McMahon dropped his pants and made wrestlers kiss his ass ... or the time that Vince McMahon made Trish Stratus get on her knees and bark like a dog in the middle of the ring ... you guys just want to gush over how people used to curse during the era.

You guys give the era a pass on angles that involved the Big Bossman cooking Al Snow's dog ... or The Bossman desecrating The Big Show's dad's coffin ... or the ludicrous "choppy choppy your pee pee" segment involving Val Venis and Kai En Tai.

You guys remember loving all the times that The Undertaker tried to sacrifice someone on a cross ... yet, many of you probably complained that last Monday's Raw was too much like a horror movie with Kane stalking people backstage.

You guys think story lines make no sense these days - or that they go nowhere - but not one person can tell me who was behind GTV ... or who lifted the briefcase during the Austin vs. Shane and Vince McMahon ladder match at the KOTR 1999.

You guys complain that the return of Chris Jericho "let you down" but somehow not one person on this thread remembers being let down when Vince McMahon revealed himself as the higher power ... or when Mick Foley revealed that it was Rikishi that ran over Steve Austin --- not one person admitted confusion when Rikishi claimed he did it for The Rock only to find out a month later that Triple H paid him to do it.

Face it. The Attitude ERA featured bad writing ... terrible stories ... dropped angles... gigantic let downs ... ya know, all those same things you complain about with today's product.

The only differences is that it had - Austin, Rock, 'Taker, Foley, Triple H, Angle, Jericho and a number of other stars that were given the freedom to cut a promo and make things interesting.

Yes there were some bad angles what time in wrestling was not perfect. But I have made a topic on the positives of the attitude era, the roster.

- Put it this way when in 2000 your mid-carders consist of Y2J, angle, benoit, eddie, and at times melenko, that is the midcard talent before angles break through in the main event, when he won the WWF title from rock. Christ Y2J, angle, benoit, eddie at their best are better than the main event talent of today. Benoit and angle were the best technical wrestlers of their generation

- and you have a tag team rivalry of dudley boys, edge and christian, along with the hardy boys, which became one of the greatest tag team rivalrys of that decade. Then we had back up tag teams such has APA, T and A, and too cool who all were contenders to the WWF tag titles, when you put all these factors into place, then it is hard not to give the attitude era its praise. Many are moaning the tag divsion is dead today, the attitude era was the perfect example of how not to kill a title division.

Now out of the tag teams where did their careers go after 2000, edge became a main event star, christian today has been world champion, jeff hardy was considered by vince as a main event guy but burnt so many bridges and chances. In the midcard division of 2000, Y2J who is part of a huge angle IT BEGINS and is a possible rumble winner, angle benoit and eddie where all 3 became huge main event stars in the years ahead, esp benoit and eddie who were main event stars in the ruthless aggression era. While angle would put on one of the greatest WM main event matches with lesnar

Now I am sorry some bookings were bad, but the depth of the roster and its booking of the WWF IC european and tag team divisions back then is unmatched.

 

[robinkom]

I started watching wrestling around 1991 and came in at the tail end of Hulkamania in the WWF so I was never a Hogan mark, I'm still not. For me, I grew up with the marketing ploy, "The New WWF Generation" that showcased guys like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Diesel, Owen Hart, Yokozuna, etc.

Into the late-90s, The Attitude Era was a natural transition for me as a fan because the show grew up as I was growing up; that is to say that I felt the modern WWF product and I were coming of age together.

But I live in Pennsylvania and, in the 90s, we occasionally got some ECW tapings on the weekends at a 2 AM time slot on the local WPTT 22 Pittsburgh station. Paul Heyman exposed me to ultra-violent hardcore wrestling while Vince McMahon showed me the WWF had real "Attitude."

That being said, it's not that I hate the "Entertainment" PG Era, it's that the show did a complete 180 on me and reverted back to how it was in the mid-90s and earlier. Only now, I'm not a child anymore and I don't mark out for goodie-two-shoes faces and cartoon characters. The only thing that keeps me watching is pretty much the hope that I'll get to hear a scathing promo by CM Punk every week. They may be worked shoots, but he tells the truth and it saddens me that the majority of the audience isn't hip to how insulting the rest of the product is to their intelligence.

I don't want another Attitude Era, they couldn't get away with it now nor could they do it justice, I just want the way the show is written and operated to return to how it used to be; start weeding out the talent with terrible mic skills and tell them to step it up or they're out of there, quit writing interchangeable dialog for everyone that makes them sound robotic and one-dimensional.

I don't understand how none of these young guys can work the mic or even had it instilled in them to learn how. Imagine if Ric Flair never flaunted his personality, he wouldn't have had near as much exposure and they certainly wouldn't send in a "professional" writer to do his dialog for him. They would have sent him packing or he'd have been a jobber for life.

Or, I could just get right to the point and say that everything wrong with the company right now is Paul Lavesque, Stephanie McMahon, and John Laurinaitis. Not many would disagree with me I think. One would need to only refer to CM Punk's worked shoot on Raw leading up to last year's Money In the Bank PPV. They may have allowed him go out there and say what he wanted for it, but he wasn't pulling punches.

A final thought... WWE are Twitter ****es. They are far too obsessed with it... and it's irritating.