Carnage Carlson
Carnage Personified
Hey guys so the title explains it all. However, I'll give a brief rundown of the eras for those that are either; more casual fans, need a quick reminder, or not super familiar with the eras.
The Good Ole Days (1963-1983): The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was formed on January 24, 1963. Bruno Sammartino would win the world heavyweight championship on May 17 1963 and would retain the title for seven years, eight months and one day (2,803 days) making him the longest running male champion in wrestling history.
Stars of the ERA: Bruno Sammartino, Superstar Billy Graham, Pedro Morales, Dusty Rhodes, Bob Backlund.
The Golden Era(1984-1993): In 1982, McMahon purchased Capitol Sports, the parent company of WWF, from his father and associates. Seeking to make WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the world, he began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the industry.
Stars of the Era: Hogan, Savage, Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Ultimate Warrior, Sorry for the short list of stars golden age guys it was before my time and I'm not super familiar with the era I watched a lot of Hulk and Savage because my dad had a ton of their tapes as they were his favorite wrestlers aside from that I'm not very knowledgeable. please don't hate me.
The New Generation (1993-1997): With business down in 1992 because of bad press from the steroid scandal, Vince McMahon began pushing younger talents into the spotlight over the next several years. By mid 1993, a ton of younger talent became the stars of what the WWF eventually branded as the "New Generation".
Stars of the ERA: Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "The heartbreak kid" "Mr.Wrestlemania" "The Showstopper" my personal favorite wrestler Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Lex Luger, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Crush Tatanka, Honestly the list goes on and on a ton of stars were in this era and that's not even naming off WcW guys.
Attitude Era (1997-2002): In 1997, Vince McMahon responded to WCW's big success by taking the WWF in a different direction with more realistic characters and edgier storylines.
Stars of the ERA: Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Undertaker, Kane, Y2J, HBK (at the very beginning), HHH, Mankind, Edge, Christian, The Hardy boys, Dudley Boyz.
Ruthless Agression Era 2002-2008: In 2002, the World Wrestling Federation lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Foundation World Wrestling Federation was forced to rebrand itself, and on May 6, 2002 the company changed its business name to World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE).By April 2002, with an excess of talent employed as a result of having purchased WCW and ECW, WWE needed a way to provide exposure for all of its talent. This problem was solved by introducing a "Brand Extension", with the roster split in half and the talent assigned to either Raw or SmackDown!
Stars of the ERA: HHH, HBK, Y2J, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Undertaker, Kane, Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Edge, John Cena, JBL,
PG Era (2009-2013): In the Summer of 2008, WWE began distancing itself from the edgier content of years past, going with a more conservative approach. On July 22, 2008 all WWE programming transitioned to a PG television rating.
Stars of the ERA: John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Batista, ,HHH, HBK, Undertaker, Kane, Mark Henry, CM Punk, Y2J, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Jeff Hardy.
The Reality Era (2014-2016): On the March 24, 2014 episode of Raw, Bryan's rival at the time HHH dubbed this point in WWE as "The Reality Era" where he acknowledged the Internet and fans being more knowledgeable about the behind-the-scenes workings of WWE as well as having more influence on the company than ever before.
Stars of the ERA: Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, The New Day, Charlotte Flair The Phenomenal "AJ Styles" The Shield, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan
The "New/Reboot" Era:2016-Present: Following WrestleMania 32, major changes occurred in the WWE, as a new beginning for the company was dubbed "The New Era"
Current big stars include: "The Man" Becky Lynch, AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Drew Mcintyre, Dean Ambrose(until he left), Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Ronda Rousey, Kevin Owens.
So as the title states I want to know, Which WWE ERA is your favorite? My Favorite Era is the ruthless aggression era. For starters this is the ERA I grew up on, the era I followed the most and The Era where I fell in love with wrestling. I was about 8-10 years old and I started to get a better grasp and under standing of things. I was watching Raw and the main event was HHH VS HBK and something just clicked. Instead of just watching wrestling with my dad, his friends, and my neighbors I actually began to understand it and fully grasp everything and I was hooked. I watched some of the Attitude Era but due to my young age I wasn't fully grasping everything yet and mainly watched it because my dad and teenage neighbors that I hung out with were watching it. Furthermore, all 3 events that I attended Live in Boston were in the Ruthless aggression. I was there when Shawn Michaels delivered a Sweet Chin Music to Shelton Benjamin attempting an attack from the top rope. This is probably my favorite moment in WWE history which will bring me straight into my second point.
Some of the best matches and moments of all time were from this ERA or during the transition period between this ERA and the PG ERA Shawn Michaels VS Ric Flair career Vs career match, Shawn Michaels vs HHH feud, WrestleMania 25 and 26 matches between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker (I know technically PG ERA but it was still in a transitional period IMO the PG era didn't take full affect until around late 2010-early 2011) The Rock VS Stone Cold Steve Austin. Not to the mention the antics of John Cena trolling JBL to try to get him to physically provoke him, The antics of the Ruthless aggression era DX "SEE I JUST KICKED STAN" In my opinion, is one of the funniest moments in WWE history. Also Moments like the one previously mentioned in Michaels VS Benjamin a moment that would be featured on the RAW opening promo for over a decade.
If you can't tell by now I absolutely love Shawn Michaels, he's my favorite Wrestler and in my honest opinion(an opinion shared by many included professional wrestlers, analyst and writers) is the greatest of all time.(READ MORE @ "Who's the G.O.A.T Of Professional Wrestling" shameless self plug) Missing most of the attitude era due to a severe back injury as well as struggling with drug and alcohol problems. Shawn Michaels returns better than ever as a sober born again Christian, and absolutely everything he did and touched was magic.
Finally lets talk about the History this ERA provided. Introducing the first Money in the bank match which was a highlight of WrestleMania for years to come before being granted it's own PPV. The first elimination chamber was also introduced and was also granted it own PPV. The Youngest WWE and World Heavy Weight champions in Lesnar and Orton. The Unmasking of Kane. This Era is filled with history and innovation.
So in my personal opinion this Era was absolutely the best and complete magic. 1 the nostalgic value it gives me. 2 the matches, feuds and highlight reel moments. 3. Shawn Michaels at his peak. 4. The history and Innovation.
Thanks for reading if you did read this whole thing. I would like to apologize if I didn't mention any of your favorite wrestlers in the stars of the ERA segments, and I do also apologize for not mentioning any females prior to Reality Era however females didn't start getting pushed as actual top tier talent until this time so other than a few stand outs such as Chyna, Trish Stratus and Lita if you could actually name a female star that actually wrestled and wasn't just their to be hot please let me know. I can't wait to read what you all say.
The Good Ole Days (1963-1983): The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was formed on January 24, 1963. Bruno Sammartino would win the world heavyweight championship on May 17 1963 and would retain the title for seven years, eight months and one day (2,803 days) making him the longest running male champion in wrestling history.
Stars of the ERA: Bruno Sammartino, Superstar Billy Graham, Pedro Morales, Dusty Rhodes, Bob Backlund.
The Golden Era(1984-1993): In 1982, McMahon purchased Capitol Sports, the parent company of WWF, from his father and associates. Seeking to make WWF the premier wrestling promotion in the world, he began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the industry.
Stars of the Era: Hogan, Savage, Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Ultimate Warrior, Sorry for the short list of stars golden age guys it was before my time and I'm not super familiar with the era I watched a lot of Hulk and Savage because my dad had a ton of their tapes as they were his favorite wrestlers aside from that I'm not very knowledgeable. please don't hate me.
The New Generation (1993-1997): With business down in 1992 because of bad press from the steroid scandal, Vince McMahon began pushing younger talents into the spotlight over the next several years. By mid 1993, a ton of younger talent became the stars of what the WWF eventually branded as the "New Generation".
Stars of the ERA: Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "The heartbreak kid" "Mr.Wrestlemania" "The Showstopper" my personal favorite wrestler Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Lex Luger, Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Crush Tatanka, Honestly the list goes on and on a ton of stars were in this era and that's not even naming off WcW guys.
Attitude Era (1997-2002): In 1997, Vince McMahon responded to WCW's big success by taking the WWF in a different direction with more realistic characters and edgier storylines.
Stars of the ERA: Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Undertaker, Kane, Y2J, HBK (at the very beginning), HHH, Mankind, Edge, Christian, The Hardy boys, Dudley Boyz.
Ruthless Agression Era 2002-2008: In 2002, the World Wrestling Federation lost a lawsuit initiated by the World Wildlife Foundation World Wrestling Federation was forced to rebrand itself, and on May 6, 2002 the company changed its business name to World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (WWE).By April 2002, with an excess of talent employed as a result of having purchased WCW and ECW, WWE needed a way to provide exposure for all of its talent. This problem was solved by introducing a "Brand Extension", with the roster split in half and the talent assigned to either Raw or SmackDown!
Stars of the ERA: HHH, HBK, Y2J, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Undertaker, Kane, Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Edge, John Cena, JBL,
PG Era (2009-2013): In the Summer of 2008, WWE began distancing itself from the edgier content of years past, going with a more conservative approach. On July 22, 2008 all WWE programming transitioned to a PG television rating.
Stars of the ERA: John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Batista, ,HHH, HBK, Undertaker, Kane, Mark Henry, CM Punk, Y2J, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Jeff Hardy.
The Reality Era (2014-2016): On the March 24, 2014 episode of Raw, Bryan's rival at the time HHH dubbed this point in WWE as "The Reality Era" where he acknowledged the Internet and fans being more knowledgeable about the behind-the-scenes workings of WWE as well as having more influence on the company than ever before.
Stars of the ERA: Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, The New Day, Charlotte Flair The Phenomenal "AJ Styles" The Shield, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan
The "New/Reboot" Era:2016-Present: Following WrestleMania 32, major changes occurred in the WWE, as a new beginning for the company was dubbed "The New Era"
Current big stars include: "The Man" Becky Lynch, AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, Drew Mcintyre, Dean Ambrose(until he left), Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Ronda Rousey, Kevin Owens.
So as the title states I want to know, Which WWE ERA is your favorite? My Favorite Era is the ruthless aggression era. For starters this is the ERA I grew up on, the era I followed the most and The Era where I fell in love with wrestling. I was about 8-10 years old and I started to get a better grasp and under standing of things. I was watching Raw and the main event was HHH VS HBK and something just clicked. Instead of just watching wrestling with my dad, his friends, and my neighbors I actually began to understand it and fully grasp everything and I was hooked. I watched some of the Attitude Era but due to my young age I wasn't fully grasping everything yet and mainly watched it because my dad and teenage neighbors that I hung out with were watching it. Furthermore, all 3 events that I attended Live in Boston were in the Ruthless aggression. I was there when Shawn Michaels delivered a Sweet Chin Music to Shelton Benjamin attempting an attack from the top rope. This is probably my favorite moment in WWE history which will bring me straight into my second point.
Some of the best matches and moments of all time were from this ERA or during the transition period between this ERA and the PG ERA Shawn Michaels VS Ric Flair career Vs career match, Shawn Michaels vs HHH feud, WrestleMania 25 and 26 matches between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker (I know technically PG ERA but it was still in a transitional period IMO the PG era didn't take full affect until around late 2010-early 2011) The Rock VS Stone Cold Steve Austin. Not to the mention the antics of John Cena trolling JBL to try to get him to physically provoke him, The antics of the Ruthless aggression era DX "SEE I JUST KICKED STAN" In my opinion, is one of the funniest moments in WWE history. Also Moments like the one previously mentioned in Michaels VS Benjamin a moment that would be featured on the RAW opening promo for over a decade.
If you can't tell by now I absolutely love Shawn Michaels, he's my favorite Wrestler and in my honest opinion(an opinion shared by many included professional wrestlers, analyst and writers) is the greatest of all time.(READ MORE @ "Who's the G.O.A.T Of Professional Wrestling" shameless self plug) Missing most of the attitude era due to a severe back injury as well as struggling with drug and alcohol problems. Shawn Michaels returns better than ever as a sober born again Christian, and absolutely everything he did and touched was magic.
Finally lets talk about the History this ERA provided. Introducing the first Money in the bank match which was a highlight of WrestleMania for years to come before being granted it's own PPV. The first elimination chamber was also introduced and was also granted it own PPV. The Youngest WWE and World Heavy Weight champions in Lesnar and Orton. The Unmasking of Kane. This Era is filled with history and innovation.
So in my personal opinion this Era was absolutely the best and complete magic. 1 the nostalgic value it gives me. 2 the matches, feuds and highlight reel moments. 3. Shawn Michaels at his peak. 4. The history and Innovation.
Thanks for reading if you did read this whole thing. I would like to apologize if I didn't mention any of your favorite wrestlers in the stars of the ERA segments, and I do also apologize for not mentioning any females prior to Reality Era however females didn't start getting pushed as actual top tier talent until this time so other than a few stand outs such as Chyna, Trish Stratus and Lita if you could actually name a female star that actually wrestled and wasn't just their to be hot please let me know. I can't wait to read what you all say.
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