What year do you think was the best

[avriltt234]

Since changing to the PG-Era everyone has said that Wwe Raw and Smackdown are getting boring and that the Pay Per View are not as good as they used to be.

Me personally I think the best years in Wwe was 2005-2006 because they had so many good storyline. Such as

Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio for Custody of Dominick

It started the John Cena vs Edge Rivalry

Triple H vs Batista

Edge and Mick Foley degrading Ecw

and many many more

So my question is what do you think was the best year in wwe?

 

[xavyer]

In my opinion, the best year for the WWE was either 2002 or 2003, at the time they had a lot of superstars, but oppose to today's WWE, they actually had great storylines and promos, the matches had awesome storylines behind them, and it wasn't about only one or two superstars, at the time it was anyone's guess at the top, even if there was Austin or the Rock, like i said, they had a lot of stars, but they found ways to use them, the mid card was much more solid than today, and in the main events there was a lot to choose from, today if it's not Cena or Punk, they are doomed, back then it could be Jericho, Austin, Taker, Triple H, take your pick, the tag tem division was excellent, a lot of great teams, Billy and Chuck, The Hardys, Edge and Christian, the Dudleys, the APA, even Taz and Spike were good, the divas division actually drew interest in the fans, Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria, Jazz and several other divas had time to show wht thye were made of, and the Trish/Lita rivalry drew a lot of attention from the fans, in conclusion, that time was when the WWE was at it's best in my opinion......

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I can see your point and I somewhat agree because it was the stories improving around 2006 that got be back into WWE after the first "Super Cena" run left a dry bitter taste in my mouth that some might argue still isn't gone.

But I feel like with lack of roster depth and we saw WWE really pushing "new" talent like Big Daddy V, Mike Knox, Snitsky, Umaga, Heidenreich, & Khali that were all bigger & older and most terrible. Instead of pushing guys like Paul London, Brian Kendrick, & CM Punk that were still young with alot of potential. WWE were still rebuilding and weren't that strong yet. I personally don't think we saw WWE get out of it's (Terry) funk until about 2009 when Orton came into his own & later that year when I feel Batista came into his own as a heel.

The best decade in WWE so far, IMO, was 1994-2004. Hart, Undertaker, HBK, Austin, McMahon, Rock, HHH, Kane, Jericho, Edge, Angle, need I say more?!
(While I will say 2009-Present has been solid!)

One specific year though: 2002 - 2003
-Wrestling was coming off of it's all-time peak!
-WWE/WCW/ECW all finally combined!
-Austin/Rock/Hogan were both still semi-regular talent
-Flair & McMahon as figure heads (w/Stephanie & Bischoff as GM's)
-HBK returned after almost 4 years!
-A TON OF NEW TALENT DEBUT - Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, etc.
-Goldberg debuted in WWE.
-The Edge/Angle feud propelled both men to main event status IMO.
-WWE still had the likes of Chritian & The Hardy's still in their prime before they left for TNA.

WWE just seemed to have almost EVERY good performer on their roster at that time, not to mention Mania 18 & 19 on the book ends of 2002 are some of the highest regarded Wrestlemania's. As well as Summerslam, Rumble & Survivor Series all seemed REALLY solid & still like MAJOR PPV's!


Note: I didn't put 2001-2002 for 2 simple reasons. I think Mania 17 is HIGHLY overrated and not the best of all time (good Mania, don't get me wrong, but so many act like it was the greatest WWE event ever and between The heel turn even Austin admits was stupid and a par at best undercard, it wasn't that great. Also my fav match on the card was Taker/HHH and that is their 3rd best Mania bout now.) Also for the Invasion Angle falling flat. So many agree this could have been the biggest angle in wrestling and I can barely remember it besides the poster that creepily blended Shane & Vince's faces.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

What the fuck are all of you on? 2002 and 2003 were shit to the highest degree. Let me list some reasons why they were awful.

1. Guys like Booker T and RVD who should have gone over numerous title kept losing.
2. Too much McMahons.
3. Undertaker was terrible.
4. Hogan was terrible.
5. Steiner was terrible.
6. They screwed up Goldberg.
7. Brock Lesnar barely got any heat.
8-16. Big Show
17. Too much McMahons
18. Nash was terrible
19. HHH was terrible.
20. Jericho basically did nothing.
21. Too much McMahons.
22. Screwed up Kane
23. Katie Vick
24. Tag team division turned to shit quick, fast, and in a hurry.
25. Too many storylines that went nowhere.
26. Too much McMahons.

There are more but I decided to stop right there. I will be ecstatic to debate anyone who thinks otherwise.

The greatest year for me would have to be 2000. HHH was awesome as a heel and had great PPV matches with Foley, Rock, Angle, Jericho, and Benoit. The midcard was solid as you had Angle, Benoit, and Jericho just being thrown out there and having great matches. The tag team division was solid as well. Probably the best year ever in terms of having great PPV's.

 

[IconMCI]

While each of you have made some compelling arguments, I believe the best year was 1996-1997... Two words... Attitude Era... From the MSG Kliq Curtain Call, nWo forms, DX is formed.. this drastically changed the landscape of wrestling. Hogan turns his back on the fans, Hall & Nash.. DX (Shawn, Hunter, Chyna, Rude)... All leading up to the Montreal Screwjob where we see Rick Rude in Montreal on Sunday and on Nitro on Monday.. Lex Luger showing up on the first episode of Nitro.. Fans couldnt wait to see what would happen next... Stone Cold Steve Austin and Austin 3:16. This is the reason I believe 1996-1997 was the best year in wrestling.

 

[RJJ]

What the fuck are all of you on? 2002 and 2003 were shit to the highest degree. Let me list some reasons why they were awful.

1. Guys like Booker T and RVD who should have gone over numerous title kept losing.
2. Too much McMahons.
3. Undertaker was terrible.
4. Hogan was terrible.
5. Steiner was terrible.
6. They screwed up Goldberg.
7. Brock Lesnar barely got any heat.
8-16. Big Show
17. Too much McMahons
18. Nash was terrible
19. HHH was terrible.
20. Jericho basically did nothing.
21. Too much McMahons.
22. Screwed up Kane
23. Katie Vick
24. Tag team division turned to shit quick, fast, and in a hurry.
25. Too many storylines that went nowhere.
26. Too much McMahons.

There are more but I decided to stop right there. I will be ecstatic to debate anyone who thinks otherwise.

The greatest year for me would have to be 2000. HHH was awesome as a heel and had great PPV matches with Foley, Rock, Angle, Jericho, and Benoit. The midcard was solid as you had Angle, Benoit, and Jericho just being thrown out there and having great matches. The tag team division was solid as well. Probably the best year ever in terms of having great PPV's.

Agree. Not only the best year in terms of great PPVs, but it's the best in terms of TV ratings, PPV buyrates, and merchandise sales. By far the most successful year in WWE history. Just like you said, the reasons behind its success are the quality of talent(Great roster, from top to bottom), and great PPVs. I also would like to add the shock value factor as one of the big reasons behind the success. During that time, it was hard to prodict anything, you never knew what would happen next. P.S that year produced some of the best storylines we'll ever see, Here are some of the events and storylines that took place during that year:




McMahon Helmsley Era(DX vs Rock, Foley, and Kane)

Who Ran Over Austin?(SCSA vs HHH & Rikishi)

Hardys vs Dudleys vs E&C(TLC matches)

Foleys as the commisioner

6-Mac HIAC(Taker vs Rikishi vs Angle vs Rock vs HHH vs Austin)

Taker Returns as the ABA

Jericho beating HHH for the title(D was reversed later)

With the help of SCSA, Rock pinned HHH to become the WWE champion

Cactus Jack vs HHH(Street fight match at the RR, and a HIAC match at NWO)

SCSA returns

Angle winning his first world championship

Shane McMahon taking some of the craziest bumps I've have ever seen

Angle, HHH, and Steph love triangle

 

[EveryNightsMainEvent]

Agree totally with the 96/97 post. The best year in wrestling can't be when only one company was in control. Most of you probably didn't get the pleasure of watching that particular time period in wrestling, when you had virtually no idea what was going to happen week to week. Man, soooo fun.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

In my opinion, the best year for the WWE was either 2002 or 2003,

I feel sorry for you.

at the time they had a lot of superstars

No they didn't.

but oppose to today's WWE, they actually had great storylines

I remember those great storylines quite well. Who can forget the feuding GM's? Who can forget HLA? I reminisce about Kane and Katie Vick. The epic saga of Mr. America and Vince McMahon captivated a nation.

and promos

Keep failing, failing, failing, failing.

the matches had awesome storylines behind them,

You're batting 1.000 in the "wrong" category. I'll give you that much.

and it wasn't about only one or two superstars,

I find it quite endearing that you believe this to be true.

at the time it was anyone's guess at the top, even if there was Austin or the Rock

Austin and Rock were barely there before they retired. We all know about Austin and Rock was being the movie star. Still batting 1.000 by the way. Will it continue?

like i said, they had a lot of stars, but they found ways to use them,

It's continuing. I should call Tim Kurkjian right now.

the mid card was much more solid than today,

Much more? I remember all those midcard guys losing a lot kind of like today.

and in the main events there was a lot to choose from

You don't say?

today if it's not Cena or Punk, they are doomed,

How much more fail could possibly be next? The anticipation is killing me. I hope it will last.

back then it could be Jericho, Austin, Taker, Triple H, take your pick,

Austin was falling off. Taker was shit. HHH was shit. Jericho was just the lame duck champion and you forgot about the Orange Goblin Hulk Hogan.

the tag tem division was excellent,

If it's possible, I think your batting average has risen above 1.000

a lot of great teams,

Here we go. Ride the white lightning.

Billy and Chuck,

Billy Gunn was a part of the tag team. That tells you all you need to know.

The Hardys,

They did quite the admirable job being bitch boys for Brock and Taker. Kudos.

Edge and Christian,

Wow, the suckitude has forced Edge and Christian to be tag team partners in 2002 and 2003. I guess I forgot when they were feuding at the end of 2001.

the Dudleys,

Their appeal ended around 2001. Stacy Keibler helped some but the ship was sinking.

the APA,

You're embarassing yourself. Please stop.

even Taz and Spike were good,

You're batting about 2.000 now. Holy smokes.

the divas division actually drew interest in the fans, Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria, Jazz and several other divas had time to show wht thye were made of, and the Trish/Lita rivalry drew a lot of attention from the fans, in conclusion, that time was when the WWE was at it's best in my opinion......

I'm surprised I'm not on the toilet with all that shit I've just read.

 

[DemonToSome]

Little Jerry Lawler....it's "batting 1.000"...not .1000. Just saying

I feel sorry for all these little kids picking anything past the year 2000. For me, the best year in wrestling was 97-98. Montreal Screwjob, the rise of Austin 3:16, the debut of Kane and his feud with Undertaker, Foley finally becoming a REAL player, the debuts of Edge, Christian, and the Hardly Boys (not a typo).

SO many great moments from this year and it had a lasting impact. Much better than Katie Vick in 2003 or that lame ass Steiner run at the end of 2002 into 2003.

 

[Firewall_Philip_Hanan]

1998-1999. That was the best year for WWE and WCW. The Monday Night Wars was where it was at. WWE was still good in 2000, while WCW was a bit mediocre while starting with 2001, everything went downhill. 2001 had some good PPVs, but overall, wrestling declined in quality starting that year.

 

[EveryNightsMainEvent]

Agree 95-98 (maybe a little before and a little after) was something that i wish anybody who really loves wrestling could experience if they weren't old enough or didn't watch then.

I think there should maybe be several categories for this, Pre wcw vs wwf/e, Monday night wars, and post wwe buying wcw/ecw eras.

 

[prestonluv]

1996: NWo formed in the summer
1997: NWO is full force, Austin 3:16 comes alive and DX
1998: NWO is dying down, DX comes in full force, Rock and Austin coming alive
1999: WCW is starting to reach for storyline and the WWF is cleaning house


My favorite year was 1997 as the NWO was still strong, Goldberg, Luchadores, Austin, Rock, DX, and dont forge Glacier (lol)

Close second was 1998

 

[jsd1980]

By far 1998 was the year where for the most part everything was in full swing. Sure the nwo was getting a bit lame with it's multiple incarnations and there was that Halloween Havoc with no visible main event. However that was the year wwf/e caught on absolute fire, wcw was beginning to sink but still watchable, and ecw seemed to be gaining ground and more exposure. Great year to be a wrestling fan all around.

 

[theBec2101]

I would have to agree the years from '96 and '98 where pretty good, and brought out a lot of competition. Throughout years after it was more sporadic then anything. Now day’s maybe a few times a year.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

I would have to say the best year of the WWF/E was 98. Here are the highlightes from the year:

Royal Rumble: Great Michaels/Taker Casket match that set up Kane/Taker for Mania but is bittersweet because of Shawn injuring his back. Austin's role heading into the Rumble with everyone gunning for him and it coming down to him and The Rock at the end. Just a small taste of what was in store for those 2.

WrestleMania leadup: Mike Tyson! When he showed up on Raw and shoved Austin it was crazy. Followed by Tyson joining DX and it then looked like Austin had no chance against Shawn.

WrestleMania: Two matches of note. Taker/Kane was a good match and Taker needing multiple tombstones to put Kane away was a good way of keeping Kane strong in defeat. Even with his back, Michaels put on a great match with Austin, and Tyson punching Michaels at the end after the double cross was a great spot.

Post Mania: This was filled with all the Austin/Foley/McMahon stuff and we would get the start of Austin and McMahon fueding on a weekly basis.

KOTR: Kane winning the first blood match was great and unexpected. Wish they would have let him hold the title for longer then a day, but I can't blame them for wanting Taker/Austin at SummerSlam instead of Kane/Austin. Even with how big a Rock fan I am, having Shamrock finally beat Rock and not get disqualified after was a good touch and a way to keep him looking strong and letting Ken win something (KOTR) while still keeping Rock IC champ. Oh yea, and Taker/Mankind HIAC match which was just epic.

SummerSlam build: Taker played a great tweener here leading up to his match with Austin at SummerSlam which made that match even bigger then it was. Nation/DX stuff all summer was gold. Of note DX mocking the Nation and the Nation locking DX backstage to beat down Chyna. Also Rock/Trips and Pac had a great triple threat match on Raw and Rock and Trips had a great title match at the July PPV leading into their SummerSlam match.

SummerSlam: Austin/Taker was a great mainevent, and was still outdone by Rock/Trips ladder match. One of the most underrated matches in WWE history. Just a great ladder match. The whole card itself was good, with matches like Venus/D'Lo, Edges ppv debut and X-Pac/Jarrett.

Post SummerSlam: Now we get full blown Taker heel and him teaming with Kane to stop Austin. They finally get the job done and as a result we have a vacated title for 2 months but it didn't slow anything down. During this time we get the bang 3:16 and Austin riding the zamboni. Rock is now becoming a face and has a good blue cage match against Mankind and Shamrock to become #1 contender. Also Debra is around and I remember being mezmorized by her clevage.

Survivor Series: What a PPV! First tournament for the title since WM 4 and I am a sucker for title tournaments. Austin getting double crossed by Shane was great and then Mankind getting double crossed against The Rock with the same screwjob ending was even better. Could have done without Austin running in at the end but I get it.

Post Survivor Series: You have Austin now working his way back to the title and the beginning of the Rock/Mankind fued. Also at the Rock Bottom PPV you ave the almost stripping of Debra that works for obvious reasons.

Wasn't sure about exactly when it happened, but Sable with the handprint painted over her chest was another classic moment. And the Mankind/Austin/VInce hospital moment.

So in short, 98 gave us the Rise of Austin, Rock, Mankind and Kane as main eventers. We still have Taker as such and Trips was on his way until an injury sidelined him for the end of 98. But most importantly, McMahon/Austin fued is in full swing and was always fresh to watch every week.

 

[UltimateHitman]

After seeing one guy's opinion needlessly bashed instead of simply debated, I remember one reason I got tired of this forum.

Anywho.... I would have to say that the 80's were the best years. That was where it all began. Not the initial forming, but after they took off in popularity. You had it all. Family oriented yet exciting, no internet to spoil surprises, good feuds, good characters, good wrestling mixed with good entertainment, etc. etc.

Monsoon, Heenan, Hogan then (as opposed to Hogan now, even though I cared little for either incarnation), Andre, Piper, JYD, Orndorff, Steamboat, Savage, Snuka, Bundy, original Taker eventually, Perfect, Rude, Warrior, Demolition, DiBiase Sr., Herc, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. Many, many, memorable legends, not just one or two.

The 80's, baby. Where it all started. That's where it's at.

 

[xavyer]

The greatest year for me would have to be 2000. HHH was awesome as a heel and had great PPV matches with Foley, Rock, Angle, Jericho, and Benoit. The midcard was solid as you had Angle, Benoit, and Jericho just being thrown out there and having great matches. The tag team division was solid as well. Probably the best year ever in terms of having great PPV's.[/QUOTE]

So, acording to you i'm embarrasing myself, in that long list of reasons why not to like the WWE in that time you kept puting the McMahons, that was really smart in you part, and that's why i said "in my opinion", i didn't say it was the greatest of all time, y may not be an expert like you (lol), acording to you 2000 was the greatest year in wrestling, i can try to embarass you, but i'm not doing that, like i said, anyone is entitled to their opinion, different people like different things, just because you don't like something that other people do, you are going to embarasse them, that only shows that you are one bitter dude.......

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

So, acording to you i'm embarrasing myself,

Yep.

in that long list of reasons why not to like the WWE in that time you kept puting the McMahons

Indeed.

that was really smart in you part, and that's why i said "in my opinion", i didn't say it was the greatest of all time

The OP asked what was the best year in wrestling. It's my opinion that the best year was in 2000. I think "best" and "greatest" are essentially the same thing.

y may not be an expert like you (lol), acording to you 2000 was the greatest year in wrestling, i can try to embarass you, but i'm not doing that,

Thanks for not trying. I don't want you to expend your energy.

like i said, anyone is entitled to their opinion, different people like different things, just because you don't like something that other people do, you are going to embarasse them, that only shows that you are one bitter dude.......

It shows then when I see a terrible post, I like to call them out on it. Of course you can debate the arguments that I had, but I have little doubt that you can do it.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

2002 and 2003 were the best. The WWE was stacked with talent. Even mid-card talent was much better than it is today. RAW and Smackdown both had awesome PPVs. Hulk Hogan, HHH, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar,Chris Benoit, etc etc. The roster was stacked. Best years of WWE in my opinion.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Not you too.

One specific year though: 2002 - 2003

This isn't going to be good.

-Wrestling was coming off of it's all-time peak!

If it was coming off of its all-time peak, then how could you consider 2002-2003 to be anything remotely close to great.

-WWE/WCW/ECW all finally combined!

How that work out for WCW and ECW?

-Austin/Rock/Hogan were both still semi-regular talent

That Austin who left in June and didn't come back until February of next year? That Rock guy who left after Wrestlemania for a couple of months, came back for a couple of months and then left and wasn't seen until January. Don't get me started on Hogan.

-Flair & McMahon as figure heads (w/Stephanie & Bischoff as GM's)

Thrilling television. Really showed how Stephanie was terrible and they had no idea what her character was. She was heel one week, face the next, a heel two weeks later.

-HBK returned after almost 4 years!

And instantly entered into a mostly boring feud with HHH.

-A TON OF NEW TALENT DEBUT - Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, etc.

In which the majority really didn't matter until 2004.

-Goldberg debuted in WWE.

And screwed him up from the second he got there.

-The Edge/Angle feud propelled both men to main event status IMO.

I must have missed all those main events Edge was in.

-WWE still had the likes of Chritian & The Hardy's still in their prime before they left for TNA.

They did nothing worthwhile. Especially that Jeff guy.

WWE just seemed to have almost EVERY good performer on their roster at that time,

And most of the top guys had shit matches constantly. Oh, the humanity.

not to mention Mania 18 & 19 on the book ends of 2002 are some of the highest regarded Wrestlemania's.

WM 18 sucked. Would have sucked even more if there wasn't hype for Rock vs. Hogan. I probably wasn't the only one expecting them to put on a clinic.

I believe WM 19 was the worst one in terms of buys if I'm not mistaken.

As well as Summerslam, Rumble & Survivor Series all seemed REALLY solid & still like MAJOR PPV's!

Summerslam was solid. The rest can go jump off a cliff with their eyes closed.

Note: I didn't put 2001-2002 for 2 simple reasons. I think Mania 17 is HIGHLY overrated and not the best of all time (good Mania, don't get me wrong, but so many act like it was the greatest WWE event ever and between The heel turn even Austin admits was stupid and a par at best undercard, it wasn't that great. Also my fav match on the card was Taker/HHH and that is their 3rd best Mania bout now.) Also for the Invasion Angle falling flat. So many agree this could have been the biggest angle in wrestling and I can barely remember it besides the poster that creepily blended Shane & Vince's faces.

You claim Wrestlemania 17 is highly overrated and yet you tout 18 and 19 when the undercard for 19 was shit and most of the main events were too? You've impressed me.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

2002 and 2003 were the best. The WWE was stacked with talent. Even mid-card talent was much better than it is today. RAW and Smackdown both had awesome PPVs. Hulk Hogan, HHH, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar,Chris Benoit, etc etc. The roster was stacked. Best years of WWE in my opinion.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the mention of Kevin Nash.

The only PPV I thought that was awesome from that time period was Summerslam 2002. Everything else was garbage when you had HHH, Undertaker, Nash, Hogan, and Steiner stinking up the joint. Even Benoit, Guerrero, and Angle couldn't save me from the ineptitude I watched.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

Anyone who chose a year from 96-98 has my vote. The WWF/E was at a major turning point, especially towards the end of '96. Edgier characters were being introduced, particularly Mankind, who was a freak and downright nasty. It was also when they introduced us to the wonderfully weird character of "The Man They Call Goldust". It was the rise of Austin 3:16. It was the humble beginnings of Rocky Maivia, who morphed pratically over night into "The Brahma Bull". Bret Hart was on the verge of his last and most compelling run in the WWE, as a heel to Americans but a hero to everybody else. Shawn Michaels had lost his smile, but came back with an even bigger chip on his shoulder. He would go on to be an integral part of Bret's controversial exit from the WWE. The Kliq was born. Hunter Hearst Helmsley went from being a generic mid-carder to becoming one of the most powerful players backstage. The Undertaker had become more dark and mysterious, and the character of his brother Kane was introduced as his most dangerous and formidable opponent ever. DX was formed. The character of Mr. McMahon came into being......I can go on and on. Oh - and over at WCW we had one of the biggest stories ever in the formation of the NWO and the heel turn of Hulk Hogan. They also had the greatest lineup of mid-carders ever assembled, and let's not forget Sting going silent and hanging from the rafters. Wrestling had and has never been better since those days.

 

[kenny91]

if u ask me the greatest years in WWE is 1998 thro 2005 98 broke out with the attiude era an era that would put the WWE in first place of monday night war nd countine 2 get back with in 1999 the Rock wanted 2 be the man well Stone cold wasnt have itnd early 2000 the Game brust away from dx nd became 1 of the hottest star in the company 2day. 2001 was 1 of the best years ever due 2 the fact that it not only beat wcw it also took over wcw the battle for wcw ecw nd the wwe was great. 2002. the draft which lead 2 the rebirth of the world heavyweight championship. 2003 the return of the Nwo 2004 CHRIS BENIOT won the world heavy weight champion nd had 1 of the longest title runs 2005 John cena headline wrestlemaini nd won the wwe title for the first time ever. 2006 JOhn cena was drifted 2 monday nite Raw

 

[FlairFan2003]

To everyone saying 96-97 was a great time in WWE, lets review... Raw was already struggling with Nitro BEFORE the NWO debuted in the summer of 96, if they were struggling to compete with Hogan & Savage vs Four Horsemen they had no chance with their stale, boring product against the violence and cutting edge nature of the original NWO Invasion.

Outside of WrestleMania, WWE PPV's were usually lagging behind WCW from the end of 96 through ALL of 97. Raw lost vs Nitro in head to head ratings 83 consecutive weeks, including all of 97. This was not a happy time to be WWE. WCW had the top stars of the time (Nash, Sting) the top stars of the previous decade (Hogan, Flair, Savage), nationwide the Brett Hart's & HBK's couldnt keep up.

Thats not too say that WWE wasnt doing some interesting things, particularly with the rise of Austin and a dramatic shift in the tone of their programs, most of which was in direct retaliation to the more adult & violent but also much more popular WCW. Fact is the NWA was more entertaining in terms of stories & matches in 86-87 and while they were doing very well nationally WWE was doing better.

The best year for WWE in recent times was 99, that was the boom year, their best year for attendance and PPV buyrates, a time when they started the year drawing Raw ratings in the 5s (so was Nitro) to hitting 7s every week by year's end (Nitro was in the mid 3s by this time). 99 may not have seen much Austin but they had a whole lot of Triple H, along with Rock, Foley, & Taker. 99 had plenty of memorable moments for WWE, it was their biggest boom year since the height of their original national expansion in the 85-87 range.

If the question is what was the best year for wrestling in recent memory I can see 96-97, but mostly due to WCW. WWE's revival was barely underway in mid 97 and really didnt kickstart till they fired Hart and started moving forward with the era of Austin & Rock. However, if the question is what was the best year recently for WWE 96-97 was pretty much a downer, at least business wise. Id have to say 1999, which in retrospect is really the year they won the war vs WCW.

Honestly, how can any of it compare to 1987, the year that gave us Hogan-Andre in the biggest main event of all time, the year WrestleMania first reached major pop culture iconic status, plus outside WWE we had Lex Luger's major debut, the height of The Horsemen, awesome Flair-Whyndam matches, gritty, realistic blood & guts wrestling of The Freebirds and Steve Williams in UWF, the start of Shawn Micheals in the AWA, Curt Henning executing the "perfect" heel turn to win his only World Title, Nick Bockwinle winding down his career as a HOF star, I'll put 1987 against any more recent years.

 

[WRESTLING_GENIUS]

I can see your point and I somewhat agree because it was the stories improving around 2006 that got be back into WWE after the first "Super Cena" run left a dry bitter taste in my mouth that some might argue still isn't gone.

But I feel like with lack of roster depth and we saw WWE really pushing "new" talent like Big Daddy V, Mike Knox, Snitsky, Umaga, Heidenreich, & Khali that were all bigger & older and most terrible. Instead of pushing guys like Paul London, Brian Kendrick, & CM Punk that were still young with alot of potential. WWE were still rebuilding and weren't that strong yet. I personally don't think we saw WWE get out of it's (Terry) funk until about 2009 when Orton came into his own & later that year when I feel Batista came into his own as a heel.

The best decade in WWE so far, IMO, was 1994-2004. Hart, Undertaker, HBK, Austin, McMahon, Rock, HHH, Kane, Jericho, Edge, Angle, need I say more?!
(While I will say 2009-Present has been solid!)

One specific year though: 2002 - 2003
-Wrestling was coming off of it's all-time peak!
-WWE/WCW/ECW all finally combined!
-Austin/Rock/Hogan were both still semi-regular talent
-Flair & McMahon as figure heads (w/Stephanie & Bischoff as GM's)
-HBK returned after almost 4 years!
-A TON OF NEW TALENT DEBUT - Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, etc.
-Goldberg debuted in WWE.
-The Edge/Angle feud propelled both men to main event status IMO.
-WWE still had the likes of Chritian & The Hardy's still in their prime before they left for TNA.

WWE just seemed to have almost EVERY good performer on their roster at that time, not to mention Mania 18 & 19 on the book ends of 2002 are some of the highest regarded Wrestlemania's. As well as Summerslam, Rumble & Survivor Series all seemed REALLY solid & still like MAJOR PPV's!


Note: I didn't put 2001-2002 for 2 simple reasons. I think Mania 17 is HIGHLY overrated and not the best of all time (good Mania, don't get me wrong, but so many act like it was the greatest WWE event ever and between The heel turn even Austin admits was stupid and a par at best undercard, it wasn't that great. Also my fav match on the card was Taker/HHH and that is their 3rd best Mania bout now.) Also for the Invasion Angle falling flat. So many agree this could have been the biggest angle in wrestling and I can barely remember it besides the poster that creepily blended Shane & Vince's faces.

Excellent post but to me personally it was 2001-2002 for the simple reason of we had Monday night Wars Still even tho it was for 3 months, sim-cast of RAW & Nitro, WM 17 isnt the best but definatly top 5 WMs, Even though we didnt have ALL the WCW wrestlers we wanted, with the ECW roster i feeled it made up for the lack of WCW talent,(WCW: Booker T, Chavo, Buff Bagwell for one night, DDP, NWO, HBK in NWO, Jericho's push and first Unified Championship reign, the debut of ORTON, CENA, LesNar, Batista.... Ric Flair as GM of RAW, And Vince GM of Smackdown thus first legitamte Draft in WWE history, and WM X-8.... ECW roster by the way was RVD, Lance Stor, Dudley Boyz, Rhino, Tommy Dreamer, Paul Heyman, Raven, Spike Dudley, Tazz, and Mike Awesome...... Thats why they named them the Alliance headed by The mcmahon children....etc....) I Think every PPV was Great in 2001 and even in 2002 as you said the reason because they had all the right talent and great storylines and ill add enough titles for everyone to go for(10 titles at one time WWF/E title, WCW Title, I.C. Title, Eurpean title, WCW United States title, WWF/E Tag n WCW Tag Titles, Hardcore Title, and Cruisweight/Light heavyweight titles.....) This year as a wrestling fan to me was the greatest full complete yr in wrestling history, it couldve been better YES YES YES, BUT they did an EXCELLENT Job for what they had at the time contract wise.......(Everyone couldnt come right away because there contracts with Time Warner were not up yet, thus 2002-2003 was the best following yrs because guys like Goldberg, NWO, Ric Flair, and others have to come later, plus the returns of H.H.H, Benoit, Eddie G, and the rises of Lesnar, Evolution, and others...)