Which year of the Attitude Era was the best?

[CM Steel]

The WWF Attitude Era was one of the greater era's in all pro wrestling. With the Monday night wars as the root of it to the fruit's that we as wrestling fans see and enjoy today! The Attitude Era first began in the WWF in late 1997. But ended four years later right before the WWF became the now WWE.

But what year during the Attitude Era was the best?

1998: The begining of the Austin Era, the new D Generation-X, the rise of the Rock, the on-screen debut of Shane McMahon.

1999: The rise of Mankind (Mick Foley), the push for Triple H, the WWF debuts of the Big Show & Chris Jericho, the on-screen debut of Stephanie McMahon.

2000: The Radicalz make there debut in the WWF, the super push of Kurt Angle, The Undertaker as "the American Badass" debuts, Rikishi is known as the man who ran down Stone Cold Steve Austin with a car.

2001: Stone Cold turns heel, Vince McMahon buys WCW, the WCW & ECW invasion, Chris Jerich become the first-ever Undisputed WWF champion.


So, Which year of the Attitude Era was the best?

 

[RicoLen]

Out of curiosity why didn't you include 96 & 97?

I mean, I can assume why you didn't include 96, even though that saw the debut of Austin 3:16, and the start of both the high profile feuds between Austin & Bret and HBK & Bret and Taker & Mankind. At the end of the year however, Vince was talking constantly about "attitude" in the wrestlers, and it had Pillman's got a gun.

Personally I would say somewhere right around Summerslam on 96 was the start of the attitude era, because that's when Vince Russo's influence could easily be seen on MNR.

I don't understand why you wouldn't include 97 though. The Screwjob, Austin's faceturn, hitman's heel turn, Rocky Maivia becomes The Rock. That seems like it should at least be included on the list, even if it wasn't the #1 choice for best year.

Anyways, I just started watching the Attitude Era MNR shows in consecutive order for the first time, and I'm only in Jan of 97, so while I picked '01 because that's when this WCW fan got on board, and started enjoying the WWF, I have a feeling by the time I'm done I might want pick a new year.

 

[cornucopia]

I have a very biased opinion on this subject because, though I was a huge fan of wrestling as a young lad my parents were not so I didn't watch it very often. 1998 was the first year we got cable television and the first year I was able to watch every Raw and every Nitro and needless to say it was a very entertaining year.

The dramatic storylines were something I was not used to because I had mostly seen older WWF tapes from the late eighties and early ninties. By dramatic, I also mean crazy as hell storylines that jumped all over the place and kept you guessing week to week. It really was addicting to watch wrestling back then. Monday nights were one of the true highlights of my week. I loved the unpredictability of it because I feel without all that swerves and turns of the road, a middle school aged me would have been bored by it.

It was those Tuesday morning days at school that made me fall in love with wrestling are why I am a lifetime fan. EVERYONE in my school watched wrestling back then. Even the teachers tried to get in on it. Girls loved it too. It was so popular that they announced the results of the PPVS on my school announcements for a little bit, until the administration got soured on it.

Anyway so 1998 was a great year for me for those reasons but I can throw a few good moments in the mix that make it a better year than the other four. First, the Rock coming into the best heel character he ever was, the Corporate champion. The Rock made himself in 98. Second, Stone Cold vs Mcmahon in 98 was the most entertaining moments in Raw history. Just Austin in general was so funny/cool/bad as hell on TV during 98. I still lol when I watch him putting big ass Paul Bearer down a sewer head first hahahaha. Mankind really made himself in 98 as well with the Hell in a Cell match and all. That image is the most famous of his career.

I could go on and on..

 

[RJJ]

2000, by far. Highest show ratings year ever, highest PPVs buyrate ever, and without a doubt the most successful year in the history of the wwe. You never knew what's gonna happen during that time and that's the special thing about 2000.

Highlight: Too Cool raising popularity, Y2J raising popularity, HHH in his prime, McMahon Helmsley era, Rock in his prime, Angle climbing to the top, Austin making his return, Taker becoming the ABA, foley retiring and becoming the commish', Hardys dudlez and E&C giving a helluva performanes with all those TLC matches, 6-man HIAC match(Taker, Rikishi, HHH, Rock, Angle, and Austin), Rikishi running down austin, Foley and HHH feud, Rock and HHH fued, the triangle thing btw HHH Angle and Steph.


It was the peak of the WWE.

 

[relentless1]

id say 1998, the start of the attitude era, and to ricolen, the attitude era is widely considered to have started the night after wm 14... anyways you had austin vs macmahon, undetaker vs austin, the rise of the rock, the dx army, the deadly games tourney at survivor series for the wwf title, nation vs dx, undertaker vs kane, the rise of mick foley, edges debut, so many great things happened in that year which makes it unsurpassed in the attitude era

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

1998 was the best year ... there was just so many fresh ideas going around that year it was crazy. You had the Austin McMahon storyline, DX, The Rock's big push, Hell in a Cell at KOTR, and just so many twist and turns when they were still fun.

Eventhough 1998 people say the WWE take the product in a more crash TV based show I think, in parts that mattered, the tradition of wrestling was kept intact. We still had long and meaningful title reigns with The Rock dominating the IC Title, Austin with the World Title, Outlaws with the tag titles, and X-Pac/D-Lo with the European Titles. And PPV were built up really well, with great main event matches some decent mid card matches but every PPV felt like it had a purpoe.

The worst was 1999 .... but im too sleepy to explain why. Let's just say I slept through Summerslam 1999 ... that's saying a lot.

 

[Chicago1989]

I would say 1998 was the best year. There was SO much going on in that year and the Attitude Era was at it's best at that time. There were MANY great feuds in that year: Austin Vs. McMahon, Austin Vs. HBK, Austin Vs. Undertaker, Undertaker Vs. Kane, The Rock Vs. Triple H, etc.

There was also many big moments as well, that helped the WWF compete with WCW at the time. The two companies were also going at it hard, which made wrestling fun to watch. You had defections, formations, controversy, big pushes, and crazy merchandise sales.

1998 wins this one. Hands down.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Following my formula from zrise’s Year vs. Year series…

1998 – On the WWF World Title scene, we had Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane, The Rock and Mankind (technically) holding Winged Eagle Belt / Attitude Era Belt / Smoking Skull Belt.

1999 – On the WWF World Title scene, we had Mankind, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Triple H, Mr. McMahon, and The Big Show holding Attitude Era Belt / Smoking Skull Belt.

2000 – On the WWF World Title scene, we had Big Show, Triple H, The Rock, and Kurt Angle holding Attitude Era Belt.

2001 – On the WWF World Title scene, we had Kurt Angle, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Chris Jericho holding Attitude Era Belt.

Now, this is going to be very difficult for me to decide.

98 was the beginning, it was the start of the “Best” era in Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainment. There is no denying the importance of 1998 as it was the first reigns for every WWE Champion that year.

99 saw Triple H, Mr. McMahon, and the Big Show step into Main Event status in the WWF.

00 we had Triple H and The Rock trade back and forth and the emergence of the first WWF Olympic Gold Medalist World Champion.

01 I’ll admit has to be my favorite year out of these four, only because it was the year that my Top 4 of all time held the WWF Title with my favorite ending the year with the Undisputed WWF / WCW Championship.

2001 is my personal favorite, but I think the best year has to be 1999.

 

[The Brain]

Definitely 2000. That was such an entertaining year. 1998 was fun too but outside of Austin, Rock, and DX 1998 didn’t do much for me. By the end of 98 I was already tired of the attitude era and I held that opinion throughout 1999. I’ve said it a million times that 1999 was WWE’s worst year in my opinion. 2000 was quite a turnaround. Everything seemed so fresh in 2000. The roster was stacked with talent; fresh talent that was more than capable of putting on a great show.

Triple H and Rock had a stranglehold on the main event during the first half of the year, and despite their rivalry entering its fourth year it never got old. The supporting cast was really strong. We had the debuts of the Radicalz and Tazz. Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle debuted in 1999 but it was at the beginning of 2000 where they really hit their stride. The same can be said for the tag division. Edge and Christian, the Hardys, the Dudleys, APA, Too Cool, and the Hollys were all around in 1999 but they were all kind of just lingering around. Each team took a big step forward in 2000 and made the tag division the most entertaining it had been in years. All the fresh faces getting a new push made 2000 a great year. I always think back to Fully Loaded in July. In three different singles matches we saw three established main event stars, Rock, Triple H, and Undertaker take on three future stars in Benoit, Jericho, and Angle.

One thing that jumps out when I think of 2000 is how funny it was. Commissioner Foley, E&C’s five second poses, Angle’s three I’s and goody goody image, Too Cool and Rikishi’s partnership, Latino Heat, and the natural charisma of guys like Rock and Jericho are some of the things I think of from that year. The in ring action improved a lot too thanks to the additions of Angle, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, etc.

Overall 2000 gave us much improved matches, good storylines, fresh faces, and a lot of funny moments. It was by far the best year of the ones mentioned in this thread and probably the best year ever for WWE.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

going by the posters guidlines, I'd say '98...

but how can you NOT include '97? Monday Night Raw became Raw is War, Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H rise to become true superstars, Bret Hart's "shoot" promo that earned WWE a 7 second delay for the rest of their run on USA, Brian Pillman's "XXX Files", the Original D-Generation X who's antics were much more shocking that anything that DX did after Shawn left, The Undertaker burning Paul Bearer leading to a six month storyline culminating in the debut of Kane during the very first Hell in a Cell... '97 screamed ATTITUDE

 

[RJJ]

Definitely 2000. That was such an entertaining year. 1998 was fun too but outside of Austin, Rock, and DX 1998 didn’t do much for me. By the end of 98 I was already tired of the attitude era and I held that opinion throughout 1999. I’ve said it a million times that 1999 was WWE’s worst year in my opinion. 2000 was quite a turnaround. Everything seemed so fresh in 2000. The roster was stacked with talent; fresh talent that was more than capable of putting on a great show.

Triple H and Rock had a stranglehold on the main event during the first half of the year, and despite their rivalry entering its fourth year it never got old. The supporting cast was really strong. We had the debuts of the Radicalz and Tazz. Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle debuted in 1999 but it was at the beginning of 2000 where they really hit their stride. The same can be said for the tag division. Edge and Christian, the Hardys, the Dudleys, APA, Too Cool, and the Hollys were all around in 1999 but they were all kind of just lingering around. Each team took a big step forward in 2000 and made the tag division the most entertaining it had been in years. All the fresh faces getting a new push made 2000 a great year. I always think back to Fully Loaded in July. In three different singles matches we saw three established main event stars, Rock, Triple H, and Undertaker take on three future stars in Benoit, Jericho, and Angle.

One thing that jumps out when I think of 2000 is how funny it was. Commissioner Foley, E&C’s five second poses, Angle’s three I’s and goody goody image, Too Cool and Rikishi’s partnership, Latino Heat, and the natural charisma of guys like Rock and Jericho are some of the things I think of from that year. The in ring action improved a lot too thanks to the additions of Angle, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, etc.

Overall 2000 gave us much improved matches, good storylines, fresh faces, and a lot of funny moments. It was by far the best year of the ones mentioned in this thread and probably the best year ever for WWE.

Finally, we agree on something lol.

Just like you said the thing that seperate 2000 from any other year in the era is the matches quality and the roster. The addition of Y2J, benoit, Angle, Eddie, and Saturn helped everyone stepping up his game in the ring. A year before, everone was brawling, no technical wrestling, no style, just going out there and throwing some punches and kicks. 2000 brought back the word "wrestling" to the wwe. Attitude+Wrestling=BOOM!!


I'm surprised how many people choosed 1998. lol I mean if you're not a fan of austin or DX then you have no business watching the show, because that what it was all about. Austin, kane, and taker were the only maineventer at that time(Rock and Foley became maineventers at the end of the year)


Overall, 2000 was the best damn year in history.

 

[Minister Christian]

1999 was my personal favourite. DX , Stonecold, The Rock, Corporation, Ministry of darkness. And no Smackdown just RAW, looked forward to it every week.

 

[harrythem]

I'm gonna go with those that mentioned 1997. It might not be on the list but, it was when the Attitude era really started to kick in.

The Hart Foundation Vs America, the rise of Stonecold, HBK Vs Hitman, Nation Vs Ahmed & LOD, Formation of DX....there was some seriously great stuff in that year!

 

[harrythem]

To the thread starter, that divvy cunt. I know what year the attitude era "Officially" started. I also know enough about wrestling history to know that seeds were sewn in 1996 and fully flowered in 1997. I'd say DX were much more "Attitude" in 97 then they were at any point afterwards.

And, considering you're telling me to know "my wrestling history" surely saying that the attitude era started "after Montreal" is bollocks, considering it is well known it started just after Brian Pillman died, when Vince gave his whole" we're trying a new direction" promo on Raw.

But, still, it's 1997 to me and no spaz is going to be able to tell me differently.

 

[The Jeff]

2000. I was hooked on WWF. SmackDown! was still good, every bit as exciting as Raw is War, The Rock was the king of the WWF (he won the RR and 2 WWF Championships). Y2J was awesome. The strongest Tag Team division ever. Great story lines. solid matches. PPVs worth purchasing. the only thing that hurt it was a piss poor WrestleMania

 

[SickJames]

1997 is not when it started it's Pre-Attitude, it's more like a Prologue (its there and has traces of it in there, but it isnt chapter 1, it's i & ii) actually everything before WrestleMania 14 is, whereas 2002 is an epilogue, actually everything after WrestleMania 17 is

It started at one Mania and ended at another


The greatest year is hard, but I think I'll go with 2000 as The Rock and HHH were bigger then than they were earlier and the stuff only got edgier and more entertaining than 98 and 99, and 01 had a great bit of Tude but only through April as good as it was, this era only lasted 3 years when you deduct the part of 98 that wasnt Attitude and the huge bit of 2001 that wasnt

It leaves you with 1999 and 2000 being the most whole years of it and 2000 was the most successful year of it. hands down.

You still had Rock Austin and DX just better and things only get better and it did with this era

I guess in some other way based on WM17 alone being that the road to and the event itself was the only part of 2001 that was the final days of The Attitude Era, I could say that was the best as it was the best Mania ever with great build

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

1998. It was before they went to an extreme. It was like in 1997 they started realizing they could push the envelop. In 1998 they pushed it even more but they tried to still hold it together and it still resembled a wrestling show. In 1999 they slowly got more and more batshit, by 2000 it got really awful (Mania 16 is fuckin horrible), they started to reel it back in midway through 2000, then really hit a high point at mania X7.

Yea, as a complete year, 1998, but late 2000/early 2001 is pretty good too.