WWE Removing Attitude Era Content After Linda McMahon's Campaign Is Attacked

[Con T.]

you're a ********. Anyway, the point it you can't just ignore something as big as 5 years of your company's history. If this was being done to the Hogan era, you'd have people still bitching about it too.

Hey buddy, want to tell me your favorite moments of the Bruno Sammartino era?

The WWE has erased certain parts of their history; in all reality, Bruno was just as much a money maker as Hulk Hogan was in his era, if not more. Vince and the WWE don't talk about him much, and he is arguably the best champion in the history of the company.

You shedding any tears for Bruno?

Thought so.

This isn't new, Jack.
This stuff happens all the time.
With much bigger stars.

 

[Mikechase69]

I'm sorry but this is very different from what they have done in the past, Today is the digital age so to go around and try to erase the past is pretty much impossible and really doesn't make any sense. I mean how many people have old tapes of Bruno Sammartino? Not many but I'm sure plenty people have tapes of old AE Monday Night RAW.

 

[Con T.]

I'm sorry but this is very different from what they have done in the past, Today is the digital age so to go around and try to erase the past is pretty much impossible and really doesn't make any sense. I mean how many people have old tapes of Bruno Sammartino? Not many but I'm sure plenty people have tapes of old AE Monday Night RAW.

This is some bullshit.

Plenty of people have records of Bruno's wrestling, and going on YouTube will give you access to hundreds of Bruno matches. Granted, it isn't as much, because the WWE never really explored the route to making a Bruno VHS, let alone a DVD. This isn't by choice, by the way; Bruno refuses to work with WWE, and for some pretty good reasons. Attitude Era stuff may be more available, again because of WWE, but to insinuate that Bruno stuff doesn't exist, and that this is any different, is stupid

Go do some searching
You'll find Bruno is out there
If you look harder

 

[Mikechase69]

This is some bullshit.

Plenty of people have records of Bruno's wrestling, and going on YouTube will give you access to hundreds of Bruno matches. Granted, it isn't as much, because the WWE never really explored the route to making a Bruno VHS, let alone a DVD. This isn't by choice, by the way; Bruno refuses to work with WWE, and for some pretty good reasons. Attitude Era stuff may be more available, again because of WWE, but to insinuate that Bruno stuff doesn't exist, and that this is any different, is stupid

Go do some searching
You'll find Bruno is out there
If you look harder

True after that I did search and there was a decent amount of Bruno stuff on the web, Also I agree with his reasons for not coming back and doing anything with the WWE. I understand that the WWE can do whatever they want its their stuff but to act like this stuff never happened is just foolish and it makes Linda look bad.

 

[Con T.]

True after that I did search and there was a decent amount of Bruno stuff on the web, Also I agree with his reasons for not coming back and doing anything with the WWE.

Granted, I will give you this; many of those matches are out of WWE jurisdiction; some against Baba, some matches happening in Japan, but as much as I'd like to find some Bruno-Zybysko, that isn't to be found.

Why? Because Vince has done everything in his power to keep him out of the public eye, and the feeling is more than mutual for Bruno. Bruno was to wrestling what Hogan was; if Vince can erase Bruno, he can erase the AE

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Next time any of you whiners are trying to impress a girl you like, are on a job interview, or sitting before the parole board be sure to tell them about how you pissed your bed until you were 14, you would hide in the bathroom closet and watch your sister pee, and that you think it is ridiculous that your mother stopped wiping your ass for you. You know because you don't want to erase your past. You keepz it real, YO!

People change, companies change. Were not all proud of our past and we don't advertise it for the world when we are trying to create a new image. I understand not liking losing that content if you enjoyed but if you can't rationalize and accept it I feel sorry for you.

But at the same time I am impressed that you avoided using the words Hitler and censorship.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

What I love about this is the fact they aren't deleting the history, they aren't claiming this shit never happened, they aren't saying "Mae Young never gave birth to a hand" or "Sable never went topless on Raw, with only hand prints covering her nipples" all they're doing is isolating themselves from past incidents which could be seen as crude for the betterment of today's product, today's society and for the career of someone who is attempting to gain a seat in office, but whose opponents want to use past incidents against her.

WWE own the footage, they can do whatever the hell they like. South Park were forced to exclude the Sciencetology episode from a box-set before, you think fans of South Park started bitching and whining? No, because they could easily find it if they wanted and it doesn't effect what is going on now, in the present.

Attitude Era is gone. It's dead. And it isn't coming back. Fans need to get over it, it worked for them back in the late 90's when edgier television could be seen almost everywhere, but that isn't needed today, WWE have no need to go all out and produce crude angles and humor to satisfy a minority of their fans who are mostly found on the Internet, whining, bitching and scrutinizing today's product as if they have even the slightest clue what it does for business.

And WWE still have an Attitude Era themed DVD coming out, yet people will complain because they're deleting footage that happened over a decade ago? At least fans wanting Drew McIntyre to be pushed and John Cena to turn heel have some basis for their arguments being that it applies to the present product, unlike this which applies to footage from over a decade ago.

 

[GameOver]

Funny you say that. Quite a lot of WWE videos from around the Attitude era time (Up until 2005) on Youtube have been deleted lately. There is still a few Attitude Era videos though.

and that has nothing to do with anything, it's called copyright first and foremost. WWE owns the rights to that footage, anyone showing it without prior consent is breaking the law. They just chose not to prosectute every tom dick and harry, same with retail stores playing music in there shops, in theory they should be paying royalties to the owners but it's not enforced

and there is alot of videos out there covering everything and always will be, they can't monitor everything, just the most obvious references.

as for the content, other then RAW/Smackdown during the attitude era which i did have all the tapes of at one point but threw them out i have all the VHS's from WrestleMania 1 - 10 and dvd's for most of 93-2002 and then the big 4 beyond that so i'm set. even got the crappy re-edits to cover the VHS ones that aren't great quality sound and video... You can seek them out they are still out there, the UK versions by Silverlight aren't blurred or edited and they have pretty much everything. Only the Box Sets were edited to remove music/blur the WWF logo and remove references to Chris Benoit

 

[whoopin' ass]

doesn't it come down to something your parents always told you - don't do something you will regret. Vince and Linda had no issue with that was going on during the Attitude at the time because it made them a ton of money. now Linda is running for office and what made them rich is a bit of an embarrassment. what really makes it funny is that The Body ran and became governor and his wrestling background didn't really hurt him but in this case, it seems to cause them nothing but problems(mostly self-created problems).

 

[bb0i8o8]

Everyone who is Grumbling about how WWE is Why in the world do you guys Still Watch it?? and coming To sites like these to read about WWE and posting your thoughts Seriously?? ITs because you guys still enjoy watching it. WWE Don't care if people are writing and venting on here about your opinions if they did they would actually do something about it. to all you people who grumble about the PG ERA PLAIN AND SIMPLE STOP GRUMBLING ABOUT WWE PG ERA SIMPLY JUST STOP WATCHING.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I think, in the end, what Vince needs to do is stop appealing to the mainstream, and only focus on the "WWE Universe". Look, if people were interested in wrestling, they would be watching it by now, so WWE need to take the attitude that "we aren't going to change what we have been doing, you either get on board with this or not".

Firstly, WWE should stop trying to avoid trouble with the media, because, fact is, the media will always hate WWE , and create controversies to make it look bad, so that they can have a story. Most media people are out-and-out liars, and make up 90% of the stories they come up with. Most of them only get into the media because you don't need any talent to write for a newspaper or be a reporter, you just need to be nosy. So, while it is their job to report that Chris Benoit and his family were found dead on their property, and that police suspect it is a murder suicide, they then take it too far to suggest drugs or other things, and then give an editorial on their thoughts on WWE, and then find disgruntled ex-employees, willing to tip the bucket as a measure of revenge for firing them. They should just reports facts, that they can verify, and once there is more scrutiny on the media, the better. It's not just the Nazis who are into propaganda.

When WWE toured Australia, I heard Vince McMahon on the radio, and he commented how most of the radio hosts were very respectful of them, and even if they weren't fans of WWE, they let them discuss their upcoming tour without being controversial. He said that it is better than the "bottom-feeding media" in the U.S., who treat everything WWE does like a joke. This is partly because Australia have a lot of comedians and celebrities fronting their radio shows, many of who are actual WWE fans themselves, whereas a lot of American media are pompous douchebags, who act like they are above it all.

WWE should do what it likes (within the law), and screw anyone who doesn't like it, because you will never win any converts by changing up what you stand for.

Also, if sponsors don't like it, find another sponsor. You would be amazed how many companies want to sponsor a product. Many mainly care about ratings, so they will back you, while the ratings are high. WWE should sign sponsors to a "no-morals" clause contract, so that they must fulfil the entire term of the contract, and not pull out due to public pressure, take it or leave it. If they refuse, just bluff the company into believing that their main competitor is also interested in sponsoring them, and that if this company refuses to sign, then the competitor will get all the publicity instead. Most companies will cave, so as to not give their competitors an edge.There's always someone else willing to jump on board.

WWE should be beholden to no-one, except the law and the paying customer (and also considering their wrestlers and employees of WWE). They don't owe the media, the mainstream, companies, family groups, or people who aren't interested in wrestling a damn thing. All they need to answer to is their bottom line, which they get by entertaining their audience, and their audience paying their hard-earned for it. Anyone else can like it or lump it, because, no matter what you do or say, people will only follow you if they choose to.

Linda needs to use her opponent's obsession with making her look bad around on him, and say that, while he stands for mudraking, she stands on policies. She needs to be smart enough, and use Vince's money, to dig some dirt on him as well, just in case, but keep pushing her policies, and why they are better than her opponent's. If people are swayed by peddling dirt rather than policies, then these aren't people you want to represent anyway.

 

[d_henderson1810]

doesn't it come down to something your parents always told you - don't do something you will regret. Vince and Linda had no issue with that was going on during the Attitude at the time because it made them a ton of money. now Linda is running for office and what made them rich is a bit of an embarrassment. what really makes it funny is that The Body ran and became governor and his wrestling background didn't really hurt him but in this case, it seems to cause them nothing but problems(mostly self-created problems).

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That's because Vince and Linda care about what people think of them , whereas Jesse Ventura has never worried how people percieve him. If he did, he wouldn't be going on media outlets, espousing his ridiculous conspiracy theories, and making a fool of himself and losing all credibility in the process.

Jesse Ventura has embarrassed himself many times, but is his own man and doesn't care what any of us think of him, so these people stick to their guns, because they don't need friends, whereas Vince panders to people, so that they will like him and his product.

 

[BillAlfonso]

There is nothing wrong with the Attitude Era, it was the times. Everyone was displaying edgier content in all forms of media. The difference is that WWE has always been a bit "weird" as a promotion so, you combine thinking that brought you the Gobbledy Gooker and Doink The Clown with the types of things that was on TV at the time you get Mae Young giving birth to a hand. WWE wasn't really showing anything different than you would see on "Married...With Children" or Saturday Night Live when they had Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan in the cast.

In regards to Linda's campaign, distancing themselves form the Attitude Era is as futile as Linda trying to distance herself from WWE. It happened, everyone knows it happened just like everyone knows or can find out quickly that she was apart of WWE since she's married to the head of the company. If her campaign team were smart, they'd play up that she was apart of the company as it went toe to two with a powerful rival and defeated it and that it's a family company or that Vince wasn't always rich and, I'm being serious, is a success story so he understands the common man as if he's not rich now and his priorities are a little bit different. I mean, republicans eat that shit up.

 

[thedon2001]

Except there are 2 problems with that. 1st, unless I'm mistaken, a publicly traded company cannot compromise its own product, brand, history, etc. in favor of politics, which is what they are clearly doing. It's illegal and the company could be subject to a lawsuit from its shareholders or someone else. Second, an Attitude Era game is coming out which revolves around the content you speak of. This is pointless and a new low for Vince and company.

where have you been for the last 30 or 40 years? Companies do this all the time. Does everyone live under a rock or that naive? Removing content from the internet, content that they posted to begin with, is compromising themselves or anyone else.

You guys are always out to get the WWE, but they are light years beyond you folks in terms of intelligence. Day after day there's always some constant negativity spewing from people's mouths about what the WWE is doing wrong. My God, i've heard the same nonsense complaints for the last 20 or so years, yet the WWE is the epitome of wrestling because you guys keep yapping your gums about how bad it is.

For crying out loud just stop watching and stop talking about them. If you guys buy into what they're selling then you have absolutely no right to complain and no one will or does take anything you say serious.

Vince will keep spoon feeding you kids and you'll keep eating what he serves you.

 

[thedon2001]

again why do people who clearly dislike everything the wwe does, pay them any attention at all. Why don't you protest with your wallets and remotes? Stop buying, stop watching, stop talking about them? Just stop already. Day in and day out all you people do is find something to complain about. Just stop watching, the product is for kids, it's not for you, it's not your demographic, you're like a bunch of adult children complaining about a kids product. Grow up and find something else to watch.

 

[Mikechase69]

again why do people who clearly dislike everything the wwe does, pay them any attention at all. Why don't you protest with your wallets and remotes? Stop buying, stop watching, stop talking about them? Just stop already. Day in and day out all you people do is find something to complain about. Just stop watching, the product is for kids, it's not for you, it's not your demographic, you're like a bunch of adult children complaining about a kids product. Grow up and find something else to watch.

So why are you still watching? Assuming you still watch the WWE. Why should people who have invested a good portion of their life and money to the WWE just stop watching? Why should they not complain? Why should they not voice their displeasure?

 

[GameOver]

So why are you still watching? Assuming you still watch the WWE. Why should people who have invested a good portion of their life and money to the WWE just stop watching? Why should they not complain? Why should they not voice their displeasure?

well said. i'm in that boat having watched WWF-WWE since 1983. and never missed anything i couldn't otherwise watch due to inavailability in my region.
They owe me damnit!!!!

well not really but it would be nice to know that we mean something given we made them.

as for the removal of Attitude Era stuff, once again it gets proved wrong
Rise and Fall of ECW and WCW's Fall Brawl/hardcore matches are up on Classics on Demand next month

 

[Hazardous]

This is the same crap people said about George Lucas and the newer star wars movies.. People have been shitting on Vince for the way he runs his (Let me say that again, HIS) company for years now. Funny how it always comes down to "It's for us, why is he ruining OUR sport?!" Well, he's not. Vince does what Vince wants. Make money.

Same thing was said when Lucas released Episode 1. That he ruined it by making star wars for kids. IT ALWAYS WAS FOR KIDS!! The fact is, all the ones who started watching as a kid have now grown up and want what they use to have. Sorry but thats not the way things work in Sports or Entertainment. If WWE wants to remove THEIR product from Youtube, so be it. Really I'm shocked they put it up to begin with. Some things are better left in the past to be honest. iMPACT is doing what WWE did in the attitude era, and how's that working out for them right now? Times change, and you have to change with them, or get left behind.

 

[Reflection]

It seems that the WWE are willing to do pretty much anything to it's company to help Linda win her Senate campaign. The product is already as boring as hell, what's the next step, going g rated?

I've read somewhere this morning that WWE has already introduced a G-rated show which is aimed exclusively towards kids, where they don't do neck-locks and other "too violent" stuff. And if that works, I think there is a good chance of them shifting the whole product into that platform, like the transition into PG. Sad, isn't it?
As far as removing Attitude Era content is concerned, its pathetic, really. Sure, they are Allowed to do that, but it goes to show how big hypocrites they are, and how insecure they are about their own work.
McMahon should lose the election. If a person like her comes to power, we can imagine what will happen. A shitty state just like a shitty WWE product; when questioned, she'll try to erase data like she erased Attitude era clips; and when people speak out against her, she'll use her might to supress their voice by force, like they've been doing in their two-faced rogue company.

 

[DarkLordFett]

Not sure I'd call WWE one of the worst entertainment companies. While I've been rather bored with a good bit of what's been going on they're still pretty fun.

I may not like the decision to pull "edgier" content, I understand why. I also don't like why they're doing it. Particularly since, very likely, almost all the same footage is available through DVD's, games, etc. Beside the point the potential damage has already been done. Not to mention the fact that people already know about everything that's gone on.

If Linda wins, I'll be surprised. Her campaign slogan is A businesswoman, not a politician, for Connecticut. Her opponents are clearly attacking this already and she's going to have to hammer at their policies in order to win.

I'd like to see WWE get some kind of fun back. Even in the PG format it's currently in there's a lot to be done. When I was a kid the Hogan era was fun, but it had the superstars to carry it. The Undertaker changed the landscape a bit. I guess you could call it edgy PG? Will they get there? Well, the talent needs to be there. We as fans can hope things start changing for the better

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I don't have a problem with certain things being removed from their website. As KB said, some of that stuff shouldn't be remembered and wasn't worth the film that was used to make it.

What I worry about in this regard is FUTURE storylines. What this means is there's no more 'realism' that the Attitude era had. Things like someone being busted open or someone being mad enough to call someone an 'asshole' are going away for the foreseeable future. When you hit someone in the head hard enough, they bleed. When you piss someone off, they will get mad, and swear. It happens...well, it used to happen.

Linda McMahon has almost ruined the current product because it's choked so bad with making sure everything's still PR oriented. Could you imagine if Jerry Lawler had passed away and it was found out he was still using HGH or something illegal? Or if he wasn't treated as a performer, but as an employee and didn't need the same clearance a wrestler has to be in the ring? Her campaign would be ruined anyway.

But as far as removing stuff of their webpage, I'm sure it'll be stuff that was deemed foolish to begin with. What people should be more concerned about is the future of the WWE, not the past.

 

[MVP#1]

Why can't WWE use the Saturday morning show and Smackdown for the PG shows and make Raw edgier? That way they can have that edginess again that it's missing right now. That way they can make the older and younger crowds happy. They can still air parts from Raw on the Saturday morning show, just edit out the non PG stuff.

 

[GameOver]

here's a rumor killer on the front page of WWE.com just two right clicks from the front page
http://www.wwe.com/videos/playlists/axis-of-evil-playlist - can you read that?
WWE's most evil moments, most of which are Attitude era moments
not to mention as i said b4 Classics on Demand is hosting Hell in a Cell matches, Rise and Fall of ECW and WCW brutal matches. does that sound like content suitable for PG? surely if it was to be deleted those wouldn't have been put up in the last 2 days.

You are all being fooled, and the programming is nowhere near as "PG" as it was 2 years ago yet the path is to go G rated? Wake up....

well i'm done with this subject let you people continue to debate something that's not happening.

 

[d_henderson1810]

I sometimes wish that the Attitude Era had never happened, because fans will never move on and accept anything WWE does now. If they created the biggest star since Hulk Hogan, you people wouldn't accept it, because you will not accept anyone being as good as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and the Rock.

If the Attitude Era had continued to this day, you would be sick of it now, admit it. Most storylines have to finish at some time, and if it continued even today, most of you would want something different, just for something fresh and new. "Stone Cold", if he wrestled today, would have become stale, doing the same matches and using the same catchphrases over and over.

Personally, I believe that the best era of WWE is one where the storylines are interesting, the in-ring stuff is first-class, and Raw-SD is must-see. I didn't think the actual wrestling was that great in 1998-99, with the exception of the top guys, and maybe D-Lo Brown. Sure, the build-up was good, but the pay-off on PPV didn't always deliver, except the main-events. Even Undertaker in 1999 had his worst year ring-wise, with his knees stuffed and barely able to move.

I actually think things looked up in late 1999, when SCSA was written off screen. It allowed others to be given the ball. In 2000, the Rock and Triple H were at their best, the Undertaker returned as a biker, and was better in the ring. Kurt Angle and the Radicalz invaded the scene, making for some compelling in-ring action, (like the initial Angle-Benoit series, or the Jericho-Benoit series of matches). The Hardys, E & C and Dudleyz were entertaining us with TLC.

Come 2001, and we had the best WM ever (WM X7), with the best WM main-event ever. SCSA had returned, and went heel, which freshened his character up big-time. Also, WWE bought WCW and the Invasion angle happened. Triple H got injured, and took time off, and the Rock was making movies, so the star power moved to others, and the Invasion took off. The Invasion gets a bad rap now, but I found it must-see TV. Paul Heyman was brilliant as a commentator, and then starred as a member of the Alliance. RVD was introduced to us. People like Test and Christian jumped sides, and those who say the Invasion sucked, let me present Summerslam 2001 and SS 2001, perhaps the best year where the big four all delivered more than any other year. Good times!

2002. I wasn't a massive fan of the brand extension, but did like the return of HBK. Also, this was the year where Bischoff and Stephanie battled as opposing GMs and stole each other's talent. This was also the year which gave us Brock Lesnar when he actually gave a damn about wrestling, and not playing football, UFC or just taking Vince's money. Also, Hulk Hogan returned, and gave us a "Wrestlemania moment" against the Rock at WMX8. Also, Triple H and Jericho gave us a thrilling HIAC match, and then Undertaker-Brock matched it later that year.

2003, saw some of the best in-ring action ever. The "Super-Six", as I called them (Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Edge, Rey Mysterio and Los Guerreros) gave us wrestling clinics weekly on "Smackdown". Each match better than the next, it was a wresting conniseur's dream. HBK continued to entertain, and tore the house down against Chris Jericho at WM. Brock Lesnar also continued to dominate and be the star he could have remained if he had stayed. With Austin and the Rock off the scene, others provided the highlights instead.

2000-2003 was probably my fave era. I don't know what to call it, but I still liked it then. The amount of good quality in-ring guys (Angle, Benoit, Guerrero, Rey, Edge, HBK, Jericho), the promos ( especially when Chris Jericho had the mike, and except when Triple H took the mike) and the building of future stars made this period as exciting as you people think the Attitude Era was.

Outside the Attitude Era, we had Angle, the Radicalz, Brock Lesnar as a monster, HBK v Jericho at WM 19 and their 2008 feud, RVD, Extreme Rules Matches, Divas people cared about (Trish and Lita at the top of their game, Mickie James, etc).Chris Jericho was great on the mike and in the ring. Tag-Teams still had a place, whether they were the Un-Americans or the comedy team of Booker T and Goldust (who were very funny, but made people care as well), Shane McMahon daredevil stunts. All this stuff had little to do with Austin, Rock, Attitude or even anything risque, raunchy or edgy. Yet it was highly entertaining.

My point is, you don't need SCSA or the Rock to have wrestling be good.

 

[DarkLordFett]

I sometimes wish that the Attitude Era had never happened, because fans will never move on and accept anything WWE does now. If they created the biggest star since Hulk Hogan, you people wouldn't accept it, because you will not accept anyone being as good as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and the Rock.


My point is, you don't need SCSA or the Rock to have wrestling be good.

Wow. Just wow. Without the Attitude Era, WWF would have folded. WCW was killing in ratings, snapping up former and even current talent. , Flair had come back to the company, Hogan, Hall & Nash, the Steiners, LOD and others. Trips was supposed to be the man but got sidelined from breaking kayfabe after The Kilq's last match together and Austin was given the ball and ran with it. Which turned out great as Hunter makes a better heel than face anyhow. I'm sure a lot, if not all WWE fans want a guy as big as Austin. But that's the thing. Cena is the new Hogan. Punk will never be Austin. Plus, we don't have that evil maniac running things to have the anti-hero that Austin provided.

We need HHH to come back as GM, turn heel and have someone rise out of the locker room to be the champion against the tyrannical boss. That's what made the Attitude Era so special. Blue collar vs white collar. Austin told the boss what all of us wanted to say to our bosses.

You're right, we don't need Austin or Rock to have the company be "good" again, but we do need better, more creative feuds than what's been going on with the random, half-ass stuff that's been going on. And they need the talent to do it, but that talent needs to be groomed for it, not thrown in and expected to run with nothing given to them.

P.S. It's mic, not mike. One is an amplification device, the other is a persons name