Why the Attitude Era?

Partly nostalgia, of course - A strong desire to see and enjoy all the favourites from my childhood again. If you want to see Mick Foley at his peak, or you miss Stone Cold Steve Austin - your only option is old shows. It’s been 25 years since the beginning of this era and despite its impact, it only lasted about three and a half years which is not a lot. In fact, the period I've covered on this site is exactly three years - Wrestlemania 14 - Wrestlemania X7. Why did it have such an impact? Was it really as hot as everyone says it was?

In a word, yes. If you weren’t there for it, you’ll never know what it was like to be a wrestling fan when the business was at its zenith. It was like Wrestlemania week, every week. And sadly this era will never be matched. Not because the talent isn’t there anymore (it is) or the booking isn’t as strong (it is, and there was plenty of bad booking in the attitude era too) but because the world has changed. Social media, fans expectations and the media presentation are all completely changed. It’s apples and oranges to compare this time in wrestling to anything else. But to take it as it is - this is the product at its most popular and at its most controversial. Every show made news and was “can’t miss” and by the time we hit the year 2000, every talent on the roster was over with the live crowds in a way that even today’s main eventers aren’t. Again, that’s not a slight on today’s talent - the world is a very different place, and wrestling is a very different beast.

I’m going to try and take these shows with the spirit with which they’re intended. There’s no value in me getting on my high horse and decrying things 20+ years after the fact for not living up to modern moral standards; however, I will try to call out stuff that was offensive even at the time. It’s the attitude era, it’s the 90s brah, it’s not all going to be ok. By the same token, there’s lots of people on these shows who as I’ve grown and matured I’ve realised are people I would not get along with on a personal level, to put it politely. Or are people who I think are total dicks, to make it less polite. Again, I will do my best to treat them as their on screen characters and take them as they come. I want these to be positive and fun and not get bogged down in the negativity of the real world, but I also want to be true to myself and my own beliefs and so I’ll do my best to find the balance.

The attitude era officially started with a pre-taped promo by Vince McMahon on the December 15th, 1997 episode of Raw where he promised to push the envelope and present a more risque product going forward. You can see that video from WWE's official YouTube channel above. That was the first time he broke the 4th wall. It wouldn’t be the last.

To me, the attitude era began when Stone Cold Steve Austin became the WWF Champion. Shawn Michaels departure ended the previous era and from Raw the next night onwards, Vince McMahon was officially a full time, on screen character. The WWF title belt changed designs and Triple H, The Rock and Mick Foley all began their ascent to being singles main event mega stars in really clear fashion. To me (and to many others) Raw the night after Wrestlemania 14 is where the attitude era really started.