Ring Rust Radio's Attitude Era Draft Results and Fantasy Cards
This is where you, the wrestling fans, help decide the winner!
The panelists of the show—Brandon Galvin, Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Michael Cahill—have crafted the best cards they could with the men they drafted, and the following is each company’s results.
We are asking you to look through the cards and decide which one you would most like to see in an actual main event of a company. The hope is that you have as much fun as we did!
Brandon Galvin—World Wrestling Federation
| WWF Championship No Disqualification Match | Special Guest Referee: Vince McMahon Cactus Jack vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin |
| WWF Championship No. 1 Contender's 60-Minute Iron Man Match | Kurt Angle vs. Bret Hart |
| Intercontinental Championship Submission Match | Chris Benoit vs. Owen Hart |
| WWF European Championship Fatal Four-Way | Val Venis vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Goldust w/ Terri Runnels vs. Shane Douglas w/ Francine |
| WWF Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way Tables Elimination Match | Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) vs.The Acolytes (Faarooq & Bradshaw) vs. The Godfather & D'Lo Brown vs. The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa) |
| WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat | Super Crazy vs. Tajiri vs. X-Pac w/ Tori |
| WWF Hardcore Championship Triple Threat | Sabu w/ Bill Alfonso vs. Raven vs. Rhino |
| 6-Man Tag Team Match | Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay, Scotty Too Hotty & Rikishi) vs. Impact Players (Justin Credible, Lance Storm & Steve Corino) w/ Dawn Marie |
| WWF Women's Championship Fatal Four-Way | Terri Runnels vs. Francine vs. Tori vs. Dawn Marie |
WWF wanted to provide fans with iconic characters, in-ring performers, mic workers and never-before-seen dream matches. With WWF WrestleMania, fans truly get a taste of everything due to its diverse roster and pairings. It truly is a 'Showcase of the Immortals.'
WWF European Championship Fatal Four-Way: Val Venis vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Goldust w/ Terri Runnels vs. Shane Douglas w/ Francine
The show opens up with a fatal four-way full of outlandish characters and underrated in-ring performers. Goldust provides an element of unpredictability, while Shane Douglas represents a cunning, cerebral mastermind with his valet Francine at ringside.
Ken Shamrock may be a bit unstable in his own right, but his ability to work the mat and multiple submission holds gives him a huge advantage. Val Venis was one of the most underrated performers during the Attitude Era and knows how to play to the crowd whether he's a heel or a face.
This fatal four-way provides a classic Attitude Era appeal as the unthinkable can happen with these characters at any given moment.
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat: Super Crazy vs. Tajiri vs. X-Pac w/ Tori
Although this isn't your quintessential Attitude Era match, each card needs to have a diverse array of matches and personalities. This match is more for the 'wrestling purists' who want to see great in-ring, fast-paced and high-flying action.
Despite becoming one of the most despised performers at the end of the Attitude Era, X-Pac was one of the company's biggest faces in 1998 and 1999 before turning heel. Tajiri and Super Crazy work well together and can even offer some comedic spots.
6-Man Tag Team Match: Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay, Scotty Too Hotty & Rikishi) vs. Impact Players (Justin Credible, Lance Storm & Steve Corino) w/ Dawn Marie
Stables defined the Attitude Era from the Corporation to D-Generation X to the Corporate Ministry. Naturally, WrestleMania needs a battle between factions. Justin Credible, Lance Storm and Steve Corino have been wreaking havoc as the Impact Players and Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay, Scotty Too Hotty and Rikishi) are currently standing in their way. The only way to settle it is a big 6-Man Tag Team match.
WWF Hardcore Championship Triple Threat: Sabu w/ Bill Alfonso vs. Raven vs. Rhino
The Hardcore Championship was one of the most defining titles of the Attitude Era. Fans were hungry for extreme action during this time period and WrestleMania features three of the most iconic hardcore ECW originals in history waging war for the coveted WWF Hardcore Title.
We've seen Raven and Rhino compete in a classic match before for the Hardcore Title, but tossing in the suicidal, homicidal and genocidal Sabu into the mix cements greatness...and tons of blood. From shopping carts to barbed wire to street signs, this match unleashes hell.
WWF Women's Championship Fatal Four-Way: Terri Runnels vs. Francine vs. Tori vs. Dawn Marie
The WWF's Women's Division during the Attitude Era was mostly used as eye candy a break between the hard-hitting action. No different here.
Although not the most skilled in-ring Divas in history, these four despise each other and are ready to rip and tear at anything from strands of hair to a tube top.
WWF Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way Tables Elimination Match: Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) vs.The Acolytes (Faarooq & Bradshaw) vs. The Godfather & D'Lo Brown vs. The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa)
This time period featured the greatest tag team divisions across any era, as well as the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history, several of which are found right here in this match. Tag Teams helped solidify WWF's midcard at this time period due to their personalities and willingness to lay it all on the line.
In this match, we have a few of the toughest tag teams in history in the Acolytes and the Gangstas. Toss in Harlem Heat and The Godfather and D'Lo Brown to round it out and this match is full of charisma.. and broken tables due to the stipulation. These men do whatever it takes to put their opponents through the tables and it gets out of hand quickly.
Intercontinental Championship Submission Match: Chris Benoit vs. Owen Hart
Finally, we get to our trio of Main Events as Chris Benoit and Owen Hart, two of the greatest in-ring performers of all-time, go toe-to-toe in a submission match. These two wrestlers knew how to tell incredible stories inside the ring and never needed to get on the microphone to have you eating out of the palms of their hands.
The Intercontinental Championship may be on the line here, but it's about far more than that: pride. Neither man wants to tap out on the 'Grandest Stage of Them All.'
Dream matches were the name of the game for WWF at WrestleMania and pitting two of the most talented technical wrestlers ever was a no-brainer.
WWF Championship No. 1 Contender's 60-Minute Iron Man Match: Kurt Angle vs. Bret Hart
Easily one of the greatest dream matches fans could possibly concoct pits Kurt Angle and Bret Hart against each other in a 60-Minute Iron Man match.
Hart was one of the men who piloted the WWF into the Attitude Era and was part of one of the most infamous incidents in wresting history. Fans knew Angle was an instant megastar in and outside of the ring from the moment they saw him.
These are two of the top technical wrestling marvels to ever step in the squared circle. With their abilities to counter any single maneuver, in addition to their remarkable stamina, these two provide fans with a breathtaking match to lead into WrestleMania's main event.
WWF Championship No Disqualification Match with Vince McMahon as Special Guest Referee: Cactus Jack vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin
It wouldn't be the Attitude Era or WWF without one of the most iconic and influential rivalries of all time in Vince McMahon vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. As always with those two, there's a massive twist.
Austin had great matches with Mick Foley, but he never went against the psychotic and unpredictable Cactus Jack. This is a dream match in itself as two of the most sadistic and unforgiving performers ever wage war for the WWF Championship.
Not only would these two thrive in a No DQ setting to allow for a supreme bloodbath, but the mic work hyping this Main Event would be through roof.
McMahon knows that he who holds the WWF Championship has a ton of power in his company. Though he despises both Austin and Cactus heading into the match, he inserts himself as the Special Guest Referee in order to flex his muscle and control the outcome of the match. Whom will he screw?
Who does Mr. McMahon believe is the lesser of two evils? More importantly, with Austin and Cactus constantly looking for blood, will they take out McMahon before he has a chance to screw either one?
In classic fashion, Austin finds a way to get the job done and wins the WWF Championship at WrestleMania.
Donald Wood—Extreme Championship Wrestling
| ECW Championship | Bill Goldberg (c) vs. Randy Savage |
| ECW Tag Team Championship | Hardy Boyz w/ Lita (c) vs. Dudley Boys |
| ECW TV Championship | Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Taz vs. Terry Funk |
| Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Tommy Dreamer w/ Beulah McGillicutty | |
| Ultimate Warrior vs. Vader vs. Lex Luger | |
| Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka | |
| British Bulldog & Jim Neidhart vs. Arn Anderson & Ted DiBiase | |
| Diamond Dallas Page w/ Kimberly vs. Jeff Jarrett w/ Debra McMichael |
Note: Winners in Italics
Extreme. Championship. Wrestling.
The Barley Legal pay-per-view for ECW would start with a hot match that fans would love to see. Diamond Dallas Page with Kimberly Page would square off against Jeff Jarrett with Debra McMichael in a guitar on a pole match. This WCW classic would have been built around Jarrett hitting Kimberly with a guitar leading into this final installment of their extended feud. DDP would win by smashing Jarrett with his own guitar. Oh, the irony…
With the crowd already hot, ECW would keep the blood flowing with a tag match featuring British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart vs. Arn Anderson and Ted DiBiase. With nostalgia pops all around, the combo of the British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart would steal the win for the faces.
This crowd is hot.
The next match would be a great 2-out-of-3 falls showcase between ring veterans Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka. This is a feud that was well-known in ECW and will be a great midcard addition to the PPV.
Since we have some of the crowd not satisfied by the technical mastery and hardcore aspects of the match prior, we have to reel everyone back in. ECW accomplishes that with Ultimate Warrior vs. Vader vs. Lex Luger. Need I say more?
After the nostalgia pops and fun times are out of the way, it needs to get serious; Hell in a Cell time.
Bam Bam Bigelow would square off against Tommy Dreamer with Beulah McGillicutty stuck outside the demonic structure. After one of the most brutal hardcore matches in ECW history, this bloody battle would find its way to the top of the cell. Dreamer will be the one to fall from the structure, and would suffer the loss when Beulah throws in the towel.
After the chaos of the Hell in a Cell is cleaned up, the crowd would be ready for an actual title match. The first of three consecutive championship matches to close the show would be the ECW TV Title war between Rob Van Dam, Taz and Terry Funk.
While the barbed-wire stipulation adds intrigue and the hardcore element ECW is known for, Rob Van Dam’s athleticism, Taz’s sheer power and Funk’s wild style would keep the fans in a frenzy after a Hell in a Cell match. RVD retains the title in an instant classic.
The co-main event of the evening would be a tag team championship battle with a tables, ladders and chairs stipulation. What better combatants than the Hardy Boyz with Lita and the Dudley Boyz?
Wrestling fans don’t need a description of what to expect for this match, and the Dudleys would finally steal the belts and the show with one giant spot to finish the match.
I’m thinking a ladder and table may be involved.
At this point of the night, this crowd would be ready for the greatest main event in the history of wrestling.
Spoiler alert; they get it!
ECW World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg—who has been on a year-long campaign against ECW’s hardcore style—defends his title against Paul Heyman's hired gun of Macho Man Randy Savage.
Do not forget just how great the Macho Man was.
Macho Man would start to see the end of his career coming, and begin to resort to using hardcore methods to win. After Savage uses a weapon to win the No. 1 contender’s spot, ECW’s undefeated champion Goldberg would add the stipulation that if Macho Man were to lose, he would have to retire from wrestling for good.
The intrigue over the last Macho Man match would be huge, and the rub from defeating Savage would make Goldberg the greatest champion of all time.
Goldberg would eventually retain his title, but he'd slowly begin to regret beating Savage during the match and even look regretful when he has to pin him for the victory. Afterwards, Goldberg would shake hands and embrace Savage and officially turn face.
The ultimate ending to the ultimate show.
Mike Chiari—New World Order
| nWo World Heavyweight Championship | Special Guest Referee Eric Bischoff: Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels |
| Hell in a Cell Match: The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Sting | |
| WCW United States Championship | Finisher Match: Kevin Nash vs. Kane |
| nWo Tag Team Championships | Street Fight: New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) vs. Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) |
| nWo Television Championship | Triple Threat Match: Curt Hennig vs. Dean Malenko vs. William Regal |
| nWo Cruiserweight Championship | Fatal Four Way Ladder Match: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera vs. Ultimo Dragon vs. Billy Kidman w/ Torrie Wilson |
| First Blood Match: Gangrel w/ Luna vs. Vampiro | |
| nWo Hardcore Championship | 6-Man Elimination Match: The Sandman vs. Al Snow vs. Steve Blackman vs. Stevie Richards vs. Perry Saturn vs. Big Boss Man |
| Dark Match: Kaientai (Taka Michinoku & Funaki) vs. Psychosis & La Parka |
Note: Winners in Italics
While the nWo may not have technically been an independent company during the Attitude Era from 1998-2001, there is no question that it played a major role within WCW. That alone made it worthy of being involved in the Attitude Era draft and I firmly believe that it exceeds WWF, WCW and ECW in terms of roster talent and depth.
The nWo Souled Out card kicks off with an interesting tag-team dark match as Kaientai, comprised of Taka Michinoku and Funaki, takes on the luchador duo of Psychosis and La Parka. It may be lacking in terms of big names, but all four men are great in-ring workers with high-flying capability, so it will get the crowd involved early as Taka and Funaki come away victorious.
The main card gets off to a roaring start as The Sandman, Al Snow, Steve Blackman, Big Boss Man, Perry Saturn and Stevie Richards do battle in a six-man elimination match for the Hardcore Championship. The match will be a wild and crazy one that whips the fans into a frenzy and sets the tone for the rest of the night.
With kendo sticks, eskrima sticks, nightsticks and pretty much every other kind of stick you can possibly think of coming into play, ECW legend The Sandman comes out on top, last pinning Snow for the victory.
Nothing says Attitude Era like a massive hardcore match, except for maybe the next contest on the card. In this one, two of the darkest characters of the time will lock horns as Gangrel faces Vampiro in a first blood match. This will be a hard-hitting brawl from start to finish with Gangrel busting Vampiro open the hard way and satisfying his thirst for the crimson liquid.
With some of the gimmickier matches out of the way, the Souled Out card turns up the heat in a big way with a fatal-four way ladder match for the Cruiserweight Championship. The combatants will be perhaps the top four pure cruiserweights in WCW during the era as Rey Mysterio Jr., Juventud Guerrera, Ultimo Dragon and Billy Kidman go at it.
There is no question that nWo is more committed to the cruiserweight division than its competition and it pays off as Mysterio grabs the title to end what may be the most exciting match of the night.
The fast-paced action continues with Curt Hennig, Dean Malenko and William Regal going on next in a triple threat match for the Television Championship. Malenko and Regal were arguably the two best technicians in WCW during their respective tenures, while many maintain that Hennig is the greatest athlete to ever step inside the squared circle. This will be a back-and-forth affair with several near falls and near submissions, but Hennig will ultimately come out on top as he hits Malenko with a Perfectplex.
Tag-team wrestling was a huge part of the Attitude Era and nWo made sure that it was a main focus. The New Age Outlaws may very well have been the greatest tag team of the Attitude Era, while the Legion of Doom is considered by many to be the greatest tag team ever, so pitting them against each other in a street fight is a no-brainer.
While Hawk and Animal will go down as the better pairing, the Attitude Era was the heyday for Road Dogg and Billy Gunn, so they go over and win the Tag Team Championships.
After a highly-entertaining tag-team bout, the fans are treated to a knock-down, drag-out affair between two of the most popular big men in the history of the business. In the third-to-last match of the night, Kevin Nash and Kane contest the United States Championship.
Rather than a regular match, Nash and Kane will take part in a finisher match where the only way to win is if Nash executes a Jackknife Powerbomb or Kane hits Nash with a chokeslam. Neither Nash nor Kane will go down as a top-flight, in-ring worker, but they have always known how to work the crowd and they do just that as Nash powerbombs Kane for the win.
Most fans would be satisfied with the matches that have already taken place, but the nWo takes things to another level with its co-main events of the evening. Going on first are two of the most popular and mysterious wrestlers ever in the form of The Undertaker and Sting. Taker’s WrestleMania streak wasn’t yet a big deal during the Attitude Era, but he was still a major star, as was Sting.
To make things even more intriguing, the dream match will take place within the confines of Hell in a Cell. Sting has never been inside the demonic structure, but it is one of the things that The Undertaker is best known for, so it is quite fitting. The crowd figures to be split down the middle, but after countless close calls, Taker hits Sting with a Tombstone for the win and the fans go absolutely nuts.
It may seem like an Undertaker vs. Sting match is impossible to top, but the nWo will do its best as Hollywood Hulk Hogan and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels close the show with a match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan may be the biggest star to ever grace the business, while Michaels is likely the top performer of all time, so this match simply can’t miss.
On top of that, both are the leaders of the nWo and D-Generation X respectively, which many believe to be two of the greatest stables in professional wrestling history. To make things even more exciting, nWo owner Eric Bischoff will serve as the special guest referee. Bischoff’s role in the match will be obvious as he constantly helps Hogan and kills Michaels’ momentum.
With the match nearing its conclusion, Hogan tells Bischoff to get the belt so he can clock Michaels with it. Just as it looks like Bischoff is about to oblige, though, he hits Hogan with it and HBK follows up with Sweet Chin Music for the win. Bischoff then rips off his referee shirt to reveal a DX shirt. He and Michaels attack Hogan after the match, but Nash comes out to apparently save his nWo compatriot.
Nash joins forces with Michaels, his good friend, instead, though, and the New Age Outlawz come to the ring to join in the celebration as well. Michaels then spray paints “DX” in green on the championship and Hogan as the new D-Generation X members do the signature crotch chop to close the show.
Not only do I believe that nWo has the best pure wrestling matches, but it has the top stars and two contests that could headline a big event during any era as well. Every federation has its merits, however, you should stop and think about which card you would have been most likely to pay money in order to see during the Attitude Era. I have a feeling that the answer is pretty clear.
Michael Cahill—World Championship Wrestling
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | Best 2 out of 3 Match: Rock vs. Triple H
|
| WCW United States Championship | Ric Flair vs. Chris Jericho |
| WCW Television Championship | Eddie Guerrero vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper |
| WCW Tag Team Championships | Gauntlet Match: Edge & Christian vs. Headbangers vs. Holly Cousins vs. Test & Albert vs. Steiner Brothers |
| WCW Cruiserweight Championship | No Disqualification Match: Spike Dudley vs. Shane McMahon |
| WCW Hardcore Championship | Jake Roberts vs. Scott Hall |
| WCW Women's Championship | Divas Street Fight: Chyna vs. Trish Stratus vs. Sable |
Dark Match: Big Show vs. Sid Vicious |
WCW's card is stacked full of old favorites and new combinations likely to get people pumped.
My card starts with Sid Vicious vs. Big Show. Nothing to get the crowd going than watching two of the most intimidating physical presences in WWE history going toe to toe. For as big as Big Show is, I like Psycho Sid to take this one.
Next up was the Divas Street Fight. In most cases the limitation of the Divas division is their inability to sell the in-ring work the way the men do. However, we have three really capable in ring workers so the idea that they could have the freedom to improvise (always a plus for the ladies) and yet still sell their work inside the squared circle could end up making this a match worthy of watching.
For the Hardcore match I went Jake Roberts and Scott Hall. Two of the greatest talents to set foot in a ring and two of the most tragic figures in wrestling history. The backstory to this feud would be fascinating in itself and to watch these two guys battle it out in a match with no limits would be gripping to say the least.
WCW was known for its cruiserweight division so I felt the obligation to make this match highly entertaining. Spike Dudley is one of the best little men we've ever seen and Shane, despite having no formal wrestling career, was on of the gutsiest risk takers we've seen. There's no question that these guys, despite nowhere near top billing, would have given a match likely to steal the show.
I solved the problem of having too many tag teams by doing an unconventional gauntlet match. You rarely see them anymore, and never in a tag match. So, if Edge and Christian are my top dogs they were gonna have to go through the ringer to meet the Steiner Brothers. To be a champion, you've gotta earn it.
My TV title might be one of the more entertaining builds. The late great Eddie Guerrero vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper. Piper and Guerrero were not all that different in their brash ways. Both talented in the ring, both incredibly fun on the mic. The build would have been as entertaining as the payoff itself.
Now, my personal favorite. Flair vs. a heel Jericho. I know Flair is the quintessential heel but in order to get the best dynamic you have to play to the strengths here and heel Jericho is his best character. Flair, who by this time was already a crowd favorite, could play anything well so pitting these two against one another would be worth it for the promos alone.
For my main event we went into the way back machine and took one of the classic Attitude Era matchups: Rock vs. Triple H. What a hell of a match. The 2 out of 3 falls stipulation would bring you back to the time when these guys were the best in the game. No question that this match brings the house down and sends the crowd home happy.
Check back for more on the World Wrestling Entertainment as it comes, and visit Bleacher Report’s wrestling page to get your fill of WWE/TNA. For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss (some language NSFW).
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