WWE Attitude Era: 5 Fantasy Feuds for Antonio Cesaro

What if it was possible to transport our favorite WWE Superstars back to the infamous Attitude Era? Which current WWE Superstar would be able to survive the TV-14 mayhem?  Which Attitude Era wrestlers would you want to see that Superstar feud with?

“WWE Attitude Era: Fantasy Feuds” is a series that takes a look at five potential rivalries that could have taken place if a current WWE Superstar had been performing during the Attitude Era.

The Attitude Era was never given an official time interval, but for the sake of the article, we will say it lasted from 1997 to 2001.

Rules

1. Active members of the WWE roster cannot be used as an Attitude Era Superstar, unless they have specific dates (1997-2001) assigned to them.

Example: Chris Jericho and Kane are not eligible to be Attitude Era Superstars; however, The Rock (1998) and Kane (2000) are.

2. Superstars who are retired (like Edge) or currently compete in other major promotions (such as TNA) are eligible to be an Attitude Era Superstar.

3. If an Attitude Era Superstar has been featured in a previous article, they can still be used again in the future. But they cannot be featured in two successive articles. 

The third rule will prevent a current WWE Superstar from feuding with all of the top/main event wrestlers from the Attitude Era and will create the potential for better, newer feuds in future articles.

The fourth installment of "WWE Attitude Era: Fantasy Feuds" features the Swiss sensation Antonio Cesaro.

Billy Gunn

At the start of the Attitude Era in 1997, Billy Gunn went on to team with Road Dog Jesse James. They created the team known as the New Age Outlaws. Slowly, the New Age Outlaws joined Degeneration X and gave the WWE Universe hundreds of memorable moments and countless laughs.

During his 11 year WWE career (not including his recent part time appearances) Billy Gunn managed to capture ten WWE Tag Team Titles, two Hardcore Titles and the Intercontinental Championship on one occasion. Gunn also won the 1999 King of the Ring tournament.

An Antonio Cesaro and Billy Gunn feud in the Attitude Era would have been entertaining mainly because when it comes to pure wrestling, it’s hard to find a large number of Superstars that are more talented than they are. Both Cesaro and Gunn wrestled in different eras, but they may be the two most underrated and under-utilized Superstars in WWE history.

Hell, even Dolph Ziggler voted Billy Gunn as the most underrated Superstar of all time.

When given over five minutes of in-ring time, Antonio Cesaro has been impressive with his undeniable strength and unique move-set.  Billy Gunn always showed potential for great things, but was never able to capture the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship in his 11 year career. Unfortunately, Billy Gunn never made it past being just a tag team wrestler.

In the Attitude Era, Antonio Cesaro and Billy Gunn would have been frustrated, upset and cheated which leads me to believe that they could have done something special with their feud if given the chance.

Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels made his WWE re-debut in 1988 as a member of the memorable tag team known as The Rockers. In 1991, Michaels went solo and became one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all time. He is arguably the greatest professional wrestler of all time as well.

Throughout his WWE Hall of Fame career, Michaels captured four World Titles, three Intercontinental Titles, six Tag Team Titles and a European Title. Aside from championships, Michaels is a two-time Royal Rumble winner (1995, 1996) and currently holds the record for the most five-star matches in WWE history.

Like Shawn Michaels, Antonio Cesaro is a gifted athlete and can perform at a very high level when given the chance. The series of matches these two WWE Superstars would have had during the infamous Attitude Era would not only be breathtaking, but still talked about to this day.

Despite Cesaro and Michaels having different in-ring styles, I can’t help but think that their professionalism and captivating wrestling would have created something truly special in the Attitude Era.

Val Venis

Val Venis made his WWE debut in 1998 and played his porn star gimmick to near perfection. Every single week on Monday Night Raw he would come out wearing a white bath towel around his waist and seductively said the words “Hellllooooo Laddiiiesss”. Following his catchphrase, he'd tell the audience an inappropriate, but funny joke.

The ridiculous gimmick saw success because Sean Morley was a dedicated entertainer and made it work.

Throughout his 11 year WWE career, Val Venis captured two Intercontinental Championships, a WWE Tag Team Championship and the European Title. He had a phenomenal look and was an impressive wrestler who deserved more accolades.

Antonio Cesaro and Val Venis not only would have entertaining matches in the Attitude Era, but the storylines and promos that could have developed would have been an instant hit with the WWE Universe. The first time Cesaro looks at Venis, he’d be overwhelmed with disgust and would want to teach him a lesson.

In the Attitude Era, a feud between Antonio Cesaro and Val Venis for the European Title would have been an interesting rivalry

Chris Benoit

In 2000, Chris Benoit made his WWE debut as a member of The Radicalz. Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn made up the faction and came to the WWE from WCW.

Throughout his eight year WWE career, Benoit became a four-time Intercontinental champion and WWE Tag Team champion, three-time United States champion and won the World Heavyweight Title on one occasion. As the very first entrant, Benoit won the 2004 Royal Rumble in what is known as one of the most emotional Royal Rumble victories in history.

Benoit was known for being one of the best technical wrestlers in professional wrestling history. To back that claim, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter voted him the “Best Technical Wrestler” five times.

Most of these wrestlers in this slideshow would have had great matches with Antonio Cesaro back in the Attitude Era, but when it comes overall wrestling ability mixed with strength, Benoit was simply the best. A wrestling match or overall feud between Benoit and Cesaro would have captivated audiences around the world.

It’s a shame Chris Benoit isn’t here with us today. He had a lot more memories and matches to give the fans and who knows, perhaps a match or feud with Antonio Cesaro would have come to fruition down the road?

The Undertaker (2000)

In the year 2000, the Undertaker introduced his new American Badass gimmick on an episode of Monday Night Raw by taking out every single member of the McMahon-Helmsley faction. He was an instant crowd favorite and the fans ate up his new biker persona.

Throughout his 23 year WWE career, Taker managed to capture seven World Titles, six WWE Tag Team Titles and a Hardcore Title.  He also won the 2007 Royal Rumble and is most famous for having an undefeated streak of 21-0 at WrestleMania. Interestingly, one of the most popular Superstars to ever grace a WWE ring was never able to have a run with the United States Title or Intercontinental Championship.  

Antonio Cesaro and American Badass Undertaker would have had a compelling feud during the Attitude Era because of their similarity in strength and the chaos that ensued with WWE’s TV-14 rating. No doubt, virtually every one of their matches would be hard-hitting and most importantly, realistic. Nowadays, the WWE cannot show any blood on their programming, but back then, blood was encouraged. If you thought Antonio Cesaro was vicious in the ring already, imagine him and his gimmick back in the Attitude Era.

Another reason why Cesaro would benefit from feuding with Taker is because once you feud with the Deadman, the crowd will instantly despise you. The Phenom never had a problem helping out the younger guys on the WWE roster, and the biggest problem Cesaro has right now besides WWE’s illogical booking is his ability to get over.

For the Next WWE Attitude Era: Fantasy Feuds

Which current WWE Superstar would you like to see star in next week's edition of "WWE Attitude Era: Fantasy Feuds"? Which five Attitude Era Superstars would he feud with? Let me know your suggestions in the comments box below.

Also, check out previous installments of "WWE Attitude Era: Fantasy Feuds" featuring: CM Punk, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton.

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