Dear IWC: "Attitude" Should Not Be Brought Back to WWE Programming

Over the past few months, maybe even more, the insatiable IWC have been busy complaining and complaining about the PG Era, with nonstop talk of bringing back the WWE’s Attitude Era.

They are convinced that PG is ruining the product and the only time the WWE put on quality shows was during the 90’s when "Attitude" ruled the shows. There was beer drinking; cursing; partial (in one case, FULL) nudity; violence and blood.

Today, as part of WWE’s PG rating, all of these things are banned and there is no sign of them returning. Especially since they have recently signed a five-year contract with Mattel.

The fact of the matter is that the Attitude Era is not coming back. These little "clues" people seem to be picking up mean absolutely nothing. Check out this article by Marc Mattaliano for some further reading on this subject.

I know there are a few people here reading this saying, “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THE ATTITUDE ERA IS GOD! YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY A TWELVE YEAR OLD JOHN CENA MARK.” Now, let me tell you something: It is the smarks that are ruining Pro Wrestling and that is a fact. I’m guilty of this too, and I feel bad about it, but I simply know too much on the product to look at it through rose coloured lenses.

Take one step back...and think about the things you are saying. I hate to be THAT gal, but I have to be at this point. As I said above, the Attitude Era is not going to come back and I for one am quite content with this. Let’s take a look at this Era.

According to the WWE, the Attitude Era began on the 29th of March 1998 when Stone Cold Steve Austin beat Shawn Michaels to become the WWF Champion and the new face of the company. It ended on the 1st of April 2001 with Stone Cold embracing his long time rival Vince McMahon after defeating The Rock to become the WWF champion, once again, at Wrestlemania 17.

So that’s basically three years exactly that the Attitude Era took place. Three years. And let’s not forget the monstrosity that was a LOT of 1999.

I appreciate the Attitude Era. It is a huge part of the WWF’s history and spawned some great moments (Austin 3:16), and it is for this reason that I would absolutely hate if the WWE tried to recreate/rebuild the Era. Attitude needs to be respected and treasured for its importance, and we do that through remembering how amazing it was.

It is now time for the WWE to carry on the legacy and bring us something NEW and out of the box; not just Attitude 2.0. To be quite honest, TNA is giving us enough of that and we all know how great that’s going.

Imagine the current roster in Attitude form. Kelly Kelly/Bella Twins Bra and Panties matches? Randy Orton cussing and tearing the house down? John Cena screaming down the mic at whatever heel he’s feuding with this week, throwing in a couple of expletives here and there? Endless hardcore/steel cage matches, which end with both wrestlers bleeding profusely from the head in the center on the ring?

Sound familiar?

I hold that an Attitude-like Era would not be able to take place without Creative simply replaying everything we saw ten years ago except with the current wrestlers. It’s not going to work, and it’d most likely just cause the IWC to complain even more.

But hey, let’s think about the time between the Attitude and PG Eras. Some call it Ruthless Aggression, some call it nothing. This was the time where we saw, above all things, an Edge and Lita live sex celebration. One of the most controversial and risqué things to ever take place on Monday Night RAW, and it did not even happen during the most controversial and risqué era, Attitude.

The Ruthless Aggression Era was amazing and very underrated just because it is not Attitude. We saw blood, violence, cursing, half naked Divas and live sex. So what is your problem, IWC?

One thing I liked about this Era was that it seemed to be a more structured and better put together Attitude. While it was not chocked full of guys like Stone Cold and The Rock, it gave us a heel John Cena, Edge & Lita, Brock Lesnar, Evolution, the list goes on and on. It wasn’t Attitude, but it was still incredible. Consequently, I would not like to see the WWE try and bring back this time period either.

Now, the great thing about these two Eras is that they represented growth and development in the WWE and it's product. They brought us something fresh and new, and changed the face of Pro Wrestling as we knew it.

Does the PG Era do this? No, it does not. The PG Era is in no way as impactful and exciting as the former Eras in WWE’s history, but it is undeniably important.

Some people argue that PG is bland, too family friendly and too… John Cena. But I disagree; I see it as even more growth in the WWE.

Times have changed since 1999. More and more kids are watching TV and looking at the people they see on there as role models, the children of wrestlers included. Many of the current guys on the roster who are also fathers have said they like the PG rating as it means their kids can watch them weekly without having to witness a grown man lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the ring or a young woman in a thong. Don’t get me wrong, these things worked for Attitude, but they are not going to work now.

Furthermore, we no longer have Stone Cold or The Rock, or even Vince McMahon on the current RAW episodes. There are new Superstars, completely different to any of them. The WWE should be trying to create new Superstars, not re-invent the old ones, which is exactly what bringing back Attitude would do. New people should make for a new Era, moving things on even further.

Secondly, it is always good to venture and try new things. Some argue that PG was only instated for Linda McMahon’s run for Senate, and that may very well be the case. But you have to consider the fact that the market is growing constantly. By appealing to the kids, you’re essentially putting more money in your pocket, which is what the company wants.

Thirdly, now more than ever, the WWE seems to be taking their wrestlers' health and well-being into consideration. Blading has been banned, and I fully agree with this decision. Most "hardcore" matches, if booked and executed properly, could get along fine without blood. There comes a time when it simply becomes uncomfortable to watch a 60 year old man make himself bleed almost weekly.

There are also more precautions taken lately, especially since Chris Benoit’s death. Chair shots to the head are prohibited, just like other moves that involve hard impact on the head. Can anyone honestly say that this was a bad move?

I don’t want to go on for too long in this article, but the point I’m trying to make here is that the problems with the current WWE product are not going to be fixed by programming suddenly going back to "Attitude" or leaving behind PG (neither of which are going to happen any time soon).

It’s time to realize that in order to move forward, you cannot go back on yourself, and the WWE is not going to make any real progression if they return to the Attitude Era, like many are suggesting. It’s time to revolutionize wrestling once again, somehow. It’s time for Creative to stop being lazy with their writing, which is one of the biggest problems right now. It’s time to think about the future and moving forward, and if that means staying PG, then so be it.

They don’t need strong violence or nudity or coarse language or even a TV-14 rating to put on a good show. If I'm being honest, PG is better for the company, and more importantly, the wrestlers. 

The WWE needs to find some sort of niche to make their product stand out again. Be it new Superstars, re-introducing old parts of the WWF/E’s legacy like the European or Cruiserweight championship or just simply putting 110 percent in constantly.

I have faith in the WWE, faith that would be shattered if they ever even considered going back to Attitude. That would signify pure laziness on their part and show they have NO interest in moving forward. Maybe put some subtle links in here and there, even that would work.

But until then, it’s time for the IWC to suck it up and understand that the WWE is now a PG company.

Take it or leave it.

-Leva Lies.