WWE: 9 Reasons for Attitude Era's Success

In the mid-'90s, professional wrestling was at its highest popularity in history.

The Attitude Era, as it was dubbed, had excitement, energy and creativity to every show.  Whether it was WWF or WCW, each show had the highest level of quality they could possibly put on at the time.

Today, it appears that professional wrestling has become complacent.  Same stories, recycled characters and cheap gimmicks are being used to try to win over fans. 

Fans, however, are not buying into the brand as much as they used to.  They're becoming bored and crying for change.  Specifically, they are looking for a return to the Attitude Era.  They want the same thrill today they had 15 years ago.

That change is not going to happen anytime soon, if at all. 

Here are a few reasons why the Attitude Era was so epic:

D-Generation X

One of the most unique and interesting groups to have ever assembled in WWE history, D-Generation X brought so much more to the table than your average stable did.

The group consisting of Triple H, X-Pac, Billy Gunn, Road Dogg and Chyna were the kind of group you never really knew what to expect out of them. 

The New Age Outlaws, Gunn and Dogg, had one of the most unique and electrifying entrances ever.  "Oh you didn't know?" became part of their identity.  It made the crowd clear as to who was about to enter the arena to compete. They helped revolutionize the way the tag team division was set up and ushered in a new era of said division.

X-Pac was the kind of guy who could be interchangeable among low-card title pictures and tag team partner.  His special maneuver , the X-Factor, brought a whole new meaning to the term "Crotch Shot."

Chyna could have been a one-person stable.  Unlike most other stables to have been formed throughout history, D-X added a powerful female to the team to help cover all their bases.  She is known as one of the most feared and intimidating women ever to step foot in the ring, being able to destroy other females and hold her own against men if asked to do so.

And of course, Triple H.  The main event man of the group.  He garnered the most attention of the group being their leader and a multi-time world champion.  He was edgy yet fun.  Hardcore in the ring yet light hearted in his humor.  He would rebel against the McMahon family then marry himself into it.

D-X was the kind of group that can never be done again.  Never will you have the same caliber of talent to collect in fighting for each other and for the same cause yet, having some of the most fun five people can have along the way.

Jim Ross

Good ol' JR is one of the best commentators the sport has ever had.  Nobody can come close to his amount of enthusiasm and knowledge of all the goings-on in the WWE. 

JR occasionally appeared from time to time for a special treat for the home viewers and now has been featured exclusively on Raw as of late.  He is sometimes kept off of pay per views in favor of the table combination of Michael Cole, Booker T and Jerry Lawler.

He was often the brunt of Vince McMahon's cruel jokes and he took each and every embarrassing second of it. No other non-wrestler in the company would have been willing to take such abuse, but JR did it all knowing it was thought to be what's best for the company.

Although JR is back on commentary every now and then, he is often trumped by Cole and King's bickering over meaningless topics, something JR rarely did.

He cannot ever be replaced and his time at the table during the Attitude Era was indescribably perfect.  Never again will you find somebody as awesome as JR was.

PUPPIES!!!

No, I'm not talking about the lack of beautiful women in pro wrestling.  Believe me, if I had a fully year to write an article about all the extremely sexy divas ever to have worked in WWE or even TNA for that matter, I would.  Sadly, for you and I both, I just don't have that kind of time.

I'm talking about every time Jerry Lawler would see one of those sexy ladies walking down to the ring, cleavage a popping out of two sizes too small shirts, and he would holler "Puppies!"

It was his trademark back in the 1990's and it stuck.  It was his way of pointing out a beautiful thing to a live audience without being too direct about being a creeper.  It's not like he could have said "Hey, JR be quiet for a minute.  I'm busy staring at the sweater melons on Sable."  That's just too risque.

Whenever Jerry would holler "Puppies!" it would get everybody excited.  It meant we were about to be blessed with the vision of a stunningly attractive woman.

And Jerry wasn't alone in promoting beautiful women.  Who could possibly forget about The Godfather's H Train. 

This will never be done again by Jerry, however, as the new, younger audience is supposed to be ignorant to such derogatory statements objectifying women.  Too bad.  I miss my puppies.

McMahon Family Turmoil

What other family in American history was so willing to put their personal life in front of the camera for the entire country to see?

Okay, scratch that. Better question: Who was the first modern family to do so?

Unquestionably, it was the wrestling McMahons.  Yes, now they are not the only family to put their lives in front of a viewing audience, but they were the first ones to make it look cool. 

From public divorce threats to child abuse all done in the center of a ring. Shane, Vince, Linda and Stephanie all played major roles within the company at some point in time and each left their mark it one way or another.

Shane put his body on the line more than his fair share, Linda took both verbal and physical abuse from her family, Stephanie grew up from daddy's little girl to daddy's worst nightmare before our very eyes and Vince managed to get himself into some of the most ridiculous situations one could imagine from an owner of a multi-million dollar business. 

The McMahons are a legendary family who will always be known for doing some ridiculous things to entertain the fans in any way possible.  You will never find another family so willing to humiliate themselves for the betterment of the product. 

Pie

Not the math symbol and not your mom's world-famous pastry treat.  I'm talking about....actually I don't think I can say this kind of stuff on here, so I won't.

We all know that the Rock is famous for many of his catchphrases.  I won't go into the list because it could be longer than Chris Jericho's 1,004 holds list. 

One catchphrase that made the Rock gain so much attention from women back in the day, was that of a simple question:  Do you like pie?

Another quite risque phrase commonly heard on regularity, pie always seemed to be on the mind of the Rock.

And why not, he was considered to be one of the best looking guys in the company at the time so he played to the female population of the crowd to make him even attractive to them. 

This is one of those classic catchphrases that was so original it made everybody try to come up with their very own special catchphrase, but none could ever come close to holding a candle to Pie.

Beer

Alcohol.  Something all men and women over the legal limit (and, let's face it, some under it) can all relate to.  It's meant for use to be able to relax after a long day or to celebrate something.

I guess Stone Cold Steve Austin felt that everything deserves to have beer involved in even the most minor celebrations. Each and every time Austin got into the ring, you were almost guaranteed to see beer flying and him chugging down the hatch. 

With the family friendly atmosphere being passed around the business, beer is also rarely seen on WWE TV now.  Only during special Stone Cold special appearances do we get to see the beer bath. 

Sure we see the KeyStone Light guy all over the place now and then, but that's just strictly for marketing purposes.  When Stone Cold does it, nobody really cares about what kind of beer he's drinking, just the fact he's drinking is enough for fans.

One reason why you will never see this again is strictly because if anybody were to do it, it would clearly be a cop-out by the company. A blind, coconut-eating monkey would be able to see that anybody besides Steve Austin swigging beer would be a complete copycat. 

Mr. Socko

What was more epic than the white sock that Mankind would pull from his groin area and shove it down his opponents' throats?

Mr. Socko was one of the most unique character traits that can never be done again.  Who else could pull off his best friend being a sock other than Mankind?

I rest my case.

The Dark Side

Creepy, deceiving and downright terrifying, the Ministry of Darkness was one of the most destructive groups the Attitude Era had ever seen.

While D-X was out running wild having fun, the group headlined by the Undertaker took matters into their own hands in their own way.  They kidnapped the bosses' daughter and even crucified Stone Cold at one point.  The entrances were intimidating and simply put, scary.  They were the closest thing to a cult that would ever assemble in professional wrestling. 

When you combine church bongs and fire spurts to any sort of group introduction, you're bound to be petrified at the very sight of whatever follows.  Adding a huge cross-like T and the large stature of the Deadman made for one of the most demonic groups in wrestling history.

Willlingness to Expand

By need to perform, I'm talking about all the top talent that WWE had to offer during this time.  Austin, Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, Mankind, Kane....the list can go on and on.

The amount of talent constantly fighting for the top prizes in the business made each and every episode entertainment and full of twists and turns.  No fan had any idea what exactly to expect when they tuned in each week and that made for sure entertainment and surprise.

The reason why so many people are getting sick of the product today is because the same people every time in the spotlight.  In the 1990's, there was a plethora of talent given the opportunity to run with their characters and make the most out of those chances. 

So many different people are remembered for making the Attitude Era special because more than one or two superstars had their own time in the limelight.  Fans didn't have to hate seeing superstars always being successful in the main event scene, because there was a number of them always involved in some capacity.

The Attitude Era was successful for a number of reasons, but these were just a few that made that time so unique and awesome.  As many would like to see the return of the era to modern day wrestling, the Attitude Era can never be remade or have the same success that it did in the past. 

Times have changed and we need to accept that. The best we can do as fans is enjoy what we have today and remember the past in all its glory.