WWE: 10 Years Since the Attitude Era, and Fans Still Want More

I loved the Attitude Era.

The days of anything goes.  The days of one major wrestling promotion trying to become No. 1 and its rival doing everything in their power to stop them.  

The days of excitement, drama and endless questions as to who will jump ship, and who could tip the scales in either company’s favor.

The birth of Stone Cold Steve Austin, arguably the best worker, and the overall best original gimmick to hit the business in the past 25 years.

D-Generation X, whose outlandish spots and unapologetic swagger raised the bar for every cocky heel who followed afterward.

The Rock, who went largely unnoticed upon first entering WWE, became an overnight sensation when he picked up the mic and developed his character.

The Undertaker, who was reborn, revitalized for a new generation of fans who wanted something darker, something edgier, and the Deadman was it.

Mr. McMahon, the evil genius who led his company in an uphill battle against WCW, a war that lasted for six years and changed the business forever.

Those were the days.

But like any other era of professional wrestling, time marches on, and eventually, the business changes.  This is especially true in the case of WWE, whose victory against Ted Turner’s WCW was a hard-fought win that left us all wanting more.

Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen a lot from WWE.  The rise of Eddie Guerrero, the dominance of Brock Lesanr, the expertise of Kurt Angle and the introduction of ECW mainstays Rob Van Dam and The Dudleys.

The tag team renaissance involving the Dudleys, Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz, the reign of Triple H, the Rated R exploits of Edge, the Ruthless Aggression Era and all of the drama that came along with it.

Now, of course, we live in the land of PG, a world ruled by John Cena, the Apex Predator Randy Orton, the World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry, the rebellious CM Punk and The Game, who still has his finger on the pulse of the company.

Ten years.  Ten years has passed since the Attitude Era ended.  Ten years of wrestlers, tag teams, Divas, cage matches, I Quit matches, Hell in a Cell matches, title changes, pay-per-views, unprecedented growth for WWE and fans’ constant thirst for what used to be.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

So powerful that every time a worker comes up through the ranks of WWE, he is automatically held against the Attitude Era stars.   So powerful that current storylines are compared and contrasted with the storylines of those days.

So powerful that WWE continues to bring back the Superstars who headlined the Attitude Era to either get ratings or give current workers the rub.

The latest example is Mick Foley, who is reportedly heading back to the company.  He could likely be followed by Chris Jericho, who is rumored to be in discussions with WWE on a possible return.

Stone Cold is almost always at the company’s disposal, and there has even been a reunion of DX.

Then of course, there’s The Rock, who is booked to meet John Cena at WrestleMania 28 in Miami.

On the surface, one might say that perhaps WWE is reaching.  Maybe the company is unable to successfully develop new characters and storylines to the point where they don’t need to bring in yesterday’s Superstars.

But the fact is, WWE cannot ignore its past, nor the workers who helped create one of the most exciting times in the history of pro wrestling.  Call it a ratings game, call it an attention grabber, call it what you will.

But at the end of the day, bringing back the faces that helped solidify WWE as the No. 1 pro wrestling company in the world is a good thing.

It’s good for the talent, it’s good for business, and most importantly, it’s good for the fans.

Those were the days.  And I say, let’s have some more of them.