WWE and the Post Attitude Dilemma
The Attitude Era. Some say it was WWE's greatest moment, the era in which Vince McMahon went to war with Ted Turner's WCW and came out as the victor. For the first time in pro wrestling history, fans saw the inner workings of the business and watched as talents jumped ship from one company to the other.
In hindsight, maybe that was the Reality Era. The industry was certainly more exposed than it ever had been as kayfabe was basically sold for thirty pieces of silver. A lot of guys made a lot of money and the truth is, that's a good thing.
But since WCW closed its doors, WWE has been attempting to find itself. We hear it all the time, we talk about it all the time and we debate it constantly; why can't WWE get back to what it was during The Monday Night Wars?
Why can't the McMahon family pull out all the stops like before and get back to the buisness of entertaining the fans on a very high level? Why do we now have to settle for a bland and sanitized WWE that just doesn't seem to have any teeth anymore?
We all know the answer lies in pleasing the sponsors, TV networks, shareholders and kids in the front row. But another answer lies in the fact that there's just no competition anymore. TNA, ROH and Lucha Underground are there of course but to the majority of the WWE audience, nothing compares to the house that McMahon built.
Yes, we've heard it all before. And even though The Attitude Era ended 15 years ago, we will likely hear it for years to come.
But it's a new day, right? It's a new day, it's a new vibe, why not have fun with it and roll with the punches of what WWE is doing now? Why not let the past stay in the past and just focus on the talent that's working for Vince now, the talent that are killing themselves in the ring to entertain today?
It seems like such a simple concept, one that should be easy to grasp. Just let it go and move on. Anyone can do that, right?
The guys have, that much is for sure. Oh, we still see Kevin Nash and Scott Hall from time to time. Hulk Hogan shows up when he's needed, as does Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. But none of them seem too concerned with reviving their Attitude Era runs in WWE now. Of course, it's not their call to do so but they've all made their money and they could all say no when the phone rings now.
And when revivals have happened, they've been pretty successful. Goldust and The New Age Outlaws defied Father Time and got second chances at life in WWE. The same can be said for JBL and Booker T, who are each a weekly presence on WWE programming.
And this is just a handful of guys that have made the transition from then to now. The only ones that seem unable to move on are the fans.
There's a difference from that era to now, I will be the first one to admit it. There's no edginess anymore, no wild spirit to keep things interesting like there used to be. Dean Ambrose has a touch of it as does Bray Wyatt but it's not the same and it never will be.
The Attitude Era is over, folks. That's reality.
The fact that WWE has a tough time deciding what it is has nothing to do with what happened back then. This is about McMahon being out of touch and leaning on Triple H, who has yet to be given full control. A lot of fans say when that moment happens, it will usher in a new era of creativity in WWE, the likes of which hasn't been seen since The Attitude Era.
They point to NXT as proof and talk about how that territory has benefited from Hunter's influence. The main roster will surely be next, right? Will the day come that the sports entertainment tag finally disappears in favor of the truth, which is professional wrestling?
Let's not forget that The Game is also a holdover from The Attitude Era and he came up during a time when pro wrestler, not Superstar, was his job description. He knows that it all boils down to the talent in the ring and the stories they tell from bell to bell. Everything else is just window dressing and Triple H surely knows that as well.
So maybe there is no dilemma. Maybe the drama is all in our heads and WWE is on the right path after all. Maybe it's time for fans to just let go and enjoy what's happening, instead of looking to the past for answers. But if that doesn't happen, then we may very well overlook the good that's in front of us while still chasing a memory.
Maybe we should refer to that time as the Nostalgia Era instead.
