10 Things You Hate About Modern Wrestling (Thanks To The Attitude Era)
In order to enjoy the present, fans must first escape the past.
WWE's Attitude Era is often presented as professional wrestling's golden age, particularly by the company themselves. This is understandable. Not only was Attitude WWE's most successful period from a popularity standpoint, but it was the era that much of the promotion's current fanbase grew up with, and the one that they inevitably compare everything else to.
Attitude was the antithesis of today's product: edgy, violent, and out of control, it helped drive WCW out of business and establish WWE as an unassailable market leader, but dealt plenty of long-term damage, too. Its many excesses spoiled people's perception of what a good wrestling show should be, raising expectations to impossibly high levels, with the modern era inevitably suffering by comparison.
Wrestling will never be like the Attitude Era again. Today's product is often held to a set of standards it can't be expected to meet, and for many, the comparisons have ruined modern wrestling. Some of these criticisms are fair, while others are not.
Either way, each is an unfortunate byproduct of Attitude's success, and will persist for as long as WWE's most prosperous era is paraded as the benchmark.
10. Overbearing Authority Figures
Vince McMahon didn't create the 'evil boss' persona, but he may have perfected it. Born in the Montreal Screwjob's wake, Mr. McMahon came to define the Attitude Era as much as any other character in the company.
Without him, there'd be no Austin vs. McMahon, and without that feud, there's a strong chance WWE wouldn't have made it through the Monday Night Wars. It's an iconic character, but one that unfortunately inspired an endless swathe of copycats. The problem persists today.
Antagonistic authority figures have been done to death. At this point, more than 15 years after Attitude's conclusion, fans are sick of full-time wrestlers being belittled, pushed around, and emasculated by their bosses. It worked in the '90s, but the role is long past its expiration date in 2017 - yet WWE still use Triple H and Stephanie McMahon this way whenever they're around.
One of the reasons Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan are so well received on SmackDown is because they're just, fair, and don't try to put themselves over at the talent's expense. Modern wrestling would benefit greatly if there were more of their ilk, but we all know that Stephanie's inevitable return will mean burials galore for those beneath her.