10 Times WWE Was Categorically Worse Than It Is Right Now

9. The Lowest Ebbs Of The 1990s

Triple H Kurt Angle
WWE

It's really, really easy to bash some of the worst ideas to escape out of Vince McMahon's rather disengaged brain during his company's commercial nadir. So let's do it some more!

Or not. Well, not without a quick disclaimer. The early-1990s is not the horrific car crash of a product most mistaken cases of received wisdom would have you believe. Match quality was redefined and reborn under the careful considered technique of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, whilst a steroid trial-enforced reframing of the traditional WWE body size kicked open the door for the likes of Owen Hart, The 1-2-3 Kid and a returning Bob Backlund to shine alongside unconventional giants Diesel, Yokozuna and Mabel.

If only this were the whole story.

A cursory google image search 'WWF 1994' will pop older boys if it doesn't pop the LEDs in your monitor first. A sea of neon awaits, with tantruming babyface Doink The Clown stealing focus, Randy Savage being confined to condescending interview duties and Lex Luger shamelessly shilling IcoPro as if it had f*cking anything to do with his look. Brighter days were ahead, if thankfully not literally so.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett