7 WWE Angles That Felt Plucked From A Different Time
Someone wanna call Vince and let him know that this isn't the Attitude Era?
So Jason Jordan is Kurt Angle’s long-lost son. While the reactions have varied from frustration to morbid curiosity, the key sentiment shared by almost everyone is: “Really? WWE is doing something like this in 2017?”
Obviously, Jason Jordan and Kurt Angle are not blood relatives, and everyone knows that. So it seems odd that WWE would run with a storyline that would have probably worked better in the 80s or 90s when the walls of kayfabe hadn’t been completely torn down, and the audience likely would have taken it at face value or allow for suspension of disbelief.
As is, people are just scratching their heads and putting clips of this storyline to “My Black Son” from Family Guy. Moreover, they've become so jaded, nobody's buying that Jason Jordan is going to stay Kurt's "son," with many speculating when, not if, it will eventually be revealed this was all a hoax orchestrated by a dastardly heel. In a way, it's much akin to how comic fans react to when a character "dies."
Of course, this is hardly WWE’s first venture with an anachronistic angle...
7. The Patriot Stands Up For America in 1997
Del Wilkes made a career for himself as the masked Patriot character in Japan during the 1990s. By 1997, Wilkes decided to jump ship to the WWF, and on the surface, he came in at a perfect time. Bret Hart had recently turned heel, and he along with the reformed Hart foundation became an anti-American faction, regularly dressing down the USA while singing Canada’s praises. A superhero who literally wears the American flag on his head seemed like a natural foe.
The problem was that this was 1997, and WWE was well on its way toward the Attitude Era. By this point, white meat babyfaces had become passé, and while the American crowds didn’t take kindly to Bret knocking their country, they weren’t in the mood to get behind a Howdy Doody “Ain’t America Great” face character either.
They were more inclined to cheer for Steve Austin, a beer-swilling, foul-mouthed anarchist redneck, who more reflected America’s values at the time. Ultimately, Wilkes worked a forgettable program with Hart that had no heat, before injuries ended his career permanently.