Every WWE Era Since WrestleMania I - Ranked From Worst To Best

7. The New Generation Era (1993-1997)

As with any other industry, wrestling’s boom periods are typically followed by a considerable bust. Fresh off wrestling’s Golden Age, the New Generation Era is usually held up as the worst period of WWE’s existence, and for good reason.

The first signs of trouble came in 1991, when it was reported that a host of major WWF stars were set to testify that they’d been given steroids by WWE physician George Zahorian. Vince McMahon was indicted as part of these charges two years later, and suddenly found himself staring down the barrel of an eight-year prison sentence.

He was acquitted in July 1994, but the scandal rocked his company’s reputation. Business was sliding. Hulk Hogan left in 1993, and the company never truly replaced him. Bret Hart ascended to the company’s top babyface spot, and the likes of Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker rose around him, but none could match Hogan as a draw, and competition was heating up.

Hogan jumped ship to WCW, and with WWE’s product growing increasingly cartoonish and outdated, fans started switching the channel. For every HBK or Hitman, there was an Isaac Yankem or Friar Ferguson, and ratings took a huge hit when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash left for WCW in 1996.

The New Generation was Vince McMahon Jr.’s lowest ebb as WWE Chairman, and kicked off 84 straight weeks of Nitro crushing Raw in the ratings battle.