4. 1998
"Oh, sh*t" - WCW, 1998 While the accuracy of that quote is perhaps somewhat dubious, the sentiment of it is hard to argue against. Although they had been building towards it for some time, the world wasn't quite ready for what WWE had in store for us when they unleashed the full force of the Attitude Era. While that certainly includes all the sex, violence and immature - yet irresistible - humour that goes along with that particular time, it's mostly a statement about how Stone Cold Steve Austin secured victory for the WWE in the Monday Night Wars through his rivalry with Vince McMahon. Every week that the glass shattered and Austin continued his battles with the boss, millions of people that had never watched a pro wrestling match in their lives found themselves unable to resist seeing what would happen next. Of course, the Attitude Era and 1998 were about more than just one man. The number of all-time classic moments that took place in 1998 is daunting to narrow down to the best of the best, but who will ever forget Mick Foley's dive off the cell at King Of The Ring, The Rock taking over the Nation of Domination and feuding with Triple H's DX or Kane and Undertaker's compelling soap opera rivalry. Every single week, WWE was using Monday Night Raw as a platform for the most shocking and unexpected entertainment on all of television. Their considerable creative efforts during this time helped the company pull away from WCW and never look back. The Attitude Era is the most beloved period in wrestling, and 1998 was the year that made it such a big deal.