10 Incredible WWE Attitude Era Moments Nobody Ever Talks About
From November 1997 to May 2002 was the high-octane "Attitude Era," but what moments did we forget?
The Attitude Era of the WWE is regarded by the majority of fans as the pinnacle of Wrestling programming. The move from the mid-90s family-friendly style of colourful superheroes versus villains, to a blend of Jerry Springer-esque reality TV and adult soap opera made for riveting episodic television that is absolutely sorely-missed today... according to die-hard fans, of course.
As we shifted from one millennium to the next, the events of the World would be reflected in the tonal change of the WWE. Generations that had grown up being told to "eat their vitamins and say their prayers" now looked on that advice as passé. From 1997-2002 (the era in which Nu-Metal, Presidential Impeachments and American Pie becoming Americana) WWE had similarly grown up. Previously OTT characters were either made more nuanced or extreme, the sets were imbrued with an industrialised aesthetic and the boss was now the bad guy.
Every WWF event, from WrestleMania to the weekly Raw is War, would be jam-packed with big moments. So many, that some would be overshadowed and topped by even bigger moments mere months, weeks or even hours later.
Here are a selection of memorable (after reminding) moments from the Attitude Era that make you say "oh yeah--that happened," because they were overshadowed, overwritten or just overlooked. Sure we noticed them when they were occurring, but today fans tend not to really talk about them. Not because they were bad, but because they get lost in the spectacle...
10. The American Badass Cometh
"The Deadman", "The Phenom", "The Conscience of the WWE." All monikers of one man: The Undertaker.
Mark Callaway's great creation is both instantly recognisable and yet ever-changing. Whenever the character has started to get stale, the Undertaker has reinvented himself and come back bigger and better. Fans remember the biggest evolution of the character was to the "American Badass," in mid-2000.
Except that's not quite when it happened.
Though this new version of the Undertaker rode into Judgement Day's main event, following a series of cryptic promos in the weeks preceding the PPV, this wasn't his debut. 'Taker had actually started embodying this persona the previous summer, just as he was about to take a hiatus from WWE. His demeanour and voice shifted from a rarely-heard stoic religious fanatic speaking in tongues, to an ol' school Texan ripping rivals a new one on commentary. He began addressing foes rather patronisingly as 'son,' and similarly cussed out tag team partner Big Show at every opportunity.
His attire also switched up towards the end of his 1999 run, as he began appearing in backstage and promo segments in what would become the now-classic bandana, sunglasses and leather jacket combination. 'Taker's appearances as this proto-American Badass looked to be more at home in a biker bar than a funeral parlour and signalled a shift in the character that paralleled the company as a zeitgeist for American culture.