10 Reasons Wrestling Will Never Ever Top The 90s
2. Creative Experimentation
It's important not to reminisce about the 1990s too wistfully.
As the 80s receded, and the returns of that industry-shaking decade diminished, both the WWF and WCW scrambled to relive the glory days. The DayGlo aesthetic remained a la mode. Occupational gimmicks became the norm. Most attempts to capture the zeitgeist were a total embarrassment. Gangsta rap was among the cooler pop music sub-genres in 1991; WCW reacted to this by debuting PN News, a white rapper with all the flow of a glass ketchup bottle.
WCW did cup its ear to the wider sentiment when it finally recognised the dissent shown towards Hulk Hogan by live crowds and turned him heel in 1996. This precipitated a deluge of combative experimentation. Heroes became villains and villains became heroes; lines were blurred beyond recognition; airwaves were turned blue. Promos were as unique as they were momentous. Blood spilled in ever more violent matches. The once-patriotic bluster of wrestling became so subverted in 1999 that the WWF had to debut the first gold medal freestyle Olympian, Kurt Angle, as a heel.
You'll not see such experimentation in 2017, irrespective of sharply falling RAW ratings. WWE is a publicly traded company in which shareholders are serviced before fans. The model has never been more lucrative.
The market is fractured and dispersed, but more people pay to watch wrestling than ever before - even if there are less of them.