10 Reasons WWE's Worst Era Is Secretly Its BEST Era

There were workhorses in WWE before the New Generation arrived, but the NG days put a renewed spotlight on such talents.

Prior to that, the Rock 'n Wrestling Era had names like Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, and Rick Rude who absolutely busted their ass whenever the opportunity presented itself. The problem was, Savage, Steamboat and Rude were the anomaly - particularly where it pertains to the promotion's singles ranks - in a land dominated by plodding giants.

Yes, the original steroid scandal forced Vince McMahon's hand from a PR perspective, but running with Bret Hart as WWF Champion in October 1992 represented a huge changing of the guard for the promotion. Regardless of who the Hitman was in the ring with, he would always get the very best out of that opponent, and even better for Hart and the company, he had a great number of dance partners to tangle with across the next few years.

Much like Bret, Shawn Michaels was another who could put on a clinic with the proverbial broom, and the Heartbreak Kid was someone else who McMahon could rely on to usher in what the New Generation was really about.

It wasn't just Hart and Michaels, mind, for even the main event giants of the time could legitimately 'go' when it came to bell time. As discussed elsewhere in this piece, the Undertaker was finally afforded the chance to shed his glacial pace. Then there was Yokozuna, whose athleticism and agility amazingly belied his hulking frame; not to mention, a motivated Kevin Nash could absolutely deliver a stellar contest with the right opponent.

With such names at the top of the card, and with the likes of Davey Boy Smith, Owen Hart and Razor Ramon floating in and out of the big-time spots on the card, the WWF was no longer about the generic formula the company had popularised in the prior decades. Even when a more limited, traditionally 'methodical' star such as Sycho Sid was in the World Title mix, he would be forced to up his game purely because of the person stood across the ring from him.

Of course, as the New Generation progressed, even more workhorses would start to emerge lower down on the card, with the likes of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Mankind, Goldust, 1-2-3 Kid, Jeff Jarrett, Marty Jannetty, Flash Funk, Matt Borne's Doink, Hakushi, Marc Mero, Steve Austin and a fledgling Rocky Maivia bringing plenty to the table.