10 Stars Who Changed The Way We Talk About Wrestling

Match quality was almost incidental to the success of the Attitude Era.

The greatest WWF match ever marked the genesis of Steve Austin's run as the Man, but by the time he fully connected with the audience, he didn't require such immense artistry. He was an effortless entertaining badass who wrestled with so much babyface fire that he all he had to do was aim punches at his opponents in every pocket of every arena. Austin's work was elemental, once the serious neck injury he suffered at SummerSlam '97 forced him to modify his style.

And he was more over with more limitations.

Many are keen to make this thinnest of connections when raging against the idea that Dave Meltzer has somehow ruined wrestling by simply reviewing matches in his role as a critic (a role he himself takes less seriously than his duties as a reporter).

He is the tastemaker. That much is true.

When Austin retired, much of the audience left wrestling behind, too. The hardcores who remained were (and are) naturally inclined to receive in-ring artistry with more importance. This is, effectively, the five star match generation of fans, who perceive the most average workers as the most loathsome heels. Meltzer's combative Twitter persona has intensified the narrative on both sides. In some respects, he is as much a part of the story as he is an observer of it.

Some wrestlers resent Meltzer's influence on the conversation, but it's often the talents who stand little chance of receiving the famous rating - talents who aren't particularly special, like Stevie Ray, Simon Gotch, or Seth Rollins.