10 Things Only '90s Wrestling Fans Will Understand

7. The Insanity That Is The Modern WWE Career

Stone Cold Steve Austin Mankind
WWE.com

Mabel left the WWF in 1996, and subsequently toured its unofficial farm leagues, because he didn't get over as originally envisaged. Beyond the curio that was his one-night return, he didn't stick around in the 'King' guise for over a decade as wave upon wave of new talent proved themselves more worthy of the spotlight.

He instead embodied certain à la mode stylistic tropes in his personas, like Viscera in the goth-tastic 1999, and the horny on main Big Daddy V in the sexed-up Ruthless Aggression. He wasn't King Mabel for 12 years.

That would have been insane.

Enter Dolph Ziggler, who has spent 12 years in the WWE main roster system as Dolph Ziggler, and beyond the odd turn here and there, has flirted with character development once, for three weeks or so, by dying his hair brown and cutting it short.

This isn't normal. This isn't good.

Ziggler is emblematic of the broken system and the rank laziness that has festered within WWE's monopoly. In the '90s, wrestlers were churned through a repackage generator at the slightest hint of growing stale. It was often hilarious, and ill thought-out, but damn it, even if it was as harebrained as f*ck, it was necessary not to punish the audience with repetitive tedium.

Without being too hyperbolic, Dolph Ziggler's WWE career should be illegal.

It's not just Ziggler. Randy Orton has spent much longer as Randy Orton, and if you think Legend Killer/IED Orton/Face of the Company are different enough to suffice, you'd lose your f*cking mind at the difference between Stunning and Stone Cold Steve.

Drew McIntyre's last two pay-per-view opponents have spent a combined 30 years playing more or less the same character.

That's equivalent to Steve Austin working the Iron Sheik and Don Muraco in 1998.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!