10 Things We Don't Miss About WWE's Attitude Era

5. McMahon Megalomania

Jerry Lawler Arm Wrestle
WWE.com

The McMahons are everywhere even to this day - but at least there's no sight of Linda in 2016.

Their egos ran so wild that they all inserted themselves into the main event of WrestleMania 2000, necessitating a sh*tstorm of contrivance and reneged-upon retirements. They also deprived their audience of the singles match they patently wanted to see between The Rock and Triple H.

Even before that, the McMahons were booking themselves into main event matches to draining effect. Vince and Shane's handicap ladder outing against Steve Austin at King Of The Ring 1999 stands out as nothing but a diminished return. Austin had already brutally thrashed McMahon at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre - a match a year and a half in the making - and it's not as if McMahon had enough in his repertoire to justify a rematch.

In a feat of even more rampant arrogance, Vince McMahon even booked himself a short reign as WWF champion, a decision which is mercifully unlikely to be repeated by the authority figures of today.

Their ubiquitousness also played a considerable part in the downfall of the boom period itself. With Shane as the owner of WCW and Stephanie 'running' ECW, most hardcore fans of the revived promotions knew not to bother. They were McMahon properties in all and name.

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!