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

3. Appalling Factions

Jerry Lawler Arm Wrestle
WWE.com

The Attitude Era was an inglorious one for the noble tradition of the wrestling faction - that D-Generation X will go down as one of its greatest serves as the exception-proving rule.

The Oddities were a stable of self-styled freaks, remembered only for their association with quintessential late-'90s douchebags the Insane Clown Posse, and their irredeemably bad in-ring showings. The Ministry of Darkness retain a soft spot in the hearts of some fans, bizarrely, but their alliance with the Corporation was born from one of wrestling's worst ever reveals - even if it did give rise to the legendary "IT'S ME, AUSTIN!" quote.

Anti-Corporation faction The Union was instantly forgettable, but nowhere near as bad as X-Factor, a lame spiritual sequel to DX remembered today as one of several failed vehicles built to get Matt Bloom over. It lasted three months. Right To Censor was a good idea in concept only - their matches were average at best. The Pretty Mean Sisters (PMS) only came into existence because Vince Russo thought it would be funny to name a wrestling act after a symptom of the menstrual cycle.

The Attitude Era even damaged existing factions that were previously a force - the white Owen Hart joining African American extremist group the Nation of Domination is emblematic of the way factions were mishandled.

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!