10 Things You Hate About Modern Wrestling (Thanks To The Attitude Era)
5. Anti-Hero Babyfaces
As successful as it was, Austin vs. McMahon essentially spurred WWE to not only run the 'evil boss' character type into the ground, but also that of his opponent.
'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was the perfect character for his time. The gimmick exploited Generation X's real-life discontent, allowing them to live vicariously through the avatar of a foul-mouthed, beer drinking, Texan everyman rebelling against his awful boss, resulting in an iconic feud.
Austin defined an era, but his success changed the way WWE book babyfaces forever. It's no longer enough for the good guys to be kind, hard-working, and pure of heart. Now, WWE's protagonists must be cool and edgy, and while the company have never tried to duplicate every facet of Austin's character, they've tried to recreate his success on several occasions. The likes of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins often resemble cringeworthy 'Stone Cold' facsimiles, and it's having a detrimental effect on their popularity, particularly among those who pine for more variety from their protagonists. Anti-heroes no longer feel interesting, but trite and dull.
It has become one of wrestling's most overdone character types - the biggest downside of Austin's Attitude Era accomplishments.