10 Times WWE Directly Insulted Your Intelligence
7. The Birth Of The New Generation
Your writer subjectively considers WWE's New Generation era to be the most underappreciated and misunderstood period in company history, but the kickstart they failed to give it in 1994 was unforgivable in its idiocy.
Designed almost entirely to bury Hulk Hogan ahead of his impending move to WCW, the roots of the movement were dripping in spite, particularly during a King Of The Ring 1994 pay-per-view that served as the launchpad for the brand new movement.
On an event with so much of the potential they were promising (WWE Champion Bret Hart and Intercontinental Champion Diesel had an engaging brawl, Owen Hart won a King Of The Ring tournament made up of several brand new faces), the company elected to allow ancient and uninformed ex-footballer Art Donovan to soundtrack it on commentary with his endless inanities and Rowdy Roddy Piper and Jerry Lawler to work a weathered comedy main event.
Telling everybody one thing and showing the other, this was less hypocritical than it was just plain stupid. It was as though they'd actually thought a strategy through before tearing it up half an hour ahead of showtime.
It's why it was marginally more admirable than the broadside they fired eighteen months later...