10 Times WWE Went Further Than The Attitude Era

8. Hot Lesbian Action

Kurt Angle Sharmell
WWE Network

Much of this list will centre around the so-called Ruthless Aggression era because it wasn't really the 'Ruthless Aggression Era'.

It's odd that this stuck. Vince McMahon said it a few times, and John Cena apparently exemplified it. But he almost got fired before impressing Stephanie McMahon with his freestyle rap skills, so he didn't really. Steph, incidentally, wondered how he managed to do it without memorising anything.

"But...we didn't programme you," the benevolent creator said, wide-eyed in wonder.

So it's not really an 'Era' of WWE but rather something Vince said when he was disgusted by the talented roster he recruited and booked for not being stars. Vince's desperation to claw back those Attitude Era numbers manifested as more than this weirdly iconic self-own because in a way, the Attitude Era didn't really end until WWE went PG.

The shows were formatted identically. The unscrupulous Mr. McMahon character still drove the events onscreen assisted by secondary authority figures. The tone, moreover, was still skeevy and edgy, a residual stain crusting over the once-popular shlock.

This new strain of controversy was barely even germane to the storytelling. 'Hot Lesbian Action' was simply an acknowledged ratings grab that ended with 3 Minute Warning beating up the titular pair like the Steiner Brothers mowing through a pair of jobbers in 1990.

"We have lesbians!" General Manager Eric Bischoff crowed, as WWE fans responded "Who cares, we have Kazaa, get to the f*cking wrestling".

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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!