10 Ways Wrestling Was Just BETTER In The '90s

3. A Rotating WWF Main Event Scene

Hulk Hogan had famously headlined seven of the first eight WrestleManias; eight of the first nine if you count that forehead-slapping conclusion to WrestleMania IX. And even the one 'Mania where he wasn't wrestling in the main event, Hogan still managed to more than hog poor Randy Savage's spotlight during the close of WrestleMania IV.

While not quite as stale and stagnant as the Hulkster's latter WWF days on top, that Roman Reigns has headlined seven of the past nine WrestleManias - one of which he missed due to the global pandemic - paints quite the telling picture. Plus, three of those seven have been against Brock Lesnar.

In the '90s, though, there was a freshness to the main event scene, particularly in the WWF. The decade started with Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Randy Savage, with the Undertaker getting his first taste at the top of the card. Ric Flair came and went, before Bret Hart got the opportunity to lead a new charge that would see Yokozuna, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, and Sycho Sid all headline major PPVs and win World Championships.

Of course, then came along the Attitude Era, where 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was the first to break into the main event picture. The Texas Redneck would soon be followed by the Rock, Triple H, Kane, and eventually the Big Show, whilst Mick Foley was another who by this point had been cemented as a top guy. And throughout all of this, the Phenom was still clearly kicking around as a significant player.

Even over in WCW, the main event scene was a relatively rotating one. Yes, Sting was forever Mr. WCW, and yes, Hulk Hogan was always around the World Title picture once he joined the company, but that decade saw Vader, Ron Simmons, Ricky Steamboat, Sid Vicious, Ric Flair, 'Ravishing' Rick Rude, Lex Luger, Randy Savage, the Giant, Roddy Piper, Kevin Nash, Goldberg, Bret Hart, and DDP on headlining duties.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

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