11 Most Important Wrestlers Of The Ruthless Aggression Era
These wrestlers knew it was time to shake things up…
By June 2002, WWE was not the company it had once been. The Rocks and Stone Cold Steve Austins of the old guard were winding down, and the company was beginning to both wane in public interest and struggling to gain a new fanbase. Despite having their best years financially only a year or two prior, the future was looking very uncertain for the recently-re-christened World Wrestling Entertainment.
Deeming himself an ‘unqualified success’ in June 2002, McMahon informed the Raw roster surrounding the ring it was now their time to shake things up. Vince gave a pep talk to motivate the roster by stating that to succeed in life, they would need ‘ruthless aggression.’
During the era of the first brand extension, pitting Raw versus SmackDown, it was a time of great change in WWE. The old way was dead, and if the company was going to survive, superstars would have to up their game to cement themselves in the top spot.
Of course, not everyone managed, but there were plenty of success stories. These wrestlers took advantage of the period of flux and carved themselves into the legends we recognise them as today.
11. John 'Bradshaw' Layfield
The most unlikely main-eventer of the past two decades. John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield overcame tremendous odds to alter his character and cement himself as the ultimate unlikeable heel.
JBL dominated the blue brand throughout 2004, and always elicited strong heat from the audience. WWE took advantage of the audience’s disapproval of Layfield, which in turn catapulted the rise of John Cena: for Cena to truly win over the WWE Universe, he needed to topple the most hated superstar of the time.
JBL harnessed the rare talent of getting real-life heat from fans and never came across as bothered by what others thought of him. While solid in the ring, Layfield was not very pretty to watch and this added to his despised appeal.
Bradshaw may have only had a year at the top, but it left a lasting impression, and he remains one of the last truly great heels in all of wrestling. Not everyone has to be a Ric Flair to become a wrestling god.