20 Incredible WWE Ruthless Aggression Era Moments Nobody Ever Talks About
17. The 2005 PPV Streak
2004 and 2006 were amongst the worst years in WWE history.
Some of the pay-per-views, Jesus Christ. People do not exaggerate when they say how WCW dying killed the industry. The talent pool was a stream of polluted storm water heading straight into the drain. It was bleak. It was the Spirit Squad and the Dudley Boyz with not a table in sight headlining pay-per-views bleak.
2005 was infinitely better. The promotion was still desperate to chase Attitude Era buzz and controversy, manifesting in the awful Muhammad Hassan character and the unspeakable angle that led to his write-off, but f*cking hell the April to June five in a row PPV streak was, at the time, the best run in the history of the promotion.
Shawn Michaels bringing out the most disturbing, vengeful version of Kurt Angle by showcasing his own amateur wrestling credentials highlighted a WrestleMania 21 that was forward-thinking even at its most mid; Backlash was more shaky, but Batista proved his staying power in a superior main event sequel; Judgment Day promoted one of the sickest over-deliveries in WWE history with that gruesome John Cena Vs. JBL 'I Quit' headliner; the first One Night Stand was astonishingly great and authentic, just unfathomably special; and Vengeance remains to this day nothing less than an all-timer, with Shawn and Kurt creating magic again and Cena and Batista atoning for their not great 'Mania performances with a pair of rippers.
- MS