7 Reasons Why WWE's Attitude Era Was Actually Over-Rated

5. It Made Authority Figure Characters The Norm

Before Vince McMahon became the end-all, be-all of evil, wrestling on-screen authority figures were minimal at best. Former WWE President Jack Tunney came around once in a blue moon to vacate belts, but aside from that the action and drama stayed solely between the ropes. Then Steve Austin hit, and he needed a foil that would not only be believable, but reviled. Enter Mr. McMahon, the face of the 1% trying to change the hero of the working class to suit his corporate needs. It was innovative, and created a drama that lasted the entirety of the Attitude Era. Unfortunately it worked too well and quickly WCW and every other pro wrestling organization under the sun since 1997 has followed suite. Every on-screen authority figure since Vince donned his evil boss crown has sampled from the Mr. McMahon template, but none have been able to duplicate it effectively. One of the big reasons is that none have been willing to take the physical punishment that Vince has endured over the past 20 odd years for the pay off, but the other is just that nobody can hold a candle to Vince as a performer. Despite what you think of him as a business man, the guy has the best facial expression in the history of wrestling. Mr. McMahon was revolutionary, but everything since has felt like a half-hearted re-hash. And thanks to the Attitude Era, the role of authority figure has become something that€™s expected, even if the character isn€™t up to snuff. Mike Adamle, Brad Maddox, Hulk Hogan, Teddy Long, the endless Raw GM€™s; they are all products of an era that no longer exists. It doesn€™t matter how many tables Dixie Carter goes through, at the end of the day there€™s only one Mr. McMahon, and it€™s a concept that should€™ve died with the Attitude Era.