9 Pitches For WWE Ruthless Aggression Season 3

The second season of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression documentary series has recently concluded, and once more it has been one of the highlights of the company’s original programming.

Lifting the lid on an oft-underappreciated era for WWE, the series has told the stories of rising stars like Cena and Lesnar as well as the changes to the wrestling landscape caused by WCW’s acquisition and the brand split.

While the most obvious topics have now been covered, though, the ruthless aggression period boasts plenty more fascinating subplots, and given the negligible production costs and quality of the output, this is the kind of programming we’d hope WWE would continue to pump out in the future.

These eight possible episodes would pick up where the last season left off. We’d like to see further spotlight episodes on the wrestlers who made the era what it was, as well as deep dives into the changing face of the business, those behind the scenes, and how the stage was set for the post-ruthless aggression days.

The period mostly comprises of wrestlers who are still around and on reasonable terms with the company - theirs are stories that we need to hear, even through the slightly self-serving prism of WWE TV...

In recent years, WWE’s efforts to force a superstar to the main event have been hit and miss. For every Bianca Belair, there’s a pre-Tribal Chief Roman Reigns. The more obvious the booker’s influence, the more likely the fans are to rebel. One star who was transitioned successfully to the top was Edge, but his journey was by no means smooth sailing.

While Edge was a huge deal in the golden age of WWE tag team wrestling and a hot young star in 2002, the years 2003 - 2005 were on the fallow side. A year out for neck surgery was followed by a few months of drift. Suddenly, lightning struck. In quick succession he won the first Money In The Bank; shortly after, his real life affair with Lita turned the couple into the most despised heels in the business.

The backstory gets ugly here, with Matt Hardy fired, rehired, and ultimately beaten, but Edge never took his foot off the gas from here on out. His brilliant feud with John Cena cemented him as a main eventer, he pushed the boundaries of the era in matches with Mick Foley and Terry Funk, and closed the Ruthless Aggression period headlining WrestleMania in a barnstormer against The Undertaker.

Edge is a smart guy who talks brilliantly about his career, and this is the most important run he ever had.