How Vince McMahon's Most Famous WWE Words Will Come Back To Haunt Him

WWE Attitude Era launched Steve Austin - but all the good guys are Mr. McMahon in 2021...

Vince McMahon
WWE

On the December 15, 1997 RAW, Vince McMahon formally ushered in the Attitude Era.

There was a certain subtext to the message that has gone unnoticed - by comparing his WWF to "other widely-accepted forms of television entertainment," he was asking the media to accept his - but mostly, this was a message to you. And the key part of that message was thus:

"We in the WWF think you, the audience, are quite frankly tired of having your intelligence insulted. We also think that you're tired of the same old simplistic theory of "good guys versus bad guys". Surely, the era of the superhero urging you to say your prayers and take your vitamins is definitely passé."

Nice of him to specify the audience as "you," and involuntarily undermine the message, but regardless, these words were iconic, and they came true, to an extent. Stone Cold Steve Austin was a good guy, just with an antihero edge.

In 2021, WWE Monday Night RAW is something worse than an insult to your intelligence. It is an affront to your sense of logic. It is a fiendishly difficult memory test. It is impossible to catalogue as a series of events that could feasibly happen. It is a mind-f*ck that asks you to question your sanity, much less insults your intelligence, and yet it also conspires to be tedious.

CONT'D...(1 of 6)

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!