It's Official: WWE Has Debuted A New Era

A new 'Theory' on the next phase of the WWE product...

by Michael Sidgwick
Ruthless Aggression
WWE

Back in 2018, not that WWE nor even Wikipedia will acknowledge it, the promotion entered a new and decisive phase of its existence.

When Vince McMahon bought the company from his father in the early 1980s, he launched what is generally referred to as the 'Golden Era'; a cartoonish and enormously successful gimmick world under an old glory aesthetic. The bronzed, muscled heroes were quintessentially Reagan's '80s. When the bubble burst, and when Vince felt that the old relics were no longer cool - or couldn't afford them - he marketed the likes of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels under the 'New Generation' label. The booking was far better than the reductive occupational gimmick narrative suggests, and the action was incredible at its peak, but the term was a euphemism for "Business is in the sh*tter and consider this a fresh start after all that unseemly scandal business".

The stratospheric rise of Steve Austin converged with Vince Russo's ambition and a generous sprinkle of ECW plagiarism to drive the 'Attitude Era' between 1998 and 2001, after which, strangely, a two-week Vince McMahon obsession as brief as Hade Vansen's entire run informed the name of WWE's next six-year "era": 'Ruthless Aggression'. In 2008, the next name was projected onto WWE by fans who wished to compartmentalise the company's history for an easy frame of reference: 'PG'.

Things got a bit more blurry as WWE refused to change a single thing about its aesthetic and booking mentality as the 21st century dragged on.

CONT'D...(1 of 6)

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Contributor
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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!