It's Official: WWE Has Never Been Worse
Kevin Owens Vs. Seth Rollins going to a 25 minute count-out: this WWWF as the Content Era SUCKS.
That is a hyperbolic statement, possibly informed by the recency bias of having to actually endure Monday Night RAW in a professional capacity, but WWE has never felt worse.
Looking at other, awful periods of WWE's modern history as a comparative exercise yields decent counter-arguments that can themselves be countered. 1991 was a critically panned year, in which business went down the sh*tter, but the intricacy of the road to WrestleMania VII and shockingly high match quality in the main event picture worked between Sgt. Slaughter, Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior was excellent, if you could put the whole 'murica bullsh*t aside. 1995 was a dismal, small-time vibe plagued with sh*tty matches as Vince substituted steroids for lard in a less illegal attempt to present his favoured large men. Even then, he knew how to book - Barry Horowitz was pushed in a better story then several world-class talents are now - and the more lithe super-workers wrestled excellent matches that actually meant something to their careers. This is a vital distinction.
Early 1999 was the WWF's commercial peak, but a critical nadir. The gothic bullsh*t and dumbf*ck plotting infected the main event scene, and the undercard standard was wretched, but Steve Austin and the Rock worked as many iconic angles as strong, purposeful matches.
2004 may well be the most overlooked sh*te year in WWE history. The roster was in flux, 'Ruthless Aggression' was simply the same "edgy" Attitude Era rebadged, and SmackDown had fallen from its shockingly good 2003 peak. Even then, amid the Kenzo Suzukis and the Heidenreichs and the same overtly fake format, WWE felt worth the investment. By the end of the year, John Cena and Batista really did exude potential megastar auras.
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