The Secret History Of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era | Wrestling Timelines

January 19, 2004 - The McMahon Four > SmackDown Six

Vince Mcmahon Stephanie Mcmahon No Mercy 2003 Match
WWE.com

In 2000, an otherwise stellar year of programming, of all shows, WrestleMania stands as the aberration. The consensus is that it is a monumental disappointment. Even the worst iterations of the ‘Show of Shows’ boast one epic, memorable one-on-one contest. There is just one singles match on ‘Mania 2000 - Terri Runnels Vs. The Kat in a sub-three minute Catfight - and the event is headlined by Triple H Vs. The Rock Vs. The Big Show Vs. Mick Foley. Infamously, the show is sold on the concept of a ‘McMahon In Every Corner’. Vince had grown to loathe the manager trope elsewhere, rendering the ego and nepotism all the more galling.

If, in 1997, you were tired of “good guys versus bad guys”, necessitating a brand new era, in 2000, you were tired of the McMahon clan. In 2003, the first full calendar year of the Ruthless Aggression era, you were even more sick of the McMahons. A sample of you voted for their total overexposure on television as the ‘Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic’ of the year in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. They are everywhere. Vince and Stephanie are feuding with one another; Linda is a sexually abused pawn in the game between Eric Bischoff and Shane; Shane is also portraying the woefully unconvincing role of tough guy in a wretched programme with Kane.

The SmackDown Six is still in effect, sort of, and the midcard on the “blue brand” remains a consistently exciting stream of very strong in-ring action. The SmackDown Six or what is left of it does not define the show; neither does high-grade in-ring wrestling.

What many consider the best and most refreshing element of the entire Ruthless Aggression era does not last for a particularly long time.

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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!