The Secret History Of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era | Wrestling Timelines
January 9, 2006 - Live Sex Celebration
Throughout the Attitude Era, the WWF employed a deliberate tactic. A weekly occurrence by 1998, this ploy was as key as the star power of Stone Cold Steve Austin in deflecting attention away from WCW Monday Nitro.
Every week, the WWF would promise an event. Inspired by television fanatic Vince Russo, who if nothing else knows his way around a cliffhanger, this event is meant to change everything. Or, it is something you can scarcely believe is going to happen. What you are promised is either incredibly unlikely, a monumentally stupid thing to give away for free, or so wildly bombastic that it is actually impossible.
Steve Austin has just been fired, and he’s never coming back! Stick around, because in the main event, Austin is going to wrestle Mr. McMahon! If you watch Raw until the very end, you will see a man’s penis removed from his body via sword!
That second ploy, incidentally, is how the WWF broke WCW Nitro’s 83 week-long ratings winning streak. It didn’t happen, obviously.
The fans would fall for it time after time, but the lurid entertainment value of the Attitude Era was so entertaining that a massive, youthful fanbase did not care that they were the victim of a con every single Monday.
On January 9, 2006, recently-crowned WWE Champion Edge promises to celebrate his victory by having full, live, penetrative sex with his valet Lita (who, disgustingly, is coerced into performing in the angle despite clearly communicating that she is not comfortable with it). It’s a publicity stunt, yet another disgusting promotional tactic. It doesn’t happen because it was never going to be allowed to happen; the segment is interrupted by Edge’s storyline rival Ric Flair. Isn’t this familiar?
What is the Live Sex Celebration, if not the most Attitude Era-coded segment imaginable? 2005, 1999 - there is no difference.