Why Does WWE Feel So Different Today?
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- Опубликовано: 7 авг 2024
- In this video I break down the reasons why WWE feels so different today?
This is just my opinion, but let me know in the comments, which version of WWE do you prefer?
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00:00 - INTRODUCTION
00:16 - FEEL OF THE SHOWS
02:17 - CROWDS
05:17 - STORIES
08:11 - ACTION
10:31 - STAR POWER
13:33 - ROSTER
14:24 - TELEVISION 
Развлечения
You guys left out the announce team. Jr & King made the shows more intense as well how they got into it. Now the announce teams are lack luster
Not to mention that announce teams don't talk anymore during promos or backstage segments.
Truth, watching the attitude era stuff. Seeing JR and Jerry Lawler is such fun 😂. Lawler's son (rest his soul) was also such a riot in the light heavyweight division 😂.
They also had bigger roles then just announcer. The King was a wrestler who was on top for a long time. He knew all the ins and out of the buisness and that goes a long way when youre on commentary. And JR was management for the roster to deal with issues and personality clashes and such.
Puppies!!!!!! Puppies J R!!!!!
True
one important thing that you missed is the end of kayfabe. during attitude era wrestling looked real, with no social media, no leaks, stars maintaining character, and genuine effort by company to keep everything seem real. I used to be surprised that newspapers didn't cover the big title matches on their sports pages. In those times you could not have imagined Vince giving interviews why he decided to end undertaker’s streak, for example.
Vince came out and said wrestling is fake In 1997 so idont know what ur on about
This
@@abdinasirahmed4063shut up
The under the mat documentary killed kayfabe
There were tons of leaks in the late 90s
I think it's the voice of Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler that made everything bigger than it really was.
They complemented each other so perfectly. Jim Ross supporting the nice guys while Jerry with his humor & anti hero support with a touch of sarcasm.
That duo was the best all time. I still use King quotes in real life.
The wrestlers who actually had charisma & looked the part had something to do with it too
I really do miss hearing their commentary; it was the best! 🔥
Lies again? Football Trial USD SGD
I totally agree
I think Bobby Heenan said it best, when u show the crowd how the magician does his tricks…the magic is gone. That combined with social media showing us the people behind the characters. It’s just not the same. 80 and 90 characters were “larger than life.”
It's the same with celebrities as well. They were larger than life and mysterious. But because of social media we get too much of a good thing.
I mean they actually were too. The Undertaker was a legitmately tough dude, he wore black and barely spoke to anyone when he was in public, the old guys lived their characters. Now it would be impossible to have a character like The Undertaker, WWE wouldn't even be able to find a guy tough enough to be believable as a real biker, because wrestling doesn't attract tough people anymore.
@RealHomeRecording - but people still go to magic shows because magicians can still sell the illusion. People still ask "How did you do that?!" Wrestling can do the same thing with some innovation .
@RealHomeRecording - but people still go to magic shows because magicians can still sell the illusion. People still ask "How did you do that?!" Wrestling can do the same thing with some innovation .
@@06capoeirista very true, but it’s gonna take alot.
Another factor i think is that a lot of the attitude era wrestlers were playing exaggerated versions of themselves and they genuinely had some grit and badassery about them. Nowadays however heels just feel like nice guys pretending to be evil.
I agree with this actually back then Heels could do a lot controversial stuff to get heat nowadays it's mostly playing it safe
Yea any Gas station worker looking dude can become a wrestler and beat big guys
@@theworldisimmenseon GOD
Exactly. I feel bad for Austin Theory. He's being forced to play a heel when he'd do an amazing babyface. He's just not believable aas evil especially when you know how nice he is in real life.
@@BLACKSTA361 but he had face of spoiled arrogant brat
I really miss attitude era & rutherless aggression era 😢
Blame chris benoit lol since yall old heads love complaining
I highly doubt half of the people saying this weren’t born in the time to watch either
@@fungames821yea kinda , although WWE was going PG eventually , Chris Benoit death made chair to the head banned from WWE and by 2008 it was fully PG.
so let's blame chris benoit and not hate on the new era@@theworldisimmense
@@fungames821Blame Vince it's his company.
The attitude era was actual entertainment. Every show felt like a PPV.
The quality of Attitude Era really wasn't as high as your nostalgia-tinted glasses make out. Rock, Austin, Foley aside, a lot of it was quite frankly awful.
@@waxmandrcompared to the kiddie garbage of today? Nice try kid….
@@waxmandr a kid without parents rtight here
@@atlchopperz1765 yes because the Headbangers, a guy throwing up, and a porn star are peak 5 star wrestling matches.
@@decoyaardvark2828 yes because a man with daddy issues, a emo girl, and scrawny wrestlers of today is 5 stars peak entertainment
I'm in my 40s and have been watching wrestling as early as just after WrestleMania 3. I've seen a lot of ups and downs. For me, it's honestly the sheer amount of content required to keep up with the product. When I was a kid, I religiously watched Superstars every Saturday afternoon. I could maybe watch Maple Leaf Wrestling if I wanted alternative matches from house show tapings, but Superstars was it. And it was only an hour long. Then there were only 4 PPVs a year. So not only did the build up mean more, but the marquee matches we actually got meant more. Plus, PPVs were consistently 3 hours long.
Now, RAW is 3 hours, Smackdown is 2 hours, plus NXT for another 2 hours. That's 7 hours a week of WWE content to keep up on. And PPVs now are more than 12 times a year, 4+ hours long, or are a whole weekend event like WrestleMania. For me, it's too overwhelming to even bother tuning in. I like wrestling, but I don't like it enough to dedicate 5+ hours a week just to keep up. RAW alone being 3 hours long is ridiculous to me.
Plus, I find the matches don't mean as much anymore. Wins are traded back and forth to the point of meaningless. Rematches are often that marquee matches that happen only once like Hogan/Warrior almost never happen. And the matches themselves are filled with so many high spots that they become meaningless. I hate sounding like an old man saying this, but back in my day, a single body slam could mean everything in a match because they'd build the match around it. Now, you see guys taking a 360 corkscrew plancha and they're popping back up like it was nothing. You see some killer moves performed which could easily be the big finish, but instead it's a transitional move at best. I'm not against high spots, but don't give me 20 in a match and render all of them meaningless.
This is perfect. Well said
The law of diminshing marginal utility.
This is why they need to so real piledrivers so they dont kick out
The one thing I really miss about the past would probably the thrash talk, and the signs. That's why LA Knight is so loved he tries to push those lines of Rock,Billy Gunn,Austin etc.
Bingo. LA Knights character is a throwback to those guys.
@@AnontheGOATYEAH!!
His catchphrases are a ripoff of Austin’s
@@carter3369 WHAT?!
@@carter3369 you missed the part where everyone literally said he was a throw back…are you purposely being stupid??
When the Rock showed up a few weeks ago and hit the People's elbow, the complete absence of flash photography from the crowds made me miss the days when fans were 100% invested in the show and not on their phones
Except the people's elbow sucks so who cares....
@@yellowsnowman9157 Lmao
@@yellowsnowman9157the rock says it doesn't matter what you think 😂😂😂😂😂
@@bb8942 the Rock also voted for Joe Biden so the Rock isn't a very smart guy
@yellowsnowman9157 Could've been worse. He could've voted for a reality tv show host 🤷🏽♂️
what you also forgot was the entrance music. nowdays the music sounds the same whereas in the attitude era the entrance music suited the wrestlers character. it helped to sell the character whilst also making the music well known which again makes you remember that wrestler.
Facts
Like trying to take AJ Styles seriously with a rap song intro knowing damn well it doesn't fit him what so ever.
@@raijinthemaster88 Right? I remember AJ Styles being a country boy in TNA since 2006. Well, he always talked like a country boy
I remember in the early 2000s almost every person in the WWE was a household name. Now most people don't even know Roman Reigns who has been champ for ages. I think a lot of people my age (mid/late 20s) have moved onto the UFC who have the larger than life WWE characters and the fights are actually real.
🧢
@@deckzone3000 What part?
@@Thermolizer Being household names.
@@ThermolizerI think the rise of UFC hurt WWE
@@deckzone3000yeah idk..i can name 5 guys from 2000s..cant name 5 new guys on the roster
WWE looked gritty in attitude era and ruthless agression era but ever since 2008 which was the beginning of the pg era, it became quite polished.
The only thing I like is the way WWE hides low attendances with tarps and lighting, it's better than AEW. Saying that as someone who has preferred watching AEW more. Even in shows with same number of people, WWE makes it seem like they have more. In the end though, it's no use if the product quality has no substance. It's been okayish recently, hopefully picks up more.
@@hnaku8748 wwe has better attendance than aew brooo
@@user-mv7dg5qy7c In general yes, but not always.
Raw had episodes where there were only 3500-4000 people. SmackDown dealt with even lesser. They managed it to look better on TV.
Even in recent times where numbers were equal or sometimes even better for AEW (assume 6500 or more), it felt lesser. WWE just highlight fan presence better. They move the crowd and tarp the rest, then use lighting and camera cuts to enhance those.
Even leaving out PPVs, some of AEW weekly episodes had good attendances. Some touching attitude era figures. Grand Slam in 2021 had 20,177 people. Dynamite in June 2022 had 15,471. But watch SmackDown last episode with around 10,000 people and it won't look lesser.
@@hnaku8748 now since the start 2023 every smackdown has 12k+ and raw has around 10k and AEW is struggling to get 3k peoples
My main issue, especially with the male wrestlers, is that so many of them look the same. Their entrance attire might be creative, but in the ring it's mostly the same generic appearance. I watched Royal Rumble 2023 and zoomed out it's just a mess of guys that looks the same.
We need more variety and characters and good use of gimmicks. If I want realistic fighting, I will watch MMA.
Nowadays I mostly watch Rhea Ripley. She is so talented and have actual original style, acting talent and is great in the ring.
right, they all got the same beard. lol
K.O and Sami Zayne look like Gamestop employees
Gunther also has a diffrent style than most of the 'modern' wrestlers, which makes it a joy to watch his matches
Theme song has gotten worse too. You can't tell the difference between theme anymore. It's all sounded the same.
@@Bergje360 Doesn't Gunther have the usual small trunks + pads?
80”s 90”s and 2000”s were good days for wrestling
The Hardy Boyz put their bodies on the line more than their tag belts! So glad I grew up with the best years of wrestling. It's seriously sad to see a lot of these guys retire.
The "PG" era RUINED WWE/F
And Cena.
@ToeTag9899 I agree. I never liked Cena either. His double AA that tine showed insane strength, but that's about it. That "Dr. of Thugonomics" slant was ultra cringe, but he had a good career 👏
@@stephen9302 He had a good career on burying people and making alot of us stop watching WWE.
It dampened wrestling as a whole. Better writing could have helped but there's only so much you can do with set boundaries, promo/storylines are much more restrictive and no blood affects in ring act. It's tougher as time goes since so many stuff is already done, which were without boundaries. Maybe Vince having seen it all stopped caring too as long as money came.
@@stephen9302 Actually like Dr. of Thugonomics more than the current HLR rainbow version, he was great as a heel. Also the AA(Attitude Adjustment) is actually an FU(F--- You) which got PG'd too. He'd have fit in attitude era with ease if he was presented/pushed as such, but alas.
So glad I grew up on the attitude era
Blame chris benoit lol since yall old heads love complaining
@@fungames821You young "kids" are the worst. You're type ruined WWE
@@fungames821blame the dwebie millennials for having such low standards 😂
@@fungames821Attitude era was long over by then. That was Ruthless Aggression.
Being old is awesome
Wrestling sucks so bad nowadays. I used to admit I watched wrestling with pride back then. Now, it's almost embarrassing to watch it now.
Finishing moves used to be protected. Now, it's the cool thing to do: kick out of finisher moves, sometimes multiple times per match
Another point that’s often overlooked by the fans but is said by the industry veterans is selling. Too many high flying moves are being done which makes the matches look the same. When the likes of Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit got hit they made the audience feel the pain, which no other wrestler is able to do now - not even Seth or Gable. Seth is in a feud with Nakamura where his back is bad, yet he comes in every week and performs same high flying moves effortlessly
IKR..back in early 2000s heavyweight, giants, cruiserweights felt different and each wrestler felt unique. This made any aerial move made by a giant significant ..like the undertaker walking on a rope, Kane flying clothesline, Big show jumping off the rope and flying kick. etc,
@@ashishbhatt3467don't forget Vader! Seeing that big man do a backflip was insane
@@RealHomeRecording hs yeah! I dont know how those wrestleres survived Vadar..he was stiff too!
@@ashishbhatt3467Cant forget Brock Lesnars shooting star press.
Modern WWE just feels less dangerous and more controlled. Even if fans may have known that the industry was choreographed for years, it was performed in such a way that you never knew where things were going because things sometimes seemed so unhinged. Hell, just look at the crowds from then and now. The signs, the random chants, constantly getting into it. An average Raw back then looked way more exciting than a Modern Wrestlemania. But now people know it's watered down, the segments feel like set ups/payoffs instead of a natural progression of things, and you just feel the script and the rhythm. There's no point in a promo because WWE loves showing these guys out of character all the time. It's just a set up. The show isn't complete chaos anymore, it's controlled. The commentary team are more concerned over selling main event storylines and products then what's actually going on right in front of them. So fans are just sitting there waiting for the next pop or bump so they can feel included. I'm not saying that wrestling needs to have a bunch of run ins, crazy bumps, gimmicks, or even blood; but there is no danger, no stakes. We all are aware that this a performance, there is no suspending reality for just a few hours. It's paint by numbers. We all know where the producers and writers are heading with storylines given match sets they give and constant bland promos. It's predictable and boring and safe, because safe is easier to film and gets less crap from sponsors and tv executives.
Chairshots to the head, piledrivers all should be normal moves.
Well said!
What a load of crap from you. You see every TV show's actors outside of the production and no other fan base is crying about it
Rather than controlled, the keyword is *sanitized*
EDIT: The thumbnail is insulting. Nobody in the current roster is anywhere near Austin and Rock. At least they didn't put Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
A lot of that is a result of them becoming a publicly traded company. You want to minimize anything that could potentially have an impact on the stock price or shareholders.
Because everyone nowadays is playing a corny character, while back then everyone was themselves
Nothing beats the attitude era...its was awesome. Wish wwe was still the same
Simple thing. In olden days, those stars were hungry to be the best, be at the top AND "made" WWE. Now a days, WWE is a machine that makes stars who just wants to collect pay checks and act like they are big deals because they are in WWE.
They're all the same
@@paul-pq4xpNot really during the rock/austin era it was genuinely hard to be the "it" superstar..now Stephanie says jump and Roman says how high..immediately makes him top dog in the industry.
@Sendmeyourlocation naw I'm not saying that. I was agreeing that the wwe is a machine and all these wrestlers are inauthentic, factory made and all the same. It's not even about the art of wrestling anymore. Just whoever gets a pop
They satisfied just being on tv. Austin said at CM Punk
@@Sendmeyourlocation Roman Reigns carried the company for 4 years on his own without the McMahon/Helmsley family
It's more about Hollywood than the Wrestling nuff said
Facts
Watch UFC then
Who's nuff?
@@kylegrahn8711enough = nuff.
Wanna know why? It's the strawberry generation we live and have been forced down our throats with the filth of PC'Ness in this strawberry generation filled with rainbow farts and ooh love me like me pleass acknowledge my hard work i put through to let you watch something in the screen like there's only one channel to watch that is me
I know back in the days wrestlers were scarier, mysterious, and seemed unstable, which was probably true, but their character made you think, it was like a pit bull fight, they were kept separate until they got into the ring, they were opponents, now you see them hanging out in the locker room trash talking to each other...
I kind of wish they would try to bring back a little more kayfabe. Like manufacturing a believable beef between two wrestlers
That Cena kick out compilation was hilarious!!
Great video. I think one big factor you missed is mobile phones. If you watch WWE now, it seems like 90% of the fans at the venue are watching it with their phones out (especially in the front row / around the entrances). Fans will never be as engaged, passionate and LOUD as they used to be when they're more concerned with filming it on their phone, rather than engaging with it directly and "being in the moment".
A few weeks or months back kn smackdown I think a wrestler walked in with his entrance. He went to high five bunch on fans and then went for hug on another person. Instead i living in the moment the person took two steps to the side to get a better angle while filming. That moment alone shows how problematic these phones have gotten
See thats blaming the customer when the fault for that sits with the wwe. If the product was engaging and worth the investment, people wouldnt be stuck on their phones.
@@jj6392like football
Them cellular telephones with the cameras in them changed everything.
bro forgot about backlash and money in the bank
Back then, EVERY match was a MAIN EVENT every week!!
Just those clips of the Monday Night War/Attitude Era, the energy of the show as so completely different. It was fun, spontaneous, and engaging.
These days WWE feels so formulaic. Like the wrestlers might as well be Japanese salary men clocking in to go to work each time they show up, and WWE might as well be an Amazon distribution center.
That era was just chaotic 😂
😂😂 really a great analogy
Watching WWE as a kid vs as an adult is a huge factor
You're so right, and you put it a lot nicer than I would've. Not even mentioning the new era of marks on the internet ruining wrestling by wanting a bland fake UFC and whining about every perceived offence. It's tiresome.
Hi, I'm one of those new fans. And I think it's equally as tiresome hearing people all over the place whining and complaining saying the same old copy-paste narrative of "WWE hasn't been good since the attitude era" when I'm just here trying to enjoy something I genuinely have an interest in.
It ain't easy being a new fan
@@DrSiegmaWhen you look at the contrast, it’s not hard to see why the older days were better. It’s not just an old man being nostalgic for his taste in music. It was objectively better. The stories, creativity, wrestling, and stunts were all much more enjoyable to watch. Today is like a plain dry piece of piece of rye bread compared to a quality Philly cheese steak.
That said, I understand why everything has gotten soft. From Wrestling, to the NFL, to UFC, and so much more, the affects of the “aggression” are coming back to haunt the gladiators. Consistent hits to the head have long term consequences, and companies are becoming more and more liable for what they allow (Thanks to a lawsuit happy culture). And with that I doubt we’ll ever be able to go back without a complete restart of the culture and government.
GOD FR
And they're small af
This
@@DrSiegmayou are part of the problem on why wrestling sucks
Everything seems more sanitized and standardized nowadays.
Every ppv for the last ten years has felt the exact same whereas in 80s and 90s you could clearly tell the difference in the show every couple of years.
14:08 this is one of the biggest issues for me, I see it so many times where guys will go back and forth with forearm/elbow strikes, kicks, knees, even headbutts, and they no sell the shit out of it, then do a couple of jumps and flips, and then someone hits the Canadian Destroyer (that used to be someone’s finisher, now it’s as basic as a headlock and used more often!), and the other guy no sells that to hell! There’s no ring psychology anymore, the matches don’t tell a story anymore, they just try to look pretty and spectacular, as if it was circus act, and by doing so actually end up looking like dogshit.
You can definitely tell that the story lines are unnatural/force/scripted. Before wrestlers had more control of there character
Considering the fact that Reigns is pictured as the top guy nowadays and the majority of the fans are behind that idea, I'd say Vince was spot on here when he said he gave the fans what they wanted instead of them wanting it to be this way.
We wanted Roman as a heel not a face, same with Cena. That’s Vinces problem.
@@ChillboyhaadRoman wasn’t good enough whether he was a face or a heel. You modern wwe guzzlers simultaneously create this “ideal fix” in your mind to a problem and if it’s fulfilled the way y’all thought it should be then you automatically think it’s good and cheer for it despite the product and wrestlers still sucking and being bland and boring as fuck.
@@SpongeBob5000_ Didn’t ask, don’t care
@@Chillboyhaad Ur gay
@@Chillboyhaad Lol, he's done nothing but post shitty takes all week in this thread. Cook him.
One thing as a non-live audience viewer, we rely on commentaries the most to grasp the feel of watching wrestling. So, sorry Michael Cole, JR and King Lawler combination of commentary duo had the best lively feeling. They were truly living in the moment, and now Cole reading the cue cards or foreshadowing things. They brought wrestling to life.
Honestly think Vince being in the ear all times has hampered Cole from his full potential, we've heard good stuff from him in past. The 1999 Mankind vs Rock for the WWF title had no JR, Cole was the one there and it still sounded great.
Character charisma! Each show has their own stage! Banger rock n roll theme! Savage mode on the mic!
Other things might be the disappearance of gimmicks and the commentary which, in my opinion, feels like a bunch of amateurs afraid to sound invested because we're generationally so cynical and too cool to seem into something.
Gimmicks are so hit or miss, but they're badly needed to keep talent from feeling interchangeable.
Fr
Commentary makes a big difference - JR and King were the absolute Dream Team - they added so much to the matches
It became a publicly traded company. Shareholders do not like surprises of any kind so no one is allowed improvising or going off script anymore. Got to do what's best for the share price.
WWE went publicly traded in 1999 buddy
@@FlyingMonetyeah you are right. I personally think its just difference of era's
Easily the best wrestling video I have seen all year, good balance of clip time and informative narration. keep up the good work my man.
Gah-dayum you made me feel like a kid again..... Thank you so much for taking time an putting this together
There's a lot of issues with modern wrestling. He touched point on one of them which is seeing the same spots in so many matches, on the same card at that. So many people wrestling the same as well. It doesn't feel as varied anymore. Another problem I have is peoples finishers aren't protected anymore... way too many false finishes. IMO hitting finishes should be the end of the match unless a false finish makes sense from a story perspective, otherwise just have the move reversed or avoided. I think most matches, especially those centered around titles should have long term story telling to them. Save specialty matches (hell in a cell, ect) for specific heated feuds. Start having wrestlers really work on a unique in-ring style that makes sense for the character instead of everyone wrestling like created wrestlers in video games. When you saw stone cold wrestle you knew it was punches, kicks, mud hole stomping and stunners. When the rock wrestled it was flashy over the top moves that didn't really make sense but he made it work because it just made sense for his character. Also a lot of these new theme musics are terrible and literal 30 second loops. Themes impact heavily how these men and women are perceived. I think the overuse of people having catch phrases is entirely too over done just so they can print t-shirts. To be fair that last one is definitely the rocks fault. Lol
I would like to add to that, the decision to have someone like Seth Rollins hit the pedigree as a finisher is fucking stupid because everyone knows it's HHH's move, so why copy it? From the moment I saw Seth hit it when he returned it looked awful and lame.
@@IVUSERjust like the Kevin owens guy using the stunner. How do use the most iconic finisher ever ? And I heard everyone uses super kicks as a normal move lmaoo hbk made it a thing of beauty
I agree with everything on here, I grew up during the attitude era and I miss the crowd filled with signs, the opening pyro at shows and individual set designs at the ppv's
Wrestling is different these days because of two reasons.
1. Wrestlers constantly breaking Kayfabe
2. And the fans knowing too much behind the scenes.
I think the second point is worse than wrestlers breaking kayfabe. Allowing fans to know about everything that goes on behind the scenes immediately ruins the suspension of disbelief.
In order for wrestling to work, you have to believe it’s real, you have to believe these dudes would go lengths to kill each other, cheat them out of a title shot, etc.
I’ve always said we know way too much about behind the scenes now days! Social media has killed it. Instagram has pages that show everything and the result of the matches before you even get a chance to watch it.
nah, i know keanu reeves but i love john wick. it´s all about the presentation and selling it
The biggest change to me is the sound of the slam on the mat. In the past it sounded more powerful and earth shaking
In today's current era it sounds like stiff and no extra impact compares from past it's way more had an impact.
We changed. The world changed. How could entertainment not change along with that?
Hands down guaranteed you bring back attitude era no one watches today crap product....
@bb8942 What you guys fail to realize is that the attitude era wasn't awesome just because of more adult content. It was a moment in time. Everything that was going on in the late 90's/early 2000's, the way the world wasn't obsessed with being politically correct, etc. made it all come together to create the perfect storm. You can't bring back the way WWE did things back then and expect it to feel the same. That's how it works everything in life. Things change, time marches on, and nothing's ever a great as the original 🤷🏽♂️
@@mikeygraves16 this PPL acts like WWE won't land in controversy if they started to do attitude or ruthless agression stuff in today's generation. Same people will start moral policy class in storyline by saying it's negative influence to people example men's female physical interaction or divas exposure like bikini contest and many others or any abusive or slang passing in promos
True.
It needs to be said though that not all change is for the better. While the AE may have been a moment in time, it also possessed certain positive qualities both overt and covert that keeps people holding it in high regard decades later. Qualities that the modern product simply lacks.
@@TheBamaPrinceable I'd say it's the good storylines and characters more than anything. AEW provides almost everything attitude era fans demanded. Blood, unscripted promos, good wrestling. Also an alternative major promotion like we had WCW in past.
There were thousands in attending in attitude era, but modern internet has millions connected. So someone will always complain. I say we're fine if we choose to enjoy it.
I get the gist of the video, but wrestling has actually had a mini revival recently. Numbers have gone up too.
The culture is different, the people are all different that’s why it’s different.
Backstage scenes were also very entertaining during the ruthless aggression era compared to nowadays
In general
80s era wrestling - larger than life superheroes in costumes with matches that told stories
90’s-early 2000s - more believable human like characters,bad asses in jeans and t shirts, technitians performing amazing over the top matches.
Current era - social media cartoon character selling merch that talk for 25min and wrestle for 8.
It sacrificed its old fans to attract new fans, and that's how business works. It's never made to repay the fans for their commitment, kinda like not making someone feel at home once invited in, it's more like being invited to do chores.
Growing up watching WWE during the Attitude Era was just a whole vibe. On pay-per-view Sundays me and my friends would go to my friends dads place because he had one of those illegal TV channel scrambler boxes (which you could only find at the seediest pawn shops) and if you couldn’t be there you’d still watch it with the channel scrambled to try and make out what was happening 😂 but watching the PPV’s live felt like a totally exclusive event, was a big deal. Then I’d have to sneak up late the next day to watch the fall out on Monday Night Raw because my mom wouldn’t let me watch it. Good times !
Yes sir we had one of those hot boxes. It was on channel 44. Times were better then
If your a wwe superstar they should sign a deal to not have a personal social media account to stay in character because i remember growing up thinking these wrestlers were like that all day "talking mess and slamming ppl thru tables but now its like a job"
The less phones from crowd and flashes of camera lights during spots
i really enjoyed your video, well put together. As someone who watched wrestling from about 1985-1990 and then only got back into it last year after my mate insisted on our US road trip that we goto wrestlemania it got me hooked again, ive definetely seen an improvement over the last year of watching.
The Attitude Era was the best
We are just getting advanced in technology but I can definitely say that Wrestling back in the day was so advanced with all the storylines, stars, segments, promos, faction, and the execution of them was so good.
One thing not mentioned, WWE was literally at war with WCW. The attitude era was largely great because all the stops got pulled out. There was a while there where WWE looked like it was gonna lose.
It actually turned out to be the best thing for WWE. With their majors star leaving or being hurt it allowed for others to rise the ranks, namely Austin.
But in the end, victory defeated the WWE and it went back to the 80's pg stuff.
Attitude era , A legendary era
*My biggest gripe with modern WWE is the lack of star power. Back in the Attitude Era the star power was insane. You had Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H Undertaker, Mick Foley and even Kurt Angle. All those mega stars weren’t just captivating from a character standpoint but they were also huge draws. Nowadays, it’s just not the same because one of the things WWE has been justifiably criticized about is their failure to capitalize on wrestlers who become white hot with the crowd only to completely squander their momentum because they’re very selective of who gets to be the top star and who doesn’t. WWE nowadays is all about Roman Reigns and nobody else and I hate that so much. Just to be clear, I have nothing against Roman Reigns personally. I’m glad that WWE have finally allowed him to do some of the greatest work of his career with the Tribal Chief gimmick ever since turning heel but my God does it get so annoying how they’re always devaluing and diminishing other wrestlers on the roster just to make him the end-all-be-all superstar of the entire company. You can’t always rely on one person being being your only top star because it’s not a one-man show.*
Roman reigns, Cody Rhodes, LA Knight YEAH, randy Orton, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, Logan Paul,bad bunny,jey uso,Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Jimmy uso,solo SIKOA, Sheamus,drew McIntyre
Blame chris benoit lol since yall old heads love complaining
@@MAriomcmahon1you haven't even touched on any women's wrestlers, honestly cut the older wrestlers and put in the big name women
What an absolute tone deaf take. Wwe has more stars now than they had in last 10 years easily. Roman , usos, gunther,chad gable, cody,sami, owens, rhea, bianca,mysterio Charlotte,becky,seth, lashey, bayley. And there are lots of face wrestlers which is rare
@@DibsonAlexaBliss No one even knows who they are apart from wrestling fans. Wrestlers from the rock n roll and Attitude era were so big that they went mainstream
The late 90s and early 00s were the best and is one of the 90s was the last decade that was relatively tech free and unique. Nobody ever reminisces about 2010s.
Same goes for music, culture and fashion. Also the age of those of us that were primary school early teenage during that time your perceptions are different, you still had an element of imagination and believed it to some extent. I still go back and watch old RAW episodes from 98-2000 and still sometimes feel like a kid, im 35 now. Ive seen whats on offer now and I think its difficult to keep it like that in this modern time.
I think a few reasons it feels different today are :
1. There are no legitimate storylines
Stories like stone cold
Vs the rock , Shawn vs Bret hart , Hhh vs the rock/stone cold , Shane vs Vince , stone cold vs Vince, hogan and Andre the giant .
We just don’t have these anymore
2. There’s no stakes with the matches . They don’t have weight to them .
3. Young stars are always overshadowed by part timers.
At some point ,
The rock will just come in and completely demolish any star power from the newer wrestlers
4. Social media , everyone knows all
The big surprises coming .
You know who’s gonna win, you know
What wrestlers are making their debut , you know who
The surprise guests are , you know everything that’s gonna happen. Champions mean nothing because it’s just who
The company wants
Not who
The fans want .
Let's just say that i'm glad to have been there during Attitude. And THANK YOU, Hunter!
While it much more enjoyable under HHH then it has been in years and the womens division is a complete upgrade one thing different today is the focus on few ppl on the card,tone down of violent elements and unique edgy storylines i get a lot of it doesnt fly by today but its what makes it fun. Its why the Ruthless Aggression and Attitude Eras are looked on fondly they werent afraid of blurring lines and taking risks
Blame chris benoit lol since yall old heads love complaining
@@fungames821 nah man, blame bad creative and PC culture.
It's gone down the toilet since HHH took charge.
@@startrakambassador3632Blame both
Majority of the current wrestlers now a days are just focused on putting 5 star matches! They are happy to live in their small bubble where internet marks are gonna praise them for putting amazing matches !
They're not amazing matches
The cameras used to have a movie look to them.
Russo is a meme but he must be credited for the emphasis on storytelling over wrestling technicality and for having something for everyone in the roster to do.
I don’t get why people hate on him when he co-managed one of the greatest era in pro wrestling history that’s still trying to be emulated til this day? Did he say something wrong?
@@neverbeganforme revisionist history. Because when he went to WCW, it was already dying. Russo try to do what he could to save WCW, but with the merger of AOL in time warner, they didn’t want wrestling.
And also, there was too much creative control in peoples contracts, so he wasn’t able to do things.
And he gets made fun of for the pole matches or the Judy Bagwell on a forklift match …. And when he got hired for TNA things he did there.
But something that Russo has always said, is that because a lot of these people grew up in the wrestling industry, they always go back to wrestling.
I was talking to a couple of friends of mine, the other night about it and look at the character development: they’re really hasn’t been a lot of character development among a lot of the wrestlers. They’re just generic characters.
But I guess the shorter answer it is that he didn’t say anything it’s the fact that when he says some thing , Bruce Prichard, or Eric Bischoff Will come on their podcast and say no he’s lying. That’s not how that happened or that’s not what happened.
And since Jim Cornette hates him, probably a little bit out of jealousy, too people jump on the bandwagon of whatever he says.
Like I remember when they did the Darkside of the ring bash at the beach 2000 , where Russo put the title on Booker T, you saw People in the comments going I can’t wait to hear with Jim Cornette hast to say…. And it’s like the only people who have any knowledge of what actually happened that night were Hogan, Bischoff and Russo. Jim didn’t even work for the company. Do we quite honest also, a lot of the difference with things is just a Wrestling fans like, for example, I watches are in the attitude Era. I am not a weekly viewer now. Everyone wants a Wrestling to go back to the way it was, but no one wants to admit that Vince Russo along with Ed Ferrara where a huge part in making that come true.
One of the big things from the attitude era, Austin doing the beer truck Austin refused , Russo had to keep on convincing him that him come in with a beer truck and spray them with beer was gonna be great and then Austin finally agreed.
Everybody critiques him so much because certain points are focused on in wrestling history .
But we’re all supposed to forget things for example that the main event at a pay-per-view was once Vince and Shane McMahon versus Shawn, Michaels and God ….. and they used a spotlight for God’s entrance at the pay-per-view….
That’s just one example of stupid shit. They were just forget that the WWE did without Russo.
Cornette explains it perfectly ngl. He was just a guy who didn't care or understand the wrestling business. How corny explains it is that for every 1 good idea they would use on tv He had 100 shit ones. He had no idea how to manage long time storytelling either. That's why he made wcw ten times worse. I'll give him his credit as his ideas contributed to the greatness of the attitude era. He's just a person that needs people to balance him. Left to his own devices he will ruin your company 😂
@@donelsw6676 and all agree with that I think the thing is that nobody gives him the credit for what he contributed. You can’t say that you love the attitude era, but don’t acknowledge what Russo contributed.
And I run a business myself , I have somebody who is very much like Vince Russo. He needs somebody to keep him on task and focused.
However, WCW if you haven’t read the nitro book by Guy Evans. You really should check that out because it gives a lot of insight into what was going on on the corporate side of WCW. Really fascinating stuff about people in corporate making all of these decisions about WCW future.
Now if we’re talking about Russo TNA…. Thankfully we have Jeff Jarrett’s podcast. Kind of straighten out what was going on down there.
I’ll give you a more recent one the brawl for all… they had the Darkside of the ring documentary. Everyone says this was a dumb idea and it’s all Vince Russo’s fault.
I’ll raise you that is Vince McMahon gave a shit about his wrestlers that storyline would’ve been done. But since Vincent man liked the idea he kept going. That’s the issue with the whole filter story that everybody likes to tell. And Jim Cornette points out that Vince Russo in Vincent’s McMahon very similar likes. So when Russo pitch the idea of let’s see who is the real tough guy, McMahon liked it.
I mean, there’s so much to dissect and go through , but ultimately Russo needs the help of someone in the machine of the WWF was where Vince Russo was able to be creative. WCW had no system to allow him to have his best ideas. Russo even said it himself when he walked in he asked when the production meeting was and they told him there wasn’t one. He was way in over his head. He thought he was gonna walk into WCW and it was going to be the WWF and unfortunately that was not the truth.
@@martialarts6617As much as I don't like Russo, you have a point. I think most fans forget about how the modern day culture would shout CANCEL! if WWE went back to the Attitude Era days. They wouldn't last a month let alone a year. Also, I think most of these so called fans were only fans of the fad instead of actual wrestling fans.
Attidue era and ruthless aggression era was legendary. I stoped watching around the time cena went on his second championship run. All i do now is buy the games.
I never knew I needed a “Hell in a cell” compilation before, until now
Facts is once something hits its peak it usually just doesn’t go back to that. Nothing wrong with that. Truth is once kayfabe was exposed the long term effects of it were set in motion to slowly wine things down. Secondly the attitude era did what most movies and reality shows do, appeal to sex, drama, money and excessive violence. Violence/violent stunts especially because that over emphasized the real aspects of wrestling to counter the known fakeness of wrestling entertainment. Those are things that in this era can’t be gone back to. Lawsuits, deaths etc would come down on WWE. Now the one thing they could do to get it as close is possible is go back to great storytelling and drama. Which they’ve done with things like the bloodline etc. Do for main and mid carders.
Such a great video(film?) As a 70s baby who grew up reading comics in 80s and 90s, and also loving movies, I was so excited to see them being brought together that I didn't even realize I was being trained to only watch Marvel movies.. at least consciously.
I do remember finally coming to the realization during the run up to End Game that that's all I went to the theater to see anymore. It even diminished my ability to enjoy the old dramas amd comedies that I used to love(I watched As Good As It Gets so many times).
All that said, Im very happy that I still have tons of old dvds in four big CD cases. Maybe one day I'll be able to get my teenage son into watching them with me...
Damn you RUclips!! 😎
These day storylines not even come closer to Rock and Austin rivalry
The whole vibe back then was different, no social media, hardly any interviews from wrestlers in newspapers, didn’t give away anything storyline wise. Now it’s all out in the open and it’s like a kiddies show, the attitude era had some crazy story lines.
Can't believe how much I miss the attitude and ruthless aggression eras, they were the best ones stone cold vs mcmahon and brock lesnar dominating every show with his faction big show matt morgan and nathan jones lol
How can you forget no more Punk and metal music!
As rock fan I'm very mixed towards this as the punk rock gives an awesome Edgy feeling but you have to understand that Rock and metal isn't as popular as it was from the late 90s to late 2000's
Rap and hip-hop is the popular thing going on, so music at WWE shows reflect that, honestly some of the rap songs they've produced for some wrestlers are all time greats
Problem is hip hop and rap songs don't reflect the concept of wrestling. When i hear those new themes it's like a popularity contest. This is wrestling, you need the right type of music to help the hype. Regardless of each and everyone music taste, it's clear that Rock and Metal music fit better for this
@@fabio0352 rap songs get people hype what do you mean. The Usos music gets people hype, both of Sasha Banks's themes were awesome sounding and full of character, AJ styles's theme is great and he loves it
@@noname-hf9ty you quoted some great examples, yet hard to believe they reach the level of the themes we heard with Edge, Batista, Orton, Punk, Austin (the Disturbed one), Hogan, Triple H, RVD. Besides, to be' honest i was talking more about the intro theme of the shows. On some specific characters i agree a rap music is totally fit
Storytelling and buildup was good back in the day because most of us believed everything was real. Who wouldn't want to see Stone Cold beat Mr. McMahon, or DX wanting to face the Corporation, or Taker vs. Kane. We waited to see what happened next. Kayfabe was still somewhat believable. Nowadays, every wrestler is friends with everyone else and it's tough to buy into rivalries or heated storylines.
LOLWUT?! Nobody believed it was real, we loved it because it was entertaining, because almost every undercarder was interesting and relevant and because you couldn’t miss one second of the show because anything could happen. You really think someone believed Steve Austin could beat up his boss every week and never lose his job? I love the AE and RA eras, I like this video and wanted to agree with you, but your comment is just nonsense😂
@@dualshock3462 bruh everyone believed wrestling was real until 2000 2001, so stop the 🧢
@@terrellp22 Holy crap, you’re “special”. The only people who believed wrestling was real until 2000 were people who were back then 5 years old. Maybe you were 5 back then and thought it was real, so you think people who were back then 40 years old thought the same🤣
But I guess you wasn’t even born back then, just a PG era kid who tries to get likes if he posts something cool.
You really think anyone older than 5 or 8 believed if a wrestler got punched in the face and stands up after 2 seconds, with no blood or lost teeth, no black eye after the match etc. thought it was possible and real? Go post another cap emoji, this discussion isn’t for you🤣
And that's why the Punk backstage drama had me so much engaged for the potential storyline with The Elite. Sadly Jack Perry made it sure we don't get it for the near future. Though him being back in WWE could be interesting too.
@@dualshock3462most people believed it was real to be frank
I noticed the wrestlers don't tell a story within the art. The matches mostly mean nothing. Its like fast-food
I remember seeing Raw live in 2006 and the pyro at the start of the show was amazing, it let you know that this was going to be more than wrestling, it was going to be an unforgettable night
As an old fan that has returned to being a consistent viewer, nothing compares to the attitude era and ruthless aggression times. But I will say they've been doing some great things in the 2020s, case in point why I've tuned in again
They can't get me to tune in again.
I came back to regular watching after AEW formed. It might not be like the old times but as least the major promotions are trying now. Healthy competition has helped. I had quit because honestly WWE/Vince didn't even seem to care at certain points during 2010s. Almost took the audience for granted with no threat.
@@hnaku8748i agree entirely, it was a really bad beginning 2008 honestly all through the 2010s with certain bright spots here and there. But yeah it was stale, competition definitely revitalized things for sure
Some good points made here. In the end, the star power of the Attitude Era up and down the card as well as across promotions combined with the competition driving both WCW and WWF to try different things did indeed set an impossibly high bar.
Ruthless did an admirable job of trying to keep it going in the absence of real competition and with two of the biggest once in a lifetime stars ever having a premature end to their wrestling careers (Rock and Austin), but you could already see the cracks forming, especially with HHH's reign of terror. People like to give HHH credit for doing good things in an official capacity in his post-wrestling career, but his backstage politicking back in the day and booking himself to be champion so many times (and also as the guy who could be relied upon to bury former WCW guys time and time again) is also part of the reason people lost interest in the product.
The Attitude era peak of surprising mainstream popularity and garnering interest from every demographic will never happen again. AEW is not WCW and WWE is not WWF. The only thing of interest to me in the WWE these days is the women's division, and even that has been held down at certain times by questionable booking and lack of storylines for many of the women.
when logan got in without even doing anything outside being a rich boy that was in shape made me think WWE has lost its dam mind, Kane and Undertaker era and era of Hogan and Andre the GIant was the highlight
PG restrictions ruined so much Atmosphere.
Because back then wrestlers looked like tough men who could beat you up while looking cool. Nowadays wrestlers are smaller and look like model-boys.
Jobbers/mid carders
Wrestling fans are so fickle smh. People used to bitch about Vince only caring about 6'2"+ juiced beef cakes, and overlooking smaller guys like Daniel Bryan, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, etc. Now they do have a lot more prominent smaller men, and they want the tall steroid monkeys back.
For me WWE was good until 2015, CM Punk left, Daniel Bryan got injured, The Big Dog Roman Reigns was being shoved down our throats. This was when I felt WWE lost it's magic.
The start of the PG era is honestly the worst it ever was, the muppets appearing comed to mind
Nahh no way you thought 2015 was worse than 2009 when the entire year on RAW was Orton vs Cena/Batista/Triple H for the title, with every week having a guest host gimmick.
@@San-li9ml Pg, pg
Pg wasn't the problem old heads no one is entertain to see wrestlers bleeding by cutting veins, stupid panties match almost naked women. If pg was probelm aew and tna wouldn't be bankrupt
@@AtharvaDahibhate-yz2hz I mentioned the PG era, not the fact it was pg, and trust me many old heads are entertain by seeing wrestlers bleed, just like how they are entertained by seeing boxers fight, violence attracts.
@@stevendchu 2009 looks good compared to 2015. Trust me
And the commentary my dude, THE COMMENTARY. The King and JR were the GOAT.
Every time they announced the type of matches that Superstars will compete against each other in (e.g. Hell in a Cell), I always got goosebumps 🔥 It’s little things like this why I actually enjoyed watching the Attitude Era. Not to mention, I just feel like WWE as a whole has been censored a lot all because of the newer generation attending the shows too. And the Superstars today are just Superstars I’ll have to get used to and have to relearn their names. When I started back watching from 2014-2018 I had to relearn names and I started out not liking the new Superstars who joined the main rosters, but they slowly grew on me. 🤷🏽♀️
It’s more acrobatics and gymnastics, plus I feel like most up and coming wrestlers don’t trust each other in the ring , you can see terribly timed moves because these wrestlers are scared of getting a little punch , back in the attitude era and ruthless aggression era most wrestlers trusted each other so when they threw a punch they knew the timing of it but they also weren’t afraid to get hurt and most wrestlers now a days care more about they’re faces and how they look then actually putting on a good performance , except for the women wrestlers I feel like they just want to put on a great match even if they get hurt a little they’re ruthless out there and I love it .
1:38 lmao that sounded lynchian
"HAAUUELLL INTHE SAUUUUUUHHHHHHH"
It really was the golden era and I find it interesting how it went downhill at the same time as I slowly lost interest and grew out of wrestling altogether. After the Benoit incident is when I feel wrestling industry changed for the worse. Benoit not only took himself and his family out but took the whole industry with him
Star power, nostalga from 80s-90s seeing the old timers feuding wth the Rock and Stone Cold.
Most importantly great story telling, great matches, the comedy, the edginess. Was just amazing, and why it got better ratings back then than pretty much anything on tv today except huge NFL games and shows like game of thrones and breaking bad.
Man i miss the attitude era the 90s were the best the crowds were crazy wrestlers can say whatever they want & yeah i hope they take the gimmick ppv's away & bring back the cool stage sets but anyway great video.
Blame chris benoit lol since yall old heads love complaining
@@fungames821 if you wanna blame Benoit have at it
then who to blame?@@tarshiaholmes5614
I’m glad I was a kid during the Attitude Era growing up with the TV-14 content. The kids today are going to grow up to be soft.
*Can anyone else picture Vince being up all night in front of the mirror in his bedroom practicing his different versions of saying "hell in a celllll!!!"??* 😂
Another factor is that the Attitude Era represented the last generation of wrestlers who had to pay their dues by working their asses off in the territory system before making it to the big time.
Those guys and gals had to spend years packing themselves tight into cars and vans, driving for hours upon hours up and down the highways to wrestle in auditoriums and rec centers all while getting paid about $50 for a match. Slogging through that level of a grind will make you appreciate that opportunity so much more once you've earned it and you will work even harder to maintain it.
That's largely missing from today's crop of wrestlers.
I’d say that the only place where wwe drops the ball nowadays (and it’s a big reason why people may not like today’s product) is the writing. Cody’s return was amazing, but they haven’t done a great job building him up since. Cena’s back but he hasn’t had much to do, even though i like him putting over LA Knight.
Cody has won every match and feud he’s been in since he returned… he doesn’t need to be built back up he’s a superstar already
@@micahwimberley2687 noted and I LOVE Cody being the heroic figure of the WWE, but I feel like they could be doing a better job at creating a Herculean journey for him so that when he eventually “finishes the story”, the extra year feels iconic & worth the effort. Playing their cards right could give them their most universally loved/popular role model superstar since Hulk Hogan (ironically) . This rumored feud with Drew McIntyre that they seem to be setting up could kickstart things tho.
Cody fn is so overrated and his promos are boring af lol
Who gives a crap about him finishing the story. Goldust will always be more entertaining then cody tbh.
@@jarredkrum9894 “who cares about Cody” literally a majority of WWE fans and even some of the wrestlers. Just look at the crowd pops and merch sales my friend. What Cody is doing/could do in this second WWE run is so good for the business
Back then, PG wasn’t a thing.
Longestory short me miss the violent x rated WWE. Growing up in the 2000s and watching this will forever be in my memories
i love being able to see all this wrastlin content on YT because i missed out on the attitude era as a kid in the 90s but as i got older my parents let me watch smackdown in the early 2000s. RIP eddie guerrero