Attitude Era
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The Attitude Era was a major era of professional wrestling within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), succeeding the 'New Generation Era'. The Attitude Era was characterized by adult-oriented content, which included increased depicted violence, profanity, and sexual content, as well as disregarding the "good guys versus bad guys" formula[4] in favor of unpredictable and shocking storylines, in a significant shift from the "traditional" and family-friendly output that the WWF had produced up until that point.[5] There is no definite beginning and ending for the Attitude Era, but a period between the years 1997 and 2002 is most often cited, succeeded by the moderately toned down 'Ruthless Aggression Era'.[6]
The era was spearheaded during the Monday Night War when WWF's Raw went head-to-head with rival World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) Nitro in a weekly battle for TV ratings. As part of the change, the WWF also rebranded its flagship show (which became Raw Is War), redesigned the arena setups, and later introduced the "scratch" logo and officially referred to and promoted the "Attitude" name. The Attitude Era was a highly successful period for the company with television ratings, merchandise sales,and pay-per-view buy rates for the WWF reaching record highs and it also came at a time of a general shift in American television moving away from family-friendly to "edgier" content,[7] with the WWF pushing the limits of what was deemed acceptable for TV.[8] Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Sycho Sid and Stone Cold Steve Austin were among the wrestlers that ushered in the Attitude Era, with events such as Hart's explicit rant,[9] the formation of D-Generation X and the Montreal Screwjob being key points of evolution to the Attitude format.[5][10] However, Hart and Sid both left the WWF at the dawn of the era, and Michaels retired soon after.
Steve Austin would go on to become a major superstar of the Attitude Era and was joined by many new stars including The Rock, Triple H, Kane, Mick Foley (in various personas), Chyna and Kurt Angle, whereas The Undertaker continued to be popular as a veteran,[11] and the company's chairman Vince McMahon would form a villainous persona out of himself, involving his real-life family in storylines.[12] The Austin–McMahon feud was one of the longest-running and most prominent rivalries of the era.[13] WWF also signed a number of wrestlers who left WCW during this boom period, including Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and the Big Show.[14] In addition, the WWF Women's Championship was reactivated in September 1998 after years of dormancy, and most of the company's female talent, such as Sable, Sunny and Stacy Keibler during this time period were marketed as sex symbols booked in sexually provocative gimmick matches (e.g., "bra and panties", bikini, lingerie, etc.), whereas prominent female stars such as Chyna, Lita, and Trish Stratus were presented as serious wrestlers.[15] The era also saw the resurgence of tag team wrestling, namely The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge & Christian, who were featured in several destructive, physical and stunt-filled Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches during this era. Distinguished stables that were established in this era include D-Generation X, Nation of Domination, The Corporation, Ministry of Darkness, Corporate Ministry and The Brood, and had developed major rivalries among each other. Also, the Hardcore Championship was established in November 1998, a chaotic division involving no disqualification, falls count anywhere matches that would start ringside and then would be taken outside, with blunt weapons involved.[16]
- ^ "First WWF Attitude promo at Survivor Series 1997". YouTube. 31 December 2016.
- ^ "A special look at the Attitude Era". WWE.
- ^ "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment drops the 'F'!". WWE. May 6, 2002.
- ^ "Vince McMahon Officially Introduced The Attitude Era On Raw 18 Years Ago Today". December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
- ^ a b "25 moments that defined the Attitude Era". WWE. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Smackdownhotelwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "TV Stretches Limits of Taste, to Little Outcry". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
- ^ "Inside The World's Weirdest Family Business WALL STREET WANTS TO IGNORE THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION. VINCE MCMAHON AND HIS 50 MILLION FANS PLAN TO MAKE THAT IMPOSSIBLE. - October 16, 2000". money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ^ McMahon (DVD). WWE. 2006.
- ^ 7 Best New Generation Era Matches in WWE History (Ranked)
- ^ Hau Chu (December 18, 2015). "Where are they now? WWE Attitude Era superstars". New York Daily News.
- ^ Cantor, Paul A. (1999-10-04). "Pro Wrestling and The End of History - Washington Examiner". Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Mueller, The Doctor Chris. "Power Ranking Stone Cold Steve Austin's 6 WWE Championship Victories". Bleacher Report.
- ^ "10 WCW Stars That Walked Out On The Company (And Why They Did It)". 26 June 2019.
- ^ "Bruce Prichard Says Attitude Era Women Were Mostly Comfortable With Bra & Panties Matches, Says They Wanted to 'Show Off Their Body'". 411mania.com.
- ^ "From Federation to Entertainment, WWE's Journey is Mirrored in Wrestling Games". NDTV Gadgets 360. 6 January 2015.