I have been a fan of the WWF/WWE for over fifteen years. I have seen many changes occur and I have seen many different wrestlers come and go. I have witnessed the WWF of Hulk Hogan and Bret 'Hitman' Hart transform into the WWE of Triple H, Batista and John Cena. But the WWE era that sticks in my mind as being the most prominent and most enjoyable to watch has got to be the 'Attitude' era. We all remember it; it began in 1996/1997 and lasted through to 2000/2001.

'Attitude' was the era of Hell in a Cell. 'Attitude' was the era of the first major hardcore wrestling seen in the WWF. 'Attitude' was the era of the stable. The Corporation, D-Generation X, The Ministry of Darkness, the Disciples of Apocalypse and the Nation of Domination were all born during the 'Attitude Era' and resulted in some of the most exciting television that pro-wrestling had or has ever accomplished. Each week on Monday Night RAW teams would feud (notably DX, the Corporation and the Ministry) to gain the upper hand and to gain power and control. I think you would agree that recent factions such as Evolution and the Cabinet, whilst having some interesting characteristics, could not match any of the three above stables in terms of entertainment. Never again have we seen teams feud as they did during the 'Attitude' era. What this allowed was for individuals from each faction to contest for different titles such as the New Age Outlaws and the Acolytes for the tag titles and X-Pac and Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental title. Instead of them being standard title matches, they were transformed into power struggles, where victory was essential if a stable was to survive. Individual wrestlers who did not belong to any stable were also mixed into these matches and this created the fans love for underdogs such as Mick Foley and Steve Austin who, despite having a seemingly impossible task before them, could always pull off an unlikely victory.

The 'Attitude' era created legends of wrestling. I am talking about the likes of Triple H, The Undertaker, The Rock, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Kane, Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels. I think you would struggle to name a wrestler who has matched the calibre of these individuals since the 'Attitude' era ended. You can see why Triple H gets so much time at the top these days. Mick Foley has retired (prematurely in my opinion), The Rock is in Hollywood, Steve Austin is injured and is unlikely to ever wrestle the same again, and with Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker aging and Kurt Angle and Kane being used in ridiculous storylines, Triple H is the only man left that the WWE can continually push as a main eventer.

You may have noticed that the hardcore side of the WWE that was prominent during the Attitude era has suffered following the departure of a certain Mick Foley. The problem is that there is not a wrestler that is willing or indeed capable of taking a beating like the ones Mick Foley used to take. Triple H versus Cactus Jack at No Way Out was arguably one of the best Hell in the Cell matches I have ever seen, but can you really imagine a wrestler from the current WWE roster allowing himself to be thrown either off or through a cell" I know I can't. Whilst the elimination chambers are good, they have not provided us with too many memorable moments. Since the departure of Jeff Hardy the tag team division has suffered. How I would love to see a TLC match once again, but who would fight in it" It is important to point out that the WWE does have many wrestlers who know all about hardcore wrestling. Those such as RVD who learned their trade at ECW are more than capable of putting on a hardcore match of the highest order.

If you look at the WWE since 'Attitude' ended, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg both had the potential to be adequate replacements for the departed superstars but did not last very long. You the have the likes of Edge, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, The Big Show and Eddie Guerrero who are repeatedly pushed between main event matches and mid-card matches. There never used to be this kind of confusion. There was an elite group of wrestlers at the top who could challenge for the title and only the very best such as Kurt Angle could join them. Kane has lost his gimmick of the 'terrifying monster' since he removed the mask. It remains to be seen whether or not he can be turned into a realistic candidate for the World Championship or remain in the upper mid card wilderness where he currently finds himself. There is some considerable talent in the WWE however and with the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista and the increasingly impressive Shelton Benjamin, there is still every chance that the WWE will one day equal if not surpass, the glory days of the 'Attitude' era.

by James Norbury ..