What makes Today's WWE Product Better than the Attitude Era?

 The WWE Attitude era will forever be a favourite time for many wrestling fans including myself. A time of risky content, intense character work, and storyline’s that had you completely entertained this was epic, memorable and iconic time for the WWE however, there is no denying that despite the company moving to a PG era and targeting younger fans the content is strong and there is most certainly an argument that suggests the current product is better than what fans witnessed during the attitude era but what exactly proves that very point?

Varying of in Ring style

What sticks out for me when looking at the WWE today is the varying styles of in-ring talent. When looking at the WWE’s main roster for example we look at the likes of Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Aleister Black for example all of which bring something completely different to the table. Of course, during the attitude era fans saw varying styles also but the current product is presenting its fanbase with a much stronger variety. Whether it be big guy talent like Strowman, Lucha Libre stars such as Lucha House part, MMA background stars such as Bobby Lashley and Shayna Baszler, indie guys in the form of Rollins and Bryan or superstars including names like Roman Reigns, the roster is far more diverse than it has ever been, and the product is attracting varying types of fans.

The Business Side of Things

While there are many fans forever calling for more content similar to what we saw during the attitude era and despite the fact there is an argument to be made as to why the WWE should resort back to that time the simple fact that there is more money to be made by targeting a family audience means it’s extremely unlikely the WWE will head back to the days of bra and panties matches and intense blood. At the end of the day, the WWE is a business and money is at the centre of it all. Targeting a family audience means the product is overall easier to sell, easier to market, and merchandise sales are sure to be much higher. While this isn’t a paragraph that truly argues why this era is stronger or better than the attitude era the point does focus in on the business side of things.

Quality of Matches

Any wrestling fan will have their favourite match/matches from the attitude era, how could you not when there were so many iconic figures on the roster at the time, however, when looking at the current product it's evident that quality of matches is much greater. While the attitude era was so heavily focused on strong characters the product that we see today does present fans with much stronger in-ring work and that’s simply the evolution of wrestling. We are seeing more five-star worthy matches as the year's progress and with the likes of Gargano vs Almas and AJ Styles vs John Cena, the quality of wrestling in the WWE today is at a much higher standard. Whether it be RAW, Smackdown LIVE or NXT WWE fans know that with names including Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Andrade, Mustafa Ali and Daniel Bryan on their TV everything strong matches are guaranteed. Character development is of course massively important, but it is truly amazing to see fans discuss how awesome a match was rather than the crazy antics of a favourite character every week. This is an era where fans want to see fantastic wrestling of a high standard and when done right the WWE truly do pull this off.

NXT/ Handling the future

One of the best things in the WWE today without a shadow of a doubt is, of course, NXT and its been that way for a while now! The black and gold brand has become the place wrestling fans run to at any point for fantastic quality wrestling, great storylines, and exciting characters but the idea of NXT as a whole has truly made a massive impact. NXT has allowed future talent to make an impact and make a name for themselves before even breathing anywhere near a RAW or Smackdown LIVE stage. Developmental has pretty much always existed but with NXT becoming its own brand the stars of the future are able to get a much better understanding of what is to come, what the industry is about and what the WWE is about. Fans can create an opinion of the stars we will be watching for the next fifteen years way before joining the main roster and the general handling of the future of the company is far stronger and more sensible than we have seen before.

Women’s Wrestling

And of course, the number one argument that suggests the current WWE product is better than what we saw in the days of the attitude era is the women’s division. As a little girl, growing up and watching wrestling it was very difficult to enjoy watching what other women were doing. Names such as Lita, Trish Stratus, and Chyna opened a door and did shed a light on what could be but with bra and panties matches, degrading segments, storylines and promos and generally a weak and embarrassing handling of the female talent was shocking and disgusting. Looking at we see today, and women are about to main event Wrestlemania! There are weeks where the content from the women’s division is much stronger than anything else, where women are main eventing and stealing the show! We have women’s tag team titles, the likes of Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch taking over, and strong characters amongst the women’s division that go beyond crazy and sexy. There is respect for the female talent, a demand for more women’s wrestling and little girls have something to look up to and want to be.

The topic of the attitude era and making a comparison with the current product is always a controversial one but I have most certainly enjoyed bringing up this topic today! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or by tweeting me over at @TezangiVictoria.