What was it like watching the attitude era as it was it happening?

richaveli83

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You really had to watch it as it was happening. It's not the same as watching episodes on the network. Watching Raw and Nitro on Monday night and then the next morning at school we would talk about it at school. EVERYONE was into it. The stuff they were doing back then you could NEVER do now! Not even talking about the bra and panties matches or like that but the whole Ministry of Darkness trying to sacrifice Stephanie McMahon, Undertaker and Paul Bearer trying to embalm Austin alive, Kaietai trying to chop Val Venis's dikk, hell the gimmick of Val Venis, Big Bossman fukking with the Big Show and Al Snow, and so much more!

Everyone had a Austin 3:16 t-shirt or a DX t-shirt. EVERYONE was over and had something going on whether you were the opening act or main eventer. Even when the WWF and WCW added secondary shows like Smackdown and Thunder it didn't feel like it was too much. Even when Nitro went to three hours permanently in 1998 to 2000 it didn't feel like a drag like Raw does now. The wrestling wasn't the best outside of the main event in late 1998 to late 1999 when Vince McMahon really let Russo run wild but in 2000 through 2001 the match quality really improved.

Looking back some of that shyt was ridiculous and embarrassing but as a teenager during those years it was a blast! :mjlit:
 

richaveli83

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I remember at 16 when I got my first job in May of 2000. I lied and told them I couldn't work on Mondays due to religious duties I had to perform. I wasn't missing Raw and Nitro for nothing! :wow:

I was obsessed with wrestling during that period. I bought all those Apter kayfabe magazines every month and even got a n64 just for the wrestling games because before then I had to play them at my friend's house who had a n64. Before that I was stuck with WWF Warzone, Attitude, and WCW Nitro on the PS1. :scust:

I remember how mad I was at my mom for not letting me go to that Raw at Reunion Arena when that famous ten man tag team match took place. Never got a chance to go to any WWF or WCW shows during that era but I did get to go to ECW's first and only show in Dallas. It was supposed to be a taping for ECW on TNN but it ended up being just a house show and the tv taping took place the next night in Houston. Got to see RVD live in his prime! :banderas:Got a ECW t-shirt and a Cactus Jack t-shirt that night. I remember wearing that Cactus Jack shirt to school the following Monday and everyone was like :mjgrin::jawalrus::gladbron::obama:

That whole era of wrestling and just the world in general was so fun and different. I'm pretty sure a lot of the nostalgia has to do with me being a teenager with no responsibilities. That innocence faded when 9/11 happened. I remember a week after it happened Raw is War got changed to just Raw.
 

Tommy Fits

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Another thing, something I posted basically verbatim in another thread way back, which show do you think would be more interesting based on the opening theme:

These:




Or these:






The feel of the themes themselves tells you everything you need to know :russ:

Raw actually used to have a raw feel too it, now it's completely overproduced
 

richaveli83

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Another thing, something I posted basically verbatim in another thread way back, which show do you think would be more interesting based on the opening theme:

These:



The feel of the themes themselves tells you everything you need to know :russ:

That first one got really hyped for Raw.
 

Renzo

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I was a big WWF fan.. started watching them in 88..bought all the aptner magazines which tracked the ratings at the time although a month behind so it sucked to be a WWF fan when Hall left.. then Nash left then the NWO popped off and they started getting smashed..WWF was struggling and I thought they were finished. It wasnt until Austin caught that they took off and never looked back and from that impetus everyone started to get over..only bad thing I'll say is the Attitude era bought them alot of good will with the fans which coasted them for the next two decades following. Cenas in 05 ascension really pushed alot of fans away as the audience was clearly rejecting him, he was the embodiment of everything the attitude era was a against. A corporate puppet yes man diet Hogan as opposed to Austin who was looked at as a blue collar every day man who was fighting the system and Rock who was THE man.
 

MrFirst2doit

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Put it like this, I know a lot of people will not like this comparison but remember the Jersey shore hype like in 2009 where it completely took over pop culture, everybody was saying the catchphrases, doing the fist pumps, they were basically everywhere. That was basically what was going on but with wrestling.
 

Threnody

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That era was amazing from first watching in the golden era, watching the new generation come up and then the attitude era it was like this epic saga on some dragonball shyt

Its still crazy to me I stopped watching May 1, 2002 days later the logo changed a month later Cena had his first appearance I had no idea but it was the start of the RA era at the time

I just knew something was 'different' immediately it kinda felt like the party was over and it was time to go home :russ:

Compared to how well put together the Attitude era felt The Ruthless Aggression era was a damn mess (WWF not handling the WCW/ECW integration correctly and the lack of real competition had a lot to do with that) when it was good it was great but when it wasn't it was even worst than some of the shyt in the PG era......I tried to watch a few times back then and it was just so hit or miss 2002 was the first time I remember watching RAW and being BORED..I was done:yeshrug:
 

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this man was a midcarder and got pops like that


how this dude got over and stayed over..to this day is remarkable


dude was a regular ass jobber scott taylor with a mullet..then does the too much thing with brian christopher which was quasi gay..then hip hop wiggers...the funny thing is brian christopher didnt stay over for the long run but scotty 2 hotty did :heh:
 
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