The Attitude Era is perhaps the most important time WWE history. Some of the company’s biggest wrestling stars would emerge during this era, while the trainwreck television style would be pivotal during the company’s ratings war with WCW.
It’s easy to look at those TV disaster moments and think that they were what led to WWE’s success and interest during the era, and while that’s true in many ways, the games of this season cannot be forgotten. Many of these matches from the biggest PPVs of this era are rightfully praised, but it’s the forgotten matches outside of SummerSlams and WrestleManias that sometimes deserve the most praise.
10
Triple H vs. The Rock – Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
SummerSlam 1998
You could say that much of the Attitude Era revolved around the rise of The Rock and Triple H. At first, they were young upstarts hanging around the midcard scene, and by the end of the era, they were headlining WrestleMania. One of the earlier matches in their careers that proved to be a landmark performance for both men it was the Ladder Match of the Intercontinental Championship.
When both competitors are no longer known for their technical prowess, it can be strange to imagine how they could team up in a match type more suited to high-level players. The duo compensates by building a ladder match around their never-ending blood rivalry, using the ladder as a third character designed to inflict pain on each other. This results in an invisible gem.
9
The Hardys vs Edge and Christian – Tag Team Ladder Match
No Mercy 1999
Speaking of ladder matches, The Hardy Boyz and E&C have made a career out of throwing ladders at each other, along with tables and chairs to boot. However, long before the Dudley Boyz joined the mix, their first ladder match took place at No Mercy, and it would prove to be a landmark performance on its own. This was before any team worried about acquiring title gold and instead fought for the managerial services of Terri Runnells.
Silly premise aside, both teams saw this as an opportunity to shine and didn’t waste it. This match single-handedly turned Edge, Christian, Matt, and Jeff Hardy into superstars, while also building the foundation for what TLC would become. For those wondering where the WWE Universe’s obsession with ladder matches came from, look no further.
8
Kane vs Albert – Intercontinental Championship Without DQ Mach
June 28, 2001 episode of SmackDown
On paper, Kane vs. Albert doesn’t seem like anything special. And for all intents and purposes, it probably shouldn’t be that special. It’s a mid-card title match early in the Invasion’s history, at a time when audiences were far more intrigued by WCW/ECW’s pending involvement in WWE programming than what any two WWE Superstars were doing. with each other.
However, Kane and Albert refused to be an afterthought tonight and chose to steal the show in a match that has no right to be as good as it is. It especially doesn’t have the right to be as fast as between two nearly 300-pound fighters, presented by Kane in particular, who pulls a hurricane out of nowhere.
7
Cactus Jack vs. Triple H – Takedowns count anywhere
September 22, 1997 episode of Raw
Triple H and Mick Foley have always been each other’s best rivals, pushing each other to the limits in violent Hell in a Cell matches and No DQ matches. Most of their famous rivalry takes place in 2000 with The King of Kings at the top of the card, but long before he won his first World Championship, he was just a young upstart looking to make a name for himself.
One of Triple H’s first opportunities to do this in one of the first big moments of his career came when he faced Foley in the return of his Cactus Jack character. Triple H proved he was ready and ready (pun intended) tonight with the hardcore veteran. On a night when a star was born and another star returnedtheir match was full of emotion.
6
Stone Cold & Undertaker vs Kane & Mankind vs New Age Outlaws vs The Nation of Domination (The Rock and D’Lo Brown) – Tag Team Championships Four Corners Match
August 10, 1998 episode of Raw
Stone Cold Steve Austin has had incredible matches throughout his WWE career, but some of the best tag matches often go unnoticed in this type of conversation. This is one of the best, but it’s also the one that feels like a time capsule from the Attitude Era. It features The Undertaker and Austin at the forefront of the main event scene, days before they would have the most hyped competition in WWE history at the time, at SummerSlam. It features The Rock months before his official main event coronation, but still at the top of the midcard.
The New Age Outlaws are enjoying a dominant tag division. Mankind and Kane are circling the main event scene. Even D’Lo Brown, who arguably deserved his own main event push, was having a hot reign at the European Championships. What we have here are some of the mainstays of the Attitude Era on the brink of stardom in a match full of twists characteristic of the Attitude Era.
5
Triple H x Taka Michinoku – WWE Championship match
April 10, 2000 episode of Raw
One of the funniest things about the Attitude Era is that everyone had opportunities to shine regardless of its placement on the card. This is a prime example, with Triple H defending the WWE Championship against Taka Michinoku. On paper, this should be a quick and easy contest for the champion. It’s relatively quick, at just under six minutes, but it’s far from easy for The Cerebral Assassin.
A staple of the light heavyweight division, Taka throws everything he has at Triple H with a quick attack that catches Triple H off guard. The crowd is fully invested and, with a few near falls, thinks there is an upset in their hands. It’s the David vs. Goliath executed to perfectionwith Triple H playing the bully powerhouse and Taka trying his best to fight from the bottom, with Jim Ross calling the action as if Taka was a split second away from winning at any moment.
4
Dean Malenko vs. Scotty 2 Hotty – Light Heavyweight Title Fight
Reaction 2000
Dean Malenko, regardless of the company’s ring in which he fought, was always praised as one of the best pure fighters on its roster. Scotty 2 Hotty was never praised as a great fighter in his own right. No one ever thought he was bad, but his in-ring ability was always overshadowed by the antics of his gimmicks. It’s easy to see his dancing and The Worm and mistake Scott for a one-trick pony, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Historically, some of the silliest characters hide some incredible wrestling skills. Hotty was able to prove himself on the night of Backlash 2000 with the light heavyweight title on the line. He proved he could hang with the best of them in one of the most exciting knockout matches of the season.
3
Mankind vs. Ken Shamrock – Intercontinental Championship Match
Judgment Day 1998
Humanity’s impact on the Attitude Era, especially how his WWE Championship win helped swing the Monday Night Wars in WWE’s favor, is well documented. However, Ken Shamrock’s role in the Attitude Era is often overlookedand in many ways, it’s still one of the biggest “what ifs?” scenarios. He never won the world title, but he stood out as a bum with the crowd and one of the first examples of the MMA fighting style being incorporated into the wrestling format.
Still, the idea of ​​the two meeting in the ring sounds like a strange clash of styles between technical prowess and chaotic brawling, but miraculously, their differences create an entirely unique Intercontinental Championship match on Judgment Day. The climactic and shocking ending is enough to keep this as a staple in anyone’s mind..
2
Chris Jericho vs. Triple H – Last Match Standing
Fully loaded 2000
Chris Jericho x Triple H could be one of the most underrated rivalries to emerge from the Attitude Era. This gave the era one of its finest moments when Y2J unofficially and temporarily won the WWE Championship off the cowardly Game on a random episode of Monday Night Raw. The two demonstrated tremendous chemistry every time they entered the ring together, but perhaps their best feud came at the Fully Loaded PPV.
The Fully Loaded brand itself has been forgotten, but its three events under the name are all packed with great gems. This is one of them. A personal rivalry culminated in one of the most personal and violent types of matches wrestling has to offer. It’s no secret that magic happens between the two.
1
The Rock vs. Stone Cold – WWE Championship No Holds Barred Match
1999 reaction
The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin have had a multitude of matches against each other. Their WrestleMania matches are better known, but some of their best matches were those outside of the Grandest Stage of Them All. One example is the night after WrestleMania X-Seven, when the two had a Steel Cage match on Raw, but even more it was the No Holds Barred match at Backlash, a month after WrestleMania 15.
A strong argument can be made for this being the most entertaining of the Austin/Rock encounters.. Otherwise, it could certainly be the one that most reflects the Attitude Era of the time. Filled with interference and pranks, unpredictable moments like Rocky becoming a cameraman, and overall filled with the kind of chaos that WWE was becoming well known during this era.