Okay, so yesterday I was messing around trying to sort wrestling history into different “eras,” right? It sounded simple enough, but man, it turned out to be a real rabbit hole.
First thing I did was just Google “wwe eras”. I figured there’d be some official list or something. Nope! Loads of opinions, tons of fan debates, and everyone’s got their own idea. That’s where the fun begins, right?
I started jotting down the names that kept popping up: Golden Era, New Generation Era, Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression Era, PG Era, and the New Era. Seemed like a decent starting point.
Then I tried to figure out the dates. This is where it got messy. Some people swear the Golden Era ended in ’92, others say ’93. The Attitude Era? Some put it starting right after Wrestlemania 13, some say later in ’97. I ended up having to watch a bunch of old wrestling promos and read a ton of forum threads to try and get a feel for the general consensus. This consumed almost all of my time.
Here’s what I ended up with for my own personal breakdown:
- Golden Era: (Around 1984 – 1992) – Hulk Hogan was the face of the company. Super colorful, larger-than-life characters. The whole thing felt like a cartoon in the best way possible.
- New Generation Era: (Around 1993 – 1997) – Trying to find the next Hogan. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were great wrestlers but didn’t have that same mega-star power. Things got kinda cheesy.
- Attitude Era: (Around 1997 – 2002) – This was the crazy one. Stone Cold, The Rock, DX… edgier storylines, more adult themes. It was wild and everyone was watching.
- Ruthless Aggression Era: (Around 2002 – 2008) – Cena and Orton rise, wrestling got more athletic and intense. WWE bought WCW and kinda consolidated the scene.
- PG Era: (Around 2008 – 2014) – Less swearing, less violence, more family-friendly. Some loved it, some hated it. I personally thought it was boring.
- New Era: (Around 2014 – Present) – Trying to blend the old and the new. More emphasis on in-ring skills, but also trying to capture that Attitude Era excitement. Still figuring this one out, honestly.
After figuring out the dates, I watched some key matches from each era on the Network. Gotta get that authentic feel, you know? I noticed how much the commentary changed, the crowd reactions, even the camera work. It was fascinating to see how WWE evolved over time.
Finally, I decided to put together a little slideshow with key wrestlers and moments from each era. Just a fun way to visualize it all. Maybe I’ll share it later if it doesn’t look too terrible.
So, was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. It was a fun deep dive into wrestling history. Plus, now I have a better answer whenever someone starts arguing about which era was the best. My conclusion is that the Attitude Era was the best, don’t @ me!
