WWE fans have been clamoring for change, and Vince McMahon has promised that change is coming, which explains all of the recent buzz about the potential return of an Attitude Era-like product.
Ask a number of lifelong wrestling fans what WWE's best era was, and there is a good chance many would say the Attitude Era, the period from (roughly) 1997 to 2002 that was defined by risque programming, adult-oriented content and outlandish larger-than-life superstars as WWE battled WCW at the height of the "Monday Night Wars." It was during that era that many of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history came to be, including the likes of The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, while WWE's flagship show Monday Night Raw routinely generated TV ratings that are three or four times what they are now, including an astounding 8.1 rating for one 1999 episode.
The overall dip in quality of WWE's programming over the past few years has often resulted in fans clamoring for the return of the Attitude Era or something reminiscent of it, with the idea being that a more coarse and crude product could turn WWE's ratings woes around at a time when its audience has recently shrunk to historic lows. Nowadays, anytime WWE produces a segment which has even a little semblance of an edge, chatter of "Oh, the Attitude Era is coming back!" runs rampant throughout the Internet Wrestling Community, as has been the case in recent weeks when WWE has booked a handful of angles that remind fans of those Attitude Era-esque segments from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Thus far in 2019, WWE has run a few notable segments that have felt like a callback to the Attitude Era. One involved a WWE intern walking in on a half-dressed Alexa Bliss, which Daily DDT called "abhorrent" and many fans blasted for being a step back for the women's division, especially considering that there was no storyline purpose for the segment at all. Another series of segments that has reminded fans of the Attitude Era is the ongoing rivalry between Naomi and Mandy Rose, the latter of which has been tempting Naomi's husband Jimmy Uso with scandalous pictures and a secretive hotel room rendezvous. There was also Nia Jax's shocking participation in the men's Royal Rumble match, the first time in years fans had seen a male superstar get physical with a female star and a decision that many believe has paved the way for the return of intergender wrestling.
No surprise here: All of those segments were big hits on YouTube, with the Bliss segment generating a whopping 6.4 million views as of this writing and topping anything else that happened on Raw that week while the same was true of the Naomi/Rose hotel room cat fight that amassed 3.9 million views. Randy Orton's RKO on Jax, meanwhile, sits at an impressive 5.4 million views. Some have used that strong YouTube viewership to argue that WWE should end the PG era, which began in 2008 when WWE made the shift from a TV-14 rating, but making that switch is both unlikely and unnecessary.
The biggest reason why WWE made the move from a TV-14 rating to PG is to have a broader mainstream appeal that would attract better advertisers and sponsors. Gone are the days when WWE's big sponsors were Castrol GTX motor oil or Stacker 2 fat-burners. In recent years, WWE has partnered with well-known national brands including Snickers, KFC and Cricket Wireless, and according to Sponsorship.com, "WWE posted a 30 percent year-over-year increase in sponsorship revenue in 2017 and a fourfold increase in revenue since 2010."
In other words, WWE's switch to a PG rating has worked out wonderfully for the company thus far, which should probably put to rest any speculation that WWE will revert back to the PG rating or that we'll see intergender wrestling, provocative storylines or suggestive segments become the norm.
That being side, a sharper edge certainly can't hurt.
If you look at WWE's current roster, which stars are standing out? It's the ones with a bit an of edge, to them isn't it? Names like Becky Lynch and Daniel Bryan, who would have fit in perfectly in the Attitude Era, have been making waves due to their characters that aren't as cut and dry as many of the ones we see during WWE's current era. A star like Braun Strowman routinely displays impressive feats of strength in memorable backstage segments that were a staple of the Attitude Era. Lynch's sharp-witted tongue and Twitter pipe-bombs would have made her a huge hit 20 years ago. Likewise, segments like what fans have seen with Bliss and Rose would have generated raucous reactions from the live crowd, blowing the roof off the building in the process.
Admittedly, WWE is walking a fine line here. There is this sense that reverting back to these types of segments is simply too much and that WWE will regress the great work of the women's division, once again reducing them to eye candy or bathroom breaks. But the best and most engaging storylines have always been the ones that result in strong crowd reaction, no matter what that reaction is, and it can't hurt WWE to more forward with an edgier product that doesn't necessarily need to be the Attitude Era but can be bolder than what fans have seen in recent years.
Things like a concessions stand brawl between Bryan and AJ Styles or promo segments that feature a few expletives could keep WWE within the confines of the PG rating while adding a dose of reality to its feuds and increasing fan interest in them. There's nothing wrong with that strategy as long as WWE stays true to its family-oriented direction, which may not sit well with some diehards but, from a business perspective, is the most logical and smartest move it could make.
That shouldn't prevent WWE from pushing the envelope, though, because if its programming remains too campy and corny, it's audience will likely continue to decrease.
Blake Oestriecher is an elementary school teacher by day and a sports writer by night. He’s a contributor to @ForbesSports, where he primarily covers WWE. You can follow him on Twitter @BOestriecher.
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