The World Wrestling Entertainment (once known as the World Wrestling Federation) can be traced back to the year 1953. Since then it has had many different iconic eras, but to me no other era has been as awesome as the “Attitude Era” spanning from 1997 – 2002. From what I’ve seen, I think it was the most uncensored, craziest, and most entertaining era of them all. With its vulgar language, bloody matches, hilarious scenes and intense feuds, it had some of my favorite fights and some great music like Motorhead, Saliva, Limp Bizkit and more. Another thing about the “Attitude Era” is it had some of the best wrestlers of all time, so I decided to rank my top ten!
10. Eddie Guerrero
I like Eddie even though he was rivals with Stone Cold Steve Austin. I really thought he was a good wrestler with an interesting personality. As a matter of fact I heard somewhere that Austin wanted to work with him so much because he had a lot of respect for him. I liked their fight in Smackdown where Eddie got finished off with the stunner. My favorite fight featuring Eddie has to be the one in WrestleMania 17 where he beat Test. It was really intense and I didn’t think Eddie was going to win but he did. Sadly Eddie died in 2005, but he absolutely made a name for himself in wrestling and earned a spot in my top ten.
9. Booker T.
“Can you dig it, sucka?” Those were the last words you’d hear before being suplexed into the ground! You don’t mess around with Booker T. He’s got so much energy and doesn’t play in the ring. He makes every move count. He was very iconic and had some great appearances. He definitely had enough attitude to make it in the top ten!
8. Chyna
Chyna was a big and powerful woman in the WWF Women’s Division. I will never forget her appearance in WrestleMania 17 where she got revenge on Ivory for breaking her arm in a previous match. She lifted Ivory up over her head and dropped her onto the floor of the ring with ease before casually laying on the ground as she leaned against her while the referee counted out three. It was the most attitude-y pin I think I have ever seen, which is why she definitely belongs here in the top 10! She had a very extraordinary career as both a wrestler and a body builder, but unfortunately passed away in 2016. She will be remembered as one of the greatest female wrestlers.
7. The Rock
I don’t think it’s much of a surprise that The Rock is in the top 10. He was one of the highlights of the Attitude Era and quite possibly one of the most influential and iconic wrestlers of all time. His success in the WWF/WWE is why he is such a big part of cinema today. He had a lot of great insults and got audiences going whenever he made an appearance. He often was a heel inside the ring which is truly why everybody loved him. No sass is like the Rock’s sass! He is a wrestler with attitude.
6. Rob Van Dam
I like this guy because he’s really athletic. I saw this one match and he was doing all of these crazy spins and flips. If you look at the basics of what wrestling is, this guy really takes it up several notches. Some of the moves he pulls on his opponent are incredible. He is full of energy and just gives it his all every time. I know he had quite a few highlights in his career after the Attitude Era, but for me I just think the Attitude Era really suited him and his whole vibe.
5. The Undertaker
Everybody loves the Undertaker. If you’re in the ring and you hear that bell sound, you know you’re cooked! Even the Rock was scared in a more recent match when the lights dimmed and the bell rang out. By the time the lights turned back on and the Undertaker stood firmly behind him, Rock was left speechless with wide eyes. This man also had the longest WWE/WWF win streak and just destroyed everybody. He officially began his career in the WWF in 1990 where he would continue for over thirty years. He had many memorable moments beyond 1997-2002, but I still think that it’s absolutely worth adding him to the list. He had so many great faceoffs with Triple H, Kane and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
4. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle was known for being an Olympic gold medalist in the early days of his career, eventually joining the WWF in 1999. He would switch between being a face and a heel throughout the years of his wrestling career, but would never disappoint putting on a show for the audience. He is a very clever and funny man. Throughout the span of his wrestling career he was never too afraid to poke a little fun at himself and his opponent wrestlers. His athleticism and charisma certainly secured him a spot as one of the greats. He is a fine representation of what WWE truly is!
3. Triple H (HHH)
Triple H is one of my favorites. He is the manliest man ever; not only that, but he is also THE man. He had it all and then it went down the drain for him… but he took it like a man! He married Stephanie McMahon only for her to betray him. She started going out with Chris Jericho, but Triple H resolved that whole thing in WrestleMania 18 when he took out Jericho. It was the most satisfying thing ever, and he did all that after having surgery on his leg! What made me mad is Jericho kept playing dirty and kicking his injured leg the whole match. But that didn’t stop Triple H! Everyone knows about him and Stephanie’s marriage, but I personally enjoyed Triple H when he was done putting up with her betrayal and started roasting her. He deserved better! Why? I already told you… because he’s THE MAN!
2. Lita
Lita has got to be my favorite WWF wrestler in the female division. Seeing her fight in the ring is nothing short of a real life action movie. In one match she jumped off the turn buckle, latched onto her opponent and just swung around. She uses her enemies as a jungle gym. It’s crazy to think what went into her training; and even if you do learn to do something like that, applying it at the right time traditionally wouldn’t seem that easy. But it seems easy for Lita. She pulls off some of the most remarkable maneuvers I have ever seen just for a random attack. She stands out so much to me because even though there were other wrestlers that would do these crazy flips, Lita goes above and beyond that. It’s hard to explain, something you’d truly have to watch to understand. She belongs in this list because of how well she fit into the late 1990s early 2000s vibe. The Attitude Era was perfect for her, and even though I haven’t seen very many matches where she got to talk, the way she fought and antagonized her opponents definitely had attitude.
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
I think that Stone Cold stole the show the entire Attitude Era. He was what made the Attitude Era what it was in my opinion. He had so much sass and anger. My favorite Stone Cold fight might just be from WrestleMania 18 where he fought Scott Hall. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time erupting with cheers and bad mouthing his opponent the whole time. In my opinion that fight was even better than Stone Cold’s main event fight in WrestleMania 17 where he faced The Rock. He had so many great moments. The Booker T. vs. Stone Cold grocery store fight was hilarious. There were so many great moments. He didn’t even need to fight, all he had to do was trash talk somebody and it was great. So if you want to know who was an even better trash talker than the Rock, Stone Cold is the one. He always brought the attitude; in fact, he was the attitude! Nobody beats the Texas rattlesnake, “…and that’s the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so!”
That’s my top 10! Obviously wrestlers like Kane and The Big Show could definitely be up here as well, but it wouldn’t be that interesting of a line up if I only picked the biggest names. I picked the ones that I liked the most, as well as the ones that stood out to me the most and truly embraced the attitude. I think the WWE should bring back some elements of the Attitude Era. It will always be great, but I think it could benefit from less watering down and more uncensored stuff… I don’t mean that I want it to be inappropriate necessarily, as kids love the WWE. But I like the old style where there was a little more room for the wrestlers to be vulgar and angry. But regardless of my opinions, the WWE will always be legendary!
