Wwe's Attitude Era: 10 Angles That Would NEVER Fly Today!
WWE's Attitude Era: A Wild, Wild West of Wrestling
Let's be real, folks: WWE is way different now than during its Attitude Era. It's family-friendly and globally beloved—a massive shift from that wild, controversial time. Vince McMahon's decision to go PG-13 was smart business—it totally paid off and is still highly praised. But that earlier era—well, things got…interesting. And often really problematic. There were some amazing, innovative angles and storylines. However, it often came at a cost, relying on questionable approaches that had very negative effects and are completely unacceptable by current standards and ethical viewpoints. We're diving deep into ten Attitude Era segments that would get WWE canceled in today's world; highlighting just why this show became so controversial, while reminding ourselves about just how problematic some creative choices during those eras truly are, regardless of their success.
Warning: This article covers sensitive content, including racial slurs, abuse, and Sexual Violence, which were present in WWE programming. View at your own discretion.
10 Attitude Era Moments WWE Would Regret Today
10. DX and Goldust: The Blackface Debacle
These segments, scrubbed from WWE's streaming library, were highly offensive for multiple reasons and had already been extensively discussed prior. D-Generation X, famously known for using dark humor and parody as methods for creating narratives; parodied Nation of Domination and The Rock’s Corporation—but in blackface. Seriously. And guess what? It wasn’t only DX. Goldust also donned blackface for a match against Flash Funk! There is nothing funny here at all, highlighting that the creative decisions at the time, especially for using that kind of humor for those storylines completely fails to meet contemporary standards.
9. Mr. McMahon’s Humiliation of Trish Stratus: Power Dynamics Gone Wrong
This was a build-up to WrestleMania X-7. Mr. McMahon, the ever-villainous owner, abuses Trish Stratus, making her strip down and bark like a dog; all part of an angle showcasing McMahon's immense power over his subordinates. This produced cheers from the audience in 2001. Today? Sponsors would flip; the outrage is self-evident. This wasn’t an accident, a joke – this used violence and abuse for those comedic and drama purposes that only serves to illustrate McMahon’s own problematic viewpoints which shouldn’t be understated. This type of abuse, while portrayed and condoned by audience members and those creative leaders back then is now completely, and utterly unacceptable!
8. Stone Cold's Brutal Assault on Lita: Intergender Violence in a Controversial Context
Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H teamed up; this involved a chair-based beatdown on The Hardy Boyz with Lita (then Jeff Hardy's girlfriend) getting repeatedly smashed. Intergender violence in modern WWE would never be this acceptable, regardless of intended narrative. Those kind of physical dynamics, which clearly involved assault—it shows this extreme lack of respect that isn't seen today, at all!
7. Kurt Angle’s Racist Remarks About Kane and Fans: A Highly Offensive Slip
Kurt Angle’s usage of that slur aimed at Kane and fans was probably one of the tamer ones, but current social standards would totally obliterate this even slightly problematic usage of a racial slur! Any racial slur at all. The impact on fans, is especially severe when considering WWE's current strong PR relating to working with Make-A-Wish. This highly praised and consistently loved action from WWE greatly contrasts with these prior approaches. This is completely self-evident.
6. Hawk’s Near-Suicide Angle: A Tacky, Exploitative Storyline
Hawk (Legion of Doom) struggled with addiction and those storylines mirrored this fact closely— showing him visibly intoxicated and eventually going to rehab. His onscreen attempt at suicide; the ensuing, bizarre altercation with Droz, who apparently was responsible for supplying Hawk with drugs. That completely unnecessary addition caused both Hawk and Animal to leave, this demonstrated that storyline was not something enjoyed by anybody, even those performers at the height of the Attitude Era.
5. Terri Runnells’ Fabricated Miscarriage: Manipulative Storytelling Gone Wrong
Terri Runnells's story was a mess. Announcing a pregnancy; then this story arc involving the identity of that baby's father; revealing it was all fabricated – an incredibly distasteful lie using that loss to manipulate others. And this entire event came during the iconic Mankind-Rock championship match! This highly memorable event which contrasts with a fictional miscarriage that’s equally unbelievable!
4. Beaver Cleavage/Chazz: A Disturbing Parody of Incest
This repackaging for Mosh—from Headbangers–into Beaver Cleavage involved completely awful incestual implications regarding his relationship with Mrs. Cleavage! This storyline demonstrated a clear shift from intended entertainment towards purely using shock value. There was no sense made here, a completely poorly executed idea that highlighted exactly just how the writers had a severe lapse of judgment during that time.
3. Chyna's Prank on Mark Henry: Homophobic and Transphobic Stereotypes
Chyna’s plotline was cruel: setting up Mark Henry with a friend (revealed to be trans) then showing the footage to his mother—for comedic purposes; this was clearly not comedic, entirely showing transphobic tropes. Henry’s vomiting reaction following the reveal? Inappropriately portrayed homophobia which serves only to remind us that this entire event had zero value; making WWE's acceptance towards the LGBTQ+ community now extremely relevant!
2. Triple H’s Drug-Fueled Marriage to Stephanie McMahon: A Seriously Dark Twist
This event's dark side involved the infamous interruption by Triple H, of Test’s wedding to Stephanie McMahon — revealing his secret marriage through those troubling circumstances surrounding drug usage and other exploitative scenarios. The implications and depictions presented are genuinely troubling and should never be underestimated. Even that implied storyline's direction and impact afterward is unacceptable.
1. DX's Locker Room Assault: Trivializing Rape
This is probably the worst moment: DX grabbing a woman (partially hidden); while the assumption and suggestion—the emphasis on possible assault; never actually being confirmed even in the episode’s subsequent story, created an environment condoning rape through its complete triviality. The impact that making rape and violence as completely accepted scenarios with no resulting consequences greatly damaged those around, completely violating others; this highlights an absolutely severe problem present in that era and completely inappropriate to be recreated in contemporary contexts; highlighting once more that, the contrast with modern WWE's handling of these themes remains extremely relevant!
Conclusion: The Attitude Era’s Legacy: Good, Bad, and Utterly Unacceptable
WWE's Attitude Era brought wild moments; innovative storylines— some actually very good. Those highly creative choices came at a heavy cost. This era remains deeply Controversial for showcasing various inappropriate actions towards minorities, exploiting addiction and portraying violence against women! This demonstrates how creativity comes at a price and those terrible decisions involved these hugely offensive plotlines, those moments now unacceptable for contemporary viewers and any sponsors involved; this should really reinforce how those problematic stories from those eras need constant highlighting, reminding us to strive for better and safer production methods across the industry. It also is what completely demonstrates those deep creative challenges related to creating interesting, engaging narratives; while making ethically appropriate storytelling choices!
