The Attitude Era was one of great prosperity for WWE. They emerged from the comical New Generation Era and produced more edgy content.
It was a more reality-based product that let the wrestlers be themselves, departing from the “everyone has a job” gimmick of other eras. Many aspects of the Attitude Era contributed to its success but one of the main driving forces was the fantastic rivalries.
Some of the best feuds in history took place during this era. They were gritty and real, making the fans care deeply about the product.
We could feel the intense emotions that these feuds portrayed. Below are the best of these.
The Undertaker vs Kane
The introduction of Kane was a masterpiece. Leading up to his introduction, we saw fear in The Undertaker‘s face for the first time, knowing that his long-lost brother may be alive.
This fear was deepened when Kane made his way into the Kiel Center and tore his way into Hell in a Cell.
This introduction sparked one of the most intense rivalries of the Attitude Era. The Undertaker and Kane were both imposing individuals, but they also had a supernatural element to use to their advantage.
It made for some spine-chilling segments in the lead-up to their matches. Kane and The Undertaker’s matches were never going to be classics.
But the gimmick-filled contests were always entertaining. Specifically, their WrestleMania 14 one will be the stuff of legend.
The Rock vs Triple H
One of the big reasons that the Attitude Era was so successful was the fact that their roster depth was incredible. The main event scene was not the only game in town as the mid-card was spectacular.
It produced some great rivalries, with The Rock versus Triple H being one of the best. Triple H and The Rock were hungry lions who would stop at nothing to tear each other apart.
They included their factions, DX and The Nation, in their war. It would produce several great matches, including an all-time great at SummerSlam.
This was a rivalry that the mid-card couldn’t contain. Once they were promoted to the main event, The Rock and Triple H continued their war over the WWE Championship.
It was a feud that defined the careers of both men.
Triple H vs The 3 Faces of Foley
It was hard lumping just one of the incarnations of Mick Foley into a feud with Triple H. All three had their time with The Game, and all three were great in their battles against the future World Champion.
The feud between Triple H and Foley began back at the King of the Ring. Triple H cheated his way to victory over Mankind, thus sparking a road to revenge for the deranged one.
Things intensified every time the two men stepped into the ring. Foley and Triple H were joined at the hip throughout the Attitude Era.
When they weren’t doing battle for the King of the Ring title, they were competing in every gimmick match imaginable. They had a deep-seated hatred for one another, and it came out in these contests.
Their street fights, cage matches, and Hell in Cell contests were a thing of legend.
The Hardy Boys vs The Dudley Boys vs Edge & Christian
Tag team wrestling was a joke coming out of the New Generation. Many thrown-together tandems were winning the straps and the titles were hardly featured on programming.
It was a dark period that many thought the tag division would never recover from. Then tag team wrestling was saved when three teams began one of the greatest tag rivalries in wrestling history.
The Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian were young, hungry, and willing to do what it took to make the fans love tag team wrestling again. Anytime they stepped into the ring, they produced gold.
Naturally, we all remember the amazing TLC matches but there were some banger cage matches and street fights mixed in there. These matches were the focal point of programming and the main reason fans flocked to the arenas.
The three teams made tag team wrestling cool again.
WWE vs WCW
WWE and WCW were always going to compete with each other. As far back as the 1980s, the two companies were at odds, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s that things began to ramp up.
WCW got high-priced talent and began on a path to put WWE out of business. For a while, it worked, with WCW crushing WWE in the ratings for a record 83 consecutive weeks.
For the first time, WWE was on the ropes and it was not a great feeling for the company. They initially responded by taking cheap shots at WCW, but that just made WWE look weaker, lending more power to the southern company.
Only when WWE changed to an edgier product, did they turn the tide. Fans responded to this more realistic television and, soon enough, WWE arenas were packed across the country.
It was a huge shift for WWE but one that produced the most prosperous era in company history. They have prevailed in the Monday Night Wars, and we were all the beneficiaries.
The Undertaker vs Steve Austin
Steve Austin and The Undertaker were two of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era. So, it makes sense that WWE would throw these men together whenever they would get the chance.
When they did, fireworks ensued. When Austin was first trying to establish himself as a main event guy, The Undertaker was there to get him over.
When Austin won his first championship and needed a big opponent for SummerSlam, The Undertaker was the man to step up. When The Undertaker formed the Ministry of Darkness who was there to thwart them? You guessed it, Steve Austin.
The two men were linked throughout the Attitude Era. If there was a big-time rivalry to be had, Austin and The Undertaker were there.
They stood across the ring in more high-profile matches than just about anyone. They were the figureheads of an era.
The Rock vs Mankind
The Rock was a fantastic mid-card champion. His heel work was above reproach and showed what he was capable of when he broke through to the main event.
It was fortunate for us that his big break was at the expense of Mankind. The Rock turned heel on the deranged one and sparked something in Mankind.
He would spend the next few months doing everything in his power to beat The Rock and we would all benefit from it. During their rivalry, no one could have matched the intensity of The Rock and Mankind.
Every match they had was more brutal than the last. Every match is infamous for its brutal and creative spots that set them apart from other matches.
There may not be a more famous series of matches in company history.
The Rock vs Steve Austin
There are perhaps no men associated with the Attitude Era more than Steve Austin and The Rock. They were the two biggest stars of the era, and a majority of their success can be attributed to the efforts of Rock and Austin.
Rock and Austin were at odds with one another from the get-go. Their program for the IC title was incredibly entertaining and laid the groundwork for their WWE Championship feud that defined the era.
Austin and The Rock were the biggest stars. Main eventing WrestleMania on two occasions and having a marquee match at a third is a feat that only one other pairing can claim.
It was a testament to the chemistry between the two men, and how well they could entertain the fans. As either babyfaces or heels, no other pairing had a bigger effect on the Attitude Era.
Steve Austin vs Mr. McMahon
Austin vs Vince McMahon is the feud that sparked an era. Mr. McMahon was the most detestable boss character that anyone could imagine.
He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and used whoever he could in the process. When Steve Austin won the WWE Championship, McMahon tried to mold him but Austin resisted, sparking the best feud of the Attitude Era.
Austin versus McMahon blurred the lines of reality and told a story that everyone could identify with. Who out there didn’t want to have a chance to give their boss the Stunner?
It was the perfect rivalry and one that didn’t need a ton of physicality to get over. Of course, when it did get physical, it was great.
McMahon was no match for Austin but he used his minions perfectly to try and thwart Stone Cold. It made their eventual showdowns all the better and created a buzz around the company that no others could have pulled off.
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