It has been almost 30 years since the Attitude Era began in the then-WWF, helping to propel the biggest boom period for professional wrestling in history. Vince McMahon became the most hated heel figure in WWF opposite the beer-swilling, middle-finger throwing rattlesnake, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, who would become arguably the biggest star and babyface in WWF history. Surrounding them was a who’s who of names including Mick Foley, The Rock, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Kane, Undertaker, The Hardys, and many more.
Week-to-week TV became destination viewing to see what craziness would unfold on WWF Raw is War, and later WWF SmackDown. The promotion pushed the envelop further and further, sometimes purely out of spite for any groups who criticized the product for its graphic nature and portrayal of minorities, stances which would be vindicated with time.
As a result, there has been a long desire from pro wrestling fans for WWE to “get back to the Attitude Era,” often arguing this will improve the product. This stance is so common among fans it became a focal point of Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42 once Pat McAfee was injected into the feud.
The simple fact many of these have to accept is that era of TV content has long-since passed. So much of what was deemed acceptable during the 90s faces harsh scrutiny from modern critics and audiences for the portrayal of women, POC, and the LGBTQIA+. WWF’s product was no different, and in some cases, one of the worst perpetrators of that period with segments like DX imitating The Nation in full blackface or just how women were used on the shows, in general.
Even the most cynical viewpoint can see how trying to go back to anything resembling this tone would be a near-suicidal business decision.
All that said, it doesn’t mean every aspect of the Attitude Era was bad and not worth trying to get back to. In fact, the most important aspects of the Attitude Era have already been back and yet, often get overlooked by many fans.
A Healthy Dose of Competition
First, and most important, is the simple existence of competition in the professional wrestling space again.
The birth of All Elite Wrestling in 2019 is the biggest reason for this, as the fledgling promotion was able to secure a primetime slot on TNT for its weekly show, AEW Dynamite. It immediately made the promotion founded by Tony Khan, son of Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C. owner Shahid Khan, and The Elite, a spin-off group of the massively successful Bullet Club in New Japan Pro-Wrestling consisting of Cody Rhodes, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks, a true competitor to WWE for talent. A second promotion on national TV means another option for independent wrestlers to try for other than WWE, in turn forcing WWE to make competitive contract offers.
Will Ospreay reportedly drew multiple big money offers from various promotions when his New Japan contract was up in 2023 before ultimately announcing he was signing with AEW at AEW Full Gear 2023 and would begin with the promotion, full-time, in 2024. All of this would not have been possible if WWE was still the only “big time” promotion on national TV as it had been since 2001.
Even something like the WWE ID program exists so WWE can ensure they have the “first crack” at signing specific independent talent both promotions may be interested in.
The existence of two national promotions also means more talent jumping back and forth between the promotions the way a Jeff Jarrett, Big Show, or Sid Vicious did in that time.
Andrade El Idolo is perhaps the highest profile name to already jump back and forth between WWE and AEW multiple times.
After being cut from WWE in March 2021, Andrade was signed by AEW shortly after and debuted that summer. His tenure wasn’t a smooth one, though, as he did get in a fight with fellow AEW wrestler Sammy Guevara in a bid to get fired so he could return to WWE after Vince McMahon “retired” the first time in 2022 and Triple H took over creative. Andrade would ultimately remain with AEW until the end of 2023 and returned to WWE at the 2024 Royal Rumble. Despite the return, he quickly found himself back to a similar spot on the card he was in before his first release. He was ultimately fired for reportedly multiple wellness policy violations in September 2025. He was quickly resigned by AEW the next month and appeared on the October 1st Dynamite, but WWE quickly attempted to halt this by arguing Andrade had violated the non-compete clause in his previous WWE contract that could keep him from working anywhere for up to a year. After roughly two months, the issue was settled and Andrade was allowed to return to AEW in January 2026 and has since been on arguably the best run of his career.
This would not have been possible if WWE was still the only major promotion on national TV.
A Sky Full of Stars
The other aspect of the Attitude Era that is back, also as a result of competition, is the sheer number of stars in professional wrestling now as a result of two nationally televised promotions.
During the 90s, WWF and WCW stars were among the biggest names in the world because of the Monday Night Wars that saw WWF Raw is War and WCW Monday Nitro engage in a ratings war from 1995 through 2001, when WWF would purchase a floundering WCW.
Steve Austin, The Rock, Hollywood Hogan, Sting, Undertaker, Goldberg, Mankind, and many more were in high demand outside of professional wrestling for everything from magazine spotlights to guest spots on some of the most popular TV shows at the time. The Rock would be the biggest name to break out from that generation, making the successful jump from the wrestling ring to the movie screen and becoming one of the most financially successful actors in history.
But it wasn’t just the main events that saw stars emerge. WWF, specifically, would assemble one of its most star-studded rosters by 2000 thanks to a main event scene anchored by names like Austin and The Rock, major acquisitions from WCW including Big Show, Chris Jericho, and the Radicalz, and a white-hot tag division centered on an ongoing three-way feud between the Hardyz, the Dudleyz, and Edge and Christian.
Jumping forward to 2026, and once again the industry is overflowing with names that are genuinely over with fans and experience mainstream demand. AEW Men’s World Champion MJF is the latest wrestler to break into Hollywood, He portrayed Lance Von Erich, the fake Von Erich introduced to World Class Championship Wrestling amid the tragic deaths of all but one of the five Von Erich brothers, in the 2023 film The Iron Claw, though his appearance was extremely brief. His first sizeable role was in 2025’s Happy Gilmore 2 as Gordy Gilmore, the oldest of Happy Gilmore’s four sons, and reportedly has a significant supporting role in the upcoming action sequel Violent Night 2.
On the other side of the aisle, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are just two of the names in WWE that can be found all over pop culture, with Reigns and Rhodes set to appear in the upcoming Street Fighter film as Akuma and Guile, respectively. Becky Lynch became the first active WWE wrestler to appear in a film across from an active AEW wrestler when she also appeared in Happy Gilmore 2 as a golfer.
And then there’s just the sheer number of popular and talented names populating both WWE and AEW that result in extremely deep rosters the promotions can pull from for shows. AEW, in particular, has been enjoying the best run of shows since 2021/2022 on the back of a roster of over talent across the men’s and women’s divisions.
A healthy and revitalized independent scene alongside a rise in popularity for multiple international promotions such as CMLL and Stardom means there is no shortage of available talent with sizeable followings, as well. Social media has made it easier for many independent wrestlers to cultivate a fanbase that will follow them promotion to promotion. It opens the door for someone like Joe Hendry to become a social media sensation thanks to a meme-worthy entrance that caught WWE’s eye and saw the Scottish-native sign with the promotion in 2025.
So next time someone brings up wanting wrestling to go back to the Attitude Era, tell them that the most important parts are back and have been back for quite some time while the rest can stay in the 90s, where they belong.
Minimum Wage Nerd 