3 Reasons Why This Current WWE Era Is Better Than The Attitude Era (And 3 Reasons Why It's Not)

I've heard this current WWE Era referred to by many names.

Ask Cody Rhodes, and he'd likely call it the "Renaissance Era” since he filed a trademark under that title. Ask Triple H, and he'd likely call it the “Netflix Era,” given that Raw is now on the streaming platform. And, if you ask fans, they might just call it the “Triple H Era,” since Paul Levesque has had such a major impact ever since he took over.

But, whatever you want to call it, this is currently one of the best eras in WWE history. However, is it the absolute greatest? A lot of long-time fans will proclaim that The Attitude Era, which took place between 1997-2002, is still the greatest period in WWE history, and I would agree…for the most part. Because in a lot of ways, I'd argue that this current era is even better. Here's why.

Why It's Better Than The Attitude Era: Every Lead-Up To WrestleMania Feels Bigger Than The Last

There were a few great WrestleManias during The Attitude Era. WrestleMania XIV saw “Stone Cold” Steve Austin defeat Shawn Michaels to become the WWE (Then WWF) Champion. While WrestleMania X-7 is often touted as being the greatest WrestleMania of all time, what with Austin turning heel, and that banger of a TLC II match.

However, while The Attitude Era did an excellent job of building storylines toward WrestleManias, I’d contend that Triple H has done an even better job than Vince and company ever since he took over.

First off, can we once again talk about the main event of WrestleMania XL, and how Cody finished his story? If one remembers correctly, it seemed like it wasn’t even going to happen, as Cody gave up his opportunity to The Rock, only for fans to revolt, which caused WWE to course correct.

This, in turn, created one of WWE’s greatest new characters in The Rock as The Final Boss (though, not everybody is a fan). And then, for WrestleMania 41, we have one of the most shocking heel turns of all time with John Cena turning to the dark side during Elimination Chamber.

Granted, it seems like WWE might have stumbled into The Final Boss character, but these lead-ups to the past couple of Manias have been stratospheric, and arguably better than anything during the Attitude Era's lead-ups.

Why It's Not As Good As The Attitude Era: Manufactured Attitude

Let me tell you. Back in the height of The Attitude Era, my friends and I would get into so much trouble from slapping X’s toward our crotches, and shouting two words: “Suck it!”

Pretty much the battle cry of that era, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who got called down to the principal’s office for making “lewd gestures” in the hallways. But, that was just it. There was so much attitude oozing out of this era, that it was impossible NOT to get enthused.

However, nowadays, any time The Rock (Or even Cody!) drops an F-bomb, it feels forced. Not only that, but it’s often trotted out for special occasions, as you can tell when they’re going “overboard” with the blood and profanity.

Yes, wrestlers seem to be allowed a bit more freedom when it comes to their social media presences, dropping curse words more frequently. But, when it comes to TV, the WWE, more often than not, plays it safe, and any actual “attitude” feels manufactured.

It’s one of the reasons that while I still watch WWE, I’m more of an AEW guy. At least in their promotion, the actual “attitude” feels a bit less forced.

Why It's Better Than The Attitude Era: Both The Women's And Men's Divisions Are Equally Compelling

I’ll be frank. The Women’s Division in the Attitude Era left much to be desired. Yes, some of the most impactful female wrestlers in WWE history came out of this period, such as Lita, Trish Stratus, and of course, Chyna. However, this was also the same era in which Stephanie McMahon held the title belt for multiple months.

In truth, a lot of the division back then was mostly just for titillation, and nobody really cared when you had wrestlers like The Undertaker, The Rock, “Stone Cold,” and, the best wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots, Kurt Angle.

The same can’t be said for today, though, in which the women are just as, if not more so, compelling as the men these days.

It's mostly because the Women's Division is taken a lot more seriously now. The Women's Royal Rumble is a marquee event, and Iyo Sky capturing the Women's Championship from Rhea Ripley was considered a big deal, especially given all of the hardships she went through just to attain the belt.

The Attitude Era tried, but it mostly treated the Women's Division like a joke. This current era is making the most of the female talent, which makes for a much better product overall.

Why It's Not As Good As The Attitude Era: There Are Currently Major Stars, But The Older Stars Are Still The Main Attraction

Ask anybody who they’re most excited about for this upcoming WrestleMania, and they’ll likely tell you it’s heel Cena, The Rock, or CM Punk.

In other words, OLDER talent. That’s not to say that the current roster doesn’t have some great younger talent, like Austin Theory, “Dirty” Dom, and Gunther. However, these are not the names that are selling out seats. They’ve gotten their pushes, sure, but the WWE is still trotting out talent from yesteryear to get eyes on screens.

Not so with The Attitude Era, which created real stars out of characters like The Rock, “Stone Cold,” Mankind, and Kane. I mean, even the midcarders, like Al Snow, Val Venis, and The Godfather were given a lot more of a push than somebody like, say, Chad Gable is today.

That’s a big problem. Because while yes, the WWE roster is currently jam-packed with young talent, the higher-ups are still relying on the old standbys to make sure people tune in.

For example, when NXT was against with AEW for ratings one night, they made sure that the Undertaker was there, even though he didn’t even wrestle. The Attitude Era never had this problem, as it created new stars, many of whom we’re still cheering for today.

Why It's Better Than The Attitude Era: There Are None Of Vince McMahon’s Crazy Shenanigans

When people think of The Attitude Era, they usually think about all the good stuff. D-Generation X, The Dudley Boyz slamming people through tables, the People’s Elbow. Good times.

However, a lot of people tend to forget (or at least, try to forget) some of the nonsense that occurred in The Attitude Era. Like Mark Henry having a relationship with the elderly Mae Young, and her giving birth to a hand (WTF?). Or Linda McMahon being in a wheelchair and just sitting there while her husband made out with Trish Stratus.

I mean, for every amazing storyline, there were just as many bad stories, or even terrible ones that made very little sense and were probably just written to make Vince McMahon laugh.

We don’t have that anymore. Instead of hotshot booking, the storylines under Triple H’s leadership can take well over a year to develop, and we’re all the better for it.

The storylines aren’t high art, don’t get me wrong. But, there’s also nothing utterly ridiculous like an old woman giving birth to a hand, either, so that’s something to celebrate.

Why It's Not As Good As The Attitude Era: Today's Entrance Music Theme Songs Are Terrible Beyond Belief

Lastly, I just have to talk about Def Rebel, because they are quite simply terrible.

For those who don’t know, Def Rebel makes many of the entrance themes for today’s WWE wrestlers, and their themes are so forgettable (and some might say bad) that they’ve become a sort of a meme online.

Now, to be fair, I don’t think all of Def Rebel’s themes are terrible. That said, they don’t compare to the work that Jim Johnston did for the company during The Attitude Era.

Some of the most famous themes of all time were Johnston’s creations, and it’s kind of crazy that we now get the kind of music that Def Rebel produces when we used to get iconic themes like Vince McMahon’s “No Chance,” or Chris Jericho’s Y2J theme.

Because people often don’t realize just how important a wrestler’s theme is until it’s Royal Rumble time, and the music hits, and you’re just like, wait, who’s theme is this again? We never had that problem when it came to Johnston. All of his themes were incredible.

But, what do you think? Which era do you think is better?