What started the attitude era decline?

[Dipsey Doo]

Russo leaving and Stephanie taking over creative was the end.

 

[Moesha’s Overbearing Dad]

How do you feel about missing HBKs second run when he came back in 2002??

I’m not mad that I missed it in retrospect.. i think I got to a point in my life where I didn’t care about wrestling… I went to the Navy so i kinda got more into hooping and when we had flag football teams and meeting new people outside of my hometown i really wasn’t even watching tv as much

However… what i didn’t know was the HBK/ Undertaker storyline.. the 2 WM matches when I watched them after the fact was GOAT level shyt and it made me go on a HBK deep dive so I’m glad I did my research.. i learned the whole Montreal screw job story in depth also… I’m kinda glad I learned that way because HBK is top 5 for me

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Russo leaving and Stephanie taking over creative was the end.

*Chris Kreski being demoted and Stephanie taking over creative

 

[Chris Cool]

There was a mass exodus of fans in 02.

 

[Two Stacks]

Attitude era wasn't going to last.

You can only push the envelope so far before it loses the appeal. The gimmicks only go so far.

Even Stone Colds character cooled off after a while. The pops weren't there.

The chairs, ladders, tables, etc...that stuff doesn't even cause you to bat an eye anymore in 2017. It's not interesting.

That's why they took the rap persona off Cena, bc it could only take him so far as a character

Sometimes less is more

Austin's pops NEVER died.

There was a mass exodus of fans in 02.

I was a part of that. I did not see much from 02 to 05. I remember Brock's debut destroying Spike. I remember parts of JBLs run. But I did not see HHH reign of terror/Evolution.

 

[jadillac]

Austin's pops NEVER died.



I was a part of that. I did not see much from 02 to 05. I remember Brock's debut destroying Spike. I remember parts of JBLs run. But I did not see HHH reign of terror/Evolution.

I didn't say they died. The pops in 2002 for Austin weren't the same as 98 and 99.

Any wrestler would still take those 2002 pops tho

 

[Moesha’s Overbearing Dad]

Austin's pops NEVER died.



I was a part of that. I did not see much from 02 to 05. I remember Brock's debut destroying Spike. I remember parts of JBLs run. But I did not see HHH reign of terror/Evolution.

LOL I remember turning on the TV and JBL was the champ… I was like wtf wasn’t dude in the APA???

I was completely obvious to HHH reign of terror until I seen YouTube reviews years later on YouTube. Somehow I was well aware of Cena’s reigns… I was highly interested in ECW One Night Stand due to word of mouth

I kinda remember the whole HHH/Booker T thing somehow

WWE had a real grey area for almost a decade + for me

 

[Moesha’s Overbearing Dad]

Also … I HATED that “What” shyt SCSA started

 

[Metal Face]

Austin's heel turn & Rock leaving for Hollywood

 

[Art Barr]

The only real answer :

Cripple ache winning over rock and mankind at mania.
Disturbing the story book annual finale and purpose of mania.


Art Barr

 

[FTBS]

Another thing is failure to build new stars.

Rock and Austin headlined WM in 03. They headlined 3 of 5 WM. We got very few WM rematches and off top I cant think if any trilogies. What does that say about the rest if the roster and moreover your booking and building that you had to keep going back to that well?

Then in the other 2 years you had Rock/Hogan and the McMahon Soap Opera 4 way because Paul couldnt carry his weight in a Mania main event.

 

[threattonature]

I think the main answers have been touched. Part of it was creative got lazy. Instead of a fast paced show throwing a bunch of different storylines at you, it became long drawn out interviews to start every show (primarily Triple H). The top characters got overexposed and stale. Instead of fresh storylines they just threw them out there for interviews playing the greatest hits and reeling off all the catchphrases to get a cheap pop.

Botching of the Invasion angle. If done properly it could've carried TV for a year or longer. Instead they just humiliated all the WCW/ECW guys. Undertaker shouldn't be ignored as he played a big part in squashing numerous people and getting way too much mic time.

 

[FTBS]

I think the main answers have been touched. Part of it was creative got lazy. Instead of a fast paced show throwing a bunch of different storylines at you, it became long drawn out interviews to start every show (primarily Triple H). The top characters got overexposed and stale. Instead of fresh storylines they just threw them out there for interviews playing the greatest hits and reeling off all the catchphrases to get a cheap pop.

Botching of the Invasion angle. If done properly it could've carried TV for a year or longer. Instead they just humiliated all the WCW/ECW guys. Undertaker shouldn't be ignored as he played a big part in squashing numerous people and getting way too much mic time.

Always been a Taker guy but its become apparent that he either was responsible for a lot of BS or stood idly by and let it happen despite his position ability to stop it.

Invasion stands as the biggest waste in thr history of the business. What could've been an all time angle was reduced to McMahon revenge porn.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Invasion was an all time money blunder, but it’s both Vince’s fault and the wrestlers themselves under those contracts. No reason to come in and look goofy when you can sit at home and make millions. But overall, they blew potentially years of storylines and money in a 6 month period, and your “Winner Take All” event was:

• Team WWF: The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show.
• The Alliance: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Shane McMahon.

2002 Big Show should not have been apart of that. Also, your team opposing the WWF were Booker T & RVD (which was fine), the boss’s son, and two firmly entrenched WWF guys. Vince and Co were never truly serious about presenting WCW/the Alliance as a real threat. All throughout the Invasion storyline, the WWF guys often got definitive dominating wins, while WCW/ECW, were getting contour wins, DQs, and roll ups, only to get their asses kicked right after. Lastly, ECW honestly should’ve been its own entity, not aligning with WCW.

 

[Redwood]

*Chris Kreski being demoted and Stephanie taking over creative

Dude had storyboards for storylines

The original long term story planner