What started the attitude era decline?

[FTBS]

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.

It was as if Vince didn't understand it was a work and that he owned it all.

 

[bigde09]

Triple h Kurt Angle Steph love triangle and the way it ended was the first domino to fall. Moving from USA was the second. Having Rikishi run over Austin was the third.

These were the fist signs that the attitude era was beginning to show some cracks

 

[DaHNIC82]

Triple h Kurt Angle Steph love triangle and the way it ended was the first domino to fall. Moving from USA was the second. Having Rikishi run over Austin was the third.

These were the fist signs that the attitude era was beginning to show some cracks

It originally showed cracks in 1999 after Russo left and they had The Rock jobbing to the Big Bossman and Vince and Triple H main eventing PPVs and shyt.. But then they started to really purge WCW and ECW.
Jericho
Taz
The Dudleyz
Benoit,
Guerrero
Malenko
Saturn


And with that talent pool.. They couldn't fail. But then a year later...
Taz became a joke
Benoit broke his neck
Guerrero was struggling with his demons
Malenko was booked as a joke
Saturn was a joke

Everyone other that Jericho, Dudleyz, Benoit, and Eddie fell right off.

 

[threattonature]

It originally showed cracks in 1999 after Russo left and they had The Rock jobbing to the Big Bossman and Vince and Triple H main eventing PPVs and shyt.. But then they started to really purge WCW and ECW.
Jericho
Taz
The Dudleyz
Benoit,
Guerrero
Malenko
Saturn


And with that talent pool.. They couldn't fail. But then a year later...
Taz became a joke
Benoit broke his neck
Guerrero was struggling with his demons
Malenko was booked as a joke
Saturn was a joke

Everyone other that Jericho, Dudleyz, Benoit, and Eddie fell right off.

Can't leave out RVD and Booker too who became breakouts too.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

It originally showed cracks in 1999 after Russo left and they had The Rock jobbing to the Big Bossman and Vince and Triple H main eventing PPVs and shyt.. But then they started to really purge WCW and ECW.
Jericho
Taz
The Dudleyz
Benoit,
Guerrero
Malenko
Saturn


And with that talent pool.. They couldn't fail. But then a year later...
Taz became a joke
Benoit broke his neck
Guerrero was struggling with his demons
Malenko was booked as a joke
Saturn was a joke

Everyone other that Jericho, Dudleyz, Benoit, and Eddie fell right off.

All those dudes jumping ship basically kept them from having a pretty pathetic mid and upper mid card roster during that era. The cracks were definitely showing in 99, then you really felt stuff from late 2000 up til right before the first Invasion attack. I can’t remember if it was Mike Awesome attacking Test, or Lance Storm interfering in somebody’s match.

 

[Redwood]

Only high points of the Invasion was Austin's intentional and unintentional funny bits. I noticed the crowds sorta lost their enthusiasm heading towards Survivor Series because of the crappy booking.

 

[DaHNIC82]

All those dudes jumping ship basically kept them from having a pretty pathetic mid and upper mid card roster during that era. The cracks were definitely showing in 99, then you really felt stuff from late 2000 up til right before the first Invasion attack. I can’t remember if it was Mike Awesome attacking Test, or Lance Storm interfering in somebody’s match.

Remember they reunited DX as heels? Shyt was awful.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Remember they reunited DX as heels? Shyt was awful.

I was at this show I remember there being cheers, but it just felt different

 

[DaHNIC82]

I was at this show I remember there being cheers, but it just felt different

Jim Ross would have you believing the biggest crime in the face of humanity was taking place.

 

[DANJ!]

The post-Mania X7 season right before the Invasion. You still had some good stuff in there but the dropoff was noticeable. Rock took his months off, HHH got injured which ended the teamup with Austin that also wasn't too great itself, the Mr. McMahon character was drifting into same ol' same, just a lot of stuff not clicking. Then the Invasion happened that summer and by then, they were phasing the "Attitude" out... and things got pretty bad by the fall.

 

[DaHNIC82]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the death of Owen Hart.

 

[Paper Boi]

Austin and Angle in the Invasion were great, but it was not money


it all went downhill when Austin turned, someone prove me wrong.

 

[Hey_zeus]

Rikishi in the main event. Straight spin off season

 

[Dave24]

Rikishi in the main event. Straight spin off season

I didn't mind Rikishi being in the main event. I liked his "did it for the Rock" promo and loved the six man hell in a cell he was in at Armageddon 2000

 

[My Girl is Bow Legged]

I was off and on but I remember I think in 2002 they were running a storyline on smackdown with two gay dudes (I think billy gunn was one of them) and had a whole segment with them getting married or some shyt. clicked off and never went back after that lol