When did WWE start relying too much on nostalgia?

[Mike the Executioner]

Inspired by the Soulja Boy situation and this excellent post by @Cadillac Murphy:

I think you could make a whole separate topic on this, but WWE really began nostalgia syphoning as far back as like...2006. Just that year alone, they had rebooted ECW, reunited DX and the Hardy Boyz, and still had guys like Roddy Piper and Slaughter pop up sometimes. On any random PPV you could see Sabu, Cool Dad DX, and like Dusty Rhodes competing and every year after they would double and triple down on that sentiment to where eventually whole shows were built on guys who’s heyday was like 30 years ago because they didn’t actively build enough, I feel, for the future, or care to either because nostalgia sells. That’s when they really basically walled themselves off from the broader spectrum of pop culture, by catering to the past you don’t keep up with the modern trends and culture and end up deaf to it all.

In my opinion, it started in 2011 when The Rock returned. Before and even after that, WWE was featuring members of the active roster in prominent roles and allowing the younger generation an opportunity to shine with the veterans. Slowly but surely, they started relying on part-time talent to carry shows. It made sense to have Cena face Rock in the main event of WrestleMania and book it a year in advance. It didn't make sense to have Undertaker face Reigns at WrestleMania or have him face Goldberg when he couldn't wrestle out of a paper bag. I really think WWE just saw the success they had with The Rock coming back and thought that if they just do that with every old wrestler, it will work just as well.

 

[Metal Face]

2011.
After Rock came back that basically started the whole "part time" deal shyt for older stars.

 

[MushroomX]

I would like to say this is a complex issue. As while its clear the nostalgia thing is just too clear as day. I have a feeling that I want to say that after Cena, Orton, Batista and Edge, they sort of put the bar on any PG-13 wrestlers (except for Punk, but even then he was pushed to Diet ECW).

So it just came to the point where Vince said "You need to be Family Friendly" to all other wrestlers, but during that time ratings starts to seep, and then that's when Vince starts to get nostalgic. In reality while nostalgia is ok, its hiding the fact they are locking down any creative impulse from the Wrestlers themselves, which is really the driving factor in why the product is stale as well.

 

[SpacelySprockets]

WWE has relied on nostalgia since it stopped being a popular mainstream product dating back to the mid 2000s when 80s legends would always pop up, old ass hoegan beat prime klandy orton in a feud built on saturday nights main event

obviously in the 2010s it went to a different level with older guys in the world title picture, but that was just an evolution from what was already started years prior

 

[Dynamite James]

Us 90s kids really went overboard with the nostalgia. WWE exploited that

 

[ALTRUISM]

Good: Rock, Edge, MVP
Mixed: Taker, Brock
Bad: Goldberg

I'll even go on to say that I think Taker/Reigns could've been great in theory, and would've been a blockbuster in like 2004 to maybe 2010. But, between father time, the WWE's complete and utter lack of creativity, and lack of proper planning/booking in anything - it was doomed to fail from the start.

 

[Ben Ovabich]

Probably 2010 when Bret Hart came back to RAW..

 

[Norrin Radd]

They've coasted on it for years, yeah. Vince can't/refuses to try and make new stars so be brings back guys like Hogan, Goldberg, Taker, Batista, etc to go over new, young talent for the ratings bumps.

And then of course there's the annual Raw: Old School shyt they do. Vince really is out of touch and stuck in the past.

 

[Mʀ2ᴋDᴇᴇᴢ]

More I think about it I agree with @Cadillac Murphy with Mid 2000s

Had Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Bob Orton, Jimmy Snuka etc too

But they didn’t start relying on them as their main draw til Rock came back few years later

 

[Starboy52]

They've always used guys who were heavy in the pop culture zeitgeist (Be it movie stars/tv stars/musicians or wrestlers from a decade or so back) to help fill out the Mania cards. The Legends /w Mickey Rourke vs Chris Jericho Match at Mania 25, The Gimmick Battle Royal at Mania X-7, Icon v Icon at Mania 18, Snookie at whatever WM it was she was at, etc. But in terms of them actively building the show AROUND someone who wasn't a full time wrestler and only gonna be around for Mania Season, if even that?

Probably when The Rock came back and they booked the Main Events of the next three WMs to revolve around him either being a factor (Host of WM 27) or competing (Once in a Lifetime & Cena/Rock II).

 

[Elim Garak]

When the talent pool became devoid of stars.

 

[Here Comes the Pain]

When Hogan got that standing ovation after mania 18 & vince realized these fools have a soft spot for vintage.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

They’ve always had nostalgia in some way, but it seemed to explode in the early 2010s, even though there was some before hand. The WWE literally bled Attitude dry for probably 15 years after it ended. Keep in mind, the Dudleyz had a mini run and the New Age Outlaws won the tag titles in and it seems like they realized how much they beat that Attitude era horse, when is basically how that Ruthless Aggression documentary came about. But there is no other era unlike the past 5-6 years where nostalgia and part timers have basically been the go-to card. Goldberg won the Universal title when he was 53, could y’all imagine if in 1997, a 53 year old Jimmy Snuka would’ve beaten HBK, Bret Hart, or Undertaker for the WWF title ??? Or Sgt Slaughter beating The Rock, Austin, or Kurt Angle for the title back in 2001??? In previous eras, nostalgia wasn’t used as the backbone of storylines like they have been for the past few years, it used to just be used in spurts for side stories. And because of that, it’s the main reason they’re in the state they’re in now, cause the haven’t focused on the present and built towards the future. And I’ve said all this without even including that one star they did build (Cena), but used him to wreck other guys for almost a ten year period. That could be another thread in itself.

 

[Womb Raider]

I can't think of a time where WWE didn't rely on nostalgia. Obviously they OD'd on it after Rock/Cena but before then they had reformed nWo (killed that), DX (killed that), shyt they even put the belt on old ass Hoegan when he couldn't do anything except hulk up/big boot/leg drop nikkas. When they had old man DX against the Grandpas of Destruction I think they went overboard, and even then they still put the belt on Oldberg.

A certain amount of nostalgia is good for the soul but you can't base the entire product off of part timers. You won't have any other option when you refuse to build new stars tho.

 

[TRIPLE M]

When Hogan got that standing ovation after mania 18 & vince realized these fools have a soft spot for vintage.

This is the answer along with sales on dvd compilations of wrestlers and promotions of the past in that time period ( ecw was brought back by the dvd sales for instance)
After Hogan keep in mind the following years after wwe brought back among others
Mr Perfect
Roddy Piper
Road Warrior Animal
Tatanka
Bret Hart