Only 1 In 10 Fans Can Name These Attitude Era WWE Superstars
- by Mike Moore
- – on
- in Sports
The WWE has gone through so many changes since its creation in 1979 that it's hard to count just how many times the brand has changed its direction. The late 80s and early 90s really put the company on the map in terms of a global wrestling promotion monster which it continues to be today.
Fans generally agree that the Attitude Era was when the company reached its peak. The i- your-face, aggressive, pushing the envelope of what can be aired on cable television direction the company was heading towards brought in millions of fans each week just to see how far they were going to take it each night.
It's hard to argue against the Attitude Era when fans saw some of the best talent, and best matches in the history of the company, but also some of the strangest and most surreal moments in television history.
The Attitude Era made careers for a lot of the superstars at the time, while others seemingly disappeared without a trace due to the dog eat dog, wild west gun slinging mantra the company had evolved into. If the gimmick didn't get over with the fans the superstar didn't get air-time, and the formula for success was anybody's guess.
So you fancy yourself a WWE fan? Name these Attitude Era superstars.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was the baddest of the bad. A beer drinking, butt kicking, no nonsense hell raiser who made his own rules and answered to no one. He is quite easily one of the biggest names to ever come out of the WWE, and fans can thank the Attitude Era for allowing him to run wild on the business. There's a general consensus that he was the driving force behind the beginning of the Attitude Era, defeating Jake Roberts at King of the Ring and cutting his most legendary promo.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
She will go down as one of the best WWE superstars of all time. She was the rare talent who could actually wrestle during the Attitude Era, and she was drop dead gorgeous which allowed for the company to easily market her to the millions of fans across the globe. It didn't hurt that she was the most recognizable baby face in the business, so anything the company decided to do with her was essentially a license to print money.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He's one of the nicest guys in the industry according to, well, pretty much everyone who has ever encountered him. Although that all ends when he pulls on the mask and steps from behind the curtain as one of the craziest, scariest, and all around most insane characters the WWE had ever produced. He's known for taking some of the biggest bumps, greatest falls, and cut some of the most unnerving promos of the day. He will forever be cemented as one of the greatest of all time.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He came over from ECW with his long-time tag-team partner and brought with him the hardcore edge in which ECW built its foundation. The timing could not have been better as the WWE was in the middle of its most brutal and violent stages, mixed with on-air low brow humor and outrageous story lines. He spent the first part of his career in the promotion power bombing women through tables, making him one of the most hated on-air characters at the time.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
She was one of the remarkable female superstars from the Attitude Era, simply because she was one of few who could actually hold their own inside the ring. This made her a top draw for the company, and she had many brilliant bouts inside the squared circle against other top draws from the women's division, and it didn't hurt her chances to make a run at the Women's Championship based on her natural talent. She entered the business with Team Xtreme, and had a lengthy and successful singles career.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
The Heartbreak Kid was one of the best in-ring talents the WWE ever had, and fans would go wild whenever his signature music would come blaring through the arena PA systems. Love him or hate him his track record speaks for itself, and he found success on both sides of the line as a baby face or a heel. Some of his most remembered moments from the Attitude Era came during his time with Degeneration-X, a rag tag crew that wreaked havoc upon the company.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He is easily the scariest character in the WWE universe, but also one of the most successful superstars to ever step foot in the squared circle. In the early stages of the Attitude Era the company really sold his character by allowing him to take part in all sorts of terrifying displays such as buried alive matches, satanic rituals, and whatever else he could conjure from the dark side of the world. He has the best Wrestlemania records of all time, sitting at 22-1.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He's one of the biggest names to come of the Attitude Era, and continues to be a strong presence within the WWE to this day, except now in a slightly different role. While he is not wrestling full-time anymore, he is however still a face of the company in an upper management position, and had a spirited bout in the most recent Wrestlemania. He has an impressive 14 WWF/WWE World Championships to his credit, making him one of the most successful superstars in the business.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He made his WWE debut as a bright eyed, cocky, egotistical brat and quickly joined forces with the Nation of Domination. Nobody would have known that he would go on to become one of the best in the business years later and one of the biggest draws the company had ever seen. Whether he was a heel or a face his on-mic promos were among some of the best, and coupled with his in-ring ability it's hard to argue against him as being one of the greatest of all time.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was half of one of the best tag-teams to ever set foot inside the squared circle of the WWE. Like his partner, he too got his start as a servant of the Brood, under the direction and control of the vampire Gangrel. It was there where he learned the ropes of the business, and once he and his teammate were able to break free from the vampire gimmick their own brand of humor and wrestling allowed for them to become one of the most successful teams in the company.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was one of the most underrated superstars of the era, often chained to gimmicks which he almost always made his own and made it apart of who he was, a rare wrestling chameleon. His in-ring ability was often overshadowed by the fact that he was never really given a big push, although he did make a splash in the hardcore division winning the title an impressive six times. Despite being booked as a mid to lower card talent, he will always be remembered by the die hard fans from the era.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was one half of the baddest tag teams to ever lay a whooping in the ring, or the bar, or backstage, or the parking lot, or anywhere anyone went looking for trouble really. He was one of the toughest opponents from the era, and won over millions of fans in his role as part of the Acolytes Protection Agency. The APA were tag team champs three times during their run in the WWE, and he was inducting into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was one half of the most ruthless and rude tag-teams from the Attitude Era, the New Age Outlaws, although he got his start in the WWE as part of the Smokin' Gunns with his brother before the Attitude Era hit the wrestling world like an atomic bomb. The new direction of the company allowed for him to branch out and become one of the funniest, rude, and brilliant superstars on the microphone, and it didn't hurt that he joined forces with Degeneration-X.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
She was the toughest of the tough in both the men's and women's divisions during her run with the WWE. Her impressive stature gave her the edge over most of the competition, as she was one of the strongest superstars of the period and made it easy for her to destroy the competition in both divisions. One of her most memorable and impressive feats was her feud against Chris Jericho, which was groundbreaking at the time as it was one of the first female vs. male story lines the company had ran with to that point.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was one half of Team Xtreme, and the envy of every up and coming superstar during the Attitude Era. He put off some of the best matches from the day, often involving high flying, perfectly timed, and body breaking moves which would hurt by just even watching them. Everybody wanted to be like him, but there was no formula for how to achieve the amounts of success in which he did. He's still floating around the WWE under the same name, but his new gimmick suggests fans won't be seeing anything like what he was during the Attitude Era.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
The WWE had some of the best superstar gimmicks in the history of the company during the run of the Attitude Era. It seems now they have focused more towards realism as opposed to out of this world type characters. This WWE superstar is most remembered as being a feared and creepy vampire, often drinking blood, and spitting blood on his opponents. It wasn't too far outside of where the company was going at the time, as there were many creepy characters lurking around on the roster.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
While he wasn't the most entertaining superstar from the era, often overshadowed by the big names in the company, he did carve out a place in the company by getting his start in the Corporation in 1998. He had some decent matches during his time with the WWE, and managed to snag himself an Intercontinental Championship along the way. One of his most memorable story lines was the angle against Triple H where he was supposed to marry Stephanie McMahon before it ultimately blew up in his face.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
We certainly can not forget about the owner's daughter can we? While she did not have much work inside of the ring, she was vital to some memorable story lines throughout the run of the Attitude Era. But that isn't to say that she did not work as she did manage to capture a Women's Championship at one point and most recently saw in-ring action at Wrestlemania 34 with partner and real life husband Triple H. She was born into the business, and today she is successfully run the business both on-air and behind the scenes.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He is the most decorated champion in the history of the WWE. Kind of. He has the most Hardcore Championship titles with a godly 27 championships to his name. He played off of the grunge era, and was often cast as a lone wolf type of character, and he made it work for him by winning over crowds in every city with his ruthless hardcore matches. The WWE universe has not seen much of him in recent years, as he has been making his way through the independent circuits.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
If the WWE was actively going the creepy route during the Attitude Era, they certainly hit this one out of the park with this superstar. He had the ability to make just about anybody uncomfortable, which often led to him winning more matches than lost due to his opponents simply being outsmarted. He comes from a long line of wrestling legends, and has carved out his own legendary career in the wrestling business even though his gimmick was a little over the top. But that's exactly what made the Attitude Era what it was.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
This superstar is one of the only from the era to use his real name as his character name. He came from a successful MMA background in the real world, and used that as his gimmick in the WWE. He would often implement real MMA grapples, kicks, punches, and submissions in the ring and it paid off for the company as they took a turn towards realism and proficient technical wrestling. He was deemed the world's most dangerous man, and his short fuse would often terrify his opponents and fans alike.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was one of the few superstars who transitioned from the Golden Era to the Attitude Era seamlessly and kept the same gimmick. His cop persona worked well for him, and the company saw no need to change it as he was still a decent draw despite falling to the mid to lower card later on his career. He had many amazing matches during the era, and his feud with The Undertaker is one of the most memorable story lines from the era.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
Another terrifying creation of the WWE, his entrance into the company was wildly played up for the fans well before he even set foot in the ring. It was the dozens of previews, the red fire, and the horrifying entrance music which set the tone for what would become a most successful career for this giant. His angle against the Undertaker was one of the best of the era, and when it was revealed that they were actually brothers fans were floored.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He is another superstar on the long list of underrated talent from the Attitude Era. While he did not have to go through the ups and downs on the long road to making it to the WWE, and despite being the baby boy of the owner of the company, he often put his body on the line an effort to prove that he belonged in front of the camera. It paid off for the youngster, and he took some of the biggest bumps from the era which left fans with their jaws on the floor.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He made his debut in the WWE after coming over from ECW with his brother and tag-team partner. Together they created one of the most aggressive, brutal, innovative, and successful tag-teams the company had ever produced. They helped spearhead a new life into the tag-team division, and worked with some of the best in the business to have some of the most memorable matches from the Attitude Era. Tables, ladders, chairs, nothing was off limits for the pair of Dudleys.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He came a long way before his headlining run as the Rated R Superstar and induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. He began as a lowly servant of the Brood before branching off with his best friend to create one of the most dynamic and hilarious tag-teams in the history of the business. His in-ring ability was well above his pay grade, so it didn't come as a surprise when he finally got his singles push and inevitably ended up with the WWE Championship.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was the ultimate high flyer of the Attitude Era. His athleticism and unmatched in-ring ability made him one of the biggest fan draws of the Attitude Era, despite only being billed as a mid-card superstar. While he never really broke away from the tag-team division with a push to the top, it was there he found much of success anyway, and the other superstars of the division simply made him that much better. He had a singles run in TNA, but due to life outside of the business he often had to be reeled in.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
This Canadian wrestling legend, like many before him, took the long road to the WWE, spending time wrestling in Japan, ECW, and other independent promotions before getting the from the WWE. The Attitude Era was the perfect place for him to find himself as his on-air promos likely wouldn't be allowed to air on television by today's standards. He was one of the funniest superstars on the mic, and his matches were some of the best. He was the first ever Undisputed Champion in the WWE, holding both World Titles at the same time.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
She was one of the top billed divas of the Attitude Era despite lacking any sort of in-ring talent. Rumor has it Vince McMahon was over the top in love with her that she could really do no wrong in the eyes of the CEO. She did have some matches however to her credit, and even power bombed her then love interest Marc Mero, which was impressive seeing that he weighed likely twice as much as her and was supposed to be an unbeatable force.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was the high flying, elbow dropping, light weight of the Degeneration-X and had a successful career in and out of the WWE on top. He made his debut against the baddest of bad guys Razor Ramon who promptly put him over the top with a victory in his debut match. From there he would join the ranks of the NWO in WCW, before making his way back to the WWE and adding his talents to DX which already bolstered more talent than any other stable in the company.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He had a short but sweet run in the WWE during the Attitude Era, but he also has one of the more tragic endings in the company's history. He died in 1997 and there was a memorial and tribute to him on the following week's episode of RAW. He trained under the Hart family in Calgary, Canada, and got his beginnings in the business with Stampede Wrestling, their promotional territory. It made sense when he joined forces with the Hart Foundation later on in the WWE.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was at the forefront of the Attitude Era's dark side with The Undertaker at the helm of the Ministry of Darkness. His character was bone chilling on the microphone, and he was the perfect piece to the already menacing puzzle that was the Ministry. Despite being fired by the WWE on three separate occasions he will often be remembered for his hilarious promos as well, and his story lines with female opponents were pushed the envelope just enough to fit the description of the Attitude Era.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He was the other half of the New Age Outlaws and a integral part to every Degeneration-X mic spot during the Attitude Era. For first impressions, pushing Mick Foley and Terry Funk in a dumpster off of the entrance ramp was a decent way to make a name for himself during the run and gun days of the WWE. Every spot seemed to work for him, and he and his partners in crime quickly gained the admiration of fans across the WWE universe.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He had every skill in the playbook and more, and was likely ready to receive a big push into the running for the WWE Championship before his untimely and shocking death in 1999 due to a failed ring stunt. Fans fondly remember him as the counter part to his brother who was the biggest name in wrestling at the time, and the angle to have them face each other was one of the best things the WWE had ever done since they both had incredible in-ring talent and the ability to put over any crowd.
Name this Attitude Era Superstar
He is one of the very few who actually has a real wrestling background, amateur that is, and competed in the Olympic games. He took home a gold medal from the Olympics, and transferred his skills to the squared circle that was the WWE. He was an immediate star in during the Attitude Era. Fans hated him, and he became one of the best working heels in the company at the time. He has four WWE World Championships to his credit, adding to the list of gold under his name.