The Ultimate WWE Attitude Era Quiz
- by Lucas Wesley
- – on
- in Sports
With adult storylines, violent matches, and the most colorful characters in sports entertainment history, the WWE Attitude Era was the most popular professional wrestling has ever been in America. When exactly the time frame began and ended has long been up for debate, but WWE Attitude was a concept that fans knew when they saw it. Wrestlers in the late 1990s were tougher, meaner, and more prepared to raise hell than ever before, and the fact modern day WWE superstars don’t live up to this standard explains why ratings have been on a downslide for almost two decades.
The WWE Universe, and wrestling in general, may never recapture the glory of the Attitude Era, yet fans who were around at the time will never forget it. Even those who feel WWE isn’t as good as it was back then keep watching simply for the promise that one day soon it may again reach those great heights when wrestlers had us jumping to our feet and shouting, “Oh, hell yeah!”
WWE still talks about the Attitude Era a whole lot, especially on their web site and the WWE Network, so fans didn’t even need to be alive at the time to know all about it. They did need to pay attention and care about what they see, though, and if that sounds like you, keep reading to take our ultimate WWE Attitude Era quiz.
Who kickstarted the Attitude Era with his 3:16 speech?
As noted in the introduction, the exact beginning of the Attitude Era is somewhat up for debate. However, a pretty good place to start would be the 1996 King of the Ring, when the biggest star of his generation won the crown and gave the speech that would define his career and indeed the entire era of wrestling fans were about to see. Having just defeated the hyper religious Jake Roberts, the anti-hero screamed, “Talk about Psalms, talk about John 3:16—[blank] 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!” Who was it?
Which rival wrestler pulled a gun on Steve Austin?
The biggest star of the Attitude Era, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was fast, wild, and out of control. Naturally, in order to combat his madness, Austin’s rivals needed to be quite mad as well, and few matched his insanity in this regard quite like a certain former tag team partner from WCW. In the midst of their bitter blood feud, Austin broke into his ex-partner’s house, only for the man to pull a gun on him and threatened to fire. Thankfully, he didn’t murder Austin on air, but who threatened to do so?
What stable did Vince McMahon form to maintain his power structure?
For all the success “Stone Cold” Steve Austin achieved during the Attitude Era, not everyone was a fan of the Texas Rattlesnake. Without a doubt, Austin’s biggest rival during this time was his own boss, Vince McMahon, who actually revealed he was the WWE owner for the first time around this same general time frame. McMahon was too smart to go after his biggest star all by himself, so what did he call the group that helped him maintain his power?
Who was the first WWE European Champion?
In addition to WWE earning more fans than ever before during the Attitude Era, for better or worse, they also started creating a whole bunch of new championship belts for their wrestlers to win. The first of this trend was the WWE European Championship, introduced during an overseas tour and then kept as a moderately important honor for the next five years. Truth be told, the title is kind of a joke in retrospect, but it lead to some memorable moments and matches at the time. Who was the first man to win it?
Which woman joined Triple H and Shawn Michaels to form D-Generation X?
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin may have been the most popular WWE superstar of the Attitude Era, but he was hardly the only wrestler with the proper personality to spark the movement. Right alongside him was the brash, arrogant, and outrageously self-absorbed “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, plus his lackeys in the nearly formed group, D-Generation X. Thanks to his current state in WWE today, everyone remembers Triple H was HBK’s primary ally in the group. Who was the destructive monster of a woman to join them?
Who debuted during the first Hell in a Cell match?
Of all the destructively violent matches created during the Attitude Era, chances are the more vile and enduring will forever be Hell in a Cell. The first time two wrestlers were trapped inside the gigantic steel structure was Badd Blood 1997, when Shawn Michaels wrestled The Undertaker. After a truly hellacious beating, it looked like the Dead Man had all but killed Michaels inside the ring, only for an equally terrifying new wrestler to make his debut and help the Heartbreak Kid pick up the victory. Who was it?
Which wrestler did The Rock replace as leader of The Nation of Domination?
Next to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the biggest wrestler superstar to come out of the Attitude Era had to be “The People’s Champion,” The Rock. A third-generation superstar, the Great One was introduced to WWE fans as the always smiling goofball Rocky Maivia, earning loud and angry chants of “Die, Rocky, Die.” Of course, reacting to the vitriol is what turned Rock into a superstar, becoming a massive villain by joining the Nation of Domination and gradually becoming the group’s new leader. Who did he replace?
Who was the first wrestler to win the revived Women’s Championship?
Despite what you may have heard about the women’s wrestling revolution being a relatively new idea in WWE, men weren’t the only ones showing off all new attitude during the company’s hottest time frame. There were also a good number of extremely popular and successful female wrestlers in WWE at the time, many of whom ascended to the peak as Women’s Champion. That said, there wasn’t even such a title when the Attitude Era began, having largely been ignored until a tournament brought it back. Who won?
Which wrestler was presented as a former adult film star?
Generally speaking, the Attitude Era was a period of adult themes and situations that may not have been suitable for children. Of all the wrestlers on the roster, no one superstar better explains why this was quite like the man who walked down to the ring wearing a towel before talking about his many hardened successes in a certain other industry. This man was quite talented in the ring, as well, winning a great number of championships in WWE and appearing in countless memorable matches and feuds. Who was he?
Which UFC star was guest referee for Steve Austin versus Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13?
Before “Stone Cold” Steve Austin began his war with Vince McMahon, the Texas Rattlesnake’s most hated rival was easily Bret “The Hitman” Hart. From the very beginning, Austin thought Hart was arrogant and undeserving of the praise WWE fans showed him with, and wanted nothing else than to punish him greatly because of it. Hart resisted for as long as he could, but inevitably, Austin goaded him into several classic matches. The best was an I Quit match at WrestleMania 13 with a very special guest referee. Who was it?
Who was Steve Austin’s partner during his first WWE Tag Team Championship reign?
More than just a massive solo star in the main event, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin also won a number of Tag Team Championships during the Attitude Era. In fact, the doubles division was the first place he stood out, winning his first gold in WWE with a partner during an iconic match on a 1997 episode of Monday Night Raw. As part of Austin’s feud with the Hart Foundation, he defeated Owen Hart and the British Bulldog for their belts, despite the fact he hated his own partner a whole bunch, as well. Who was it?
Who was the first WWE Light Heavyweight Champion?
Attempting to match WCW’s extremely popular and innovative cruiserweight division, WWE created the Light Heavyweight division shortly after the Attitude Era began. Truth be told, their efforts at giving the smaller guys a chance to shine paled in comparison to those seen on Nitro, but there were nonetheless a few great standouts who challenged for and defended the new title valiantly. The feud between the tournament winner and his runner up in particular lead to some of the best WWE matches of the era. Who won most of them, and reigned as the first Light Heavyweight Champion?
Which of the following was not a persona used by Mick Foley?
The WWE Universe is a place of bright, colorful characters, all of which were naturally chock full of attitude during its most popular era. No one superstar had more character or personality than future Hall of Famer and hardcore legend Mick Foley, and he proved it by wearing three highly distinct “faces” at the same time. Each of Foley’s personas was vicious inside the ring and a little insane out of it, but the madness thankfully stopped with only three split personalities. Which of the following names wasn’t one of them?
Which popular rap group joined the freakish Oddities?
Plenty of wrestlers during the Attitude Era could be described as a bit of a freak show. However, one group in particular wore this sort of reputation with pride, dancing their way to the ring in the most ridiculous way possible and calling themselves the Oddities. Originally, the Oddities were a bunch of plus-sized weirdo wrestlers who wanted to be goofy rather than monstrous, and a famous 1990s rap group, who also had background inside the ring, soon joined them. Who were they?
Who was the first WWE Hardcore Champion?
Critics of WWE rightfully point out that many of the most popular aspects of the Attitude Era were taken in part from the independent hardcore promotion ECW. Of all the things WWE borrowed, none are so blatant as the Hardcore Championship, a title defended under the precipice that there are no rules, and anything goes. Naturally, matches for the Hardcore belt were violent, destructive, and often caused plenty of bloodshed from all parties. Who was the first madman to wear the broken gold?
Which wrestler choked out Kurt Angle to end his early undefeated streak?
In many respects, Kurt Angle was the opposite of everything the Attitude Era stood for, but that didn’t stop him from coming to fame right in the middle of it. Boasting qualities of intensity, integrity, and intelligence, while castigating the WWE audience for their loose morals and questionable tastes, Angle was a true American hero in an era where that made him a dweeb. Even so, Angle’s great in-ring abilities allowed him to entertain a brief winning streak for his first few months in the company. Who brought that streak to an end at the 2000 Royal Rumble?
What team joined the Hardyz and Dudleyz for the first few TLC matches?
Tables, and ladders, and chairs—oh, my. These days, the letters TLC don’t mean all that much in the WWE Universe. If anything, tables, ladders, and chairs matches merely happen because it’s October. Back when they were created during the Attitude Era, though, there were few match types more prone to shocking innovation by the best tag teams in the world. Leading the charge for the first three TLC matches were the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz, and a third tag team that always happened to win. Who were they?
Which wrestler was not a member of D-Generation X?
While the original members of D-Generation X are typically those who WWE fans remember best, like many stables of the Attitude Era, the green and black attack gradually grew bigger and bigger until it nearly reached capacity. Whenever WWE wanted a new wrestler to immediately have credibility as a cool and dominant wrestler, they’d do a few crotch chops and join the fold. However, it never got as out of control as WCW’s nWo, with only a select few lucky enough to be an official DX member. Which of these names never had the honor?
What stable jumped from WCW to WWE in January 2000?
During the Attitude Era, wrestlers were constantly jumping back and forth between WWE and WCW on an almost monthly basis. For some of them, this didn’t really change much, as they could succeed moderately wherever they went. By and large, though, wrestlers who moved from WCW to WWE found themselves exceeding beyond their wildest dreams, doing better under Vince McMahon’s direction than Eric Bischoff would ever allow them to. Which group of four WCW midcarders debuted in WWE in 2000 suddenly in the main event?
Who was Owen Hart’s partner during his last WWE Tag Team Championship reign?
Easily the biggest tragedy of the Attitude Era came during Over the Edge 1999, when wrestler Owen Hart fell to his death from the rafters in a horrible accident. For almost a full decade, Owen was one of the best wrestlers in the world, always delivering incredible entertaining matches and unforgettable moments inside the ring. He was also rewarded for it considerably, holding the WWE Tag Team Championships for the fourth time only two months prior to his untimely passing. Who was his partner when he did so?
Who debuted during the only Pay-Per-View match between Vince McMahon and Steve Austin?
Despite having the most hotly contested feud of the Attitude Era (or maybe because of that fact), “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Vince McMahon only actually met inside the squared circle for a wrestling match on one single Pay-Per-View. At St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the Texas Rattlesnake and his boss did battle inside a steel cage over the right to challenge the WWE Champion at WrestleMania. The ultimate mudhole stomping to end them all, Austin destroyed McMahon throughout the entire match and easily picked up the win. Someone tried interfering to stop him, though. Who was it?
Which wrestler was the first man to win the European and Intercontinental Championships at the same time?
There are pros and cons to the fact WWE created more championships during the Attitude Era than ever before. On the plus side, there were far more options for wrestlers to get rewarded for their work, but the negative is that each of those rewards meant a little bit less. To make up for this mistake, WWE would occasionally reward a particularly great wrestler with two of these belts at the same time. At least three wrestlers thus had the chance to reign as Euro-Continental Champions, holding the European and Intercontinental gold at the same time. Who was the first?
Which of the following superstars never served as WWE Commissioner?
Being the period when Vince McMahon finally admitted who was in charge of the WWE Universe, one might expect that the company’s authority was pretty darn clear during the Attitude Era. To the contrary, it was during this era that Vince McMahon introduced a new Commissioner almost every year, sometimes more often that that. Typically, the idea was for a popular retired wrestler to stand as a babyface authority figure against McMahon’s vicious heel. Which of these wrestlers never held the role?
Who was WWE Hardcore Champion when the 24/7 rule was introduced?
As though the WWE Hardcore Championship wasn’t already the craziest and most dangerous title a wrestler could possibly contend for, things got even wackier when a certain champion decided to defend his gold 24/7. This meant at absolutely any time, and in absolutely any place, other athletes could sneak attack the champ, knock him down for 3 seconds, and walk away with the gold. This lead to more than 200 Hardcore Champions getting crowned in its short existence. Who wore the gold when the new rule was enacted?
At what event did The Undertaker re-debut as The American Badass?
Already one of the scariest figures in the WWE Universe, The Undertaker used the Attitude Era to become more vicious than ever before. Initially, this meant calling upon his Creatures of the Night to form the Ministry of Darkness, an almost Satanic force of wrestlers looking to recreate WWE in their blackened image. Later, he shed those demonic tendencies for the red, white, and blue patriotism of being an American Badass. Riding his motorcycle to the ring, when did this new persona debut?
Which boxer was guest enforcer for Steve Austin versus Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV?
With a war cry of “don’t trust anyone,” there’s little surprise in the fact “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had a problem with authority. For this reason, few WWE referees could handle his madness, and the company often had to look for outside enforcers, like with Ken Shamrock at WrestleMania 13. The next year, Austin was poised to challenge Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship, and the company felt not even a UFC star could handle the job. Instead, they needed to look to the world of boxing for the baddest man on the planet. Who was it?
Who won the Survivor Series 1998 Deadly Game tournament?
Many great WWE Champions were crowned during the Attitude Era, and even more wrestlers attempted to win the gold without ever getting the honor. No one night better exemplified how hard Attitude Era wrestlers were fighting for the World title than Survivor Series 1998, when a one-night tournament to crown a new champion was held after the title had to be vacated months earlier. 14 wrestlers had a chance to win the gold that night, but only one could reign supreme over them all. Who won the tournament?
Which of the following wrestlers was never King of the Ring?
Like everything else in the company at the time, the King of the Ring tournament was grittier, more violent, and more filled with action during the Attitude Era than ever before. It also crowned some of its all time greatest winners, and we’re not just talking about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. On the other hand, there were also a few lackluster Kings of the Ring, and a few wrestlers who should have worn the crown didn’t. Which of the following wrestlers never sat on the throne?
Who ran over “Stone Cold” Steve Austin with a car at Survivor Series 1999?
Smack dab in the middle of the hottest era in wrestling history, WWE hit a major hurdle when their biggest star, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, desperately needed neck surgery. The resultant procedure would take him out of action nearly a full year, which the company explained on screen by way of Austin getting run over with a car en route to a WWE Championship match at the 1999 Survivor Series. When Austin finally returned, he was naturally out for revenge in a major way. Who did he discover ran him down?
Which sitcom star made an appearance in the 2001 Royal Rumble?
Back in the 1980s, WWE became a mainstream media sensation by regularly bringing celebrities into the wrestling ring for publicity, and the Attitude Era was no different. Mike Tyson shoved Steve Austin, Pete Rose got beat up by Kane, and Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by an episode of SmackDown just for fun. Only one celeb was brave enough to enter the Royal Rumble, though, and he was less big, bad, or dangerous than any of those earlier names. In fact, he was just a comedian, with no athletic background to speak of. Who was it?
Whose widow did Vince McMahon controversially interview on an episode of Raw?
It’s all too common these days that former professional wrestlers are dying young and unexpectedly. The first signs of this tragic trend were seen during the Attitude Era, specifically on the night of Badd Blood 1997. On that Pay-Per-View, a certain wrestler was supposed to challenge Goldust in a match for the services of the Bizarre One’s manager, Marlena. Goldust’s opponent never made the show, though, found dead in his hotel room earlier in the night. On the next evening’s Raw, Vince McMahon then made the very questionable choice to interview the man’s distraught widow. Who was he?
Which wrestler did Vince McMahon defeat to win the WWE Championship?
Being the company’s most memorable and successful time frame, it should go without saying that the Attitude Era saw the rise of some of the best WWE Champions in history. Also, it was during this period that Vince McMahon himself did the unthinkable and booked himself to win the biggest title in wrestling, simply to satisfy his own ego. If there’s any upside, it’s that McMahon needed quite a bit of help to do so, and he gave up the belt mere days later after proving he could win it. Who did Vince defeat for the gold?
Who purchased WCW when Vince McMahon hesitated to sign the papers?
Forget about anyone actively working for the WWE roster—from the very beginning, the true impetus for the Attitude Era was the spirit of competition. For the first time in WWE history, there was serious competition in WCW, forcing Vince McMahon and his staff to work harder than ever to prove they were still the best sports entertainment had to offer. For this reason, the Attitude Era started winding down the second WWE won the Monday Night War and purchased WCW. It wasn’t Vince who signed the papers, though. Who was it?
Which wrestler allegedly got Mae Young pregnant in 2000?
There was a lot to love about the Attitude Era, but that doesn’t mean everything to happen in the WWE Universe during this time frame was quality sports entertainment. Some of it was straight up wrestle crap, and none of it was worse than the garbage fans were forced to sit through whenever legendary female wrestler Mae Young was in the ring. Now in her late ‘70s, Young was presented with an insatiable sexual appetite, dating men much, much younger than she was. Which one of them got her pregnant?
Who was guest referee during Vince and Shane McMahon’s match at WrestleMania X7?
Similar to how it began, there’s no exact date when the Attitude Era was “over.” However, many fans can point to a climactic event where its many themes came to an end, and that was WrestleMania X7. In the main event, Vince McMahon and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin ended their rivalry by engaging in a tentative partnership, taking away everything the fans loved about the era all at once. Earlier in the night, Vince wrestled his son Shane in an equally iconic match. Who was the referee?