| WWE through the years
Alright, everyone seems to be in agreement that the WWE seems to be a in a slight downturn right now, so I thought it would be kind of fun to look at how this compares to history...
The last "Golden Age" of the WWE culminated with WrestleMania III, almost 75,000 fans (real number) crammed into the Pontiac Silverdome to see the biggest match in wrestling history. Everynight was a party with women, money, and music. The only place to go was down...
Vince tried to recapture the audience that left him after 1987, Hulkamania was starting to limp to the end, yet Vince kept the title on him. When they tried to push the "superstar of the future" the Ultimate Warrior, they realized he wasn't in it for the long run and he wasn't the answer, even though he was pushed over everyone. After Hogan left, Vince tried to sign Lex Luger to recapture the magic, but the fans were gone for good. It was only after the WWE cleared out all the old stars (Hogan, Savage, Luger, Warrior, etc.) and pushed new talent (HHH, Rock, Austin, Foley) that the business came back.
Which leads to....
The "Attitude Era" culminated with Wrestlemania X-7, the highest rated PPV of all time. Almost 65,000 fans packed the Astrodome to see the ultimate Austin vs. Rock confrontation. Everynight the ratings were better and more merchandise was sold. The only place to go was down....
Vince tried to recapture the audience that left him after 2001, the failed InVasion angle. HHH's time had run it's course as champion, and yet the title was kept on him. When they tried to push the "superstar of the future", Brock Lesnar, they found out he wasn't in it for the long run and wasn't the answer, even though he was pushed over everyone. McMahon tried to sign Bill Goldberg to recapture the magic, but the audience was gone. The Rock was off making movies, and was finding out that it was easier to make "fake" movies for 2 million dollars than to take bumps on the road 200 days a year for $500,000. Business seemed gone...never to return....
BUT WAIT....
As of today, Benoit and Guerrero were the world champions, which is a step in the right direction. However, Bradshaw is not the challenger people want to see, and HHH and Shawn need to step aside. Where does the WWE go from here? Only time will tell...
Sorry about the length |