Are We Slowly Entering the Attitude Era 2.0?
Ever since WWE attained a TV-PG rating in 2008, there has been a gigantic shift in the way the promotion operates. The company moved on from the frequent use of cuss words, mature storylines, and bloodied matches to a product suitable for younger audiences. However, wrestling fanatics have regularly advocated a return to the Era that was larger than life. The Stanford-based promotion has not heeded these demands for over 15 years. But they might be on the verge of doing so, as watching recent WWE programming certainly suggests.
And those who witnessed the epic 25th March edition of Monday Night Raw would have surely gotten the Attitude Era 2.0 vibes. If ′Second City Saint′ CM Punk′s bold choices of words during his segment weren′t enough. The Rock′s surprise blood-filled beatdown of Cody Rhodes to close the show was a strong case in point.
Both of these moments gave the fans a reminder of what being a WWE fan felt like in the late 90s or early 2000s. This night was a culmination of recent weeks of events. But what were the highlights of the latest episode of Red Brand that caught everyone′s eye?
Injury didn′t prevent CM Punk from making a huge impact
Even in injury, you cannot keep CM Punk out of the mix. As Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins so rudely found out. ′The Voice of The Voiceless′ first went on a verbal tirade on McIntyre wherein he did not spare ′The Architect’ as well. The strongly booked segment worked leaps and bounds in promoting the World Heavyweight Championship match on Night Two which was in a state of limbo till now.
It also showcased how giving the creative reigns in the hands of superstars can have the best effect ala Attitude Era. The hometown Chicago crowd wanted Punk to don the black and white stripes and appear as a special guest referee at WrestleMania XL. But he rejected the idea saying, ¨I really don′t think I could be objectively fair with these two dipsh***¨. This prompted a hilarious response from ′The Scottish Warrior′ as he exclaimed, ¨PG brother¨.?
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In the process, reminding everyone that we are indeed in a regulated PG era, not the era gone by, as many seemed to have forgotten. Nevertheless Punk confirmed he′ll be the color commentator for the Rollins vs McIntyre clash at WrestleMania XL. The promo was lit but fans were in for a major surprise at the show's end.
The Rock unleashes his full-fledged heel persona
The Rock who had shockingly appeared before in the night and whispered something in Cody Rhodes′s ears came back to haunt him. What ensued was a brutal beatdown reminiscent of nothing else than the Attitude Era. The heel version of ′The People′s Champion′ had only been restricted to trash talk till now. But the red brand saw him unleash his fury on ′The American Nightmare′ in a beatdown for the ages.
The segment had Attitude Era written all over it
The image of Johnson smearing Rhodes′ blood on his custom leather belt was certainly not for the faint-hearted. The busted open head of Rhodes was not covered in a crimson mask as has been the case with WWE since going PG. Another sign the company wants a change in how its product is seen around the globe.
Reverbing completely to the Attitude Era is not possible in today′s day and age. But striking a balance between the various eras could bring the very best results. The recent success in terms of booking has shown that Triple H-headed WWE is mastering striking that balance. Wrestling fans will want nothing more but wish, ′Long may it continue′.