There have been a lot of eras in the WWE over the years. Two of the biggest being the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression.
While both had their moments, Ruthless Aggression Era always seems like it is talked about less in wrestling circles. I recently put up a poll to ask fans which era is better, the poll was fifty-fifty. The Attitude Era was important to the history of WWE, but Ruthless Aggression really got us to where we are now. RA is the better era and should be talked about more.
When we talk about the Attitude Era we always bring up the Monday Night Wars and rightfully so. Not only were the Monday Night Wars a huge part of the Attitude Era, but the roster had many bright spots to it. One of the biggest difference between the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression though? Look at the roster from 2002 and see all the talent. The matches that came from Ruthless Aggression are memorable because it wasn’t just a few names. The Era didn’t need to rely on just The Rock or Stone Cold to carry them.
Ruthless Aggression is where the women’s division began to get more credit. Were they still a long way from getting true respect? Absolutely, but women like Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria, and Mickie James were laying the foundation for the Women’s Evolution we know today. RA showcased ability a bit more than the Attitude Era. Trish Stratus and Lita main evented RAW, in an actual wrestling match. Which side note, if you haven’t seen that match please go find it on the Network.
If you pull up the women’s roster from 2002 to 2008, it is full of Hall of Famers or at least future ones. These women took every opportunity given and used it to the fullest, but most people focus of the Women’s division, or the lack thereof, in the Attitude Era. Give em more credit folks!
Not only were the women killing the game in Ruthless Aggression, but the men’s roster was full of talent. When you have Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, and Dave Batista coming from OVW at the same time you are in for a treat. Of course, you can’t forget arguably the biggest star of the Ruthless Aggression Era, and my personal favourite, John Cena!
John Cena and Ruthless Aggression will forever be linked – he gave the era its name. The year was 2002 and Cena made his debut in a loss to Kurt Angle. The loss wasn’t the highlight, but the grit shown by Cena was. No one can forget Cena telling Angle his quality to beat him was “ruthless aggression”.
These five men began carving their legacies during Ruthless Aggression. Orton and Batista with Evolution. Cena with Basic Thugonomics. Lesnar being the ‘Next Big Thing’. Then Shelton Benjamin becoming one of the best tag teams along with Charlie Haas. These new talents came to WWE in the perfect time, as they truly got opportunities to shine.
While the Attitude Era roster was always together, Ruthless Aggression had a brand split and was better for it. The Attitude Era caused WCW to go out of business, okay Vince bought them, which meant they had no competition. Having no competition wasn’t a problem in Ruthless Aggression because of the brand split.
Instead of struggling, the brand split forced RAW and Smackdown rosters to step up their game. The interactions between brands were not as frequent as they are today or even back in the Attitude Era. These infrequent interactions made the PPVs where cross-brand promotions occurred more important. Don’t ya miss that?
Speaking of competition, the Attitude Era was about taking out any and all competition by any means necessary. You always hear people say they miss the Attitude Era and that normally boils down to the controversy aspects. While drama is good TV, sometimes it can go way too far. We know the Attitude Era for its insane drama, while RA focused on making stories that stayed more realistic and less controversial.
WCW closing down meant WWE gained talent like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Booker T, and Goldberg. Mixing WCW in with WWE gave us a roster that focused on the wrestling. Amazing! No competition really worked in WWE’s favor during RA. We got memorable matches that still hold up today.
I could go on and on about RA, but no one really wants that! While the Attitude Era definitely had its incredible moments, RA gave us John Cena, Eddie Guerrero, a return by HBK and so much more. Attitude Era laid the foundation for me as a wrestling fan, but Ruthless Aggression kept me a fan. Do yourselves a favor and watch the new series on RA on the WWE Network if you haven’t, and go down memory lane!
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You can find the author of this article on Twitter @paigeyb88. Thanks for reading!