Defining WWE/Wrestling "Eras"

[Ricky Jackson]

In the Reigns thread the term "Ruthless Aggression Era" was used. It seems to define the time from 2005-2011, the initial Cena run on top, and before the current, and controversially named "Reality Era".

I'm a history guy, and am particularly interested in cultural change in Western society, essentially looking at different eras and seeing how one differed from the next and why. The post in the Reigns thread got me thinking about wrestling eras. I don't think I had ever seen "Ruthless Agression Era" used before. I would like to see what other posters think about WWE eras, and wrestling eras in general, and how they define them. There is the "Attitude Era" of course, but are there any other consensus wrestling eras?

For me, a general post-WW2 outline off the top of my head would be something like

-Golden Age of TV Era (approximately 1947-1955)
-Territory Era (1956-1982, ending when Vince Jr assumes control perhaps?)
-80s Boom Era (1983-1990)
-Dark Ages (1991-1995)
-90s Boom/Attitude Era (1996-2001?)
-Post-Attitude Era? (2002-2004?)
-Ruthless Aggression Era (2005-2010)
-Reality Era (2011-present)

Just a rough outline to get the conversation started

[JerryvonKramer]

-80s Boom Era (1983-1990)

-Dark Ages (1991-1995)

-90s Boom/Attitude Era (1996-2001?)

I split this up a bit differently:

 

84-89: Rock n Wrestling era

90-93: Cartoon or "everyone has a day job" era

94-7: New Generation era

98-01: Attitude era

[Laz]

I think the term "Ruthless Aggression" was part of the '02 attempts at staving off the inevitable decline. It was the first post-Attitude sign of the company's fingers being away from the pulse of pop culture, so they tried doubling down on the Attitude style but really began focusing on the sizzle (wild angles, crash TV-style booking, erratic presentation) instead of the steak (compelling characters, built up matches, relatable story arcs).

 

I'd be very interested in dissecting the Territory era, as that proposed timeline is very broad comparably to the others. There's likely different cuts for each territory, but I think it's worth looking into since my understanding is that overall presentation in 1965 was different than 1975.

 

EDIT:

I've seen Attitude's starting point being the April 1997 Raw where Austin attacked Bret in the ambulance. That was when the show really started changing.

[Ricky Jackson]

Oh yeah, the Territory Era is open to much better classification. I just wanted to get the ball rolling and see if a consensus can eventually be reached on different eras.

[InYourCase]

I've personally considered the Ruthless Aggression era to be from 2002-2008.

[PhilTLL]

I split this up a bit differently:

 

84-89: Rock n Wrestling era

90-93: Cartoon or "everyone has a day job" era

94-7: New Generation era

98-01: Attitude era

This is how I usually think of this block. You can also call the first two "Hulkamania rise and peak" and "Hulkamania decline and fall."

 

EDIT:

I've seen Attitude's starting point being the April 1997 Raw where Austin attacked Bret in the ambulance. That was when the show really started changing.

That sounds about right. Mania 14 with the Austin coronation and the scratch logo was the confirmation of the Attitude era, not the beginning.

[Ricky Jackson]

I've personally considered the Ruthless Aggression era to be from 2002-2008.

 

Why 2008 as the end point?

[Laz]

That was around the time the full March to PG happened. Can't be "ruthless" or overly "aggressive" when you're trying to entertain the 7-year-old audience.

[gingears]

It was also when SmackDown moved to myNetwork TV which was a big step down from the CW.

 

I am not sure it is fair to define the "end of an era" just as when it stopped working. WWE were still trying to use "attitude era" concepts up until 2008. I am not sure I would classify the 2001-2008 period as "attitude" either but I think there needs to be something more than a mindset going stale to recognize it as a change in the overall presentation.

 

"Hulkamania" was not successful in 1993 but it is what the company tried to be and I think it still counts as part of the same "era" as 1984. I could see an argument for the year that Ultimate Warrior was promoted as champion though.

 

I find it really interesting how different people classify these things differently. For myself, it always comes back to how WWF dictated its own theme.

 

1984-1994: "Hulkamania"

1994-1997: "The New Generation"

1997-2002: "Attitude"

2002-2008: "The Brand Extension/Raw vs. SmackDown"

2008-2016: "WWE PG"

 

I do not think there has been an appreciable difference in the promotion since 2008. "Reality Era" to me is something akin to "Running On Diesel Power" or "The Age Of Orton" where it is something WWE likes to say is a new twist on the existing product but does not make a commitment to that.

 

I define the actual milestone markers as:

- Hogan's title win

- Hogan's departure/signing with WCW

- Vince's promo after Montreal

- The first draft

- Chris Benoit's death and its aftermath

[Migs]

 

I split this up a bit differently:

 

84-89: Rock n Wrestling era

90-93: Cartoon or "everyone has a day job" era

94-7: New Generation era

98-01: Attitude era

This is how I usually think of this block. You can also call the first two "Hulkamania rise and peak" and "Hulkamania decline and fall."

 

There's also a break somewhere around '90 in terms of the wrestling style. Up through '89 you really have the influence of a variety of styles that guys came in having developed in the territory system. In '90, you really have the business hardening into a Big 2, so there's less movement in the roster, the style is more homogenized, you don't have places for guys to go away and get fresh... it just feels like a different product.

[JerryvonKramer]

I mean even within the 80s, there's a real rawness and rough and readiness so about things from 84 to 86. Even the Hogan matches.

 

Sometime after Wrestlemania 3 it starts to change. And by the time we get to 1990, The Warlord has a big W on his belt, Dusty is wearing polka dots, Ultimate Warrior is the champion, and we're about to meet a character called Irwin R. Shyster.

 

Even though we've talked about some of the darker stuff in 1991 booking, I still think some of the gritty and bloody brawls from 84-5 would have been unthinkable.

 

I mean don't get me wrong 84-6 has its fair share of nonsense too. JYD on a water slide, TNT, Vince singing Get Back, and all the rest of it. But it's a totally different feel of nonsense.

 

I love mid-80s nonsense AND early 90s nonsense, both of them. I don't have the "I was a teeneager and too cool for wrestling then" associations with the later period that Johnny and Will do, I love it all.

 

But there is deffo a big difference.

[Scarlet-Left]

Loosely I think of things like this, with the Eras have one or two years of overlap:

 

The Rock & Wrestling Connection (or the Hulkamania Era): January of 1984 to June of 1993

The New Generation Era: October of 1992 to November of 1997

The Attitude Era: June of 1996 to April of 2002

The Ruthless Aggression Era: July of 2001 to June of 2008

The PG Era: June of 2007 to December of 2013

The Reality Era: June of 2011 to Present Day

 

Those are the hard stops, for me. It might seem weird, but it works in my mind to have the Eras overlap a little. Also, I don't really think of the industry prior to the WWF's national expansion as having distinct eras because, to me, they reflect a change in creative direction. The old days of the territories aren't really conducive to that sort of analysis.

 

Edit: Changed the start of the Reality Era from November of 2011 to June.

[Ricky Jackson]

Would it be safe to say Punk's "Pipebomb" promo clearly marks the start of the Reality Era and end of the previous era?

[Scarlet-Left]

Would it be safe to say Punk's "Pipebomb" promo clearly marks the start of the Reality Era and end of the previous era?

Sort of, I need to revise my list... hold on.

[Scarlet-Left]

Loosely I think of things like this, with the Eras have one or two years of overlap:

 

The Rock & Wrestling Connection (or the Hulkamania Era): January of 1984 to June of 1993

The New Generation Era: October of 1992 to November of 1997

The Attitude Era: June of 1996 to April of 2002

The Ruthless Aggression Era: July of 2001 to June of 2008

The PG Era: June of 2007 to December of 2013

The Reality Era: June of 2011 to Present Day

 

Those are the hard stops, for me. It might seem weird, but it works in my mind to have the Eras overlap a little. Also, I don't really think of the industry prior to the WWF's national expansion as having distinct eras because, to me, they reflect a change in creative direction. The old days of the territories aren't really conducive to that sort of analysis.

I wouldn't say that the "pipe-bomb" is the definite end of the previous eras because you still have left-overs from the Brand Extension heading into 2014; the dissolution of the two brands has to count for something in terms of historiography.

[The Chief]

I think 2008ish is a good start for whatever era we're in currently. The PG turn is a good pick for a turning point. They also started diluting the brand extension which was so prominent in the 2000s. You also have a lot of the old guard fading away like Michaels, Edge, Batista, Taker, etc.

 

It makes me feel dirty saying Social Media era but I think that's a fair representation of where we are now.

 

They play to the Internet a lot more now than they ever did. Watch some of those 2010 shows where Cole is doing his heel shtick, he goes out of his way to shit all over Internet favorites like Bryan and Kaval. So even though they were shitting all over it, they were at least paying attention. Look at the previous decade when they had guys like London and Kendrick and completely ignored them. Now we get guys like Owens and Neville on the main roster and their past accomplishments and fan bases are talked about. The network is a big part of their current business model so that's another big change. They have an entirely different approach to scouting talent now which I don't feel we've felt the full effects of quite yet.

[Mad Dog]

The Backlund era feels better from the rest of the 70s. You had some better work on top and it felt like a wide variety of guys were getting a chance at the bottom.

[drew wardlaw]

Would it be fair to say we are currently in the "Network Era"? It feels like there was enough of a shift in the product in February 2014 to warrant it (ramping up the NXT brand most notably).

[Jimmy Redman]

The "PG era" began in about 2009. The blood ban took hold in the ring, and out of it the language/content was sanitised due to things like Linda's Senate campaign and sponsors. I think everyone was saying "WWE Universe" by the end of 2009, which is another aspect: everyone talking in catchphrases and buzzwords instead of real words. The Homogeneous Era.

[conker8]

The Backlund era feels better from the rest of the 70s. You had some better work on top and it felt like a wide variety of guys were getting a chance at the bottom.

78 is also the start of the death of the West Coast territories.

[Ricky Jackson]

Going back to the territory years, I think it could be divided into a few distinct eras.

 

-Early Territory Era (1956-1963) Vince Sr starts promoting in NYC that year, and many of the classic territories TV shows begin their runs (eg. Wrestling at the Chase) and/or start promoting (eg.the AWA). 1963 sees the start of the WWWF and the end of Buddy Rogers mega hot run.

 

-1960s Slump (1964-1969) Business drops off in a lot of areas during this time, and wrestling is generally not as hot than the era before or the one that followed

 

-70s Boom Era (1970-1975) Hot period that featured most territories doing great, often record-setting business. Mileage varied from territory to territory. Some had declined greatly from their peak by 1975, others (WWWF, Carolinas, Florida) would continue to be successful throughout the 70s.

 

-Late Territory Era (1976-1983) Several territories died during this time, including SF, LA, Detroit, and Amarillo. Vince Jr buys the WWF from his father and his partners in 1982. Business in many NWA territories was record-setting in 82-83.

 

Of course several territories continued after 1983, but 84 saw the beginning of Hogan's run as king of wrestling and the WWF's aggressive expansion into other areas.

[JerryvonKramer]

Kelly, one thing that interests me is when exactly Vince Sr consolidated all the regional markets into one big super promotion?

 

When did he acquire Zacko and Philly? When did he move into Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Boston?

 

I generally think it's a mistake to think of WWWF as just one territory, it was really like four or five territories rolled into one.

[Ricky Jackson]

I want to say Vince Sr had Philly by 1964 and Boston slightly later. Pittsburgh was around 1974 when the NWF (they had started promoting there a few years earlier) folded. Going to check around for better info

[Ricky Jackson]

Looks like Philly was 1963 and Boston 1967

[gingears]

Would it be safe to say Punk's "Pipebomb" promo clearly marks the start of the Reality Era and end of the previous era?

I don't think any more so than Edge and Lita "live sex celebration" would mark the beginning of a new era in 2006. If WWE had committed to promoting C.M. Punk as the top star afterwards, I could see a case. That is not what happened though. Perhaps it is what should have happened but, for me, it was just a promo designed to build up the next month's pay-per-view that took on a life of its own. It doesn't really represent any sort of change of philosophy. I definitely see the argument for it though.

Would it be fair to say we are currently in the "Network Era"? It feels like there was enough of a shift in the product in February 2014 to warrant it (ramping up the NXT brand most notably).

I think that this is right on the money but I still feel like I need to see more of a commitment to the change in philosophy. Trading pay-per-view for over-the-top internet and reducing the price point absolutely fits that bill but the NXT expansion doesn't feel like it has crossed a point of no return yet for me. I also think that some of these sorts of classifications are only really able to be made with the benefit of hindsight though. In time, I think the network's impact on the product is going to become a lot more obvious historically.