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The PG Era is technically categorized as any WWE action between the years of 2008-2013. 2008's July 22nd episode of SmackDown was the first to display a TV-PG rating rather than the former PG DVL rating.
The Superstars from WWE's PG Era experienced quite an interesting change in the business. WWE was trying to stay away from the edgier content of the past and promoted relatively cleaner storytelling.
While some of the Superstars who reached their peak during the PG Era might still be with WWE, others have since left the company. But the moments they created during this time will remain a lasting reminder of this important transition in WWE's landscape.
This list consists of those who either came into their own during that timeframe or emerged as Superstars. It was certainly hard to pick just ten, but we did our best.
#10 Bray Wyatt
The "Eater Of Worlds" is a grand amalgamation of many pop culture entities. Through his mysterious and dark promo work, he paints a vivid picture using metaphors and his in-ring work is just as dark and eye-catching. He might have arrived in WWE during the tail end of the PG Era, but it still counts.
Everyone remembers the first time they saw Bray Wyatt perform his amazing spider walk or talk about Sister Abigail's teachings. As the leader of the Wyatt Family, they captivated the interest of the WWE Universe since the first time they walked to the ring.
Bray has the uncanny ability to live again to fight another day. He loses a lot of his major feuds but is somehow able to pop up the next week looking for more and he's just as plausible of an opponent.
The Wyatt Family's story with Daniel Bryan was outstanding and had the legs to go much longer than it did. The years have been good for Bray Wyatt as people still Follow The Buzzards to this day.
#9 Dolph Ziggler
The "Show Off" has been doing his thing for a long time. He dazzles the audience everywhere he goes with his slick move set.
Ziggler first made his debut to the WWE Universe in 2005 as a member of the Spirit Squad. However, after the band of misfit cheerleaders were shipped back to OVW, Ziggler was repackaged once again.
Ziggler returned to WWE in 2008 and held the Intercontinental Title for 160 days in 2010. By 2011 held the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. His first title reign wasn't a real championship win because Vickie Guerrero just handed him the title and Edge won it back in the same night. But Ziggler did have a better run with the top title in 2013.
His ability to carry a match holds true to this day as he is now a veteran entertainer with years to go if he wants to.
#8 Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio was lighting up the pro wrestling scene for years before coming into WWE but once he arrived there was a little chance of ignoring "Mexico's Greatest Export". Alberto feuded with some of the biggest names in WWE and impressed many with his ring savvy and flawless execution.
Coming from a rich tradition of pro wrestling, he represented his father Dos Caras and uncles Mil Máscaras and Sicodelico. Alberto fought hard his entire career to make a name for himself and he's done an amazing job of it too.
Alberto saw his hard work pay off as he held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship twice in 2013 for a combined run of 224 days.
He didn't rely on his family lineage alone and implemented his MMA training in his move set to add a little touch of realism to his ring work. Alberto continues to excel wherever he goes to this day, but he had some of his best moments during WWE's PG Era.
#7 Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy didn't spend much time in WWE during their PG Era. But in the beginning of the journey into this new era fans saw an evolution of Jeff Hardy.
His program with CM Punk made a main eventer out of Jeff Hardy in a lot of ways. Punk's feud with the Charismatic Egnima was sparked with a Money In The Bank cash in which would see Hardy chasing the title in a series of matches.
It was amazing to watch, but Jeff Hardy's physical problems due to the wear and tear of his body from years of wrestling caused him to leave WWE's hectic scheduled eventually.
Hardy returned to TNA after leaving WWE but fans will never forget the excellent adventure he took them through during the beginning of the PG Era.
#6 John Morrison
Whether you know him as Johnny Nitro, Morrison, Mundo, Impact, or Hennigan he's still amazing. This superior athlete kept the WWE Universe on their toes at all times and his exciting move set only made his amazing look more appealing.
His partnership with The Miz not only saw them winning Tag Team Gold but becoming Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 2008 Tag Team Of The Year. He also held the Intercontinental Champion for a combined 206 days during the PG Era as well.
Looking like a true rock star, John Morrison won Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Most Improved Wrestler Of The Year in 2009. Morrison bid farewell to WWE in 2011, but his presence was really missed when he took off to set the indie wrestling scene on fire.
As they say, you never know what you have until it's gone. This is, unfortunately, a running theme for a few people on this list.
#5 The Miz
The Miz is still awesome but he really kicked it up a level during the PG Era. He was a safe alternative and seemed to be a great choice in a day and age where Vince McMahon wanted to feature a smaller champion.
But it wasn't just his size which was a selling point because The Miz also worked hard to improve dramatically and wound up headlining WrestleMania 27 where he retained his WWE Championship over John Cena.
He welcomed his haters. He won like a true old-school heel and used his status to its full advantage.
If The Miz keeps up at it and might eventually be considered the greatest WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time when all is said and done. But the PG Era is where The Miz really cut his teeth on making a name for himself in WWE.
#4 John Cena
John Cena is on this list because he has been on top during a few eras and the PG Era was one of them. We might be witnessing Cena's eventual departure from WWE but he'll probably never go away forever.
The PG Era was especially good to Cena. He won the Royal Rumble in 2008 and 2013 and picked up the WWE Championship seven times.
It was during this time when Cena's star really started to shine the brightest in the WWE Universe and his 'Cenation' rallied around their hero who never gave up when his ruthless aggression was left in the previous era.
This was also the era where John Cena came out victorious over The Nexus to send the fans home happy and his battles with CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, and Kane highlighted John Cena's ever-improving and impressive ability in the ring.
#3 CM Punk
The Second City Savior's entire WWE career pretty much existed during the PG Era. The Summer Of Punk, The Straight Edge Society, and much of ECW all happened during 2008-2013.
Punk shut down his critics time and time again by proving he was The Best In The World at what he did in the ring. He became a three-time WWE Champion while garnering praise for his incredible knack of ring psychology and superior promo ability. His legendary Pipebomb Speech on June 27th, 2011 was an outstanding example of his microphone prowess.
It's a shame that Punk and WWE parted ways in the manner they did and the separation pain seems to continue to this day. But nobody will forget the memories The Straight Edge Superstar created during this time in WWE History.
#2 Daniel Bryan
It cannot get much better than Daniel Bryan in the wrestling ring. Some fans think that the PG Era consisted of Daniel Bryan's finest work in WWE.
He became WWE Champion and held the United States Title as well. During this period, he partnered with Kane to form team Hell No. It was a wonderful time to be a Daniel Bryan fan because he pulled out all the stops to entertain the WWE Universe.
The PG Era stopped as the 'Yes Movement' really took off, but the genesis certainly existed during this great time of WWE storytelling.
#1 Edge
Edge was already reeking of awesomeness before the PG Era. His TLC matches with Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and Dudleys made history. However, the PG Era saw an amazing time before the twilight of Edge's career.
The Rated R Superstar broke the record for most times holding the WWE Tag Team titles with his twelfth title reign alongside Chris Jericho in 2009. He also held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship five times during the PG Era to put his total number of reigns up to seven.
Unfortunately, Edge had to retire as WWE World Heavyweight Champion the day after he successfully defended his title against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 27. However, Edge held down the top of the roster for an impressive portion of the PG Era.
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