3 Prominent WWE trends that show glimpses of the Attitude Era

One of the major reasons why WWE has been able to be miles ahead of their competition is their ability to transition according to the demands of the business. With bigger television deals came a broader fan base, most of them being kids. WWE has been able to adapt and change the presentation of its content to suit the much larger fan base.

As recently as December last year, the McMahons decided they need to make a comeback to boost the ratings, which was heading downwards faster than ever. Also, Vince McMahon getting involved in various segments involving stars from both brands and Shane McMahon winning a title on the main roster reminded us of the Attitude Era where they were a key reason for the success in ratings in that period.

The present scenario of PG Television means WWE cannot always cater to the group of fans that loved them during the Attitude Era, but recent trends show some glimpses of that foregone era. Here are some of the instances that reminded us of the Attitude Era.

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#3 Intergender wrestling

There have been a handful number of instances recently which are similar to the Attitude Era

Ronda Rousey laying waste to Triple H, Becky Lynch vs James Ellsworth and Nia Jax in the Men's Royal Rumble are some of the most recent examples to show that WWE might be interested in bringing back intergender wrestling.

Fans might recall Chyna's run during the Attitude Era when she feuded with Jeff Jarrett, Chris Jericho, and Dean Malenko. She is also the only woman to have held the Intercontinental Title when she defeated Chris Jericho at Survivor Series 1999.

This was a period where there were direct encounters between men and women, unlike the Mixed Match Challenge where a tag has to be made when an opponent of the opposite gender is in the ring.

Famous female superstars like Jacqueline, Lita, and Trish Stratus have also been in matches with men. The old Cruiserweight Championship was won by Jacqueline, while Lita and Trish fought Jericho and Christian in a tag-team match. So where does this leave the current WWE product?

It's still highly unlikely for WWE to bring back intergender wrestling, but some of the current trends point to a possibility of women wrestling men, given that women's wrestling is in the forefront of WWE's plans.

#2 Vicious beatdowns

There have been a number of brutal beatdown segments on WWE TV

In the past two years, we have seen a number of vicious attacks by wrestlers that have often left the audience shocked. While it may not be anywhere close to the brutality present during the Attitude Era, some of the moments like the ones mentioned in the image above, are reminiscent of the old school beatdowns of the Attitude Era.

Chair shots to the head have been banned and should forever be banned. But there have been more usage of kendo sticks, something which is like a replacement to chair shots to the head, in terms of brutality.

Wrestlers being put through the commentary table has become a common fixture of weekly TV, and choking an opponent by stomping a chair to the throat is the new form of inflicting pain. And yes, there is always the occasional blood, which is kept reserved for the most barbaric encounters, or to finish a match that cannot be finished using a finisher.

Regardless of the technique used, brutality was commonplace in the Attitude Era and some of the most recent beatdowns remind us of the same. No one may want to be like Mick Foley again, but has that stopped Kevin Owens from being thrown off from the top of the steel cage?

#1 The Becky Lynch Saga

The Becky Lynch story reminds us of the Attitude Era Stone Cold Steve Austin story

The Attitude Era presented us with a clear distinction of babyfaces and heels, but the fans were not into the babyface characters. Teenagers and adults were more interested in the anti-heroes, the heels that took names and wreaked havoc inside the ring

The likes of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock, and D-Generation X were some of the superstars that the fans could relate to and their characters had a much broader appeal than the traditional babyfaces.

Usually, it is never intended by the authorities backstage that the fans boo their babyfaces, but many babyfaces have been booed by fans for years. Take John Cena and Roman Reigns, for example, in their prime face run, they have not been accepted as a legitimate hero on several occasions.

Becky Lynch is the perfect example of an anti-hero in this era of WWE. Fighting off the then projected babyface Charlotte Flair, her rise to the top started after she broke the shackles of being a crowd-pleasing babyface into a character that had more 'attitude'. Ring any bells?

23 years ago, Stone Cold's victory in the King of the Ring in 1996 was the moment at which he broke away from the shackles of his old Ringmaster character and signalled the beginning of the Austin 3:16 character. These two events are pretty similar when viewed in hindsight.

You know you're being taken very seriously if a McMahon is getting involved in your business. This week on RAW, we Sae Stephanie take a punch to the face from Becky. On SmackDown, Becky was confronted by Triple H, in which the latter accused Becky of faking an injury just to avoid facing Ronda Rousey.

This lead to Becky slapping Triple H and all signs point to Becky facing an uphill battle against The Authority for her spot on the WrestleMania Card. Sounds familiar? Didn't Stone Cold face a similar battle against The Authority during his rise to the top?

Could this be the beginning of a future Becky-McMahon feud? Could this be as gripping as the Austin-McMahon feud? While it is true that no one can ever reach the stardom that Stone Cold had reached, we fans can hope that WWE doesn't waste this fine opportunity that they have accidentally created.

No other superstar gets louder cheers from the crowd as The Man does. No superstar is more loved than badass Becky. The cheers she gets from the crowd is reminiscent of the Attitude Era anti-heroes, especially Steve Austin.