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Former WWE Superstar Shawn Stasiak has commented on the toughness of 'Attitude Era' stars in WWE, and compared the era with the current product today.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with SK Wrestling's Ryan Boman, the former WWF Hardcore champion went into detail on the toughness and durability of stars who were around in one of the most memorable times in WWE history, saying that they didn't just "play tough" for the cameras, but were every bit as tough in real life, too.
Here is what Shawn Stasiak had to say:
"I was part of an era that was so heightened and so magnified. Fast forward twenty years to today, and I’m not dogging the product today, but It’s just a different product... Such a special, heightened, magnified era called the Attitude Era, and it was just larger than life names, and the way the guys looked and the energy they exude. Theres were guys that didn't try to play a tough guy, they were tough!"
Shawn Stasiak on the believability of stars in the Attitude Era
Shawn Stasiak would go on to say that, even though some of the content presented by WWE during the Attitude Era was a little "gimmicky" it was nevertheless believable, thanks to the real-life nature of the Superstars featured by WWE programming at the time.
"They weren’t acting their character, they were just being their character. And it was much more believable. Even though it got a little gimmicky, but it was believable. When Ric Flair walked through the curtain when I was a kid, I genuinely believed he could kick my a** and steal my girlfriend. It was the element of reality, suspending your disbelief and just living in the moment."
Shawn Stasiak also hinted at a potential return to the ring, but made it clear that if he were to step between the ropes once again, it would not be as part of a full-time schedule, as he was in the Attitude Era. He currently works as a successful Chiropractor and speaker.
