Top 10 WWE rivalries in the Attitude Era

Over the years, WWF/WWE has had some fantastic rivalries that has seen the fans enjoy a lot. And these rivalries were at their highest point when the WWE was in the Attitude Era. It may be impossible to pick only a few rivalries, but here are 5 of the best in the Attitude Era. Feel free to disagree in the comments section!

Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit may now be “he who must not be named”, but back in the day, he was one of the best technical wrestlers in the WWE. To truly unleash the variety of wrestling moves that he had, there were very few who could go toe to toe with him. And Kurt Angle was perhaps the best of them all.

Kurt Angle, being an Olympic champions in wrestling, could bring in a lot of technical moves too. As a result, this rivalry brought some of the best matches in the Attitude Era, including such matches as the very unique “Ultimate Submission match” along with a ladder match and a two out of 3 falls match.

Trish Stratus vs Stephanie McMahon

Perhaps the greatest Diva in the Attitude Era, if not all time, Trish Stratus has had some memorable feuds with a lot of the other women wrestlers during her time. But perhaps the best feud of them all was with Stephanie McMahon.

In her initial years, Trish was more a manager than a wrestler, and soon she became involved in an angle with Vince McMahon and his daughter Stephanie. In an on-screen storyline, Vince asks his wife Linda McMahon for a divorce while having an affair with Trish. This does not go down well with Stephanie leading to various fights between the two, culminating in a match between them at No Way Out, 2001.

There was another feud between them involving the same kind of storyline, but only this time it was Triple H, Stephanie’s husband!

DX vs Nation of Domination

It was a time when there were quite a few stables in the WWE and the tag team titles actually meant something! Among all the tag team rivalries, one that stood out was the ongoing feud with DX and the Nation of Domination.

DX was led by Shawn Michaels while the Nation of Domination was led by Hall of Famer Farooq, and this led to some very memorable segments between two, especially the one where DX play a skit in the ring, dressed up as members of the NOD.

There were many such comedy acts as well as serious promos, with The Rock eventually coming out of the Nation of Domination for a very successful singles run.

The Rock vs Triple H

The Rock and Triple H were involved in some of the best matches in their careers. With both superstars having gained popularity being in their respective tag teams/stables, they truly reached the heights of fan following following their feud for the singles titles.

Even while they were part of their respective factions, they had some fantastic matches, especially a 2 out of 3 falls match and the Ladder match at the 1998 Summerslam. With Mankind being screwed out of the title and Vince handing it to the Rock, he became the WWF champion.

And his turning face set up some very good promos and matches between him and Triple H, sealing the legend status of both superstars.

Mankind vs The Undertaker

Going a little towards the dark side, perhaps one of the most brutal rivalries in the Attitude Era has to be between Mankind and The Undertaker.

With Paul Bearer being the common denominator between the two, they had some of the most violent, yet at the same time memorable matches in the WWE.

Even the variety of matches they competed were varied, including a broiler room match, a Buried Alive match, and the legendary Hell in a Cell match where the Undertaker famously threw Mankind from the top of the cage, 16 feet high!

The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

It is perhaps impossible for one face to go head to head with another face and still sell it to the crowd. But that is exactly what the Rock and Austin did in one of the most iconic rivalries in the WWE.

With The Rock breaking out of the Nation of Domination as well as the Corporation, he quickly became a fan favourite thanks to the way he dissed other superstars as well as his in-ring charisma. With Austin already a fan favourite himself, it made for some of the best matches, especially at WrestleMania!

The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz

In perhaps the best tag team action of all time, all 3 teams performed at a very high momentum, giving the fans some of the best matches in the history of WWF/WWE.

All 3 teams were known for their high flying action, and the TLC matches were pioneered by them. Of particular note was the ladder match between the teams for the tag team titles, which defied everything that fans had expected to see from a tag team match.

And Edge’s spear in mid-air will linger in memory for years to come!

The Undertaker vs. Kane

We’ve all had sibling rivalries as children, which we would have grown out of with age. But it seems The Undertaker and Kane never really resolved their differences!

Jokes aside, Kane is perhaps The Undertaker’s greatest rival, in terms of storyline as well as in-ring. They’ve always been feuding with each other, except when they were tag team partners, “Brothers of Destruction”.

In fact, further evidence of the chemistry they share is the fact that Kane has not been able to replicate the same intensity in any of his other rivalries.

They’ve had some memorable matches, with the first ever Inferno match as well as Buried Alive matches.

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart

This rivalry was one for the ages. Though technically not in the Attitude Era, the 1997 Survivor Series in Montreal was perhaps what ushered the era, along with creating one of the most iconic characters in professional wrestling, “Mr. McMahon”.

But their rivalry was not confined to one or two years. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart have been feuding with each other ever since they entered the WWF, in the tag team scene. With both stars having great singles careers too, it was a natural course for them to keep having matches regularly, building the feud over the years.

It may have all culminated in the Montreal Screwjob, but their on-screen and off-screen rivalry can never be outdone.

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon

If there was one rivalry that completely defined an era, then it has to be between Austin and Vince. The boss versus the redneck was a routine that was lapped up by the audience and was a huge success.

Throughout the Attitude Era, Stone Cold Steve Austin’s mission was to disrupt Vince McMahon’s plans, thus ensuring he got the support of all the people who wanted to do the same to their own bosses, which, lets face it, were a lot.

But it would be a mistake to think of Austin as a hero. He was more of an antihero, one that successfully erased the line between hero and villain. After all, giving a beer bath to the boss is not something a good guy would do!

There were some memorable matches too, including the Royal Rumble and the Cage matches.