5 Best Superstars of the Attitude Era

‘Attitude’ might just be another word for all the muggles out there but for a wrestling fan, Attitude is an emotion. It represents the era where Wrestling was at its epitome of mainstream attention while producing some must watch television.The over the top ideas used in the Attitude Era might never be reintroduced to the professional wrestling business, but we still have a plethora of memories to cherish about those good old times.The amount of dedication put in by each superstar was one of the biggest factors for Attitude Era being a success story and here is a look at those Superstars who were always a step ahead of the others when it came to carrying the Attitude Era on their shoulders.

#5 Triple H

Triple H’s run in the Attitude Era was probably the best part of his career. He was part of the cult faction D Generation X during the beginning of the era and slowly moved on to become a decorated singles superstar.

The DX led by Triple H was nothing short of controversial and was responsible for some of the best moments during the era. His feud with Rock was another good run during that time but the stand out moment was the McMahon – Helmsley angle.

His attitude era run proved to be the launch of Hunter’s heel run through the 2000s which saw the birth of Evolution and also that storyline with Shawn Michaels.

#4 Mick Foley

It would be easy to put names like Undertaker, Shawn Michaels or Kane into this spot but Foley truly deserves this one. Most of the WWE fans recognize the Attitude Era for the violence and sexual content and the former part was defined by Mick Foley.

With his Mankind character, Foley redefined the world hardcore when he got his chance in WWE. He came to Vince’s promotion after stints in ECW and WCW and wasted no time in making an impact.

The legendary Hell in a Cell match that he had with Undertaker was the highest peak in Foley’s graph. He also had the ability to pull off some captivating promos with the microphone underlining the ‘Hardcore Legend’ tag he was given.

#3 Rock

The Rock had a forgettable initial run in the WWE and it was the Attitude Era which helped him to morph into the most electrifying superstar in the wrestling business.

After some midcard feuds in the late 90s, the career turner came when Rock made the Nation of Dominance. The Faction was a big success and after the split, the Brahma bull went on to have a singles career. He started that run off with an angle against Triple H and then moved on to Steve Austin to have a legendary storyline.

Dwayne Johnson’s popularity soon proved to be the foundation for his Hollywood career as well and the rest was history.

#2 Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon didn’t have many matches during the Attitude Era but without his Mr. McMahon character, the era wouldn’t have flourished in the way that it eventually did. Many fans suggest that it was McMahon’s Screwjob at Montreal that sparked the Attitude Era but we will never know the truth.

His Authority vs. Rebel feud against Steve Austin proved to be the backbone throughout the era which also saw McMahon win the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship.

There are a lot of memorable moments from McMahon’s attitude era run and it would be nearly impossible to pick just one. And for the current fans, this is the same man who is currently screwing up things big time.

#1 Steve Austin

Attitude Era and Steve Austin are synonymous. After his forgettable run as the Ring master, Austin was given a big chance when the company made him the King of the Ring in 1996. In the final he defeated Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and gave out the Austin 3:16 speech.

His popularity sky rocketed after that and Austin soon became a main event act. On one side there was the Authority figure character of Vince and on the other side was Austin who raised the bar for every Anti – Hero that followed.

Till date, there hasn’t been any name that went on to achieve the success that Austin achieved as the pillar of Attitude Era and if it wasn’t for his health, he would’ve gone on to have a wild run in the Ruthless aggression era as well.