Jumpin said:
I'm watching all the Attitude era on the WWE network (except Sunday Night Heat because European WWE network doesn't have it!). Don't get me wrong, I love the product, but the wrestling quality of 98/99 was IMO not very high, and not the main attraction of the show. This includes PPVs. Not all the matches are terrible, but a good match seems rare. I found that if a match was entertaining, it invariably involved The Rock or Mankind in some capacity.... Until No Mercy 1999 that is when there was a very good ladder match between Edge and Christian vs. the Hardy Boyz. On the other hand, I'm aware that wrestling quality picks up significantly in early 2000. While late 99 is regarded as the worst of the worst of the Attitude era, I am going to have to disagree with the general wrestling fanbase. I've been finding matches getting faster and more entertaining, more high impact-looking stuff: Rikishi's been added to the roster, and despite his limited move-set, his high-impact fat Samoan style seems to be gold in those short sub-4 minute matches. The Rock also has these super-explosive combo sets that he does on Raw and Smackdown that work very well in the shorter matches. Jericho is an astonishing in-ring performer, but he's currently in this garbage program with Chyna that seems to have gone on forever. His matches have been somewhat weak so far - it appears that in 1999 he hadn't got the Lionsault down yet either because even the ones he does in current days look significantly better; either that or the ropes just sucked during 99. Even the garbage matches I am finding are more entertaining. The pool match between Miss Kitty, Ivory, BB Bush, and Jacqueline for the women's title at Armageddon was fucking ridiculous and over-the-top, but somehow WAY more interesting than those stupid boring evening gown matches with Sable back when she was still a thing; I have no idea how Sable was popular, it's like the entire audience was so depraved and sex-starved that they were actually entertained by some old-looking woman with floppy implants who couldn't wrestle and couldn't do a promo. So in my opinion, things are getting much better in later 99, and I know there's still nearly a year and a half of Attitude era left. I am currently on Armageddon 99, in the middle of it. But, if Jericho vs. Omega happened in 98 or 99, I would consider it to be among the top 3 matches between both those years (with Mankind vs. Undertaker Hell in a Cell and Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz making up the other two); there is a match between The Rock and Foley (Either Royal Rumble or No Way Out 99) that I remember really liking a lot as well, they had a few matches, and I forget which happened when, but one of them was a lot better than the others - it was one of the matches with the Rock getting on the mic throughout; that'd be my fourth. I'll say Rock vs Austin Wrestlemania to round out the top 5, but I don't remember that one sticking out much to me (to be honest) - I saw their second Wrestlemania match (2001) with the severe chair beating, and that one I liked better. |
I'm watching through the Attitude Era also, and I have to say it's good for people who want to see shocking things happen, but unfortunately (with Russo at least) the stories don't make much sense. All the heel and face turns and people betraying each other only to get back together, only to betray the other one again. However, I did really like the Brood's face turn against the Ministry of Darkness because it actually made sense. I honestly can't stand Sable either. I actually find DX annoying because of their toilet and vulgar humour (however, I did think they were excellent heels with Michaels as the leader). I'm hoping the writing will get better when Russo leaves (I haven't gotten there yet).
