10 things from early 2000's WWE that we rarely see now
Fans and wrestling personalities tend to split the history of WWE into eras — the Golden era, the Attitude Era and so on. This is primarily due to the shifts in tone, character, or content that occurred during those time periods.
The overall theme is that the world of professional wrestling is constantly changing in an attempt to stay relevant and keep people interested in the product. This is evident in WWE when examining the current product and comparing it to the weekly shows and pay-per-views from the early 2000’s.
With that being said, here are 10 things in WWE that were common in the early 2000’s but are seldom seen today.
#10 Animals
Animals, most commonly dogs, were used often on WWE television during the early 2000s as part of storylines, accompanying superstars to the ring, or as a match stipulation. There is a rich tradition of animals in professional wrestling, like the story of Bruno Sammartino wrestling an Orangutan, the wrestling bears in the early 1900’s carnivals, and Matilda the Bulldog who was the mascot of the British Bulldogs.
Although the history is there, most likely due to the unpredictable nature of animals on live television, WWE has steered clear of using animals regularly on television.
Just take a look at the comments superstars and producers have made regarding the Kennel From Hell match between the Big Boss Man and Al Snow to understand how the motivation to use animals has changed from then to present