5 Golden Era wrestlers who competed in WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era
WWE crossed over into mainstream popular culture during the Golden Era. Wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant brought professional wrestling to new heights in the '80s. Certain wrestlers from that illustrious era stuck around in the business long enough to compete in WWE's Ruthless Aggression era roughly 20 years later.
The Golden Era began in 1982 and lasted all the way to 1993. The era of Ruthless Aggression, on the other hand, is believed to have kicked off via a speech by Vince McMahon on the June 24, 2002, episode of Monday Night RAW. That era lasted until late July 2008, when all WWE programming went to TV-PG.
WWE's era of Ruthless Aggression saw wrestlers from previous eras competing with up-and-comers who'd go on to become legends in their own right. With stars of the past contributing to WWE programming, wrestling fans were treated to dream matches that'll never take place again. Without further ado, let's look back at five Golden Era stars who wrestled in the era of Ruthless Aggression.
#5. 2-Time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan became a pro wrestling icon during WWE's Golden Era. The Immortal One was the undisputed face of WWE in the 1980s.
Hogan was brought back months before the Ruthless Aggression era began, taking part in the nWo revival angle. During that era, Hogan had notable battles with the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon. In 2003, Hogan briefly took on the persona of 'Mr. America'. The six-time former WWE Champion would wrestle his last official WWE match at SummerSlam 2006, defeating "The Legend Killer" Randy Orton.
In 2005, Hulk Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the WWE HOF with the New World Order as part of the Class of 2020. The only wrestlers besides Hogan to be two-time WWE Hall of Famers are Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Booker T, X-Pac, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Bret Hart.
#4. "HBK" Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels gained fame in WWE's Golden Era as one-half of The Rockers alongside Marty Jannetty. However, HBK's greatest claim to fame would come after betraying Marty during the infamous Barber Shop segment in the early '90s.
In the summer of 2002, Michaels competed in the WWE ring for the first time in over four years, defeating Triple H in an unsanctioned match. During the Ruthless Aggression Era, Michaels would become one of the top main event stars in WWE. He'd wrestle in classics against the likes of Chris Jericho, Ric Flair, and the leader of Evolution.
During the early part of the Ruthless Aggression era, Michaels would have a short reign as the World Heavyweight Champion. The Rockers aren't officially recognized as being former World Tag Team Champions in WWE, but the company does recognize HBK and Cena's 63-day reign as tag champs in 2007.
#3. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
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Ric Flair became a WWE star during the latter years of the Golden Era. During that time, Flair became a two-time WWE Champion and the winner of the 1992 Royal Rumble. Flair's '92 Rumble win would earn The Nature Boy his first reign with the WWE Championship.
Flair missed most of WWE's Golden Era because of his work with the NWA, but Slick Ric would become part of the Ruthless Aggression era from the beginning to the last calendar year. Flair would retire during the last WrestleMania of the Ruthless Aggression era, losing to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24 in a very emotional match.
During the Ruthless Aggression era, Flair would continue to win championship gold, adding a reign with the Intercontinental Title and three reigns with the World Tag Team Championship to his list of many accomplishments. He was also part of the legendary faction known as Evolution.
#2. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan, a popular WWE star from the '80s, brought his 2x4 back to WWE during the Ruthless Aggression era. Duggan's most notable angle from this era happened in early 2006 during a short feud with Edge which revolved around Hacksaw's "Hoooo" catchphrase being used to mock the girlfriend of The Rated R Superstar. That year, he'd formed a partnership with Eugene that would lead to a short feud between the two.
hacksaw jim duggan to lita:"HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!": youtu.be/6hn9lTQ6RW4 this one makes me laugh. @kentuckyBADGIRL
During the Golden Era, Hacksaw made history by becoming the first winner of the Royal Rumble match. Duggan wrestled in the era of Ruthless Aggression from 2006 until the end of the era, mostly appearing on house shows and episodes of Sunday Night Heat.
#1. The Undertaker
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The Undertaker's WWE in-ring career kicked off with his debut at the 1990 Survivor Series PPV. It ended in 2020, lasting multiple eras and forever impacting the scripted sport of professional wrestling. The Deadman would arrive during the latter part of the Golden Era, but he'd become WWE Champion a year after his televised debut, besting Hulk Hogan at Survivor Series '91 with help from Ric Flair. However, that reign would only last six days.
At the start of the Ruthless Aggression era, The Undertaker was the reigning WWE Undisputed Champion. He would drop the title to The Rock at the 2002 Vengeance pay-per-view in a triple threat match that also involved Kurt Angle.
While he initially competed on RAW during the RA era, The Undertaker would become a SmackDown mainstay from 2002 until long after the era ended. During this time, The Deadman would go on to have memorable bouts with some of the best stars WWE had to offer, such as Edge, Brock Lesnar, and Batista. During this era, The Undertaker also had two reigns with the World Heavyweight Championship to his list of achievements.
The Undertaker would enter the era of Ruthless Aggression with the American Badass biker gimmick, also known as Big Evil. But at WrestleMania 20, 'Taker reverted back to his Deadman persona to seek revenge on Kane, who assisted Mr. McMahon in burying The Undertaker alive at the 2003 Survivor Series. The Undertaker would then defeat his on-screen brother Kane and continue to portray the Deadman gimmick for the rest of his career.