Is WWE better today than Stone Cold and The Rock's Attitude Era? Know the truth
WWE is a well-oiled machine that has been running smoothly for generations. The company was started in the 1950s. However, it became a global TV show post 1982 when Vince McMahon bought it over.
It seems like WWE has been around forever, which is why it has fans right from children to senior citizens. When there are fans of different generations, debates about which was the greatest era are bound to take place.
When speaking of eras, the majority of the time people will give gold to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock's Attitude Era. Most fans believe that the Attitude Era was the best time in the company.
However, that's only an assumption, because wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer recently noted why the current era is the best of all time in WWE.
Here is what he had to say:
"Attendance is way way up… It's been big on cable… even in the Attitude Era, when it was big on cable, it wasn't beating the top network shows. It wasn't even close. But now, I mean, it is. It's crazy, and people wanna say that somehow this isn't hot. It is so hot. It's the hottest wrestling has been since 2001, that's 22 years."
He added:
"And people may look back and go, 'Oh, they were doing three million viewers not that many years ago,' although TV's changed. They certainly weren't doing these crowds on a regular basis like they are now. The crowds for the quarter would be some of the highest in many years, and so many other things when you look at them. Merchandise has never been higher, ever. Not in the Attitude Era, not in the Hulk Hogan Era. Never as high as it is now." (H/T: Bleacher Report)
Over the past three years, WWE has broken records in terms of stadium footfall, social media engagement, increase in merchandise sales, and viewership. Last year, WWE clocked a record-breaking $1.3 billion in revenue.
Roman Reigns is the key to WWE's turnaround
Roman Reigns has completed a decade in WWE. For seven years, Reigns tried everything but could not win over the fans. However, in 2020, he changed the game. His turning heel and adopting the Tribal Chief character, and the ensuing Bloodline storyline, got fans highly invested again in WWE.
Speaking on his podcast, Dave Meltzer said he believes Reigns is the main reason for this turnaround. While he feels Cody Rhodes is doing well, too, nothing compares to the level of interest Roman Reigns garners.
"Roman is the catalyst. Cody Rhodes is doing great on RAW, no doubt about it. Roman… he's been great since he went heel, and it's been building and everything like that. But even when you look back six months ago, it's gone way up since six months ago."
Meltzer may have a point here. The weekly SmackDown viewership gets a good bump when Reigns is on the show. Just an announcement that he will be appearing on the show creates a buzz among fans on social media.
The storytelling, starting with Roman Reigns and the addition of The Bloodline, has been magnificent. The base story of the family, with various characters going in and out, has brought in more viewers to the show and has never failed to entertain.
Last week's SmackDown, which included The Tribal Court segment, brought in approximately 2.5 million viewers. It is safe to say Roman Reigns has played a huge part in taking the company to new heights.