MAILBAG: When Did WWE’s Attitude Era Officially End For You?

SEScoops Mailbag for July 23rd

(submit YOUR questions to sescoops@gmail.com)

Q: Curious, does it look to anyone else like Kurt Angle has lost a pretty good bit of weight? He’s not as “thick” as he once was, particularly in his face and neck, and he’s not nearly as well built as he was in the upper body. Pretty sure it’s a training regimen for what he claims will be an Olympic run, but do you think he’s just busting ass to get down in weight, or do you think it’s a lack of “chemical enhancers” that formerly made him thicker? It almost looks like he’s got an illness or something. – Steve

A: He’s actually looked this way for some time now, long before he announced his intentions to train for another Olympic run. As a matter of fact, not long after he migrated to TNA from WWE, he lost a ton of weight and looked downright frail. When I saw him at a TNA house show at Webster Hall in New York City back in February 2008, watching him in the ring against Christian, the difference in his physique was startling. Part of it, he’s claimed, is also slimming down for movie roles. The fact is, we can take an educated guess as to why Kurt is smaller now than he used to be and if that means he’s healthier, then more power to him.

Q: Since WCW went under in 2001, guys like Rey Mysterio, Booker T and Goldberg have all come to WWE and won championships, but its always been the World Heavyweight and never the WWE Title. Am I correct on this? – Cody

A: You are correct, sir. Eddie Guerrero did win the title from Brock Lesnar in 2004 and he was a WCW guy for many years, but he made the jump in 2000, which pre-dates the invasion angle. Should Rey defeat Miz for the title on Raw this Monday, he would break the drought.

Q: Where do you rank Joey Styles on the all-time list of greatest announcers in wrestling? Also, why do you think WWE never gave The British Bulldog a run with the WWF Title? – Troy M.

A: Joey Styles is a talented man and it could not have been easy to announce so many ECW shows by himself. That said, it’s a matter of personal preference and Styles does not crack my top 5 all-time list of wrestling announcers. Bulldog might have had a decent shot at a run with the title in late 1992-93 had he not failed a drug test and been fired by the company. He was hot off a classic Summerslam main event at Wembley Stadium and had a ton of momentum. As far as his later years in WWE, the timing simply wasn’t to his advantage as the company had people better suited for the role.

Q: Now that Vince McMahon is relieved of his duties and Triple H is the new Chairman, will he get rid of the PG? – Simon Babu

A: What is “the” PG? Sounds like a nasty rash you might need a doctor’s prescription for to help clear up. The reality is that Triple H has not, in fact, taken over as chairman. It’s a storyline that partially mirrors reality in that he is expected to take over for Vince at some point, but we’re still many months if not years away from that transition actually taking place. As for PG, it makes no difference either way. 95 percent of internet wrestling fans are still making a mess of their underwear over the whole CM Punk storyline, just as they did with his worked-shoot several weeks ago, all of which have taken place on a PG-rated show. I didn’t hear too many people complaining immediately after that took place. An edgier, more realistic product can definitely be PG if done correctly.

Q: A very reliable source claims CM Punk is now under contract with WWE and his free agency is now storyline. – Rory B.

A: Nice to meet you, the name’s Sense. Common Sense. I don’t come around these parts very often, but you’ll know me when you see me.

Q: Do the announcers and referees know the details of the match beforehand? For example, do Booker/JR/King/Cole/Matthews know who’s going to win and when certain crowd-pleasing moments are going to happen? That famous JR comment “As God as my witness, he is broken in half!” sounds purely genuine [and makes me think nobody] knew Undertaker was going to throw Mankind off the roof of the cell. – Jay

A: I don’t believe many people, if any, beyond Undertaker and Foley knew about that spot before their match. The announcers certainly didn’t. The announcers do have run sheets with notes in front of them and are made aware of things only on a “need to know” basis. Referees will have instructions relayed to them through their earpiece on what to do and where to position themselves at key moments, so they too do not necessarily know much in the way of details in advance.

Q: When did The Attitude Era officially end? A lot of people say when they changed there name from WWF to WWE. What you think? – Joe from Trenton, NJ

A: There is no specific date in which the Attitude Era came to a close, but I believe when Steve Austin shook Vince McMahon’s hand at WrestleMania 17, that era officially came to an end. WWF’s “boom” period as far as business certainly began it’s descent at that point. Austin ushered in that era (while stars like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and The Rock certainly did their part) and was the central figure in the whole us vs. them, boss vs. employee storyline that really brought their business back from the brink in 1997-98. Once Austin aligned with the owner and turned heel, it was never the same again.

Q: Does it ever bother you how unless it’s a major pay-per-view, WWE doesn’t value the impact of finishers in a match? For example, it always annoys me when a wrestler, such as Kofi Kingston (a recent example) would hit his finisher (Trouble in Paradise) and then instead of the heel, such as Dolph Ziggler kicking out of the move, his foot ends up on the bottom rope or there’s some sort of hokey finish. I believe it makes a wrestler look stronger if they kick out of the finisher instead of getting the corny ending that a heel in the WWE usually gets. Also, does Cena’s version of the STF annoy you? I hate how he almost never hooks the opponent’s neck and the opponent taps as if he were being suffocated. – Fernando

A: Here’s a novel idea. Why even bother having people kick out of each other’s finishers all the time? It’s called a FINISHER for a reason. When you nail it, it’s supposed to be lights out. If you save your false finishes for only select PPV matches, it will feel more special. Otherwise, what’s the point of even having a finishing move? If I were a wrestler and I used my finisher and someone either kicked out from it or grabbed the bottom rope, I’d ditch that move in a heartbeat. As for Cena’s STF, it may be the single most ridiculous-looking submission hold ever used by a WWE main eventer. Mr. Socko is more intimidating.

Q: Why do people often complain about WWE’s style of wrestling? In my opinion, its the best way to keep your wrestlers safe, especially when they work 300+ days a year. It’s not smart to put your body at such risk and threaten your life for one crazy spot in a match. Besides I think it’s possible to put on a great match without 5 hurricanranas and suicide dives, just ask Christian and Randy Orton. – Raoul from Luxembourg

A: Can we stop with the fallacy that WWE guys still work 300+ days a year? During the 80’s, that was commonplace. These days, unless you’re spending many of your free days doing media like John Cena and Miz, you generally work 3-4 days per week. Yes, the travel is brutal, especially on those international tours. Frankly, I don’t know how they do it. But the issue people have with this notion of “WWE safe style” is that they feel a guy coming from the outside who may be known for highspots and the like, or for catering to the crowd a lot during their matches, will come to WWE and not be allowed to use those tools. Often times, they are right, but I would agree that it’s not a such a bad thing to ban certain dangerous maneuvers, to ban the act of blading oneself or tell your guys to slow things down a bit. John Cena and CM Punk’s performance at MITB is proof positive that you don’t need bells, whistles and dangerous spots to create magic between the ropes.

Keep those questions coming to sescoops@gmail.com and remember to include your name!