In the eyes of most wrestling fans, the Attitude Era is seen as the greatest period of wrestling history, with a stacked roster that created some of the most iconic moments in history, it is tough to argue the point. If you think WWE's roster is loaded now, you have no idea just how good it was during the Attitude Era. The company had main event talent running through it, rather than relying on the same one or two stars that it tends to do nowadays.The company took risks on different talent and everyone got time to shine from the top to the bottom of the card, which meant that the fans were invested in every single person who appeared, guaranteeing a great fan response all night long for every show.

Because each character was so heavily invested in, every fan had a different favourite, with some loving the main event talent such as Stone Cold and The Rock, while others were locked into just dancing along with Too Cool. Fans have never been so invested in the product and that has led many people to pain an image of those wrestlers in their heads, but the following 25 stories about different Attitude Era Superstars might just paint them in a totally different light.

25 HBK Runs Into The Marine(s)

During the Attitude Era, Shawn Michaels became notorious for his cocky attitude, which was then displayed on television as well, with HBK seemingly unable to separate the two things, which is why he managed to annoy so many of his peers back in the day. One instance of his cockiness got the better of him was during an evening in New York when he found himself in an altercation with a group of Marines (or only one Marine, as others alleged), possibly the last people on earth you would want to wind up in a fight with.

Michaels was flirting with a woman who was with one of the men, and this ultimately led to Michaels being on the receiving end of a tussle.

After all, in real life people don't pull their punches and HBK came out on the losing end of the situation. The problem was at that time, Michaels happened to be the Intercontinental Champion and was scheduled to lose the title to Shane Douglas. However, HBK decided to forfeit the belt, citing injuries from his bar brawl as his reasoning. The entire thing reeked of backstage politics from then on, with Michaels clearly staying involved as Douglas failed to hold on to the title for long, quickly losing the belt to none other than Razor Ramon... one of Michaels' closest friends.

24 Stone Cold Walks Out

It might have happened in the year when many believe that the Attitude Era finished for good, with a new era of the company being ushered in by the likes of John Cena, Batista, and the man who is involved in this story, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar was being pushed hard by WWE as the company knew that it had a major star on its hands with the Beast, and that was totally right. WWE wanted to have Lesnar lock horns with Stone Cold Steve Austin during an episode of Raw, but Austin shot down the idea and left, not just the building, but the company. The fact that WWE's biggest ever star was prepared to just quit the business that easily was stunning and it certainly paints the Rattlesnake in a different light to the eyes of his many adoring fans.

Austin didn't agree that he should just face Brock Lesnar on Raw without any hype or build behind it, and he had a point.

After all, it was two of WWE's biggest stars colliding, it should have been a PPV main event, not a random Raw match. But had he actually expressed those opinions, perhaps things could have been changed to just an angle, but instead, he took these drastic measures. The problem with this is, that it isn't a one-off issue with Austin. The WWE Hall Of Famer actually turned down the idea of wrestling Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 and decided to take a week off. That turned out fine as The Rock stepped in and put on a classic with the Hulkster, but learning about how difficult Austin could be to do business with certainly tarnishes his legacy.

23 Mick Foley's Pre-Match Routines

You might think because of Mick Foley's crazy actions that he would be into some heavy metal or real rock and roll to get him pumped before his matches where he would fling himself off the roof of a Hell in a Cell or be thrown through thumbtacks, but that isn't the case. Instead of Foley pumping out some Metallica or another heavy band to get him in the mood for some serious extreme wrestling, which would often include tons of chair shots or barbed wire matches, he would actually listen to the song "Winter," by Tori Amos.

His pre-match ritual would be to listen to Amos' song prior to every major match, and even though it is a decent song, it certainly isn't something that would be popping up on a gym playlist, let alone prior to major wrestling matches. However, that was Foley's song and whatever floats your boat, I guess. Foley wrote about it in "The Wrestler and The Cornflake Girl," where he claimed he uses the song to look for inner strength and confidence prior to some of his bigger matches, with Mick using the examples of Randy Orton at Backlash or Edge at WrestleMania 22.

22 The Rock's Cosmetic Change

The story of The Rock is truly amazing and is not something that we are ever likely going to see again with someone coming from the bottom in wrestling, who fans hated, all the way up to being the most beloved actor in the world. He has always had tons of personality and charisma but one thing he hasn't always had is huge muscles. Sure, Dwayne Johnson has always been a well-built guy; even when he was at his smallest he still looked to be in great condition, but there is a huge difference between his body today and that when he worked during the Attitude Era.

While his work ethic in the gym is ridiculously good, just one glimpse at his Instagram will tell you how dedicated he is to working out and staying in shape, but prior to that The Rock actually had a little bit of help in looking that way. The Rock has openly admitted to having breast reduction surgery, which was due to the build-up of fatty tissues after struggling to get the chest shape that he wanted through working out, as he gained a little bit of help on that journey. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that and at least The Rock came out and admitted to the surgery, but it does certainly change the way you look at those incredible pecs of his.

21 X-Pac's Bad Obsession

X-Pac is someone who is often overlooked when it comes to the Attitude Era, mainly because he didn't reach the heights of the main event levels like many of his close friends in the business managed, but he was still a key factor in its success. Whether it was what he did in the nWo or if he was in DX, or even his original WWE run as 1-2-3 Kid, Sean Waltman is one of the biggest names from the Attitude Era and is someone that fans look back on with fond memories, hence why WWE always brings him out during nostalgic shows.

While he put on some great matches inside the ring, his attitude behind the scenes might change a few people's opinions on him.

He managed to annoy a lot of people, mainly because he believed he was protected, due to his relationship with the Kliq. Given how high those wrestlers were in the company, no matter what Waltman did people were unlikely to give X-Pac problems because they knew it would lead to a negative impact on their own careers. Hence how he got away with leaving a smelly "gift" in Sable's bag, leaving a total mess in what was a very cruel prank. This wasn't the first time that X-Pac did that anyway, with Waltman also leaving his calling card inside Mark Henry's sandwich – that's right, the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry, and his pre- or post-match meal. It takes some serious confidence to do that.

20 The Undertaker Tapes His Fists

The Montreal Screwjob is a topic that has been widely discussed amongst wrestling fans and people in the business itself, with the subject being very popular for theories about things that did or didn't happen. The aftermath of the situation, which many believe kickstarted the Attitude Era, is also full of stories that saw many of today's legends hugely frustrated and annoyed, mainly because Bret Hart was such a well-respected figure backstage. Mick Foley himself threatened to walk away from WWE at the time, but one of the biggest surprises was the reaction of The Undertaker, someone who is often seen as the biggest company man in the history, never wanting to jump ship to WCW like many others. Undertaker had become sick and tired of Shawn Michaels and his attitude, which is another widely discussed topic from that era. In March 1998, the Deadman had enough of HBK's attitude and he made it very clear.

During WrestleMania XIV, Michaels was all set to drop the title to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who WWE was ready to push at the time, but Michaels had a chip on his shoulder and was rumoured to not do business the right way and refuse to drop the title. Undertaker is often considered to be the locker room leader and he gave a visit to HBK to let him know that he needed to do the job. 'Taker didn't give him a big speech or rough him up, he simply taped-up his fists and let Michaels know that if he didn't do the job he would have a problem after the match.

19 Rikishi Doesn't Acknowledge Too Cool

Rikishi being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame was something that surprised a lot of fans, with many not considering his career to be Hall Of Fame worthy. It is certainly a debatable entry, but it happened, yet many were left shocked by his speech. Something that surprised everybody was when Rikishi finished up his speech, accepted the honour, left the stage and people began to realize he did not mention Too Cool once during the entire induction. Sure, Rikishi touched on a lot of important factors such as his family, his big singles push and more, but to not discuss the gimmick that he is arguably most well known for was incredibly disrespectful towards his fellow stable members, Scotty Too Hotty and Brian Christopher.

Sure, Rikishi was being inducted as a solo act and not alongside his former dancing brothers, but he spent a long time working with them up and down the road and he owed a lot of thanks to them for him being in that position in the first place. He did finish his speech by doing the famous dance alongside his sons, The Usos, but that was simply to pop the crowd and finish on a high note. Fans wanted to hear some stories about those times and have him thank both men for their contributions to his career. It wasn't just the fans who were shocked either, with Scotty Too Hotty himself openly tweeting about it, admitting he was hurt by Rikishi's decision to totally not mention him or Christopher.

18 DDP Saves Lives

DDP Yoga is something that every wrestling fan knows about at this point, and it is an incredible thing. The beauty of it is that it will help anyone, from people who are active and fit, it helps and for people who are unfit and don't exercise, it also makes a difference. Following the Attitude Era, and the fact that Diamond Dallas Page's WWE career never reached the levels that it should have done, many people's opinions on him were as someone who never made a massive impact outside of his WCW career, where he was one of the top stars. Unfortunately, the main thing people remember about DDP is his awful stalker gimmick with The Undertaker, which even he would likely rather forget about. However, since retiring from in-ring wrestling, DDP has managed to make a bigger impact than most people do during the peaks of their careers.

His DDP Yoga has changed the lives of countless people, both wrestlers and non-wrestlers.

His contributions towards saving the lives of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts and Scott Hall cannot be overlooked because without DDP it is unlikely either of those men would be alive today. DDP Yoga has had such an influence it has certainly altered opinions on the man behind it, with many fans now incredibly respectful of DDP, and many younger fans now knowing who he is because of his post-wrestling life.

17 JBL Bullied Talent

At this point, almost everyone who is interested in wrestling should know about JBL's bullying tactics, with the former WWE Superstar seemingly spending all of his free time away from the ring roasting the younger talent, hazing them to the point that many wanted to leave the business. While having a tough locker room leader can certainly be a good thing, ensuring that everyone has respect and follows the rules, JBL certainly took things too far, and he lost a lot of fans respect when the stories about him unfolded. He might have had a great run with the A.P.A., a team that was known for being very physical in the ring, but that didn't give him the right to act that way outside of it, bullying talent on a daily basis.

Ring announcer Justin Roberts, was one who was seriously bullied by Bradshaw, who at one point actually asked a pair of wrestlers (John Morrison and Joey Mercury, apparently) to take his passport away from him doing a European tour, with JBL  giving him it back, forcing Roberts to go on a merry chase around the UK to be able to get his flight home. Roberts wasn't the only one to get on the bad side of Bradshaw though, with the likes of Mark Henry, the Blue Meanie, and the Hardy Boyz all being bullied by him at one point. Clearly, Bradshaw just got a kick out of the situation, but it really has soured opinions on what was a Hall Of Fame career.

16 The Brood Is Based On A Role-Playing Game

While the group wasn't around for a particularly long period of time, The Brood, comprised of Gangrel and a young Edge and Christian, created a stable that is still very fondly remembered to this day. These kayfabe vampires were totally different to everything else and they stood out, even during the busy Attitude Era, with their "bloodbaths" being something that would always be guaranteed to pop a crowd. Goths were a big thing back then and it certainly managed to appeal to that audience, as well as others, and it helped put Edge and Christian on the map, which we can all be thankful for given what we got after in their careers.

However, when you find out about the origins of the group they certainly become a little less cool in your mind, with Bruce Prichard and Vince Russo drawing inspiration from a table-top RPG game called Vampire: Masquerade, which involved a troop of vampires who went by the name of Clan Gangrel; hence where that name came from. WWE actually came to a deal that allowed the company to use the name Gangrel for five years, which is likely one of the main reasons he was released after that time was up, bringing an end to his career at the top level.

15 Edge Betrays Matt Hardy

The Attitude Era might have brought us the hottest main event scene in company history with so many big names, but it also showcased one of the best periods of tag team wrestling as well, with the battles between Edge & Christian, the Hardy Boyz, and the Dudleyz being legendary. Their feuds changed the game when it came to tag team wrestling, especially their famous TLC matches, which, to this day have still not been topped. They battled and put their bodies on the line together to get each other over and make the product as good as it could be and the fans certainly appreciated it. It was clear though that they all had huge amounts of respect for each other, and while they are all good friends at the moment, there was a moment when there was huge tension between Edge and the Hardy Boyz, all because of Edge's own actions.

Despite being close friends with Matt Hardy in real life and having career defining moments in the ring with him, the Rated R Superstar decided to steal Hardy's girlfriend at the time, Lita. This led to a huge fallout and wound up with Matt actually being released from the company due to his actions surrounding the situation, even though he would later return and feud with Edge. It was a huge controversy in the wrestling world and caused many fans to legitimately hate Edge for several years.

14 The Bone Street Krew

A lot of wrestling fans love to wonder and question who different wrestlers hang out with in real life and while today it is easier to see who is actually friends with who due to social media, back in the Attitude Era, that wasn't the case. Kayfabe was very much alive back then and only random and rare images would give fans an idea, until later in their careers when stories began to develop. Obviously, groups such as The Kliq have become famous at that time amongst wrestling fans, but another one was also just as big as that, The Bone Street Krew. The group included The Undertaker as the leader with his on-screen manager Paul Bearer, Mideon (Phineas Godwinn/Dennis Knight), The Godfather, Rikishi, Brian Adams (aka Crush), Henry Godwinn and Mr. Fuji. It really is a true mixture of names, with the founding members being 'Taker and Yokozuna.

While The Kliq might walk around throwing up too sweet signs, the Bone Street Krew took it a step further, with all the members getting "BSK Pride" tattooed across their abdomens, showing their closeness. Hearing that Undertaker was the leader of a group backstage in WWE isn't really a big surprise, that is something people would expect. But it certainly changes the way you think about some members, such as Henry Godwinn and The Godfather, who you wouldn't expect to be hanging out with these top names.

13 Bret Hart Refuses To Lose To The Rock

Bret Hart is known as the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be, a legend of the industry and someone many currently wrestlers look up to and fans admire, yet in recent years opinions have changed on the Hitman. Due to his seemingly very negative and sour opinions of the current business, many fans have begun to criticize Hart and claim that he doesn't care about younger talent, especially when he was very harsh on Seth Rollins after injuring Sting.

However, even though Hart might have been a little sour towards some young talent, one person he did put over during his time in the ring was The Rock. Hart was asked to beat Rock for the Intercontinental Championship and the Hall Of Famer refused to do it. The idea was being pushed from DX, who were both trying hard to have Hart win the title to derail any idea of a main event push for Rocky, while also keeping Bret out of the WWF Championship scene, an incredibly petty thing, but that's how wrestling can be, folks. Hart didn't budge on his decision, with this being an example of his stubbornness working out for the best. Instead, he beat Rock by DQ, which of course, allowed him to keep the title and meant he got his way. When you consider just how big of a star The Rock went on to become, it's clear that whatever Hart saw in him worked out and that this is one decision that was correct on his behalf.

12 Goldust Nearly Got Enhancement

Does anything else really need to be said? We spoke earlier in this list about The Rock undergoing surgery on his pecs in order to gain a better look, but what Goldust was proposing would have been something rather more drastic. He fully committed to the gimmick when it was given to him and that is one of the main reasons it was a standout in the Attitude Era and still exists to this day, even if it is toned down a lot.

Had he not committed the way he did, there is no way that the gimmick would have worked, but Dustin Rhodes actually wanted to go a huge step further than what he already did for the gimmick and actually go under the knife to change his physical appearance. Goldust actually came close to having implants put in, with the idea being that it would be something to play from for other characters and would help, with his mannerisms and suggestive behaviour being the reason why the act became a success in the first place. Of course, this was another of Vince McMahon's crazy ideas, and he was fully prepared to go along with it until common sense shone through and Vince changed his mind, working out that asking one of his employees to change their body for life was a little too far. But it does go to show just how crazy some people in the industry can be.

11 Kane Runs For Mayor

During the Attitude Era, the Big Red Machine, Kane was one of the most dominant and feared wrestlers in the company. His feud with his brother, The Undertaker was one of the most gripping in the WWE's history and he instantly became a classic wrestling icon. He would go on to have a brilliant career and still competes to this day, but that is only when he has spare time from his other passion; politics. That's right, the man behind the mask has been spending a lot of his time running for Mayor in Knox County.

When you first saw Kane arrive in WWE, ripping off the door of the Hell in a Cell to attack Undertaker, the man who brought Inferno matches to WWE and absorbed an insane amount of punishment without even flinching, you would not have figured he was a future politician. Even after the Attitude Era had come and gone, Kane was still a permanent feature of WWE and you still would not have taken him for being into politics, after all, politicians tend not to look as huge or as scary as Glenn Jacobs. However, it turns out he was one of the smartest men to have ever worked for WWE and his politics career is currently thriving, showcasing a brand new side to the Monster that we never thought we would see.

10 DX Fallouts

D-Generation X was one of the pivotal factors in the Attitude Era, changing the landscape of what fans expected from the product, breaking down the fourth wall, saying and acting as they pleased. This made them huge fan favourites and many presumed that behind the scenes, DX was a tight-knit group who spent a lot of time together, which they did during the early stages of its formation, but cracks quickly began to open. In the end, Billy Gunn and Triple H would have a major falling out and that caused many problems between them, even though they have since managed to patch up the situation enough to work professionally with each other.

The exact situation between them isn't really known, but Gunn has made it clear during shoot interviews on YouTube that he is not a big fan of The Game's and has been very vocal about his dislike for his former DX partner. On top of that, it likely didn't help that WWE fired Gunn while he was one of the top trainers in NXT at the Performance Center, which meant it was likely Triple H's decision to let him go from the company due to his situation with steroids.

9 Sunny Days

This story is one that is quite well known at this point, but certainly changed many fans opinions on one of WWE's original "Divas," as Sunny was someone that every fan had a crush on during the Attitude Era. Sadly since leaving wrestling, the story of Sunny has actually been quite a sad one when you really look into it, with the former WWE Superstar spending time in and out of trouble due to her issues. Sunny has had a bad history with personal problems which has led her to plenty of trouble throughout her time, even selling her Hall Of Fame ring to make some money to feed the addiction, showing how desperate she became at one stage.

Sunny also used her physical appeal to gain money as well from former fans who had desired her in her prime.

She would sell time with online chats where she would "please" the male fans, making plenty of money doing so, something which she likely didn't expect to be doing when she was one of the biggest names in wrestling. No matter how many stories there was about Sunny during her career dealing with the men of WWE, nobody expected things to turn out in this way.

8 HBK Claims The European Title

There are countless different stories about Shawn Michaels that will change your opinion of him, but only for a brief while because then you will read another that paints him in a totally different light. That is because the Michaels of the 1980s and 90s was a totally different one to the man in the 2000's and the world was all the better for him losing the chip on his shoulder. A prime example of HBK at his worst came at WWE One Night Only, a PPV that actually took place in the UK. Michaels was scheduled to be in the main event against The British Bulldog in a European Championship match, where the Brit was scheduled to pick up the win and defend his gold, mainly due to the fact he was in the UK and it would get a huge response.

HBK put his foot down on this instance and used his backstage politics to influence Vince McMahon that switching the title to him would be the right decision. The problem with that was that he didn't need the European Championship as it was clear he was set for bigger things in the main event, and instead he ended up losing the belt to Triple H shortly after. All this did was kill Bulldog's momentum and derail the championship itself, lowering its prestige and making it seem like a championship that wasn't worth having, all to simply serve his ego. Worse, Bulldog's terminally ill sister, who was told by her brother that he was going over, was in the audience, in tears after his defeat.

7 Vince McMahon's 'Love' For His Daughter

It isn't just the Superstars of the Attitude Era that are involved in some insane backstage stories that will change your opinions on them, but also the man behind the entire thing himself; Vince McMahon. We all know that Vince is a crazy man, as he puts himself in situations that most bosses would flat out refuse, but that is why so many strange storylines and characters have happened because he is willing to put himself in those situations so the talent can't say no.

This is something he has passed on to his family, with Shane and Stephanie McMahon both being involved in some of WWE's crazier ideas, but it turns out there is something that Steph is willing to turn down. In a truly bizarre and honestly very baffling moment, Vince McMahon decided he wanted to make a storyline out of Stephanie's real-life pregnancy, deciding it would be a good idea for the baby... to be his. That's right, he wanted to run an angle involving himself and his own daughter. When Stephanie (thankfully) turned down the ridiculous idea, instead of giving up on it and realizing how silly the whole thing was, Vince then suggested that the father could be Shane, but once again, Steph refused.

6 An Olympic Fight

The Undertaker is a real company man, a loyal WWE employee who stuck with Vince McMahon through the good times and the bad, always being a top draw for the company, and that loyalty isn't just in business with the boss. Undertaker has a huge level of respect for Vince McMahon, which has been built up due to how much Vince has done for him as a performer and a human, and it is clear that he will happily repay that to him as much as possible. In a story told in Kurt Angle's autobiography, the Olympian wrote how Mr.McMahon once took him down to the ground, something that Vince would brag about constantly to Kurt after and he decided to get his own back. Angle would then try to take down Vince at any opportunity possible, all in a fun and harmless manner of course, with Vince being aware of the situation. But that is all good and well until other people aren't in on the joke and simply see their boss having a scuffle with another employee.

That's what happened to The Undertaker on one flight where Vince and Kurt's scuffle would actually wake up 'Taker who reacted as most people would, presuming the fight was real. He grabbed Angle and put him in a chokehold which knocked him out, showing just how far he would go to protect his boss, which is something you often don't think about with Undertaker. Because of his gimmick, any story about the man behind the Deadman is always interesting and bound to change how people see him, as most fans still just look at him as the Phenom.