The Attitude Era was remembered as the best era in WWE. Not only were the ratings sky-high in this era, but WWE also had some greatest wrestlers and rivalries at this time because Vince McMahon was zealous of winning the wrestling war with WCW.
The Attitude Era started in the late 1990s, while it came to end in the early 2000s. At that time, many Attitude Era gimmicks were out of the box and far ahead of that period, which was why it was the most successful era in WWE history. Even though the product was edgier than today's WWE, some Superstars of that infamous time in pro wrestling were far ahead of their time.
10 Mankind
Mick Foley's Mankind gimmick was certainly the best and most popular character portrayal of his career, which put him with other elite names of that era. Mankind essentially popularized the hardcore style of wrestling, and Mankind's gimmick helped him become a hardcore legend.
With a mask on, Mankind was a mentally unstable man, who would enjoy violent things like watching others in pain or even physically hurting himself. As Mankind got over, he won the WWE Championship within a couple of years after his debut, and his famous Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker was the highlight of his career.
9 Chyna
There was a reason why Chyna was called the 'Ninth Wonder of the World'. With a billed height of nearly six feet and a well-built physique, Chyna was a different breed from the rest of the women in the Attitude Era when women's wrestling wasn't taken seriously.
While Chyna won the Women's Championship once, she also won the Intercontinental Championship twice, becoming the first woman to hold the belt. Furthermore, she also competed in the men's Royal Rumble match.
8 Goldust
Goldust made a name for himself in the Attitude Era, making him one of the underrated characters from that era. While Goldust had a long career of two decades in WWE, the best version of the gimmick came in that era.
Goldust had a different aura with gold and black face paint as well as a long blonde wig. He was bloodcurdling and had a creepy body language that perfectly suited the heel persona. Goldust always managed to get a reaction from the crowd, whether he was jeered at or put people in revulsion with his acts.
7 Gangrel
Gangrel played a vampire gimmick in the Attitude Era, even before Twilight movies came to the scene. The whole presentation of the gimmick was spine-chilling, as he would make a picturesque entry through a stage of a ring of fire. Since Gangrel was a vampire, he had the signature vampire teeth, and he would even drink blood.
Gangrel possessed an authentic gimmick that was way ahead of the time. He even built his vampire stable called 'The Brood', which consisted of Edge and Christian. The anomalous gimmick made The Brood one of the popular tag teams of the era.
6 Kane
Kane's memorable debut in 1997, and he never looked back, making The Devil's Favorite Demon one of the iconic characters in WWE. Kane not only added a new dimension to The Undertaker's character but also took the storyline of those two brothers to a new level.
Before making his presence felt with Kane's gimmick, he had a couple of gimmicks that failed miserably. Previously, WWE had many notable giants but none of them was as frightening as Kane with a mask on.
5 DX
DX or D-Generation X wasn't just a stable in the Attitude Era but a beginning of a new revolution in wrestling with a bunch of rebels, which was a primary reason they became one of the well-known factions in any era, not just in the Attitude Era.
Led by Triple H and Shawn Michaels, DX didn't care about rules and regulations, and they were certainly unapologetic about it. Even in the standard of Attitude Era, they crossed the line many times with their actions, proving they were ahead of their time.
4 Val Venis
Even though Val Venis was a mid-carder at his best, his distinctive gimmick caught eyes in the Attitude Era. His gimmick was billed as an adult movie star, who had a fun lifestyle, making it one of the interesting characters.
Needless to say, Venis' gimmick was not for the younger audience at that time. However, his gimmick outshined his proficiency in the ring because he was an awe-inspiring wrestler, and had some amazing matches with guys like The Rock, Goldust, Rikishi, Ken Sherlock, and many more.
3 Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock's wrestling gimmick was similar to the gimmick of modern-day Brock Lesnar, even though he wasn't on the same level as Lesnar in terms of credibility. Shamrock was lodestar to those professional fighters back in the day, who wanted to have a successful career in professional wrestling. He was already known as one of the most dangerous men in the MMA world when he decided to pursue a career in WWE.
Shamrock had significant success as a wrestler in the Attitude Era, when he won the Intercontinental Championship once as well as the King of the Ring tournament in 1998.
2 The Rock
The Rock's first gimmick, Rocky Maivia, fell flat, despite WWE's attempt to push him heavily as a face. His career-altering moment came when he embraced The Rock gimmick and turned heel.
From charisma, mic skills, iconic catchphrases to cheeky insults, everything was on point for The Great One. He would also talk in the third person with his opponents and the audience. While The Rock reached the pinnacle of stardom in the Attitude Era, he would have gotten over in the same way in the current era.
1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Arguably one of the greatest gimmicks to be created by WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin dominated the Attitude Era, and he was the main reason why WWE prevailed in the wrestling war against WCW. The fans were intrigued to see the rebellious anti-hero gimmick, who refused to bow down to his bullying boss.
Austin necessarily gave birth to the anti-hero gimmick in wrestling. Even though he would do things like a heel, he would still get the loudest pop in the house, and hence, the gimmick was way ahead of his time back then.