The Attitude Era was an unparalleled time in WWE, it was an era where rules went out of the window and any publicity was deemed good. WWE capitalized on a countercultural time in society to extraordinary effect, with crowds and viewership numbers setting new records.
The strength of this era in wrestling lied in the Monday Night Wars ratings battle between Raw and Nitro. After losing 83 weeks in a row, the Attitude Era elevated Raw above Nitro and put WWE back in a prime spot in the wrestling world. The pay-per-views in this era from WWE were a mixed bag, however, with some good and some poor shows. The best pay-per-views of this era were so good they are considered to be amongst the greatest WWE events ever, whilst others did not justify their purchase price.
10 WORST: In Your House: D-Generation X 1997
In Your House: D-Generation X came at a real high point for WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin was on the rise and so was DX. The Montreal Screwjob was one-month prior and there were a lot of eyes on wrestling.
This pay-per-view, however, failed to deliver. Matches like Butterbean against Marc Mero and Triple H vs Sgt Slaughter were pretty throwaway and silly. There were three matches on the card that ended in a disqualification, including the main event between Shawn Michaels and Ken Shamrock. Elsewhere, Austin faced The Rock in a match that only lasted five minutes. This event felt more like an episode of Raw than a pay-per-view.
9 BEST: King Of The Ring 1998
King of the Ring 1998 is one of the most infamous pay-per-views WWE has ever produced. This an event that defined the Attitude Era due to its unpredictability, chaos, and absurdity.
Undertaker vs Mankind is one of the most memorable matches in the history of WWE. The brutality of what Mankind went through in this match makes you wonder how he wasn't seriously hurt.
Elsewhere, Kane got a shock win over Stone Cold Steve Austin to become the new WWE champion. It was an incredible night that topped off with a pretty good King of the Ring tournament in which Ken Shamrock came out on top, defeating The Rock in the finals. This event encapsulated everything that the Attitude Era was all about.
8 WORST: Unforgiven 1999
Unforgiven 1999 was a show without too much to get excited about. The Attitude Era was defined by craziness and unpredictable moments. This pay-per-view, however, had little of either. It's an event best remembered most of all for the infamous Kennel from Hell match for the Hardcore Championship between Al Snow and the Big Bossman.
The Kennel from Hell match turned out to be a horrible spectacle and the main event was a bit of a mess with Triple H winning the WWE Title in a six-pack challenge. The other matches on the card were little to get excited about and ultimately this pay-per-view was a bit chaotic and not in a good way.
7 BEST: Backlash 2000
Backlash 2000 is one of the underrated gems from the Attitude Era. The show came off the back of the pretty disappointing WrestleMania 2000, and many people saw this as being superior.
The show was very solid from top to bottom, with some highlights being the excellent Light Heavyweight Title match between Scotty 2 Hotty vs Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Belt, and Triple H vs The Rock for the WWE Championship.
Rock and Triple H was the rivalry of the year in 2000 and this was possibly their best match. An interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin gave this match some added spice and The Rock winning the title sent the fans home happy.
6 WORST: Royal Rumble 1999
Royal Rumble 1999 was disappointing as far as Rumbles are concerned. A gruesome I Quit match between The Rock and Mankind shocked fans for all the wrong reasons, with some brutal chair shots on Mankind, whilst the Royal Rumble match focused too much on the McMahon and Austin rivalry.
The Rumble match was built entirely around the McMahon-Austin feud, with both men entering numbers one and two. After some backstage shenanigans and Austin going to the hospital and back again, Mr. McMahon won the Royal Rumble, eliminating Austin with a distraction assist from The Rock. Nothing fascinating happened between the start and the end of the match, making it a lackluster Rumble.
5 BEST: Survivor Series 1998
Survivor Series: Deadly Game was a tournament-style event to determine the WWE Champion. This event was The Rock's breakout moment as he would turn heel, siding with Mr. McMahon to form The Corporation.
Throughout the event, we were duped into believing that Mankind was Mr. McMahon's 'chosen one' to become the new WWE Champion. Mr. McMahon's henchman, Big Boss Man, helped The Rock progress every step of the way, unbeknownst to us the fans, until in the final, where a recreation of the Montreal Screwjob helped The Rock claim his first WWE World Title. It was a superb night of storytelling and swerves.
4 WORST: In Your House: Rock Bottom 1998
Rock Bottom: In Your House 1998 came at the end of a very successful year for the WWE, but this night was not one of their best. Multiple DQ finishes, a countout, and a knockout finish made this feel more like an episode of Raw.
The Corporation screwed Mankind out of the WWE Title, ruling the use of Mr. Socko as illegal after he had knocked out The Rock with the move. A lackluster Buried Alive match with a poor ending made this a missable pay-per-view, which isn't something you'd say about a lot of WWE events of this era.
3 BEST: Royal Rumble 2000
Royal Rumble 2000 was a real high point in the Attitude Era. This was an event held in Madison Square Garden and it was a pay-per-view worthy of the arena in which it was held.
Tazz vs Kurt Angle kicked off the show with a controversial finish, the tables match between the Dudleyz and Hardyz was excellent, and Cactus Jack facing off against Triple H in a street fight was one of the best matches of the year. The Royal Rumble was a fun match and had a satisfying ending with The Rock coming out the victor.
2 WORST: King Of The Ring 1999
King of the Ring 1999 will not live long in the memory as being one of the Attitude Era's better pay-per-views. The show was too congested, with 10 matches on the main card and not much time for any matches to go on too long.
Billy Gunn came out as the winner of the King of the Ring, which seemed an odd choice, The Rock and Undertaker had a pretty poor match and the handicap ladder match had a pretty weak finish. Ultimately there were too many matches booked on the card, and none of them delivered.
1 BEST: WrestleMania X7
Widely regarded to be the greatest WWE pay-per-view ever, WrestleMania X7 was a star-studded show. This was truly the peak of the Attitude Era and, in many ways, exemplified what that period in WWE was all about. This event was full of iconic moments, incredible feats of athleticism, and shocking twists.
It was a night of incredible matches such as TLC II, Benoit vs Angle, Undertaker vs Triple H, Shane McMahon vs Vince McMahon, and Austin vs The Rock. This pay-per-view was critically acclaimed by wrestling fans and still fondly remembered to this day.