The Attitude Era created many iconic rivalries that still get discussed today. Feuds like Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon, The Rock vs Triple H and Edge and Christian vs the Hardy Boyz all captivated the imagination of fans in the late 90s and early 2000s. However, there were many other rivalries that flew under the radar throughout the years.
We will look back at the feuds that most fans have lost memory or never watched. All these angles would see talented wrestlers going back and forth even though they never had the biggest headlines. The stories ranged from underrated rivalries to ones that just couldn’t live up to their overall potential. Find out which feuds you may want to explore again. These are ten Attitude Era rivalries that we completely forgot about.
10 Chris Jericho vs X-Pac
Chris Jericho struggled more than most fans remember looking back at the early days in WWE. The first autobiography of Jericho went in depth discussing his first major rivalry with X-Pac. Vince McMahon put them together for Jericho to learn the WWE style from a veteran.
Jericho and X-Pac had quite a few matches on Raw and PPV during their feud against each other. The biggest win came when Jericho scored the victory in a steel cage match. Despite having little overall impact on the era, it helped Jericho gain momentum again.
9 Dean Malenko vs Lita
One of the rare intergender feuds for WWE featured Dean Malenko having issues with Lita. The Hardy Boyz had a few matches with various members of the Radicalz causing Lita and Malenko to have a few negative run-ins.
Malenko tried a ladies’ man heel gimmick trying to convince Lita to give him a chance. The beloved Lita was too smart for his games culminating in them facing off in the ring. Malenko did not have much success during his in-ring WWE run with this surprisingly being his biggest feud.
8 Triple H vs Mankind (1997)
Everyone remembers the rivalry between Mick Foley’s portrayal of Cactus Jack with Triple H in 2000. However, they were rivals long before that world title program. Mankind’s first stint as a face in 1997 saw him mixing it up with Triple H.
Chyna often got involved as well making things difficult for Mankind. Summerslam 1997 featured them having a classic steel cage match in one of the best matches of their feud. This chapter of the rivalry deserves way more love than it gets looking back.
7 Faarooq vs Ahmed Johnson
The stint of Ron Simmons as Faarooq leading the Nation of Domination made him an upper-level heel. One of the faces to oppose the mindset of Faarooq was Ahmed Johnson. WWE had high hopes for Johnson as a future world champion with this serving as an important rivalry in his progression.
Simmons completely outshined Johnson in the rivalry with better promos and being the better worker. The mediocre work of Johnson along with injuries would see his momentum completely end here. Ahmed eventually joined Faarooq in the Nation before getting kicked out.
6 D'Lo Brown vs Val Venis
An underrated rivalry between D’Lo Brown and Val Venis saw them going at it for the European Championship. Summerslam 1998 would see both men deliver strong performances in a highly entertaining 15-minute match in Madison Square Garden.
Brown and Venis went back and forth for a few months before D’Lo scored the bigger victories. The European Championship became synonymous with Brown at the time. His matches with Val played a huge role in the success as a singles performer.
5 Kane vs Mankind
The Undertaker was the first major storyline for Kane, but that wasn’t the first match for the character. Kane made his in-ring debut at the Survivor Series 1997 event for a new rivalry with Mankind. The spookier nature of the characters along with the masked looks made them an ideal combination.
Kane and Mankind had an under the radar rivalry since both men were always linked to their bigger feuds with Undertaker. Following the end of their issues, the duo even teamed up for a short while before turning on each other again.
4 Too Cool vs The Radicalz
The faction of Too Cool featured Rikishi, Brian Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty all finding their ideal roles in WWE. Fans loved the act of the fun-spirited friends dancing before and after matches with the entertaining elaborate routines.
The Radicalz joining WWE in 2000 gave Too Cool a new heel group to feud with. Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn made up the Radicalz after jumping ship together from WCW. Chyna teamed up with Too Cool at WrestleMania 2000 for them to get revenge against the heels.
3 Ken Shamrock vs The Rock
One potentially huge feud that just never hit the legendary status saw The Rock going at it against Ken Shamrock. Both men were rising stars with the chance to move into the main event picture if things worked out like it did for Rock.
Shamrock won the 1998 King of the Ring tournament by defeating Rock in the finals. They even had a match at WrestleMania 14 for the Intercontinental Championship that ended in a DQ finish. Some stronger match results could have made the feud more memorable and Shamrock a bigger star.
2 Test vs Shane McMahon
The introduction of Stephanie McMahon to WWE television would see her dating Test. Shane McMahon did not appreciate this as the overprotective brother and a heel character. The rivalry between Shane and Test put Stephanie in the middle of an uncomfortable situation.
Shane and his Mean Street Posse faction attacked Test for weeks leading to a big match at Summerslam 1999. Test defeated Shane in an underrated Street Fight to earn the respect of his girlfriend’s brother. Unfortunately for Test, Triple H soon entered the picture as Stephanie’s new love interest.
1 Mark Henry vs Chyna
The feud between the Nation of Domination and D-Generation X is most remembered for the legendary rivalry of The Rock vs Triple H. However, there was a secondary feud taking place between two other Hall of Fame members of the groups.
Mark Henry’s interest in Chyna made them enemies as Chyna had no interest in fraternizing with the enemy. Chyna and Henry had a few memorable moments that added to the faction warfare and even helped the Triple H vs Rock matches. The rivalry of Chyna vs Henry was arguably the top storyline for both wrestlers during the Attitude Era.