WWE has been the top dog in the wresting industry since the company became a nationwide promotion in the early '80s. While they have seen a few worthy competitors attempt to knock them off their throne, they have taken no prisoners on their way to outlasting every one of them.
Nevertheless, the company has experienced its fair share of hardships as a result of downright terrible booking decisions, drug scandals, and even murder. These factors contributed to the company's reputation becoming damaged at times and there were extended periods where they did not look like the powerhouse that they are today.
10 1997
While there may have been a few bright spots for WWE in 1997, the year is mostly remembered for the notorious Montreal Screwjob, which left a dark cloud over the company for decades. Following the incident, Bret Hart became the latest in a long line of main event competitors who jumped ship to join the company's rival, WCW.
1997 was a peak year for the Monday Night Wars, as both WWE and WCW were vying for position in the battle for ratings supremacy. Nevertheless, WCW had a stronghold on the ratings throughout the entire year and they were widely considered the favorites to win the war altogether at this time.
9 1986
If 1986 were a sandwich, it would be a vegemite sandwich. While most of the '80s were considered the Golden Era of professional wrestling, 1986 was a down year for the company, as they struggled to recreate the magic of WrestleMania 1 the year prior. Much like vegemite, the period was, in one word, underwhelming. (Apologies in advance if anyone from Australia reads this).
Other wrestling promotions got split into territories during this period, and Jim Crockett Promotions became the backbone of the NWA. The company, which was the precursor to WCW, had many of the same wrestlers that became superstars in the industry years later.
8 1992
1992 marked the first year WWE faced serious aversity when a steroid scandal threatened to derail the companies future. The Ultimate Warrior, who was previously considered Hulk Hogan's only equal, became the first domino to fall after being released from the company when he tested positive for taking the drugs.
Vince McMahon must have suffered from some sleepless nights during this period, as he was under federal investigation for steroid use throughout the majority of the year. Meanwhile, WCW was beginning to gain steam in the wrestling industry and was quickly growing in popularity.
7 2007
2007 is most memorable for the Chris Benoit incident, which completely rocked WWE and cast a dark shadow over the company for years to come. The company was scrutinized heavily in the media following the incident, and there was a ton of added pressure to take better precautions to protect the well-being of the roster. Naturally, this led to 10 wrestlers failing drug tests after stricter testing policies were put into place, further tarnishing the company's reputation.
While WWE was forced to overcome countless hardships throughout the year, TNA experienced one of it's best years in 2007. They featured some of the most exciting wrestlers in the industry and looked as though they were ready to compete with WWE just as WCW had done years before.
6 1993
The debut of Monday Night Raw in 1993 was a massive victory for WWE, as it was the company's first attempt to compete with other shows in the primetime lineup. Unfortunately, that development became one of the few bright spots for the company in a year that arguably featured the worst WrestleMania of all time.
WCW did not yet have a weekly primetime television show to compete with their rival's ratings, but they were still considered a worthy competitor to WWE, who were still licking their wounds from the steroid scandal that rocked the company the year prior. Furthermore, WCW had been growing their core roster, which included a returning Ric Flair, who was evolving into the attraction that Hogan was a decade prior. WCW boasted an equally impressive lineup to their rival at that time.
5 1995
A big reason why WCW was able to immediately compete with WWE upon making their Monday night debut in 1995 was because fans were growing tired of WWE's outdated content and lack of character development. WWE had a heap of incredible wrestlers at this time that were buried on the mid-card while underwhelming wrestlers like Sycho Sid and Mabel got pushed down everyone's throat.
The company also had a series of terrible booking decisions throughout the year, including choosing a match between NFL legend Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow as the headliner for WrestleMania 11. While Taylor performed well considering his career choices, the company's decision to pit the two men against one another in the headliner of the biggest event of the year was laughable at best.
4 2019
WWE was still on the top of the wrestling world in 2019, but signs started to show that their position was not as secure as it was in years past. The company suffered a massive dip in ratings throughout the year as fans had grown tired of seeing a past-his-prime Brock Lesnar run roughshod on the roster.
Meanwhile, Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling promotion broke ground in 2019 and gained instant credibility after signing Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho right out of the gate. Like WCW before them, AEW began airing weekly on TNT and immediately received praise for their creativity, as many believed WWE's content had grown stale.
3 2006
There was a dark cloud over WWE in 2006, as they were still reeling from the loss of Eddie Guerrero, who passed away in November 2005. As if his untimely passing were not enough, that was also the year that WWE revived a very watered down version of ECW, which would feature some downright laughable storylines throughout the year.
While WWE may have been floundering in 2006, TNA experienced a breakout year when they landed some of the industry's biggest names. Kurt Angle and Sting signed with the company, strengthening their credibility. Meanwhile, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles also continued to grow into their roles as main event competitors.
2 1996
Stealing Scott Hall and Kevin Nash from WWE in 1996 marked one of the most significant turning points for WCW during the Monday Night Wars, as it showed the company was a true competitor. Meanwhile, WWE suffered greatly from the losses of two of its top wrestlers, and they would take a hit in the ratings as a result.
WCW was eager to take advantage of their two new chess pieces, and they immediately made Hall and Nash the two faces of the company. The two men (along with Hulk Hogan) formed the New World Order, which became one of the greatest factions in wrestling history, just months after making their debut with the company.
1 1991
Due to some ridiculous booking decisions, WWE, which was advertised to children in 1991, was somewhat of a sideshow act in the early '90s. Speaking of terrible choices, 1991 was also the year that the company decided to award Sgt. Slaughter, who was booked as an Iraqi sympathizer, with the WWE Championship just one month after the Gulf War ended.
While WCW may not have experienced a ton of success in 1991, they still had a better year than WWE due to backlash over the terrible Sgt. Slaughter storyline. WCW featured a wealth of talent in 1991, including Sting, Lex Luger, Rick Rude, and a young Steve Austin.