The Attitude Era of the WWE is often considered the peak viewership for wrestling worldwide. It was an era full of chair shots, middle fingers, and bleeps galore. The Attitude Era helped wrestling become a pop culture staple. Wrestling still remains larger than ever thanks to the Attitude Era.
The WWE was so successful during the Monday Night Wars because the company showcased its talent to the fullest. Still, despite the undeniable success, there were a few moments that could have been even more massive if the WWE had capitalized on them. This list will examine 10 times the WWE totally dropped the ball during the Attitude Era.
10 The Higher Power
One of the most confusing storylines of the Attitude Era was also one of the biggest. There was a mystery as to who was pulling the strings causing Undertaker and The Ministry to do heinous acts like kidnapping Stephanie McMahon.
Instead of capitalizing on talent or bringing in a huge star from WCW, the WWE decided to make Vince McMahon the higher power. Honestly, the reveal of Vince didn't make any sense and it was a huge blown opportunity since the storyline actually had a ton of the WWE audience hooked.
9 Owen Hart After The Screwjob
Owen Hart was one of the best wrestlers to ever set foot in a WWE ring. Although he shined many times throughout the '90s in the WWE, the aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob put a ton of eyes on Owen since he was the brother of Bret Hart.
The company could have made him a huge star or created a storyline where he turned against the company in favor of his brother. Bret's departure to WCW was one of the most talked about segments in the history of the WWE and there was never anything done to capitalize on the event with Owen. If there was ever a time to give Owen Hart a world title run, that was it and the WWE drop the ball.
8 D-Generation X Vs. The nWo
There was a brief time when almost every main member of the nWo and D-Generation X was wrestling at the WWE simultaneously. The dream feud between the two factions could have actually happened, but for some reason, the company never capitalized on it.
It was one of the biggest opportunities to take advantage of WCW talent in the WWE and the company instead decided to add Shawn Michaels to the nWo instead of putting him against them. It was a rare moment to showcase the heart of the entire Monday Night Wars and it didn't happen.
7 Steve Austin Hit By A Car
Survivor Series 1999 is best remembered for the incident where Steve Austin was taken out of the main event by a car. It was later revealed that the person that drove the car was Rikishi. Behind the scenes, Stone Cold had to leave wrestling to deal with injuries, but there were a ton of better ways the WWE could have gone about "the mystery man that hit Steve Austin."
The moment blindsided WWE audiences and it was a good chance to do another "who did it?" storyline that could have paid off in a big way. Instead, the company meanders through the storyline, never giving a compelling reason as to why Austin was hit that evening.
6 Chris Jericho As Undisputed Champion
Chris Jericho's greatest claim to fame in the Attitude Era was defeating The Rock and Steve Austin on the same night to earn the Undisputed WWE Championship. Unfortunately for Jericho, he was poorly booked as champion and the run overall was extremely lackluster.
The moment itself isn't bad because fans were clamoring for new talent that wasn't named Austin, Rock, or Undertaker, but the company dropped the ball with Jericho. They should have booked him as a top star and continued to put him over, but they instead let Triple H quickly end Jericho's time as champion with very little to show for his time on top.
5 1999 Royal Rumble
The WWE tried to mix things up in a big way by having a heel Mr. McMahon win the 1999 Royal Rumble. Although it was supposed to add some stakes and obstacles to Steve Austin's journey back to the main event at Wrestlemania, it ended up making the entire Rumble look like a joke.
The company had a chance to make Steve Austin the first and only wrestler to ever win the Royal Rumble three times in a row and they missed that opportunity. Another option would have been to give an unlikely person that deserved it a chance to win, like Mankind since he was featured in the main event at Wrestlemania 15 anyways, although in the role of special guest referee.
4 Austin Vs. Hogan
The only match in wrestling history to feature Steve Austin against Hulk Hogan happened in the WWE. It happened when the nWo arrived at the company. Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hollywood Hogan teamed up against The Rock and Steve Austin. Although the "icon vs icon" match at Wrestlemania 18 is classic, there are no two stars bigger in the history of WWE than Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan.
Both stars were on the main roster during the final stage of the Attitude Era, and the WWE never made this legendary match happen. It was a huge missed opportunity for fans that always wanted to see the dream match, but it was also a miss for the business. Austin vs Hogan (with no build-up) would have sold out a stadium in the '90s and early 2000s.
3 The Invasion
The WCW invasion of WWE is often remembered as a huge flop. The truth is, there wasn't enough star power from WCW to help the feud have the dream matches that everybody wanted. WWE should have waited until they were able to bring in top-tier talent from WCW before they even started the angle. If the idea had lost steam, they should have avoided the Invasion altogether since it ended up being a huge letdown.
2 Two-Man Power Trip
Pairing two of the biggest names in the WWE with each other was a huge opportunity for Triple H and Steve Austin. The pair ended up holding every main title at the company and could have believably taken over the entire company.
Instead, the Two-Man Power Trip ended up being a quickly forgettable team-up. Yes, injury played a role in their demise, but they were going nowhere even when the two were healthy. WWE did the unthinkable, they managed to make Triple H and Steve Austin not have a single major story as a tag team.
1 Rey Mysterio Misses The Attitude Era
Despite many of the top talent from WCW jumping ship before the end of the Monday Night Wars, Rey Mysterio was somehow one of the wrestlers the WWE didn't bring in early on. Rey missed the entire Attitude Era. Although he did go on and have a career that will never be equaled, he would have been a huge player in this era.
Mysterio would have been in the mid-card performing against the likes of Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, and Owen Hart. His wrestling style would have been a huge jolt to the company. Rey also would have been one of the few luchadors of WWE's Attitude Era.