WWE's Attitude Era featured some of the greatest stories that have ever been told in wrestling. Insanity mixed with reality is what helped WWE become a popular culture fixture during the '90s. Attitude Era stories also featured a ton of great payoffs like Mankind finally winning the WWE Championship, or The Rock turning on The Corporation.
Despite the great endings WWE fans saw, not every Attitude Era storyline delivered in strides and many had awful finishes. There were a ton of moments that could have been iconic but ended poorly and are often looked back on as a letdown. This list will examine 10 Attitude Era storylines that ended in the worst way possible.
10 Bret Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels saved WWE after big names like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage departed from the company in the early '90s. The two had one of the greatest feuds in the history of wrestling, but the way the feud ended was more controversial than anything that occurred in the ring between the two stars.
The Montreal Screwjob, when Vince McMahon awarded Shawn Michaels the WWE Championship even though Bret Hart never tapped out, is often regarded as the moment the Attitude Era began, which is why it landed on this Attitude Era list.
Instead of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels having a final five-star match to end their feud (and the Hitman's WWE career), the two had a controversial finish that tainted one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history.
9 The Higher Power
The Ministry of Darkness versus the Corporate Ministry was a storyline too convoluted for its own good. The soap opera-esque story was still massively entertaining and could have been salvaged as a top moment of the Attitude Era if it had a better ending.
The Undertaker, the head of the Ministry of Darkness, was taking orders from someone who he claimed to be a higher power. Instead of WWE delivering some massive reveal that could have been the arrival of a superstar from WCW or any person outside of the storyline, it ended up being Vince McMahon. It was a reveal so anticlimactic and nonsensical that many consider it the worst reveals in WWE history.
8 Two-Man Power Trip
Pairing Triple H and Steve Austin together as a tag team unit should have been something magical. Although Steve Austin's heel run was met with a lukewarm reception from fans, he and Triple H had the potential to create a unit that could have been on par with the likes of D-Generation X, since the two were such massive superstars.
Instead, the tag team was short-lived, lasting only a few months. Triple H ended up tearing his left quadriceps and the tag team was quickly disbanded after his injury. There was not a great turn or big breakup, which made the storyline feel like a waste of time.
7 NWO In WWE
WWE attempted to revive the nWo, the most popular stable in WCW, by bringing them back to WWE in 2002. Their storyline eventually led to the "icon vs. icon" match at WrestleMania 18 between The Rock and Hollywood Hogan.
WrestleMania 18 ended up being the peak of the nWo's time in WWE and the faction floundered around after the event. Instead of sending the faction out with a bang, like when they arrived to WWE, the nWo just slowly drifted apart and disbanded without any major moment to tentpole the end of an era.
6 Kane As WWE Champion
Kane's WWE debut at Bad Blood 1997 helped him quickly become a top star at the company. He eventually became WWE Champion by defeating Steve Austin at King of the Ring 1998.
Instead of giving Kane a great run as champion with an ending that could have propelled him, Kane ended up losing the title in 24 hours back to Austin. His title run not only made their pay-per-view match feel pointless but also forced Kane to take a huge hit in the eyes of the fans. There were so many better ways to end Kane's first run as WWE Champion.
5 Eddie Guerrero And His 'Mamacita'
Eddie Guerrero and Chyna began to team up in the summer of 2000. They had such chemistry as a unit that it was impossible to not watch them when they were on the screen. Their union ended up spilling over to the main event scene a couple of times even though they were both mid-carders.
Instead of splitting up the couple in a way that could have complemented their unique union, WWE chose to split them up in one of the strangest ways imaginable. Eddie was caught cheating on Chyna with one of Godfather's girls...and that was it. Their split ended up making their union feel cheap instead of building a great feud or big-time moment for the two.
4 Who Ran Over Steve Austin?
Although many fans don't remember the main event at Survivor Series 1999, they often do remember that "Stone Cold" got hit by a car and was unable to compete in the main event. A speeding car hit Austin so he could be written off TV because he needed surgery.
The "who done it?" storyline that ensued kept WWE fans entertained since there were so many people that had it out for Austin. There could have been many different ways to reveal or set up something special for Austin's return as well. Instead, the driver ended up being Rikishi, who did it for The Rock. It made no sense. It was also one of the most anti-climatic endings to one of the most intriguing stories of the Attitude Era.
3 ECW Invasion In 1997
During the Monday Night Wars, the idea of an "invasion" from a rival company always kept fans on their feet. WWE had an invasion angle involving some stars from ECW. The storyline itself was intriguing and felt like it was building up to a huge moment that would transcend wrestling organizations.
The ECW invasion never paid off or led to a major cross-promotion pay-per-view. It ended up being nothing special outside of a few moments. In the end, the ECW superstars just fizzled out and the invasion came to an end without any real reason.
2 Mark Henry Vs. Vader
Vader's time in WWE during the Attitude Era is sometimes forgotten. Although he did have a great feud with Kane, his rivalry with Mark Henry should have been the storyline that put both stars over. They were both massive men, they were both insanely strong and they were the perfect opponents for each other since they both had an edge and a dominant wrestling style.
The two put on a fairly decent rivalry that peaked at Fully Loaded. Instead of giving them a proper send-off, WWE ended their feud on an episode of Sunday Night Heat. After he feuded with Henry, Vader became a glorified jobber and his underwhelming losses to Mark Henry had a lot to do with his loss of credibility.
1 Shawn Michaels Leaves D-Generation X
When Shawn Michaels and Triple H first established D-Generation X, it seemed fans were in store for a ton of great storylines that featured the two of them wreaking havoc for years. Due to a freak injury that HBK suffered at the 1998 Royal Rumble, Michaels was forced to leave wrestling and missed the rest of the Attitude Era.
Michaels lost the belt to Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14 and that also marked the end of the original DX. Triple H just insinuated that Shawn Michaels dropped the ball and that was it. HBK was out and Triple H continued DX without him. The ending to one of the greatest factions in the history of WWE was also one of the biggest letdowns in WWE history.