The PG era was WWE’s approach to building a brand that could be sold to children, essentially watering down their product and turning down the violence. Some moves were banned, blood spilling was set to a minimum, and profanity was an offense worthy of a fine.
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If there is a move to define the best era of wrestling, it’s without a doubt the Stone Cold Stunner.
Narrowing down a list of defining moments forthe PG erais no easy task, as one could easily build two or three of these with different sets of moments in each one. This list will contain ten of the very best moments that made the PG era at least somewhat watchable.
10Anonymous Raw General Manager
It Went On For Far Too Long
If you were around for the days ofthe Anonymous Raw General Manager, there’s a chance a certain jingle will spark a traumatic response.
Believe it or not, there was a time when Raw had no physical general manager in place, replaced instead by a laptop that delivered messages.
Michael Cole served as the messenger, and you best believe he played up the annoying factor. Unlike the current iteration of Cole’s commentary, he was actually quite the aggravating heel commentator during this time, and his feud with Jerry Lawler was a monumental waste of time.
But nothing was more jarring than the laptop of doom, delivering messages for the WWE universe to sit through. We eventually found out that it was Hornswoggle all along, making the storyline not only way too long for its worth, but essentially a directionless gimmick that won’t soon be forgotten.
9Vince’s Million Dollar Mania
An Abject Failure
In 2008, during the peak of the ratings drop on Monday Night Raw, millionaire Vince McMahon put his thinking cap on and devised a solution to his problem. The best way to get people interested is with cold, hard cash, so it was time for Vince to pay up.
Each week, Vince would dial up the phone and call those who were entered intothe Million Dollar Maniacontest to give away random amounts of money. All you had to do was pick up the phone and hope it was Mr. McMahon on the other end, and your bank account was richer as a result.
Sometimes people didn’t pick up, other times Vince struggled with the dial pad. The ratings received a slight boost, but they quickly plummeted along with the Million Dollar Mania set, which crashed into Vince and ultimately ended the entire charade for good.
8Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker
Stealing The Show At WrestleMania… Twice
WrestleMania 25 went down as an event that was very hot and cold. Some matches delivered on their promise, involving compelling storylines, while others saw Santino Marella cosplay as a woman to win an all-women battle royale.
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The most notorious wrestlers to ever come head-to-head against Mr Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect.
Then there was Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker, a match between two familiar opponents with a rich history to draw upon. You probably should have expected this match to be good, but the result had fans leaping out of their seats and jumping up and down.
As insane as it may sound, the match between Michaels and Undertaker exceeded some very high expectations, and they actually stuck the landing two years in a row.
Unsatisfied, Michaels challenged the Undertaker for the followingWrestleMania, a decision that cost him his career, but one that gave a satisfying conclusion to their story.
7The Women’s Revolution
NXT Group Breathes New Air Into Division
The PG era had some really bizarre storytelling when it came to the women, and at times, it was extremely offensive. Natalya had a farting problem, Mickie James was called “Piggie James”, and the fans grew increasingly tired of the belittlement of the women’s division.
Cue up Stephanie McMahon, who made the announcement that it was time to shake things up. Calling for a women’s revolution in the WWE, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks all made their main roster debut, and in the same segment.
The arrival of three of the biggest names out of NXT not only shook the foundation of the women’s division, but it changed it for the better. Building on the blocks that these three women set, the vision now has two main championships, two mid-card titles, and even atag team divisionto compete in.
6Brock Lesnar Ends The Streak
A Moment That Left Everyone Stunned
Everyone remembers where they were for significant moments in their lives, especially when those moments have a long-lasting impact. For wrestling fans, it’s without a doubt that feeling came up when The Undertaker’s streak was broken by Brock Lesnar.
A perfect 20-0 record going into WrestleMania 30, the fans sat in complete shock and silence as Lesnar’s hand was raised. It didn’t click instantly, and only when the 21-1 record was shown on the big screen did the crowd let out an audible gasp.
The Undertaker’s streak was broken.
The moment froze time and, for many, it all felt like a terrible dream that we couldn’t wake up from. The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak almost felt like it was untouchable, but once it was taken away from us, there was that empty feeling that is still felt to this day.
5CM Punk’s 2011 Money In The Bank
Kiss Your Championship Goodbye, Vince
The summer of CM Punk can be chalked up to two significant moments, and while I’ll save one of them for later on this list, the other happens to be his win atMoney in the Bankin 2011. Defying all the odds, Punk lived up to his promise that he was leaving with the WWE Championship.
In a five-star classic and one of John Cena’s greatest matches of all time, Punk defeated the Doctor of Thuganomics and barely escaped with the title in hand. Sealed with a kiss, the image of CM Punk staring down Vince McMahon lives rent-free in all of our heads.
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He was equally hilarious and cruel, and though he did not cut an imposing figure in the ring, he could certainly wrestle with the best of them.
Of course, the departure of Punk was just an angle, and he ended up coming back shortly after on Monday Night Raw. In typical Punk fashion, he waited for Cena to regain the title before making his return, championship in hand, and debuting his new Cult of Personality theme song.
4Formation Of Nexus
Before NXT became what it is known for today, it started out as a mock reality show-like competition that pitted hopeful wrestlers against one another for a chance to earn a WWE contract. Each rookie was assigned a mentor, and week by week, they would participate in unusual events and in-ring competitions.
What we didn’t know at the time was that everyone involved would eventually formthe group known as Nexus, a group of disgruntled wrestlers hell-bent on destruction. Their attack on John Cena and everyone at the ringside was so intense that it actually got Daniel Bryan legitimately fired from the company.
Unfortunately, it really felt like Nexus was ahead of its time, as the WWE completely dropped the ball with the group. Consecutive program losses to Cena, Bryan’s return from firing to side with the good guys, and back-and-forth booking left Wade Barrett and the rest of Nexus dead in the water.
3Seth Rollins Ends The Shield
The Shield was a group consisting of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, and just about everyone was a fan of the trio. They had an entrance that drew immediate attention to them, their pack-like mentality always caused a stir, and they saw quick success in terms of championship gold.
Everything was firing on all cylinders, and all three members of The Shield were quickly becoming major stars in the company. However, as the saying goes, what goes up must come down, and the chair Rollins swung at Reigns definitely came crashing down hard.
Introduced as Triple H’s Plan B, Rollins turned on his Shield brothers, obliterating them with a chair and siding with The Authority.
In the grand scheme of things, all three became future WWE Champions, butthat one fan yelling at the top of his lungsas Rollins took his big swing will go down as a chilling moment.
2The Yes Movement
Daniel Bryan Went Absolutely Crazy
There are moments when the WWE strikes gold, and when it happens, it’s magical.Stone Cold Steve Austindid it with his “Austin 3:16” promo, and in the PG Era, all it took for Daniel Bryan was to say the word “Yes.”
Over and over again, Bryan pointed to the sky, yelled “yes,” and, like the flock following the shepherd, the fans joined him in unison. It’s a rare feat to have everyone join in on a specific chant, but Bryan had entire arenas in perfect sync, which is a sight that’s hard to erase from our minds.
Bryan had fans storming the ring, he cut promos that sparked an entire movement, and before long, he was in the main event of WrestleMania 30. The Yes Movement helped propel Daniel Bryan to the WWE Championship, and to this day, it remains a fine example of how fans can change the minds of the machine using one simple word.
1The Pipebomb
The Promo Of CM Punk’s Career
That sentiment about catching lightning in a bottle is extremely relevant here, as the WWE did it twice during the PG Era.
The other time was when CM Punk sat at the top of the ramp, crossed his legs, and delivered one of the greatest promos in WWE history.
The beauty of it was that nobody knew if it was a shoot or scripted. Perhaps it was both, but the one certainty of this particular promo was that it grasped the attention of wrestling fans around the world and became a talking point on the internet.
After Punk aired his grievances about not being in the main event at WrestleMania, and barely being featured on the show, the dynamic of the entire company changed. Fans got behind Punk in a big way, and he eventually turned that into a434-day reign as WWE Champion, a feat that was extremely rare at the time.
WWE Attitude Era Moments That Defined The Era
To really get into what the Attitude Era was all about, we’re going to check out some of the most iconic moments that began the best era.
