Charlotte spears Paige into the barricade following disparaging comments about her late brother / Credit: wwe.com
[dropcap]I[/dropcap] was born in 1983 and started watching WWF in 1994, right before the company hit that awkward period between the end of the Golden Era and the start of the Attitude Era.
My first PPV that I can recall was Wrestlemania X, a great start to my fandom.
I remember the start to the Monday Night Wars, I remember how Vince had to push the envelope and push the envelope he did: D-Generation X, Austin 3:16, “Puppies!”, crimsons masks, dumping blood on unsuspecting victims. I wish I could say I remember all of it, but by 1999, I was no longer watching, and not by choice.
It ended for me right around the time Stephanie McMahon made her debut, so no Dark Almost Wedding to Undertaker for me!
The big factor that Attitude Era is known for was it’s “edginess”, at least, that’s what the fans who still wear those rose-tinted glasses will tell you. It helped create legends, lent a hand to some of the most iconic matches in WWE’s history (nearly all fans agree that Wrestlemania X-Seven was the best Wrestlemania in existence), and it pushed the fanbase to the limit on what they’ll tolerate.
Looking back at the history of that era, there was plenty about it that was honestly very tasteless, and there were a few times where they pulled stunts that were completely over the line.
But, the IWC still likes to decry this current incarnation of WWE and plea for the company to start Attitude 2.0, completely forgetting that a lot of that era was focused on cheap heat, stupid stunts and had little focus on wrestling. Don’t get me wrong, when the actual work was on, it was amazing. But the era is littered with plenty of cringe worthy moments.
I mention all of this because this past Monday night, Raw closed with the contract signing for Charlotte vs. Paige for the Divas Championship this Sunday at Survivor Series. The segment has the entire fanbase up in arms over whether or not they’ve crossed the line.
To bring you up to speed, if you’re in the dark here. At the end of the contract signing, Charlotte clarified that she is a fighting champion and she will “fight every single day, just like my little brother did.” Paige’s instant retort: “You’re wrong, sweetheart, because your little baby brother didn’t have much fight in him, did he?” The little brother in discussion is Reid Fleihr, and in 2013, he was found dead from an accidental overdose.
Yep. They went there. We all saw it coming from a mile away. My reaction was, “Are they about to…oh hell no they are…OH SNAP THERE THEY GO!”
WWE is no stranger to controversy, especially when they know it’s a surefire way to generate discussion and interest before a big event.
They have no qualms about using real life events to their advantage, either. They incorporated the death of Paul Bearer (William Moody) into Undertaker and CM Punk’s angle during the Road to Wrestlemania 29, going as far as to having Punk dump Bearer’s “ashes” from Undertaker’s trademark urn onto ‘Taker.
In 2005 and 2006, they had Randy Orton generate controversial heat from Eddie Guerrero’s death, first by taking out The Undertaker on Eddie’s memorial lowrider mere weeks after his passing, and then months later by telling Rey Mysterio during a promo that Eddie was in hell.
That’s just within the past decade. Let’s not forget the storylines from around the turn of the century which were in fact pure story; Trips drugging Stephanie and getting drive-thru hitched in Vegas and Big Boss Man crashing Big Show’s father’s funeral and dragging the casket. Oh, also, one name: Katie Vick. These are just a few examples.
Of course, bear in mind the following: three of those angles were Attitude Era, one was Ruthless Aggression, and one was PG/Reality, where we are far removed from those antics and are rather used to a product that’s more family-friendly.
First, to clarify, though both girls looked immensely uncomfortable to be leading the conversation towards it’s inevitable direction, they did so willingly. While, again, WWE will play it dirty to get ratings, they will not do so without talent’s permission.
Some rumors are flying that Charlotte threw out the idea to ensure Paige got proper heat (since she still gets pops despite being a heel). Others are stating that she may have felt the pressure to agree to the use of Reid since she’s new to the roster and may be afraid to say no. None of us know, and we can’t say we do.
However, we do know that neither Ric nor Elizabeth gave permission and have been very vocal about the ending of Raw. Quite honestly, that’s not for them to decide, the decision was completely on Charlotte and Paige.
All that said, I’m of the opinion that this kind of writing is indicative of laziness on Creative’s part. Was it tasteless? Yes. Did it get the job done? Oh hell yes it did. When Charlotte started throwing punches and they had to get refs out to separate her and Paige, I cheered. We haven’t seen a Diva brawl that heavy in years. I was entertained. I’m not sorry for that. But it was still lazy writing. They went right for the jugular, but it was too easy. We all know they could have done better.
This is my biggest issue though: fans are in an uproar, saying that they went too far. Really? There is this outcry from fans, and I’m taking a guess that the age bracket here is between 31 to 50, who desperately want the Attitude Era back. They miss the edginess, the unpredictability, the blood, the controversy.
WWE gave that to you on Monday. Why are you crying?
When Punk dumped Bearer’s ashes on Undertaker, fans threw a fit. When Rollins curbstomped Ambrose on the cinder blocks next to the announce table the Raw after Summerslam, fans threw a fit. When Rollins had Edge in the middle of the ring with his foot on Edge’s neck, threatening to break it and kill him unless John Cena reinstated The Authority, fans threw a fit. All three times, they cried that the company went too far.
They were all shades of Attitude Era! Hell, they PALE in comparison! Do you want it back or not?
Fans complain that WWE doesn’t know what they’re doing anymore and should listen to them. To a degree, they’re right; the company is flubbing all over the place. The main roster is packed with more talent than we’ve seen in 20 years, including some of the best to come out of the indies, and more than half are either far underutilized or misused in general. But when fans are demanding certain storylines out of the company and then freaking out when they deliver, or are audibly backing talent, only to turn on them the instant they’re over, they’re just lending credence to the notion that they are not to ever be taken seriously. The fans become a joke – to the talent, to Creative, to Vince McMahon, and to themselves.
People, people, listen up! If you want controversy again, you have to take the tasteless with the tasteful. You don’t get one without the other. You have to prepare to get uncomfortable and be willing to let your limits get pushed. If not, then guess what? You really are a fan of the PG/Reality Era after all and you just can’t admit it to yourself. You can’t admit that you actually like a “family-friendly” product.
Do not throw a fit about the company using someone’s death as a plot point when you want an Era back that constantly pulled tasteless stunts. I’m not saying that you should sit down, shut up, and take what the company serves up. I’m saying you better double check yourselves. Be careful what you ask for, you may just get it.
After all, you got it on Monday night. Are you not sports entertained?
