The 1990s were the craziest time for WWE considering the changes made in the Next Generation Era, which became a new style of product, and the Attitude Era which had everything upset. WWE had iconic names like Hulk Hogan, Bret HartSteve Austin and The Rock become the faces of the company at different times.
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WWE: Every year in the 1990s, ranked by revenue
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These legendary numbers are the positive aspects of the decade, but many negative scenarios also unfolded. WWE had its share of matches representing multiple negative aspects of the promotion throughout the 1990s. The following matches show why the decade was by no means perfect for WWE.
The Undertaker vs. The Big Boss Man
FightMania 15
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
March 28, 1999 |
9:46 a.m. |
The entrepreneur |
WWE placed importance on the shock and awe factors of the Attitude Era due to Crash TV’s writing style. The hope was that the shocking moments on TV and PPV would generate additional fan interest, and it worked in many scenarios.
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A bad example of this happened at FightMania 15 during a terrible Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and The Big Boss Man. Undertaker won as everyone expected, but the shocking moment where he hung Boss Man with a noose while the cell was up went a little too far.
Triple H vs. Henry Godwinn
In your house: the hits of the season
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
December 17, 1995 |
8:58 a.m. |
Triple-H |
The biggest flaw of the Next Generation era was the cheesy, cheesy aspects of mid-1990s television. WWE often comes up with new stipulations like the Hog Pen match to make things even more ridiculous when names as Henry Godwinn and Triple H settle their feud.
The match featured live pigs in a pen as both wrestlers fought in the mud for a crude visual. Triple H beating Godwinn didn’t even help his career since the match was embarrassing for everyone involved.
Debra versus sand
Monday Night Raw
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
May 10, 1999 |
0:50 |
Debra |
The women’s division was a real eye candy in the Attitude Era when the women’s championship returned. Sable did a good job of making the title feel important, but her big push came after her Playboy cover spread and played into her sex appeal.
Things jumped the shark when WWE decided to have Debra end Sable’s reign by losing an evening gown match. Even though Sable won by eliminating his opponent, the commissioner Shawn Michaels awarded Debra the title and victory to look better with fewer clothes to make the title lose all credibility.
Butterbean vs. Marc Mero
In your house: D-Generation
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
December 7, 1997 |
10:20 a.m. |
Butter bean via DQ |
WWE attempted to find new attractions in the 1990s after WCW took over the Monday Night Wars. One strange idea was that popular boxer Butterbean was booked to make a few appearances in boxing matches against WWE superstars.
The two men schemed around the ring to fill time for three rounds until Mero was disqualified for hitting Butterbean with a chair. The whole concept attracted a small audience, but even those names were disappointed by the cheap finish that brought no results.
Diesel vs. Mabel
SummerSlam 1995
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
August 27, 1995 |
9:14 a.m. |
Diesel |
Vince McMahon was still in his phase of looking for big men to take over the top spots in the Next Generation era. Kevin Nash struggled as Diesel when he won the WWE Championship and had about a year to prove he was the top star.
It didn’t help when he had stinking feuds over names like Mabel. SummerSlam 1995 presented the main event of the second biggest show of the year, stinking up the joint. Mabel was nowhere near ready for this role, and Diesel was already losing momentum as champion, but this match damaged both careers with notable disappointment.
Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna
FightMania 9
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
April 4, 1993 |
0:22 |
Hulk Hogan |
The decade began with Hulk Hogan having a strong influence on the creative side of things as its biggest star. WWE allowed Hogan to push his friends and force his way to having more main event runs as WWE Champion.
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FightMania 9 was at its lowest point when Hogan randomly appeared after Yokozuna won the WWE Championship from Bret Hart. Hogan was able to earn a title shot against the tired big man and quickly won the gold medal. WWE embarrassed two big stars, Hart and Yokozuna, just to make Hogan look strong once again.
The Undertaker versus the fake Undertaker
SummerSlam 1994
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
August 29, 1994 |
8:57 a.m. |
The entrepreneur |
Cheesy storylines were more accepted in the early 1990s, but even WWE fans were getting too smart for certain angles. Ted DiBiase claimed The Undertaker was working for him after a long absence, but predictably, fans realized his Undertaker was a fake.
WWE made the horrible choice to Undertaker vs Fake Undertaker for the main event SummerSlam 1994 in a legendary cage match for the WWE Championship between Bret and Owen Hart. Brian Lee played the Fake Undertaker, but the match had no chance of succeeding with an imperfect story.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Goldust
In your house: good friends, best enemies
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
April 28, 1996 |
7:38 a.m. |
Ultimate Warrior via DQ |
WWE threw everything against the wall in 1996 to get back into the race for WCW. Ultimate Warrior returned to the company, but it quickly showed how overwhelmed it was, with its character missing the mark and feeling more confusing than exciting.
Goldust defending the Intercontinental Championship against Warrior led to one of the worst matches in WWE history. Warrior couldn’t keep up and used terrible spots to keep the match going. A DQ finish to give Warrior a win while keeping the title on Goldust ensured that no fan would enjoy seeing this one again.
Al Snow vs. the big boss
Unforgivable 1999
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
September 26, 1999 |
11:42 a.m. |
Al Neige |
The Kennel From Hell match stipulation was all that was needed to explain how bad this match was. WWE had an embarrassing storyline in which Big Boss Man killed Al Snow’s dog, Pepper, and fed it to him while pretending it was steak.
The elimination match took place in a cage structure with dogs surrounding the cage to turn anything serious into a joke. Snow won to get revenge on Boss Man, but it was the fans who felt they needed revenge for watching this trainwreck.
Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna
SummerSlam 1993
|
Date |
Match time |
Winner |
|
August 30, 1993 |
5:58 p.m. |
Lex Luger via countout |
The use of count-outs or DQ finishes in major PPV matches was once welcomed by WWE because it made the big match a rare thing. Golden Era PPVs only saw the world champion defend the belt two or three times a year, but it caused a few moments of regret.
Lex Luger had plenty of momentum going into his famous Lex Express push before a world title shot against Yokozuna. WWE opted for Luger to win by countout, so the title did not change hands. Luger celebrating his victory lost a lot of support because he looked stupid for not winning the belt.
