History MediaNotes / RuthlessAggressionEra

By 2001, the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Federation]] had purchased its two main competitors, [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]] and [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} Extreme Championship Wrestling]], to become the crowned ruler of mainstream ProfessionalWrestling in the United States. The only downsides were a saturation of active wrestlers on its roster, [[Wrestling/TheInvasionAngle a failed InVasion angle]], and a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund over their AcronymConfusion signaling the end of the beloved Wrestling/AttitudeEra. WWF, however, weren't going to let these slight misfortunes ruin their spot atop the Sports Entertainment mountain, so they went back to the drawing board.

Following the Benoit tragedy, government and media scrutiny increased tenfold in response to the growing trend of injuries, addictions, and premature deaths among pro wrestlers. Thus, it became apparent to the higher ups that the Ruthless Aggression Era had ran its course. By mid-2008, WWE became LighterAndSofter in order to become family-friendly once again and mitigate injuries and drug abuse among wrestlers, hopefully preventing another Benoit situation from happening.[[note]]And to aid Linda [=McMahon=] in her Senate campaign, to no avail.[[/note]] Luckily for them, WWE had a kid-friendly star in John Cena who would carry them through a family-friendly era and would become their modern-day Wrestling/HulkHogan. Long-time wrestling fans have had [[BrokenBase varied reactions]] to this change, but it is begrudgingly agreed that it's for the best (at least in regards to a wrestler's well-being). The Ruthless Aggression era was just as ruthless as its name suggested, but a lot of fun as well. But as said before, fans now had to adapt to [[Wrestling/WWEPGEra a PG rating]].

The second step was ditching the World Wrestling Federation name; since the World Wildlife Fund used the acronym first, the courts ruled in their favor and thus they won exclusive rights to it. Thus, the World Wrestling Federation launched their "[[JustForPun Get the "F" Out]]" campaign and renamed the company "World Wrestling '''Entertainment'''" or WWE for short.

With [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] and Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin on their way out and Wrestling/MickFoley settling into a part-time role, Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/KurtAngle, and Wrestling/TheUndertaker (who reverted back to being the Deadman) were the only main event players who held over to the new era, but also making his long awaited return to the ring was Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Wrestling/BigShow, Wrestling/{{Kane}} and later on Wrestling/MarkHenry largely settled into the upper mid-card afterwards but occasionally flirted with the main event scene. But it was also an era of elevation, as several midcard stars of the Attitude Era would become mainstays of the upper mid-card with the occasional main event run, like Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield, and Wrestling/JeffHardy. And one in particular became a true main-event player: Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}.

With [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] and Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin on their way out and Wrestling/MickFoley settling into a part-time role, Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/KurtAngle, and Wrestling/TheUndertaker (who reverted back to being the Deadman) were the only main event players who held over to the new era, but also making his long awaited return to the ring was Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Wrestling/BigShow and Wrestling/{{Kane}} largely settled into the upper mid-card afterwards but occasionally flirted with the main event scene. But it was also an era of elevation, as several midcard stars of the Attitude Era would become mainstays of the upper mid-card with the occasional main event run, like Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield, and Wrestling/JeffHardy. And one in particular became a true main-event player: Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}.

'''Cena:''' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis RUTHLESS!]] [[CallBack AGGRESSION!]] ''(immediately punches Angle in the face)''

-> '''Wrestling/KurtAngle:''' Well, you tell me-- what is the one quality that you possess that makes you think that you can walk out here and come into the ring and face the very best in the business?\\
'''Wrestling/JohnCena:''' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis RUTHLESS!]] [[CallBack AGGRESSION!]] ''(immediately punches Angle in the face)''

'''Wrestling/JohnCena:''' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis RUTHLESS! AGGRESSION!]] ''(immediately punches Angle in the face)''

With [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] and Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin on their way out and Wrestling/MickFoley settling into a part-time role, Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/KurtAngle, and Wrestling/TheUndertaker (who reverted back to being the Deadman) were the only main event players who held over to the new era, but also making his long awaited return to the ring was Wrestling/ShawnMichaels. Wrestling/BigShow and Wrestling/{{Kane}} largely settled into the upper mid-card afterwards but occasionally flirted with the main event scene. But it was also an era of elevation, as several midcard stars of the Attitude Era would become mainstays of the upper mid-card with the occasional main event run, like Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield, and Wrestling/JeffHardy. And one in particular became a true main-event player: Wrestling/{{Edge}}.

By 2001, the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Federation]] had purchased its two main competitors, [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]] and [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} Extreme Championship Wrestling]], to become the crowned ruler of mainstream ProfessionalWrestling in the United States. The only downsides were [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a saturation of active wrestlers on its roster]], [[Wrestling/TheInvasionAngle a failed InVasion angle]], and a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund over their AcronymConfusion signaling the end of the beloved Wrestling/AttitudeEra. WWF, however, weren't going to let these slight misfortunes ruin their spot atop the Sports Entertainment mountain, so they went back to the drawing board.

By 2001, the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Federation]] had purchased its two main competitors, [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]] and [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} Extreme Championship Wrestling]], to become the crowned ruler of mainstream ProfessionalWrestling in the United States. The only downsides were [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a saturation of active wrestlers on its roster]], [[Wrestling/TheInvasionAngle a failed InVasion angle]], and a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund over their AcronymConfusion signaling the end of the beloved Wrestling/AttitudeEra. WWF however, weren't going to let these slight misfortunes ruin their spot atop the Sports Entertainment mountain, so they went back to the drawing board.

The first step was figuring out what to do with the acquired talents from WCW and ECW. Wrestling/VinceMcMahon and co. took one of the many WhatCouldHaveBeen ideas from the [=InVasion=] angle and launched a brand extension on March 25, 2002. The WWF roster would be split in two: one half wrestling on their flagship show ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Monday Night Raw]]'' and the other on their former BShow ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]''. Each show would have their own rosters, General Managers, championships and Pay-Per-View events, allowing equal opportunity for all stars to get TV time and avoid being lost in the shuffle, while creating a sense of competition between the two shows in order to bring out the best in everyone.

The second step was ditching the World Wrestling Federation name; since the World Wildlife Fund used the acronym first, the courts ruled in their favor and thus won exclusive rights to it. Thus, the World Wrestling Federation launched their "[[JustForPun Get the "F" Out]]" campaign and renamed the company "World Wrestling '''Entertainment'''" or WWE for short.

While the Ruthless Aggression Era wasn't quite as crude and unpredictable as the Attitude Era before it, many agree that its far superior quality of wrestling more than made up for that. Want proof? This was the era that gave birth to the "Class of 2002", as 2002 saw an influx of young up and coming stars from WWE's then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling like [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]], Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin, Wrestling/{{Batista}}, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, and last but damn sure not least, Wrestling/JohnCena. This was the era that allowed smaller, more athletic superstars such as Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/BookerT, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}, Wrestling/RobVanDam, Wrestling/JeffHardy and Wrestling/CMPunk to rise above the stigma that [[MusclesAreMeaningful smaller wrestlers can't draw]] and earn their spot as true main eventers and world champions, and others like Wrestling/MattHardy, Wrestling/GregoryHelms, Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin, and Wrestling/{{Christian}} became cult favorites despite never quite making it to the top.

This was also the era that slowly legitimized women's wrestling in North America after so many years of glorified models competing in {{Catfight}}s and [[{{Fanservice}} Bra-and-Panties matches]] across most if not all North American promotions. Wrestling/TrishStratus, Wrestling/{{Lita}}, and Wrestling/TorrieWilson went from inexperienced valet managers to solid full-fledged competitors, while more experienced wrestlers such as Wrestling/{{Ivory}}, Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}}, [[Wrestling/CarleneMoore Jazz]] and Wrestling/{{Molly Holly}} helped carry them along while proving their own worth to the WWE audience. This era also saw the WWE debuts of several notable female wrestlers, such as Wrestling/GailKim, Wrestling/{{Melina}}, Wrestling/{{Mickie James}}, and Wrestling/{{Beth Phoenix}}.

Following the Benoit tragedy, government and media scrutiny increased tenfold in response to the growing trend of injuries, addictions and premature deaths among pro wrestlers. Thus, it became apparent to the higher ups that the Ruthless Aggression Era had ran its course. By mid-2008, WWE became LighterAndSofter in order to become family-friendly once again and mitigate injuries and drug abuse among wrestlers, hopefully preventing another Benoit situation from happening.[[note]]And to aid Linda [=McMahon=] in her Senate campaign, to no avail.[[/note]] Luckily for them, WWE had a kid-friendly star in John Cena who would carry them through a family-friendly era and would become their modern-day Wrestling/HulkHogan. Long-time wrestling fans have had [[BrokenBase varied reactions]] to this change, but it is begrudgingly agreed that it's for the best (at least in regards to a wrestler's well-being). The Ruthless Aggression era was just as ruthless as its name suggested, but a lot of fun as well. But as said before, fans now had to adapt to [[Wrestling/WWEPGEra a PG rating]].

'''Wrestling/JohnCena:''' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis RUTHLESS! AGGRESSION!]] *immediately punches Angle in the face*

By 2001, the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Federation]] had purchased its two main competitors, [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]] and [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} Extreme Championship Wrestling]], to become the crowned ruler of mainstream ProfessionalWrestling in the United States. The only downsides were [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a saturation of active wrestlers on its roster]], [[Wrestling/TheInvasionAngle a failed InVasion angle]] and a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund over their AcronymConfusion signaling the end of the beloved Wrestling/AttitudeEra. WWF however, weren't going to let these slight misfortunes ruin their spot atop the Sports Entertainment mountain, so they went back to the drawing board.

-> '''Wrestling/KurtAngle:''' Well, you tell me -- what is the one quality that you possess that makes you think that you can walk out here and come into the ring and face the very best in the business?\\
'''Wrestling/JohnCena:''' Ruthless... AGGRESSION!

While the Ruthless Aggression Era wasn't quite as crude and unpredictable as the Attitude Era before it, many agree that its far superior quality of wrestling more than made up for that. Want proof? This was the era that gave birth to the "Class of 2002", as 2002 saw an influx of young up and coming stars from WWE's then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling like [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]], Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin, Wrestling/{{Batista}}, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, and last but damn sure not least, Wrestling/JohnCena. This was the era that allowed smaller, more athletic superstars such as Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}, Wrestling/JeffHardy and Wrestling/CMPunk to rise above the stigma that [[MusclesAreMeaningful smaller wrestlers can't draw]] and earn their spot as true main eventers and world champions.

Following the Benoit tragedy, government and media scrutiny increased tenfold in response to the growing trend of injuries, addictions and premature deaths among pro wrestlers. Thus, it became apparent to the higher ups that the Ruthless Aggression Era had ran its course. By mid-2008, WWE became LighterAndSofter in order to become family-friendly once again and mitigate injuries and drug abuse among wrestlers, hopefully preventing another Benoit situation from happening[[note]]And to aid Linda [=McMahon=] in her Senate campaign, to no avail[[/note]]. Luckily for them, WWE had a kid-friendly star in John Cena who would carry them through a family-friendly era and would become their modern-day Wrestling/HulkHogan. Long-time wrestling fans have had [[BrokenBase varied reactions]] to this change to [[Wrestling/WWEPGEra a PG rating]], but it is begrudgingly agreed that it's for the best (at least in regards to a wrestler's well-being). The Ruthless Aggression era was just as ruthless as its name suggested, but a lot of fun as well.

'''Wrestling/JohnCena:''' RUTHLESS... AGGRESSION!

'''Wrestling/JohnCena:''' RUTHLESS AGGRESSION!

The Ruthless Aggression era was not without its faults, however. From the tasteless "Katie Vick" necrophilia storyline, to Triple H's [[SpotlightStealingSquad Reign]] [[InvincibleVillain of Terror]] on RAW, the decision to have him beat Wrestling/BookerT despite racist elements used in the build-up, to the ''Wrestling/WWEDivaSearch'' bringing more [[FauxActionGirl untrained models]] to halt the progress of women's wrestling, to Wrestling/MuhammadHassan's protest for equality quickly turning him into [[ForeignWrestlingHeel the stereotype that he said that he wasn't]] and getting him into hot water following the deadly terrorist bombings that hit London in July 2005, and the use of RapeAsDrama, there were plenty of cons to go with the pros. Things started to take a dark turn in November 2005 when Guerrero died of a drug overdose, leading to heavy criticism of the company’s drug policy[[note]]and Guerrero’s death being exploited to build several storylines afterwards[[/note]], but even that pales in comparison to the infamous PaterFamilicide and eventual [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]] by Benoit in June of 2007, which is still the most infamous scandal in pro wrestling history more than a decade later. WWE would [[{{Unperson}} subsequently erase all mention]] of Benoit in their archives.

While the Ruthless Aggression Era wasn't quite as crude and unpredictable as the Attutude Era before it, many agree that its far superior quality of wrestling more than made up for that. Want proof? This was the era that gave birth to the "Class of 2002", as 2002 saw an influx of young up and coming stars from WWE's then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling like [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]], Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin, Wrestling/{{Batista}}, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, and last but damn sure not least, Wrestling/JohnCena. This was the era that allowed smaller, more athletic superstars such as Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}, Wrestling/JeffHardy and Wrestling/CMPunk to rise above the stigma that [[MusclesAreMeaningful smaller wrestlers can't draw]] and earn their spot as true main eventers and world champions.

While the Ruthless Aggression Era wasn't quite as crude and unpredictable as the Attutude Era before it, many agree that its far superior quality of wrestling more than made up for that. Want proof? This was the era that gave birth to the "Class of 2002", as 2002 saw an influx of young up and coming stars from WWE's then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling like [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]], Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin, Wrestling/{{Batista}}, Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/BrockLesnar, and last but damn sure not least, Wrestling/JohnCena. This was the era that allowed smaller, more athletic superstars such as Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, Wrestling/JeffHardy and Wrestling/CMPunk to rise above the stigma that [[MusclesAreMeaningful smaller wrestlers can't draw]] and earn their spot as true main eventers and world champions.

The Ruthless Aggression era was not without its faults, however. From the tasteless "Katie Vick" necrophilia storyline, to Triple H's [[InvincibleVillain Reign of Terror]] on RAW, the decision to have him beat Wrestling/BookerT despite racist elements used in the build-up, to the ''Wrestling/WWEDivaSearch'' bringing more [[FauxActionGirl untrained models]] to halt the progress of women's wrestling, to Wrestling/MuhammadHassan's protest for equality quickly turning him into [[ForeignWrestlingHeel the stereotype that he said that he wasn't]] and getting him into hot water following the deadly terrorist bombings that hit London in July 2005, and the use of RapeAsDrama, there were plenty of cons to go with the pros. Things started to take a dark turn in November 2005 when Guerrero died of a drug overdose, leading to heavy criticism of the company’s drug policy[[note]]and Guerrero’s death being exploited to build several storylines afterwards[[/note]], but even that pales in comparison to the infamous PaterFamilicide and eventual [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]] by Benoit in June of 2007, which is still the most infamous scandal in pro wrestling history more than a decade later. WWE would subsequently erase all mention of Benoit in their archives.

Following the Benoit tragedy, government and media scrutiny increased tenfold in response to the growing trend of injuries, addictions and premature deaths among pro wrestlers. Thus, it became apparent to the higher ups that the Ruthless Aggression Era had ran its course. By mid-2008, WWE became LighterAndSofter in order to become family-friendly once again and mitigate injuries and drug abuse among wrestlers, hopefully preventing another Benoit situation from happening[[note]]And to aid Linda [=McMahon=] in her Senate campaign, to no avail[[/note]]. Luckily for them, WWE had a kid-friendly star in John Cena who would carry them through a family-friendly era and would become their modern-day Wrestling/HulkHogan. Long-time wrestling fans have had [[BrokenBase varied reactions]] to this change to a PG rating, but it is begrudgingly agreed that it's for the best (at least in regards to a wrestler's well-being). The Ruthless Aggression era was just as ruthless as its name suggested, but a lot of fun as well.

The second step was ditching the World Wrestling Federation name, since World Wildlife Fund used the acronym first and won exclusive rights to it. Thus, the World Wrestling Federation launched their "[[JustForPun Get the "F" Out]]" campaign and renamed the company "World Wrestling '''Entertainment'''" or WWE for short.

The Ruthless Aggression era was not without its faults, however. From the tasteless "Katie Vick" storyline, to Triple H's [[InvincibleVillain Reign of Terror]] on RAW, to the ''Wrestling/WWEDivaSearch'' bringing more [[FauxActionGirl untrained models]] to halt the progress of women's wrestling, to Wrestling/MuhammadHassan's protest for equality quickly turning him into [[ForeignWrestlingHeel the stereotype that he said that he wasn't]], and the use of RapeAsDrama, there were plenty of cons to go with the pros. But these all pale in comparison to the infamous PaterFamilicide and eventual [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]] by Benoit in June of 2007, which is still the most infamous scandal in pro wrestling history more than a decade later.

Following the Benoit tragedy, government and media scrutiny increased tenfold in response to the growing trend of injuries, addictions and premature deaths among pro wrestlers. Thus, it became apparent to the higher ups that the Ruthless Aggression Era had ran its course. By mid-2008, WWE became LighterAndSofter in order to become family-friendly once again and mitigate injuries and drug abuse among wrestlers, hopefully preventing another Benoit situation from happening.[[note]]And to aid Linda [=McMahon=] in her Senate campaign, to no avail[[/note]]. Long-time wrestling fans have had [[BrokenBase varied reactions]] to this change to a PG rating, but it is begrudgingly agreed that it's for the best (at least in regards to a wrestler's well-being). The Ruthless Aggression era was just as ruthless as its name suggested, but a lot of fun as well.

By 2001, the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} World Wrestling Federation]] had purchased its two main competitors, [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]] and [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} Extreme Championship Wrestling]], to become the crowned ruler of mainstream ProfessionalWrestling in the United States. The only downsides were [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a saturation of active wrestlers on its roster]], a failed [=InVasion=] angle and a lawsuit from the World Wildlife Fund over their AcronymConfusion signaling the end of the beloved Wrestling/AttitudeEra. WWF however, weren't going to let these slight misfortunes ruin their spot atop the Sports Entertainment mountain, so they went back to the drawing board.

Following the Benoit tragedy, government and media scrutiny increased tenfold in response to the growing trend of injuries, addictions and premature deaths among pro wrestlers. Thus, it became apparent to the higher ups that the Ruthless Aggression Era had ran its course. By mid-2008, WWE became LighterAndSofter in order to become family-friendly once again and mitigate injuries and drug abuse among wrestlers, hopefully preventing another Benoit situation from happening.[[note]]And to aid Linda [=McMahon=] in her Senate campaign, to no avail[[/note]]. Long-time wrestling fans have had [[BrokenBase varied reactions]] to this change to a PG rating, but it is begrudgingly agreed that it's for the best (at least in regards to a wrestler's well-being). The Ruthless Aggression era was just as ruthless as its name suggested, but a lot of fun as well.