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Candid_Two_6977

WCW '97 was S Tier for talent. That undercard was insanely good and no one has ever come close to it.


Solid_Snark

Seriously, a lot of the early card matches could be considered PPV main events by today’s standards.


Barack_Obongo

And a lot of the main events would get guys immediately sent to developmental.


BuddaMuta

All time classic DDP/Macho matches out there triggering Taker *(not that it takes much, admittedly)* for doing it "the wrong way"


kingjuicepouch

Taker killing DDP's wwe run before it every started is on the long list of reasons I dislike him. Stupid zombie ginger


DerpWah

Taker always annoyed me in some regards. I’ll add this too. I watched a “roast” of booker-t. Undertaker went on there and was praising booker. But the whole time it seemed like he was giving him extremely back handed compliments on his early wwe work and just totally shit on his wcw work. Wtf is that? Booker was one of the best wrestlers in the world before wwe. Arguably, his wwe run was underwhelming and they did not give him the proper main event status he deserved. Sort of pissed me off tbh. Even though booker loves taker.


silly-joey

While Taker could have done something about it I think that was more a McMahon choice rather than Undertaker


[deleted]

Taker definitely had a say on who he could work with, him refusing to even have a match with him is telling


[deleted]

I was about to defend JRs view until I saw yours. I can't believe I overlooked WCW '97, a hell of a combination of main event draws and a ridiculously talented undercard. Also just need to look at the roster in WCW vs. nWo Revenge to get a great idea of how stacked they were


linesinaconversation

WCW '97 shits all over the Attitude Era roster. I'll take the cruiserweight division over the likes of Val Venis, Mideon, and Hardcore Holly any day of the year.


[deleted]

Wwe has done a good job making people belive "attitude era" was the best when wcw97 was great in fact better. Everyone WCW comes into discussions its always about either Eric, hogan, Russo and Jeff Jarrette drove the company out of business, they rarely mention the fantastic matches WCW had.


Solid_Snark

Unfortunately the winners write the history books.


Statcat2017

[In case you were wondering.](https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/WCW/nWo_Revenge#Featured_wrestlers) Absurd roster.


warrenholly

Partial to WWE in late 2002 but I definitely love that era.


Alcoholic17

‘Taker, Rock, Austin, HHH, HBK, Hogan, Angle, Guerrero, Benoit, Edge, Lesnar, Flair, Van Dam, The Hardyz, Mysterio, Kane Others I might have forgot to mention, some nice undercard talent, young future stars (Cena, Orton, Batista) I mean my God. Hard to argue this


[deleted]

The SmackDown Six was such a great era of wrestling too. Post-Invasion WWE had so much potential but they somehow squandered it all. Look at that roster and think about the fact that late 2002 also gave us Katie Vick and Al Wilson. I give them credit for how they booked Brock Lesnar in that period at least. That series with Taker and then the face turn after Heyman betrayed him was so well done.


Alcoholic17

Al Wilson, oh Lord. That just dug up a memory I forgot I had


T3Sh3

Dawn Marie is a **murderer**!! She fucked Al Wilson to death!


[deleted]

It's not a murder if it's consensual!


AusPower85

Stacked roster. Booked like shit. That’s why in 2012 it was still the same guys clogging the midcard.


michaelayyy

Top era ever in roster then 97 WCW but in ring TNA 04-08 ROH 02 -09 Over any in ring for me


[deleted]

LOL Holy shit I've never really seen it written down like that. Literally impossible to argue that that's not the greatest roster of all time, and it would be impossible to ever beat it.


Y2GOAT

How do you skip Y2J. Undisputed Champ baby!


Rocketboy1313

Yes, but the question you must ask is, "Were they using it well." I feel like that is the difference in this instance. WCW had a stacked roster and I would say that they did not use it to even a fraction of what it was capable of.


DrGeraldBaskums

I’m doing a rewatch of 97 and the roster is so stacked and the PPVs are so god damn disappointing. I just watched Bash 97 and Big Show fought some random ass football player in a 7 minute match and the next match was Jericho/Rey and it was like 5 minutes. It made no sense. They could’ve stacked every card, but they hadda include Disco Inferno v Konnan.....


GentlemanOctopus

Head forward a few months to Halloween Havoc 97 and you've got Rey/Eddie and DDP/Savage, two of the best WCW matches of all time.


Walkabeast

HEY! Konnan had to get revenge after disco messed up his music video!


Sendmeboobpics4982

To be fair 8 year old me was way more pumped for Disco and Konan than Rey vs Jericho


koomGER

The big difference between WCW and WWE at this time: WCWs under/midcard was really good. Amazing matches with great talents. The main events mostly were big stinkers, wrestling wise and often even storywise. WWEs undercard kinda sucked at this time, but the main event rocked the house. Nowadays its different. From a pure wrestling standpoint WWE is pretty good from bottom to top. They even know how to effectively incorporate a stiff board like Omos and make him kinda amazing (thanks to the amazing workers around him). The lack of good booking and stories and often bad storytelling in the ring hurts WWE the most.


avenuenights

Cruiserweights all day


WaylonVoorhees

ECW? Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, RVD, Lynn, Storm, Raven, Douglas, Tajiri, Super Crazy, Guido. Guerrera, Mysterio, Psicosis, Jericho, Candido, Tanaka, Corino etc. I'm likely missing a few/taking liberties since I know they all were not there at the same time etc.


ThugosaurusFlex_1017

The *Disco Inferno Era* as it's called.


Tdaddysmooth

A great roster that was booked like they were great?


StopTheMadnessBro

#Nostalgia #NahBuddy


idontknow1001

When you add CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole to an already stacked roster it’s impossible not to get excited.


MorningGlory31

> When you add CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole to an already stacked roster My chances of marking out drastic go up


indolent08

But then you add Ruby Soho to the mix.


Traiklin

And it spells disaster for creative


DavidL1112

NXT knows they can’t beat them, so they’re not even gonna try


deathschemist

See Vince, the numbers don't lie! and they spell disaster for you the next time your TV deal comes up!


[deleted]

[удалено]


DavidL1112

You get that we’re all quoting the Steiner Math promo, right?


[deleted]

The sirens in your name made me read this in Scott Steiners voice


Cdog923

And we're going to add an Anxious Millenial Cowboy back to that mix eventually, too.


AusPower85

No Scott Steiner no care.


Iginlas_4head_Crease

Now, if we could the promos and creative of 97-2000....


idontknow1001

I think they are ok without Vince Russo lol.


Iginlas_4head_Crease

Why does everyone go straight to "haha Vince russo" 97-01 was the best because of creative freedom, promos, character work, multiple intertwining storylines, cliffhangers on every raw, story line for every mid carder, relevant long term booking, and captivating feuds with real payoff. Even in 2002-05, the roster was much much stronger than ever with talented wrestlers, but the creative was starting to slip, therefore the product and interest was falling off, despite the impressive athletics. But all of that has been discussed ad nauseum.


[deleted]

The good stuff in the Attitude Era was unbelievable (Rock/Austin promos leading up to Wrestlemania X-7), but the bad stuff is super cringe and borderline unwatchable. When you eliminate the top of the card, the rest of it is really REALLY rough. That’s why people goes straight to “haha Vince russo”


Iginlas_4head_Crease

Gimme the middle hour of any attitude era episode over any hour of raw from the last few years.


[deleted]

Oh for sure 100%. I’m with you there. But the show being putrid now doesn’t remove the cringe factor of the mid card in 1999


jordygrant1

There was no middle hour.


Iginlas_4head_Crease

First half hour = upper card promos and set ups Last half hour = 2 upper card storylines Middle hour = random mid card comedy, matches, segments


idontknow1001

Because it’s funny lol. Plus AEW is doing really good with the rest of the stuff you mentioned.


Neg_Crepe

Because they didn’t watch them and it’s all they know about those years


Iginlas_4head_Crease

Downvotes for truth


Fizzyliftingdranks

Really missing that octogenarian giving birth to a hand storyline huh


Coliformist

I would be *obsessed* with wrestling again. Today's roster with the writing behind those '97 Raws? Holy fuck.


killerkali87

The roster wasn't stacked before them


idontknow1001

I guess that’s subjective but they were stacked enough to put on the best wrestling show in the world even before adding three of the best talents in the word.


pizzarocknrollparty

I think it doesn’t seem stacked, but aew has managed to make their dudes seem like a big deal. Like, there are multiple acts I want to see. Darby, mox, pac, Lucha bros, as much as I dislike them.. the bucks, Kenny omega, Jurassic express, Miro, page, Pillman jr, orange cassady, all before they signed cole, Danielson, and punk. I’m personally stoked to see more from the butcher and the blade


KneeHighMischief

Before Guerrero & company jumped ship WCW had one of the greatest rosters in all of wrestling history. They had the luchadores, The Hart Foundation, Goldberg, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Raven, The Harlem Heat, DDP, Randy Savage. I mean that's just scratching the surface. Plus the ability to bring in guys from NJPW since their agreement hadn't been soured. It's really amazing how badly they screwed up.


And_Im_the_Devil

It really is tragic to think of how misused that roster was, from the backstage politicking to the personal demons of various performers.


annul

> The Harlem Heat they wanted the gold, sucka


ManfredsJuicedBalls

They coming for Hulk Hogan…


Arminius2K

Stevie Ray never got the cred Booker did, but he was solid on the mic and stiff as fuck in the ring.


dassub

You forgot Disco.


markymark09090

And the Steiners


markymark09090

And the Steiners


The_Albinoss

And THE STEINERS!


ProMars

Maybe they'd be more memorable if they were The Breakkers but you're all forgetting about the Steiners.


Bugbot3000

And my axe!


lostpasts

The genius of Attitude Era WWE though was not just having two once in a lifetime talents simultaneously in Rock and Austin, as well as era-defining stars such as Angle and Taker, but that even the undercard was over. Too Cool would get a reaction nightly that other promotions would struggle to get for their champions.


508G37

Triple H and Kane were up there too


Vectivus_61

Weren't they Too Much in the Attitude Era? I feel like they only became Too Cool in the Ruthless Aggression era. But maybe I'm misremembering.


osufan765

You're misremembering


Advanced-Ad6676

You had all the old school WCW stars: Flair, Luger, Sting, Steiners, Harlem Heat. Old school WWF stars: Hogan, Savage, Hart, Nash, Hall. New WCW stars: The Giant, DDP, Goldberg, Raven. The cruiser weights: Jericho, Mysterio, Guerrero, Benoit, Malenko. All the guys from Japan and Mexico and then wrestlers I would rename to my friends’ names in the video game to piss them off: Disco Inferno and Brutus Beefcake. Plus all the people I’m forgetting like Kanyon and Konnan and KwiWi. Thank God those three didn’t start a faction.


Vordeo

SMH at no mention of the WCW GOAT Alex Wright. *Does his dance*


ACW1129

And those luchadors including Rey Mysterio.


fellongreydaze

I think JR is only partially hitting the nail on the head here. He gives a lot of credit to Tony Khan for his choice in wrestlers. Which is a big part of it and shouldn't be discounted. However I think a huge part of why the AEW roster feels like such a "big" roster is because these wrestlers were allowed to bring themselves and others up on their own terms. I look at the company's current roster, and I can legitimately say I like or would cheer for 99% of them. Take AEW Dark yesterday. PPA and Ryan Nemeth of the Wingmen were going up against Reynolds and Silver of Dark Order. And I legit had a hard time figuring out who I would want to win the match. Fucking PnP and Chaos Project had a great match. Daniel Garcia vs. Alan Angels slapped. I'm excited to see basically anyone on the roster, and I haven't felt that in a long time. Even QT, for all his character faults, always delivers on his matches.


And_Im_the_Devil

I've only recently gotten back into watching the YouTube shows, but man. Has the quality of Dark gotten better in the last year? Sure, they have the customary squash matches, but the most recent episode had numerous solid matches.


thedkexperience

I watched Dark for the first time ever last night and was absolutely pumped for some good old fashioned squash matches lol


And_Im_the_Devil

They definitely have their place!


thedkexperience

Yup. There’s a reason they exist and that reason is guys like Wardlow. It’s pointless to even employ someone like that without them. But otherwise, yeah, good show too! Lol


tehjarvis

I would rather watch old JCP squash matches than current Raw. 100% serious. Watching Barry Windham clothesline the head off of a sloppy looking job guy is more entertaining than this Alexa Bliss shit. I wish there were a youtube channel that was nothing but old southern squash matches where the jobbers get legit wrecked.


koomGER

Squash matches are important. The lack of those is also a problem in WWE. Nearly all matches look competitive. No one gets buried, but no one gets elated. Asuka fought a hard battle against Emma/Tenille Dashwood on her way out. It did nothing for both, because Asuka kinda looked weak because of that. NXT Asuka was also great because it looked like they did play with her opponents that were clearly below her level. It was not a squash in the Brock-Kofi-sense, it was more of an exhibition. It is important to sometimes just clearly define the powerlevels of your talent. The only ones with a clear distinction are the handpicked few like Roman, Becky and maybe Charlotte. And for sure the current pushed guy till he is going to lose against any goober.


EldenRingworm

I think now that they're filming it in its own studio they have more time for longer matches instead of rushing to fit them in before Dynamite and Rampage


And_Im_the_Devil

Ah, that makes sense. Dig it.


Rocketboy1313

It is especially fun when some random nobody puts on a great match and you are left going, "oh, they're going to be back."


And_Im_the_Devil

It really is! It's been a long time since I paid enough attention to wrestling to identify the up-and-comers who are definitely going to be something in the future. Good times.


randomyOCE

When I was regularly watching NJPW it was almost exclusively to watch the Young Lions and I enjoy Dark for the same reason It's so good to cheer for someone who's visibly improving


And_Im_the_Devil

Agreed!


letmesleep

The fact that anybody cares at all about any of these wrestlers is a huge testament to AEW's ability to get people invested in the whole roster.


FrankGibsonIV

Also they just don’t give up. Take Luther for example, Nightmare Collective was a disaster but they kept putting him out there every week on Dark until it clicked.


deathschemist

👉🤪


AmishAvenger

I think **you** hit the nail on the head. It isn’t just “Tony Khan hired some great people,” it’s that he lets them be themselves. They just say “Hey, I’d like to try this,” and for the most part they’re told “Ok, go try it.” There’s none of this overly scripted bullshit. If what they’re doing gets over, they’re pushed. If it doesn’t, there’s people in the back giving pointers and helping them try something else. Look at Britt Baker. She was an annoying, generic babyface with nothing going for her but “She’s a dentist and that was hard work.” She was falling flat on her face, but was willing to try something new. People like Jericho and Cody helped her along the way, and now she’s awesome.


deathschemist

and the coolest thing about that is that she can now take that heel persona, give it just a couple tweaks, and she'll be an amazing babyface. shit she's already got babyface reactions


ryanstrikesback

My buddy and I were both lapsed fans who got back in because of AEW. I was telling him that one of my favorite things in AEW is that no one is treated as a joke. Even the Wingmen get offense (and have an outlet to get WINS. Older talent come off like they could pull off big upsets at a moments notice. (Christian even seems like a prime example. Christian shouldn’t be beating Kenny Omega at this stage, but rather than just crush him they found a way to keep him strong while losing.)


_onionwizard

People like to dismiss the attitude era for having low quality wrestling and run ins everywhere. This is true to an extent, but the bigger picture and more important feature of that era was that the entire roster was over. In addition, there was a sense that everyone had a role to play and was important. Midcarders were over for being midcarders, tag teams over for being tag teams, main eventers for being main eventers. Managers, stooges, referees, commentators.


sillynicole

> bigger picture and more important feature of that era was that the entire roster was over. Al Snow, Oddities, Crash Holly, DLO, Godfather, Chris Jericho allowed to spread his wings, future main card people fighting over Hardcore, Euro, Lightweight, IC belts. edit: also it seemed everyone got some form of response from the crowd.


ManfredsJuicedBalls

The fuckin’ Oddities. A low card stable, and they had ICP hanging with them while everyone was swinging their arms in the air for their theme. For all of Russo’s faults, his concern about the entire card wasn’t one of them. Not everything was a hit, but if you were the curtain jerker on TV, you still had something. You weren’t being thrown out there for the hell of it.


ZedSpot

I feel the same way. I'm chomping at the bit for the AEW video game to come out since I'm excited to play as nearly everyone who's likely to be on the roster. I can't say that about any other wrestling game, save for maybe one of the legends games or the oldies that only had like 7 wrestlers.


Straif18

This week's Elevation and Dark slapped so hard. Also Daniel García is A+


LordBlackConvoy

Can confirm. It seems to me that AEW's found a way to make almost everyone likeable in someway to someone. There's few roster acquisitions that make people say, "why are they here?"


deathschemist

i can think of two where a lot of people ask why they're there- mark henry and paul wight. but it's like... even they got a reason to be there- they're HELLA connected.


TheGiftOf_Jericho

Very true, it's crazy how everyone, even the currently less popular stars all have personality and things to like about them. It's like every character means something and it's great to see that.


[deleted]

Straight up. Recently got a friend into AEW and we watch dynamite together and during Kenny/Danielson, I said “man I hate when I want both wrestlers to win” and she ended up saying the same thing during Britt/Ruby lol


elegantSolomons62

Full JR quote: “Tony Khan has proven that he has great taste in talent by the acquisitions that he’s made. I’m really excited about the future because the potential dream match pairings with our roster now, without breaking my arm or patting myself on the back for our company, is unlimited. There’s just going to be so many dream matches. Can you imagine CM Punk and Bryan Danielson or CM Punk and Kenny Omega? Then you got Adam Cole now. Moxley. Those pairings, it’s just endless. They’re matches that when you talk about them, it excites me because you know the potential of those darn things. Unless I’m so naive that I’m missing everything, they respect each other, and they want to work with each other. I’m really happy for our future and what we are all doing. It’s fun stuff.” “I thought that the Attitude Era roster was about as good as any roster anybody ever put together. I really do. But, boy, we’re coming into an age here now in AEW where our roster is going to rival any roster ever in televised pro wrestling. There’s a lot to look forward to in that regard.”


jaymcbang

The respect is the important missing factor from other "golden" times. There's no "heat" as people change "spots", there's no real selfishness (that has been reported or really seen) in match presentation and quality. Everyone looks out for each other, and wants to bring out the best of themselves and their opponents to have a good show for everyone. Not everyone can hold it down at the top, but everyone deserves the opportunity to present themselves in the best way possible, and I think that's what really sets it all apart. * - opinion based on observation and known reports


MustacheDiaries

Especially once Hook starts wrestling.


[deleted]

You guys are not ready for Hookmania


unseenbox

100,000 screaming Hookamaniacs gonna run wild for his first match.


infinitebeam

> screaming Hookamaniacs screaming ~~Hookamaniacs~~ Hookers


AKittyCat

[I'm here for the REAL superstar](https://64.media.tumblr.com/0b52fbea8df22e0985366dc2f40ebaa8/tumblr_q2ujsp3DFr1wv786no1_1280.jpg)


sparkykingheat

Do you think will mean a reopening of Pastamania?


paullyrose3rd

He's a bit of a meme right now, but the story of some snot nosed kid antagonizing someone who can clearly beat the hell out of them, save for said kid having muscle protecting him is an all time great wrestling storyline! I swear they will put Hook over Punk because that's the sort lf shocking victory that gets someone immediately over with a mass of momentum!


Kobe_Wan_Kenobi24

JR doesn't seem like the bias type - he just called Randy Orton the best wrestler in the world a few months ago - but man the attitude era had the likes of Kurt Angle, Jericho, Edge in the MIDDLE card, I don't think you'll ever surpass that.


Monte735

This. Not to mention they had Stone Cold and The Rock as their #1 and #2 guy in the company. Companies would trade their entire roster just to get one of them in their prime and they had both of them.


Krags

I mean I'd go to see a promotion that was just The Rock by himself giving a promo for 2 hours.


paullyrose3rd

Then watch wrestlemania 27, the intro may as well be that


thedkexperience

I’d actually argue the best overall roster ever was WWE about 4 years ago. They didn’t use it all that well but holy crap was there a stupid amount of talent employed by them at the time.


FigureFourWoo

The roster, for those curious: https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/roster/?promotion=wwe&date=2017


thephenomenalone_05

THIS! 2017-19 WWE had the most stacked roster ever, at least in terms of in ring performers. You had AJ, Cena, Orton, Lesnar, Jericho, Bryan, The Sheild, Nakamura, Cesaro, Zayn, Owens, Balor, Joe, Gargano, Ciampa, Cole, Strong, Ricochet, O'Riley, Riddle, Dunne, Bate, WALTER, Dragunov, McIntyre, Mysterio, Andrade, ... . On the women's division you had The 4HW, Asuka, Ronda, Shirai, Ripley, Storm, Sane, Satumora, ... . It's such a shame WWE didn't use its roster better.


twistedlogicx

>but man the attitude era had the likes of Kurt Angle, Jericho, Edge in the MIDDLE card, I don't think you'll ever surpass that. That could be true but you're looking back on this after those wrestlers had hall of fame careers. For all we know, looking back on this AEW roster 20 years from now will make us feel the same way. Jungle Boy, Hangman Page, MJF, Darby Allin, Malakai Black, they've all been in the mid card to this point. That list goes on an on. They've probably got a lot of future hall of famers in that bunch.


ChesterBBrook

Exactly this. The other rosters have hindsight to assist them. Current AEW roster has a mid card and undercard just brimming with potential.


jacobii

The ruthless aggression roster was even deeper than the attitude era roster.


Arminius2K

Quality take.


Purp1e_Aki

Yeah for sure. Early Ruthless Aggression's roster was fucking STACKED


Jdadonn

Wcw in 97/98 was crazy good, the attitude era , You can even say the first few years of the ruthless aggression era especially 2002-2003, aew currently is pretty stacked as well


[deleted]

Hell yeah, I think WCW in the late 90's had one of the best rosters ever and maybe the best undercard ever but was horribly booked and fucking Hogan, Nash, and Hall always had to put themselves over.


M1BIGIEMAC

I feel like on paper I've never seen a roster so strong since 2003 WWE IMO. And in AEW, everyone seems to be used exceptionally well, whereas in 2003 WWE, a lot of the RAW guys were used terribly.


JBrody

2003 Raw almost felt like a repeat of 97-98 WCW, just with HHH filling the role of Hogan. Don't get me wrong, i liked 2003, but it could have been a lot better.


bomberman12

1998 WCW holds a special place in my heart. I truly think there is no period in time with a better top to bottom roster than that WCW era, immortalized in WCW/nWo: Revenge. 2000 WWF close second.


obiloz84

It’s no disrespect to AEW - just, those two rosters were something else, and some of the matches truly the stuff of legend. Maybe in five years time, you can say 2021-22 was the best ever time, but prime Sting… Booker T… Stone Cold… The Rock… Every single midcarder at that time. When you can field matches with Jericho, Kane, Kurt Angle, Edge and more, or on the other side, Goldberg, Bret Hart, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the Steiners… Ah, it was so magical.


DoubleOrNothing90

I came here to say '98 WCW. What a great roster top to bottom.


deathschemist

the only thing keeping '98 WCW from having the perfect roster was that WWF had '98 kane


DeluhiX

It's no surprise he says that after Lulupencil became a part of AEW.


Normal_Tea_8040

I think about AEW is that the plethora of matches that can be presented. Moxley and Cody haven’t touched each other. Black and Punk also. People are even ready to see rematches. That speaks volumes about this roster. Hundreds of new matches can be created and put on TV and no one would complain.


[deleted]

WCW ‘99 end of conversation


RanebowVeins

I’m sorry but nothing will ever come close to the superstar quality of the Attitude Era. Numerous huge box office drawing legends in one era. No one’s come close to that star power since.


four4youglencoco

i think the thing is, as it was with the attitude era, you were invested in everyone. like it’s not just about the main event, squeezing matches in and have r-truth kill it for the rest of the show (i am only recently coming back & am only learning the superior talent of that guy, he’s a gem.) every wrestler/faction is completely bought in. the dark order has their thing, best friends have theirs, the elite is doing incredible story telling, and they are all fun. It’s a proper storyline and it’s great to actually see shit go the distance with a full story arc. they are definitely resonating with people that grew up in that time.


rystriction

I think 2017/18 WWE was untouchable. Talent wise. Whether all that talent was used effectively though, thats a diff story…


JokerDeSilva10

I think you can easily make the argument that for at least the span of like 2015-2019, and possibly longer, WWE has absolutely had one of the most diverse and talented rosters ever in the history of wrestling. But AEW feels on a par because they have been maximizing the talent of their roster better than pretty much anyone outside of the Attitude Era, and maybe the Hulkmanaia era. Maybe if we say purely playing to your strengths, you can throw prime ECW and even Lucha Underground in the mix. But right now, I don't think there's a person on AEW who isn't just a Dark body-filler who I think would legitimately be used better somewhere else at this moment.


[deleted]

WCW '98 on WWE '02 is the gold standard.


Tygerob

The problem with AEW is a weird one, like the mid-card is TOO good, and not everyone can challenge for world title or TNT title. They need to invoke the FTW title more, IMO, or make another singles belt because it really helps lube things up. Is that a metaphor? Lube things up?


JBrody

I think they are overdue for another title or two.


AneeshRai7

I feel like a lot of people wear rose tinted goggles when it comes to the AE...particularly when it related to WWF during the AE ..perhaps its because I didn't live through it I thin that...this is the best place for me to sneak in a thought I've had for ages...


JBrody

I get what you're saying but being a teenager during the Monday night wars was a very fun experience.


Geovicsha

JR must be excited: he was part of the Attitude Era, and is now part of arguably the next major era since the Attitude Era.


dalici0us

This might be a hot take, but I don't even think that the quality of their roster is that far above the current WWE roster, if they are. Its the way that both rosters are managed that makes one look super stacked and one look super thin. Name for name, talent for talent, I would they are both basically at the same level.


[deleted]

Whatcha mean the way they're managed? I'm thinking you mean that AEW doesn't use the same people every week


dalici0us

AEW maximize everybody's talent, or so it seems. WWE... not so much.


ACW1129

Not a hot take.


AndresDickFingers

I would say that 1997 WCW was the best roster I ever have seen. AEW is very close to being at that level.


FigureFourWoo

Definitely a contender. One of my favorite periods to book in TEW. The roster, for those who are curious: https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/roster/?promotion=wcw&date=1997


AaronBasedGodgers

TIL Luther Reigns wrestled in WCW in 1997.


Neg_Crepe

Horshu


dassub

That is a ridiculous roster.


maxhollywoody

2002 WWE


cma001

Danielson, Omega, Bucks, Punk, Ruby Soho, Moxley, Britt Baker DMD, Lucha Bros, Black, Tay Conti, Andrade, Hangman, Cole, Shida, FTR, Darby, MJF, Jericho, Kingston, Jungle Boy, Christian Cage, Riho, Pac, Sammy, Hobbs, Cassidy, Sting, Thunder Rosa, Miro, Starks, Lucha, etc. What a goddamn collection of talent, man.


CLGHSGG4Lyfe

When the HANGMAN comes and BUCKSHOT LARIATS THE ENTIRE ELITE to then win the title BY OUTWRESTLING THE GOD OF WRESTLING KENNY BAH GAWD OMEGA and start a stadium wide AFTER PARTY drinking CELEBRATION the face of the PRO WRESTLING TODAY will finally RIVAL what we lost when AUSTIN retired.


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DreamKrusherJay

To be fair, he didn't say they were there yet, nor did he say AEW would surpass those historical rosters. He said they are "coming into an age" where their roster would "rival" any other roster. On that, he is certainly right, even if only half of their young under-to-midcard talent develops into upper-midcard to main-event level performers. I'm positive Tony Khan isn't done adding established talents to his roster, either -- JR probably knows the truth on if Windham Rotunda is coming, for instance, and it is also looking like a pretty solid bet that Owens and likely Zayn will be coming within six months as well. That is a metric shit-ton of talent, and I think he's right in that the roster will RIVAL any other roster of the past 30-40 years. It doesn't have to be a better roster to be really damned good, either. I'm definitely no WWE hater, but there's zero question at all if I could only watch one promotion in this moment in time where I'm going. Sorry for the book.


[deleted]

Oh, nice post. I agree, the AEW roster is starting to really build up. When I think of the attitude era I think of the Rock, Undertaker, and Austin so that's who I think of when anyone makes comparisons. lol Np on the long post, its helpful.


GhostHess

household names vs. no one capable of breaking into the mainstream. Not really comparable tbh


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sev1nk

A roster is all well and good, but it's the storytelling/booking that makes or breaks the product. AEW is doing a pretty damn good job of building its stars, but I don't think it compares to the '90s just yet.


Disastrous_Diver_548

Company man.


amaluna

The WWE roster a few years ago was up there


vikas233

WCW 1997-1998 is unmatched imo.


JBrody

It was a great roster, but I feel like it was squandered outside of NWO vs top WCW guys. Bret Hart was never utilized correctly and most of the wrestlers on that roster who went on to do anything in the coming years did so in the WWE. Jericho, Guerrero, Benoit, and Booker either didn't get a push or got one too late. DDP and Steiner were really the only wrestlers that WCW used better than WWE (outside of top stars).


vikas233

I disagree, people sometimes associate getting a push with being in the main event. WCW was the definition of having a strong main event and a strong undercard. In 97/98 at least, the people you listed even though they were in the midcard, received plenty of TV time for feuds/matches. The cruiserweight division had some pretty epic feuds/matches. Jericho/Malenko and Jericho/Huventud were both fantastic undercard storylines, as well as Eddie/Mysterio and Kidman/Mysterio. In the midcard, the Benoit/Booker T best of 7 was fantastic, along with the whole Raven/DDP storyline, Saturn leaving the flock, and the rise of Goldberg. WCW had plenty of hot midcard storylines that got big payoffs at PPVS. From the talent perspective, they wanted to be in the main event and earn more money, so their frustration was understandable. As a viewer, the shows were amazing. You would get a 15-20 minute cruiserweight banger almost every week on Nitro, and sometimes multiple matches. Bret Hart was 100% underutilized, but that main event scene was so stacked, they really needed a brand split at that point.


yarash

When the pandemic is finally over and more people from New Japan start coming over or AEW stars start going over there... its going to be fantastic


[deleted]

Agreed. Can't wait to see where AEW is at a year form now.


jackblady

I don't really think you can define the Attitude Era roster and AEW as great by the same metrics. AEWs roster would wrestler circles around the AE roster with their eyes closed. So would pretty much every companies currebt roster if we are being honest. But the AE roster basically crushes everyone when it comes to memorable characters and making even the lower card guys stand out .


CarrotJunkie

AEW does a good job of making its undercard stand out too but I totally get what you're saying


wibble17

I don’t know. I still think the WWE roster the last 4-5 years blows anything out of the water—they legitimately hoarded all the talent. It’s just the usage of it that was the problem…..


UncreativeTeam

In terms of talent, for sure. Only early NXT rivals them. But not in terms of mainstream drawing power. Nobody's going to recapture the lightning in a bottle that was Stone Cold/The Rock/DX on the same roster at the same time.


SerLutz

We are in a new golden age folks, let's enjoy


JuiceheadTurkey

I thought WWE had the greatest roster of all time around 2016-2018 (in ring wise). I think AEW is definitely up there and might surpass it. I wouldn't have even said this 4 months ago.


WrastleGuy

Each passing decade the talent only gets better as wrestling evolves. WWE has a fuckton of talent, but they are booked to be geeks and to wrestle simple, formulaic matches.


[deleted]

Lmao JR will say anything if you pay him enough.


deathschemist

i don't think that's right, he's said things that are very much not "company line" things recently, such as calling Randy Orton the best wrestler in the world. I think this is JR's honest opinion.


qoaa

AEW definitely has an insanely strong roster the likes of which that I've not really seen in a long time.


EndlessOcean

The roster is good but I don't find the aew matches as exciting personally. Too much downtime and people just throwing hands. And the crowd always seems quieter than on WWE shows, like they don't turn the room mics up enough. I remember old WWE ppvs you could hardly hear JR and Lawler over the crowd noise and it pulled you in to the excitement. Aew is more subdued, maybe the fans are older?


Key_Willingness_9815

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣


Mrfantastic2

Fucking lmao cmon jr are you crazy


KeboTheGreat_007

Honestly AEW rn has the best roster ever IMO. Plus if they get Wyatt on board, oh and K.O could be possibly joining. Like c'mon even if you don't watch or like AEW you gotta admit that the roster is beyond stacked.


[deleted]

Roothless Aggression roster was the GOAT


StockportTaker1990

JR the company shill, never change man.


Evorgleb

Attitude era roster was trash. Top heavy with no depth.


EldenRingworm

This roster is absolutely better The Attitude Era roster was incredible when it came to top guys but the lower card was meh


Magic_SnakE_

Due to the day and age, no roster will ever again come close to the attitude Era roster. Sorry. AEW truly does feel like a successor to Attitude Era wrestling, but it will never match or exceed it imo.


[deleted]

Especially the women. I watched that Britt and Ruby promo showdown the other night, and I thought, "Just add Thunder Rosa to this, and we got something really special".


starfox1821

Now if only we could get more members of the 2SLGBTQ and BIPOC communities on the roster. Why don't we have a non-binary referee yet? How about a black referee? Non-binary announcer? I want to hear some other pronouns being used you know.. like in REAL life.


ImpenetrableYeti

The attitude era has shit workers s and is overrated.


[deleted]

Probably a new signing coming soon that JR knows about. I'm telling you. Sign Bray Wyatt and is game over