Was The New Generation of WWE Underrated?

[King Kamala]

Semi recently, we discussed whether or not the Attitude Era was overrated. As someone who started watching in 1994, I decided that it'd be fun to discuss the inverse. Was the unpopular New Generation era actually underrated? In this day and age, where the WWE Network is even reappraising the Ruthless Aggression era, is it time to show some love to the much maligned mid '90s WWF?

https://youtu.be/aCmMHjsle1A
https://youtu.be/fJ8OAanxdXw
https://youtu.be/Z5BupTI0Qbg

 

[King Kamala]

https://youtu.be/4eA1ZrmdmoA

 

[Baby Shoes]

https://youtu.be/jImwKuQC39I

 

[snuffbox]

They couldn't have done much better with the roster they had those years.

 

[Baby Shoes]

https://youtu.be/_-pTpWJ7JCo

 

[Baby Shoes]

https://youtu.be/2h1jqjjBhWI

 

[King Kamala]

https://youtu.be/F9-ySbfSLYY
https://youtu.be/cL-kzS4zJqA
https://youtu.be/Vigh-JN00DY

 

[Baby Shoes]

Loved this match as a kid and while it has gotten love in the internet smark era, I wonder if they realize Kid got this shot beating Nikolai Volkoff for the #1 Contender spot

https://youtu.be/rHLN_9lk-yw

 

[King Kamala]

'94 Nikolai Volkoff seemed as old as my grandpa at the time. But in 2020, he looks like one of my brother's dirtbag hipster friends.

 

[SFH]

In ring product was decent enough, I think if Vince could have booked something better than wrestlers with 2nd jobs, it'd have been a lot better historically.

 

[Master Thrasher]

In ring product was decent enough, I think if Vince could have booked something better than wrestlers with 2nd jobs, it'd have been a lot better historically.

Is the Undertaker the most successful wrestler with a job?

 

[Laz]

No. Even when I was a kid, I thought the New Generation was lame. One of the biggest reasons I dislike modern stuff is because of how much it emulates that era in cheese.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

The in-ring stuff just wasn't enough to make up for the many bad gimmicks. I still don't know what the hell Adam Bomb's gimmick was supposed to be (buff survivor of radiation poisoning?) and I think the only real successful gimmicks were like The Smoking Gunns as Cowboys and Men on a Mission as Rappers, sort of. Jeff Jarrett also worked as a Country Star due to his elaborate entrance and antics.

There's a reason there's hate towards Mantaur, The Goon, T.L. Hopper, etc. Also don't forget guys like Salvatore Sincere (a stereotypical Italian charmer I guess?) and Bob Holly who was a friggin' Race Car Driver moonlighting as a wrestler or whatever. They were all just bad gimmicks that some made work and others really didn't.

 

[Laz]

I will say this about the Goon: the idea of an ex-hockey player turned wrestler, who is just a mean brawling enforcer type, could have worked. I now want to see a modern take, complete with hockey player/puck bunny lingo.

Rolling Elbow signature becomes the Dirty Dangles, Pounce as a finisher named the Check, end every major promo with "wheel snipe celly, boys."

 

[King Kamala]

I think it's underrated in the sense that it's a rebuilding period that was necessary as a bridge to get us to the Attitude Era. And there's probably more great shows in that era than the Ruthless Aggression era.

Presentation was lame as hell but I would say '94 and '96 were decent years for WWF. '95 was mostly bad and '93 was weird and disjointed. I'm not saying it should be heralded as one of the great eras of WWF history but I'm glad WWE is showing it a little bit of love and not treating it like a red headed stepchild.

 

[Baby Shoes]

https://youtu.be/TrXtk3ZwJgU

 

[King Kamala]

I think a LOT of the hatred of this era comes down to presentation. At times, they had no idea whether they wanted to start the Attitude Era 2-4 years early and be super risque or if they wanted to appeal exclusively to kids.

Also Todd Pettengill was annoying. I can defend most everything in that era except his stupid smug face.

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

The era's lameness was a great set up for the attitude era. Without it, the attitude era wouldn't have the same impact, IMO. So lame but necessary.

At the same time, I miss the colors and music and shit like that from the 90s. So that was cool. The NBA Jam Era.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Also Todd Pettengill was annoying. I can defend most everything in that era except his stupid smug face.

 

[King Kamala]

Can't see how these people would annoy anyone at all

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/maskedwrestlers/status/1267548346434150403

 

[SFH]

In ring product was decent enough, I think if Vince could have booked something better than wrestlers with 2nd jobs, it'd have been a lot better historically.

Is the Undertaker the most successful wrestler with a job?

Yeah, fair to say, though he predated the NG era by a few years. Still counts under the "moonlighting" thing though.

I guess at the end of the day, looking back, I don't know WHY creative felt this was the best way to present so many different talents. What happened in that part of history that this was the best approach for their product?

 

[Brocklock]

Honestly this thread should just be pics of

Youtube has a bunch of "hilarious" pre WWF Todd Pettingill and other guy prank phone calls for everyone to binge during quarantine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI3oCnc57OA&list=PLSBWYXNiMkc9OeeEAaNVRbyjCVJ5LlnCz

 

[Mickey Massuco]

the todd pettingill hate is as ridciulous as the patriots hate. he was the only good thing about that era along with the nba jam colors bz already alluded to.

I have a lot of nostalgia for this era especially because it featured Bret at his peak with the '94 reign, but it's bad.

 

[BUTT]

I still don't know what the hell Adam Bomb's gimmick was supposed to be (buff survivor of radiation poisoning?)

This reminds me that Adam Bomb was always introduced as weighing 292 & 1/2 pounds, and I think he was the only WWF wrestler whose weight was ever announced to the half-pound. Was there some sort of significance of the number 292.5 relating to radiation or the Three Mile Island disaster? I've Googled it and found nothing.

 

[Brocklock]

The first time I saw Adam Bomb show up on Superstars with the yellow contacts, he scared the shit out of me.

 

[SFH]

I saw him as "The Night Stalker" in garbage rec center wrestling with a bunch of legends and locals in 91 or 92 and he was the biggest most ripped guy there. He definitely made an impression so much so that when he showed up on WWF as "Adam Bomb" I was all, "hey now just wait one minute..." and started asking questions about "gimmicks."

 

[King Kamala]

Adam Bomb was one of those guys I thought was hugely underrated as a mark and I look back now and he kind of sucks. Just like a marginally more agile but much less charismatic NASH.

Crush is in same category (except he isn't more agile than NASH) so it made sense that WCW paired them as a mediocre tag team in the last year.

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/ovppodcast/status/1268301436267433984

 

[Baby Shoes]

hey kamala

https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/gx0zo2/anyone_else_remember_when_todd_pettengill_used_to/