Attitude Era

The Attitude Era was a period in which the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) used the term "WWF Attitude" to describe its programming from November 9, 1997, to May 6, 2002. It began during the Monday Night Wars, a period in which WWF's Monday Night Raw (later Raw Is War) went head-to-head with World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) Monday Nitro in a battle for Nielsen ratings each week from September 4, 1995, to March 26, 2001. In June 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin became King of the Ring, defeating Jake Roberts in the tournament final. To cap off the victory, Austin delivered his “Austin 3:16" promo, starting the buildup to the Attitude Era. The era was officially initiated on November 9, 1997, at Survivor Series 1997, when a video package aired ending with the first use of the "WWF Attitude" scratch logo; this was immediately before the main event featuring Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, which retrospectively would be known as the Montreal Screwjob due to the match's controversial finish. WWF's programming in this era featured adult-oriented content, which included increased depicted violence, profanity, and sexual content. This era was part of a wider surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States and Canada as television ratings and pay-per-view buy rates for WWF and its rival promotions saw record highs. The Attitude Era marked the rise of many WWF wrestlers, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Kane, Mick Foley (in various personas), Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker (who was already a veteran but continued to gain popularity). The Steve Austin-Vince McMahon feud was one of the longest-running and most prominent rivalries of the era. The WWF Women's Championship, which had lain dormant since December 13, 1995, was reactivated on September 15, 1998. While most of the company's female talent, such as Sable, Sunny and Stacy Keibler during this time period were marketed as sex symbols booked in sexually provocative gimmick matches (for example "bra and panty" matches, bikini matches, etc.) in an effort to draw more male viewership, prominent female stars such as Chyna, Lita, and Trish Stratus among others were presented as serious wrestlers.