The WWE Attitude Era is often held up as the gold standard of professional wrestling, remembered for its chaos, massive ratings, and larger than life stars. However, longtime WWE executive Bruce Prichard believes that era is often remembered through nostalgia rather than reality.

Speaking on the Something to Wrestle podcast, Prichard delivered a candid reassessment of the late 1990s boom period, explaining that while it was undeniably successful at the time, it does not necessarily stand the test of time when viewed today.

“People look at the Attitude Era with rose-colored glasses,” Prichard said. “Go back and watch the Attitude Era today. Does not hold up. Wasn’t good s**t. It was great in the moment.”

Prichard stressed that the era worked because it captured the mood of that specific time in pop culture, not because it followed timeless storytelling principles. In his view, wrestling is not designed to age gracefully across generations, and what felt groundbreaking then can feel excessive or dated now.

“It was absolutely awesome,” he continued. “Doesn’t hold up, okay?”

While he looks back fondly on that period, Prichard acknowledged that the creative style also brought long term consequences. He pointed out that some of the storytelling approaches that helped fuel the boom later followed writers across multiple promotions, often with diminishing returns.

“Attitude Era, I look back on it fondly. It was fun to do,” Prichard said. “And, in some ways, it exploded the business beyond, and in some ways hurt the business.”

Prichard’s comments are notable because the Attitude Era is frequently treated as a blueprint for modern WWE to follow. Instead, he framed it as lightning in a bottle, powerful and profitable, but also flawed and unsustainable if repeated. Despite those flaws, he emphasized that the era played a critical role in WWE’s long term success, helping position the company for its move into mainstream business and unprecedented financial growth.

Looking ahead, Prichard suggested that today’s version of WWE will eventually be judged just as harshly by future fans. The real lesson, in his view, is not to recreate the Attitude Era, but to understand that wrestling must evolve alongside its audience, with every era carrying both brilliance and baggage.

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