Ever since Vince McMahon took over WWE in 1982 there have been 7 different eras that have existed till now in WWE in these last 40+ years and there have been a lot of WWE superstars that he ruled these eras and they have gone on to become the biggest stars in WWE history. The different eras signify the different types of wrestling that has been used in WWE and the changing viewers over these past 4 decades.
Let’s look at the 7 different WWE eras and the WWE superstars that ruled them and celebrate them all because if not for them the WWE would not be where it is today.
The Golden Era (1982-1993) – Hulk Hogan
This was the first big era under Vince McMahon from 1982 and it lasted a full 11 years till 1993 and one WWE superstar was the biggest one of them all and he ruled all those 11 years and he is none other than Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan was the first big star that Vince McMahon had in his company and it was during this time that WrestleMania was born and Hulk Hogan was the main event in almost every WrestleMania till 10. He wrestled the biggest of them all including Andre The Giant, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior among so many others.
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The New Generation Era (1993-1997) – Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels
After the long and successful run of the Golden Era for 11 years, it was time for a change and the new era was the new generation with Wrestlers that were the best in the world and these 2 were the best. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were the faces of this new generation era and they had some classics against each other as well as other WWE superstars and WWE became a wrestling promotion in this era. This era was important to prove that WWE was the best.
The Attitude Era (1997-2002) – Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock
This is perhaps the most important and the most celebrated era in WWE history and rightfully so because during this time WWE was at its hottest and it was competing against WCW and wrestling was at its best. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock stood above everybody else even though there were so many other great WWE superstars in that era like Triple H, Edge, The Undertaker and so many others including Mick Foley. This Era in WWE will always be fondly remembered and some of the things that happened during this Era can no longer happen today.
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Ruthless Aggression Era (2002-2008)- John Cena, Randy Orton, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Batista)
This was the Era that had the tough task of following the Attitude Era and it has to be said that this era was also very important and very successful as it gave the WWE a lot of new superstars who would go on to become all time greats. John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista were the 4 Standout WWE superstars of this era and this era also saw the best of The Undertaker, Triple H and so many others. This era was for 6 years.
The PG Era (2008-2011) – John Cena
The next Era that followed the Ruthless Aggression Era was the PG Era and this was the time when WWE was getting more family friendly and they wanted the kids to also get into the WWE product and so this is called the PG Era meaning the Parental Guidance era and one WWE superstar was the ruler of this era and it was John Cena because all the kids and the women loved John Cena the most and WWE got a whole new set of fans.
The Reality Era (2011-2016) – Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar
This was once again a very important Era for WWE just like the Ruthless Aggression Era and in this Era, the first WWE superstar to take control was CM Punk as he was the face of the fans and he delivered a pipebomb for the ages and he was over. However he was out of WWE not too long after, then Daniel Bryan was the face of the Yes Movement and he beat the Authority and then Brock Lesnar destroyed the biggest WWE superstars with ease. Vince McMahon introduced the WWE network in this era and that was a game changer.
The New Era (2016- Present) – AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch
This is the most important Era as far as the women in WWE are concerned because it was in this era that the women were no longer called Divas and they were treated as equals and they started having long matches and main eventing shows including WrestleMania twice. And Roman Reigns has been the ruler of this era along with AJ Styles. Among the women who made thhs their era are Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley and so many more.
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