Sheamus believes nostalgia has caused fans to overrate parts of WWE’s Attitude Era, particularly the in-ring wrestling itself.
Speaking on The Late Run with former NFL player Chad Ochocinco, Sheamus said the era’s popularity was driven more by the atmosphere and crowd reactions than the actual match quality.
“I think there’s a huge thing for nostalgia,” Sheamus said. “It feels better than what it is.”
The Attitude Era, which is generally considered to have run from 1997 through 2002, helped transform WWE into a mainstream phenomenon thanks to stars such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
While discussing how past generations of athletes are often viewed differently because of nostalgia, the former WWE Champion argued that many matches from that period do not hold up as well as fans remember.
“Everyone talks about the Attitude Era,” Sheamus said. “The Attitude Era was balls-to-the-wall, right? Anything goes? But if you go back and look at a lot of those matches, they’re just six thousand kicks, six thousand punches. What made that era great was the crowds.”
Sheamus Names His Favourite Wrestler Of All Time
Sheamus also said it is difficult to fairly compare wrestlers from different generations because the business and expectations constantly evolve. He named “Macho Man” Randy Savage as his personal favourite wrestler, but admitted it would be hard to directly compare Savage to modern performers. Despite believing that wrestling cooled off after the Attitude Era boom, the Irish star said live WWE events can still win over sceptics.
“After the Attitude Era kind of cooled down a bit, people would criticise wrestling,” Sheamus said. “I’d say, ‘Have you ever been to a WWE show?’ Then I’ll get them tickets, and they’ll go, ‘That was amazing.’”
