WWE 1997-2007 is probably my favorite thing ever.
Lost interest after the heartbreaking Benoit family tragedy and ensuing steroid/wellness scandal.
I tune in from time to time now (mostly when the Attitude Era guys make a cameo), and from what I can see, it?s a soulless husk of what it once was. The humor has been sucked out of the product, and the entire arena is plastered with corporate logos. Not to mention that social media has smashed the illusion of wrestling overall.
However, I will say that the athletic prowess of some of these modern wrestlers is incredible. Theyre doing things that none of the guys on the roster 20 years ago could ever dream of doing. You could make the argument that the actual physical wrestling is better than it was during the golden years. Unfortunately, everything else is worse. Much much worse.
Outside of the Hulk Hogan nostalgia from my childhood, Chris Benoit was my favorite wrestler. I loved all of the lead Attitude Era guys, but Benoit was maybe the best technical wrestler at the time. I remember tuning in to ECW randomly because he was going to face CM Punk for the title, and then as I recall it was announced that he was late, and then had a family emergency. The news of his family's death was devastating, and it's one of the reasons I became aware of the brutality these guys go through. Constant injury, painkillers, and PEDs. I don't know if it was a conscious choice, or just me getting older, but like you I stopped watching.
My son has been following for about two years. The current wrestlers tend not to have the mic skills that The Rock or Stone Cold had, and I miss guys like Mick Foley, Big Show and even sideshows like Hornswoggle. But, yeah, the physicality and acrobatics some of these guys (and women) do now is amazing, It's not the same, but I'm also middle-aged now.