When the magic wears off...

I'd guess that most of us first got into wrestling as a kid, i know i was a huge fan as a 10 year old in the early 90's. Not having sky meant that when my auntie who's house we used to pile into for ppv's moved away, wrestling wasn't on my radar for a few years.

A few years later, channel 4 proved to be the saviour i always thought it could be and wrestling was on normal telly... Score!

But was that goal offside after all? I'm sure most would agree that 2000 was a great year for wrestling, a cracking rumble, hhh v foley in a cell at no way out and believe it or not wrestlemania 2000 (or 16) was much better than 17 imo. Follow that up with the fantastic backlash, judgement day, fully loaded and summerslam of that year and i'm sure you'll agree that wwe was as good if not better than ever. Although that's another topic for another thread.

Anyway the point i'm making is that at some point towards the end of 2000 it went pear shaped in my eyes. They had some of the best ever on the books yet the product seemed to go to hell. A 6
man hell in a cell at armageddon didn't even make me raise an eyebrow even with arguablly 3 or 4 of the best ever involved in the one match!

My question, v2 universe, is have you experienced a similar falling out of love with the squared circle, temporary or permanent and what was the catalyst for your change of heart?

I feel out of love at the end of the Invasion, mainly because I was just starting High School and it was seemed to be uncool. I soon found my way back in at the start of 2003, and became a closet fan because again, it wasnt considered very cool.

Now-a-days Im 24 and dont care anymore. Im mature enough to know that we all have different tastes. Even managed to get the Missus into it slightly even if she does have a thing for Punk.

Strangely I think it was the return of Steve Austin from his year out that halted the momentum in 2000. That should have been the catalyst for things to get even more exciting but it muddied the waters, especially with The Rock having done such a great job as the top babyface in his absence. Austin's return seemed to leave the company with almost too many options in the main event scene, and it also stopped them from elevating others who had been on the upswing.

I blame the Smackdown Six

I stopped watching after this years WM.
I only read up on what's happening now.

So in a way Austin started and killed the attitude era? It does seem like his return killed the run wwe were on at the time. Would you put that down to them throwing him up against the brodus clay of the moment and taking the spotlight off the rock, hhh, taker etc?

I'm past caring who knows i watch wrestling these days, and when i do it's mainly old dvds. Tonight my eyes will be feasting on survivor series 92