Originally Posted by Xero
Honestly, it really is. The old guard (Attitude) is all but gone now, and we're now getting the push to the top with the likes of Sheamus, Barrett, Morrison, Miz and Del Rio. Say what you will about some of their pushes, but with a one or two month build I feel any of those guys could easily be seen as top guys, if they're not there already.
As I've said in the past, it's now becoming that guys like Cena, Edge and Orton are becoming the old guard, and we've been in a "New Generation" for a bit over a year, maybe two.
This is how I break down the eras, and there is a pattern.
WrestleMania/Hulkamania Era: 1984-1993 - The Hogan years. Everyone is pretty much established at this point as big deals, like Andre, Hogan, Piper, Savage, etc.
"New Generation": 1993-1997 - The old guard starts to wane away, and new guys start coming into the main event fold. A down time in the WWF, but we saw the rise of guys like Undertaker, Michaels, Hall, Nash, Foley, Austin, Triple H and Bret.
Attitude: 1997-2001: The New Generation becomes the focus. Austin, Taker, Triple H, Foley, etc.
Ruthless Aggression: 2003-2005 - Transition years, like the New Generation. Some of old guard starts to kind of fade out (Rock, Austin, etc) as we see the rise of guys like Edge, Cena, Batista, etc.
Cenamania Era: 2005-2009 - The years that Cena, Batista, and Orton completely dominated, with old guard like Chris Jericho and Triple H thrown into the mix.
Next Generation 2009-2011: Like the original New Generation, the Next Generation has an iffy product, but guys like Sheamus, Barret, Punk, Morrison, Miz, etc either are already or ready to make the leap into the main event, while the old guard is still there to an extent but starting to leave or wind down.
I honestly believe that 2011-2012 will be the birth of the next era in WWE. I honestly can't tell you what it's going to be like and how long it will last, especially with them "spicing up" the product at the moment, but I do think that by 2012 everyone I've listed will be considered top talent by most.
I do believe that we're headed towards a better product. I've been saying that for a while now, and it just keeps getting more likely to me. Unlike some people, who still shit on the product anyway. I've been one of the more outspoken and pessimistic ones against the product of the past, say, five years, and even I'm starting to see things getting better, despite some rocky booking.
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