9 Controversial Things You Forgot Happened In The Attitude Era

WWE found record-breaking success in the Attitude Era to take the company to new heights. The incredible rise of Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H allowed the growth to pass WCW in the Monday Night Wars. Vince McMahon had no qualms about crossing the line with edgy content and wild moments playing out on screen.

The controversy to surround some of the secondary or overlooked moments existed at the time, but WWE still wanted to go through with it. Shows from the era are hit or miss these days depending on the kind of quality one wants from pro wrestling. However, there is entertainment to be found in the Attitude Era, especially with overlooked controversial memories.

9 Jim Ross' Shoot Promos

The multiple attempts to make Jim Ross a heel personality each flopped and were forgotten instantly in WWE. Ross thrived most playing a face commentator since the fans connected to his love and passion of the business.

Time away dealing with his Bells’ Palsy condition would see JR returning in 1999 to blame the fan and WWE management for him being home. Ross was managing his close friend “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, but WWE gave up on the act for not getting over.

8 Sunny's "Film" With Elmo

WWE having a late-night Saturday show titled Shotgun Saturday Night saw them experimenting with pushing the envelope for edgier content. Sunny hyped up the big reveal of an “adult film” to try to create interest and improve ratings.

The video turned out to be a comedic reveal of Sesame Street character Elmo. WWE tried to tie in the popularity of the Tickle Me, Elmo toy by having someone wear the Elmo costume while using a controversial form of promoting.

7 Jim Neidhart's Burial

The aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob saw Owen Hart remaining WWE while the other relatives of Bret Hart left for WCW with him. Jim Neidhart made one appearance following the Screwjob when he seemingly joined the enemies of D-Generation X.

Shawn Michaels and Triple H wanted to make Neidhart the muscle of their group when he helped them during a beat down. However, the big reveal was that DX was using Neidhart and attacked him right after. It was highly controversial at the time when they spray painted the letters “WCW” on Neidhart’s back burying him before he left WWE.

6 Shawn Michaels Awarding Title To Debra

WWE used to show minimal respect to the women’s division during the Attitude Era. One title change the company is lucky about fans forgetting featured Debra winning the Women’s Championship from Sable at her peak in an Evening Gown match.

Shawn Michaels used his power as an authority figure to award the title to Debra even though she lost the match. Debra being stripped of her evening gown led to Michaels stating that she deserves the belt for looking the way she did. The dominant reign of Sable ended in the worst way when her time in the company was coming to an end due to personal differences and future lawsuits.

5 Ahmed Johnson’s Time In Nation Of Domination

The Nation of Domination with Ahmed Johnson

WWE made Ahmed Johnson one of the main rivals of the Nation of Domination. Faarooq often clashed with Johnson over their personal differences and approach to dealing with racism. Johnson stood his ground always looking to stand against the heel faction.

The fans were shocked when WWE decided to pull the trigger on Johnson going back on his word and becoming part of the Nation. However, it became even more controversial when Johnson suffered an injury right away and was kicked out of the group before he could even settle into a heel role.

4 Dean Malenko Harassing Lita

WWE realized that Lita was going to be a star for them by the time she joined the Team Xtreme faction with the Hardy Boyz. One of the first big storylines for Lita came in 2000 when Team Xtreme had issues with the new Radicalz faction.

Dean Malenko was known for being a great technical wrestler in WCW’s cruiserweight division, but WWE wanted more personality. The arrogant ladies’ man heel gimmick led to Malenko making forceful advances towards Lita in the ring and backstage before the Hardy Boyz stepped in.

3 Jobbing Out The Radicalz

The WWE debut of the Radicalz is remembered fondly since Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko all joining after leaving WCW at the same time was wild. However, it is forgotten how badly WWE booked them from the start.

All four members of the Radicalz took losses to members of D-Generation X during their debut week during an episode of Smackdown. The most controversial loss came when Benoit was defeated by Triple H to further start the narrative of Triple H burying others.

2 The Undertaker Abducting Mideon

The big moments of the Ministry of Darkness usually see fans talking about The Undertaker hanging the Big Boss Man or abducting Stephanie McMahon. However, it was Mideon as the first victim when WWE teased the return of a new version of Undertaker.

Bradshaw and Faarooq attacked and took Mideon away with limited footage showing him tortured. Undertaker returned by sacrificing Mideon to make him part of the newly formed Ministry of Darkness. WWE was criticized for the dark nature of the segment scaring many of the younger viewers.

1 Triple H Burying Taz's ECW Championship Run

The negative reputation of Triple H for burying other talents should be viewed on a case-by-case basis. Even though many of the burials weren’t that bad, there were a few that become more indefensible as the years and history goes by.

Tazz winning the ECW World Championship from WCW’s Mike Awesome while under contract to WWE was a huge moment in wrestling. WWE had the chance to do something special, but they instead had Tommy Dreamer appear in a Smackdown match where Tazz lost to Triple H. The big title win should have kickstarted a Tazz push, but he had to make Triple H look good at his own expense.

NEXT: 10 Controversial Things You Forgot Happened In TNA