Best Decade for Wrestling?

[BreatheSherBro]

IMO, hands down the 1980s were the best. I wish I would have been born 10 years earlier so that I would have been old enough to appreciate it. Jim Crocket Promotions, WWF Golden era, and 1980s All Japan.

 

[Batjester]

I'm going 80's as well. Territories were still a big deal.

Some of the old timers were still putting on decent matches.

Legends just entering their prime.

Some of the attitude era guys just starting out.

Tag team wrestling at its peak (IMO).

Kafabe still alive.

 

[Prelimtapper]

80s

90s had too many down periods, especially in the states.

 

[Hitman81]

I really only watched wrestling for about 20 years, mid 80s to mid 2000s.

Some of my fondest memories are of the mid to late 80s but I think that's because they're also my earliest memories.

I'd have to go with the 90s as I enjoyed both the New Generation and Attitude Eras and they couldn't have been much more different.

 

[SaigeVanZant]

I'll go with the 90s

 

[Kung Fu Kowboy]

Late 90's > everything else

 

[Based God]

I'm going with the 90's. All Japan having my favorite matches of all time. ECW shenanigans. Attitude Era. nWo shenanigans. Was a great time.

Got a warm spot for the 2010's also. Brought my love of this business back after it was waning in the late 2000's. New Japan becoming great again and having my favorite matches since 90's All Japan and early 2000's NOAH. ROH gaining bigger popularity from the New Japan partnership. All In and the hype of AEW starting.

I probably would have had more love for the 80's if I got to watch it unfold as it was happening. I became a fan in the late 80's when I was a little kid, I only got to see WWF and WCW on TV for the last couple of years of the decade and whatever I could see on VHS from before that.

2000's was pretty mid to me outside of NOAH. Didn't like much WWE. Wasn't in to TNA. Didn't care for what New Japan was doing. ROH had some good stuff, but I only saw the big matches, did catch many full shows.

2020's have been pretty mid so far in comparison to the 2010's. WWE has mostly sucked. AEW is a roller coaster of great and sucking. New Japan has mostly sucked. NOAH has been a roller coaster of great and sucking.

 

[Clark Rogers]

80s were golden age for me, even early 90s.


Buuuut, the last half of the 90s may be the most important half decade of wrestling. Monday night wars, peak Attitude Era, nWo all had pretty massive effects on the industry and its survivability.

 

[SammyPops]

IMO, hands down the 1980s were the best. I wish I would have been born 10 years earlier so that I would have been old enough to appreciate it. Jim Crocket Promotions, WWF Golden era, and 1980s All Japan.

Agreed.
Flair v.s Race, Steamboat, Nikita.
Piper on the rise.
Great diverse tagteams like the moondogs and wild samoans but also the road warriros and workers like the midnight express.
Still had karate guys like the great kabuki spitting mist and monsters like Kamala

I've even say it was 83-87ish was best few years ever.

Plus, I am old!!!

 

[HHJ]

I started watching in the 80s but became a diehard fan in the 90s. ECW from '96 to till they went to TNN was the best time ever for me as a fan.

Also I was into japanese stuff back then,so Misawa/Kawada + the monday night wars and attitude era. Amazing for me.

 

[Wariowokecancel]

IMO, hands down the 1980s were the best. I wish I would have been born 10 years earlier so that I would have been old enough to appreciate it. Jim Crocket Promotions, WWF Golden era, and 1980s All Japan.

How would you have watched all three? Pretty much only one would be available depending where you were. In the 90s you got WCW and WWE, 7 great years. Nowadays you have lots of options to watch whatever you want with some great stars. Easiest access ever

 

[Halifax]

1994-2004

 

[Thai Domi]

83-87ish was best few years ever.

This is the rasslin hill I will die on.

Starrcades 83-86 and their buildups were something to behold (SC85 being the GOAT event imo). The GAB tour of 86. The rise of the Four Horsemen. It was all just so awesome.

Memphis was on fire during this period too.

 

[SammyPops]

This is the rasslin hill I will die on.

Starrcades 83-86 and their buildups were something to behold (SC85 being the GOAT event imo). The GAB tour of 86. The rise of the Four Horsemen. It was all just so awesome.

Memphis was on fire during this period too.

i hear y abro

 

[BreatheSherBro]

How would you have watched all three? Pretty much only one would be available depending where you were. In the 90s you got WCW and WWE, 7 great years. Nowadays you have lots of options to watch whatever you want with some great stars. Easiest access ever

I was referring to the wrestling that was produced. IMO the best wrestling was produced in the 1980s.

Today is the easiest access ever because of technology. You can watch from every televized era. You can watch Lou Thesz matches if you want to.

 

[Batjester]

How would you have watched all three? Pretty much only one would be available depending where you were. In the 90s you got WCW and WWE, 7 great years. Nowadays you have lots of options to watch whatever you want with some great stars. Easiest access ever

Satellites were a thing in the 80's. They were just fucking huge. We had one.

That's how I was able to see wrestling from Hawaii, Texas, Florida, Georgia (TBS), WWF, AWA, NWA/WCW, Mexico, and Canada.


And porn.

 

[Wariowokecancel]

I was referring to the wrestling that was produced. IMO the best wrestling was produced in the 1980s.

Today is the easiest access ever because of technology. You can watch from every televized era. You can watch Lou Thesz matches if you want to.

So as a viewer… now? Apart from knowing the results it’s the best decade because you have everything.

Apart from that, is the current new content actually worse than the 80s?

The WWE champion can wrestle. Bloodline is as good a story as anything from the 80s (Hogan vs Savage story, what else was a good story? Andre va Hogan? Horsemen business?).

There’s a promotion for the hard core fans on tv. It’s Roddy Piper is the champion.

New Japan might not be the greatest Japanese wrestling ever but it’s good.

Mexican wrestling is out of the shadow of Santos and the old men of the sixties.

There’s better and more wrestling in towns across the US and Europe than in the 80s. Maybe not on tv and on stadiums but plenty of it.

You get the circus on WWE plus some good wrestling. You get blood and good wrestling on AEW. Pureso is strong.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug but 80s content is 10% genius and 90% dross.

 

[deezy]

Even though the first half sucked ass.....everything between 96-2000 was pretty damn good.

 

[moonwolf]

Satellites were a thing in the 80's. They were just fucking huge. We had one.

That's how I was able to see wrestling from Hawaii, Texas, Florida, Georgia (TBS), WWF, AWA, NWA/WCW, Mexico, and Canada.


And porn.

shout out Christy Canyon!

 

[kennethgriffin]

the best era for wrestling was 1997 to 2002... but if you had to give it to a decade its probably the 80s because it was great for almost the entire decade while the 90's and 2000's were mostly sh*t aside from 2-3 years each