8 Best Attitude Era Matches in WWE History [Ranked]

The Attitude Era of WWE is regarded by many as the greatest in the history of the company. Believed by many to have started following the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997 after Shawn Michaels beat Bret Hart controversially, it arguably ran right up until Stone Cold Steve Austin shook hands with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 17 after beating The Rock in the main event.

This nearly four-year time span saw massive changes to the company, both on-screen and off. SmackDown would be introduced as the second weekly show on broadcast network UPN, stars like The Rock and Stone Cold became household names and the television ratings have never been higher. We’ve already rated the best Ruthless Aggression Era matches ever, so with that in mind, we’ll be ranking the top seven matches across the Attitude Era.

Ranking Factors

• Taken place during the Attitude Era: The match has to have taken place between 9th November 1997 and 1st April 2001.
• Quality of match: We’ve also considered the quality of the match as a reason for each respective match.
• Cagematch Rating: We have also taken the Cagematch rating as this is fan-voted an worth considering as a gauge of what fans enjoyed during that timeframe.

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8

Triple H vs the Rock

SummerSlam 1998

In what was a rare match of its kind at the time, The Rock and Triple H’s Ladder Match at SummerSlam 1998 is an all-time Attitude Era classic. Battling for the Intercontinental Championship, these rising stars delivered a brutal, dramatic contest that epitomized the era’s energy. With risky ladder spots and a red-hot Madison Square Garden crowd, the match cemented both as future legends. The Nation of Domination and DX added chaos, but it was The Rock’s swagger and Triple H’s resilience that stole the show. This bout showcased their hunger, charisma, and chemistry, making it a pivotal moment in WWE’s most iconic era. A masterpiece in escalation.

7

Edge and Christian vs The Hardy Boyz

No Mercy 1999

Ladder matches were sparse in WWE by the end of the millennium, and this contest between The Hardy Boyz/The New Brood and Edge & Christian was the first-ever tag team ladder match to take place in WWE.

The actual match itself was part of the Terri Invitational Tournament, where the winning team would get the services of Terri Runnels as a manager; but that didn’t really matter as what fans remember is the two teams that would innovate and take tag team wrestling into a completely different stratosphere than had ever been seen before.

Although both would go on to produce more legendary moments in the Attitude Era later on, it was this ladder match that set the pace for what tag team wrestling could be in the late 90s/early 2000s.

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6

Undertaker vs Mankind

King of the Ring 1998

There have been numerous Hell in a Cell matches that have taken place in WWE over the years, but the third iteration of the match is remembered more than most for the death-defying showcase from The Undertaker and Mankind.

Mick Foley/Mankind being thrown off of the top of the Cell into the announce table below is still one of the wildest moments to ever take place in company history, with the fall through the cage later on directly to the ringmat actually being more painful for Foley but relegated to second place for spectacle.

What most don’t remember is that the match itself was also great, with two men looking to take what was produced in the Cell by ‘Taker and Shawn Michaels just eight months prior and up it to levels that arguably have not been matched since.

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5

Triple H vs Cactus Jack

No Way Out 2000

Although the Hell in a Cell match between ‘Taker and Mankind was a great spectacle, Triple H vs Cactus Jack was an even greater match, with the stipulation that Mick Foley would need to retire from in-ring competition if he lost the contest.

The two men had come off of an instant classic streetfight at the Royal Rumble the month prior, so this was seen as a raising of the stakes in the blood feud with Cactus desperately trying to accomplish his dream of headlining WrestleMania as WWE Champion.

Triple H would get the win and the send off for Foley would be iconic, and despite him coming back the next month for ‘Mania, many fans prefer to remember this as the Attitude Era retirement of one of the greats.

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4

Steve Austin vs Triple H

No Way Out 2001

Steve Austin won the Royal Rumble match in 2001, but before he could get his hands on the WWE Champion at WrestleMania X7, he would have to face Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out 2001.

The format would see the two men compete first in a standard wrestling match, then a streetfight and finally a steel cage match. In what was seen as a baffling move at the time, Triple H actually beat the man that was going on to ‘Mania, but with The Rock soon heading off to Hollywood to film The Scorpion King, this was an opportunity to set someone else up on Austin’s level going forward.

As a standalone match, this is absolutely fantastic and well worth going back to watch as a microcosm of what made the Attitude Era great, even if it would end up looking like a bizarre booking decision to have Triple H beat Austin only to then join him as The Two Man Power Trip post-WrestleMania that year, marking the end of the Attitude Era.

3

Steve Austin vs The Rock

WrestleMania 17

Steve Austin vs The Rock at WrestleMania 17 was one of the greatest matches in the Attitude Era, and when Stone Cold Steve Austin shook hands with Vince McMahon to confirm his heel turn it also signalled the end of the Era itself.

This was rightly billed as the biggest match in WrestleMania history at the time, and the two biggest stars of the late 90s/early 2000s would show why their second ‘Mania showdown was considered a dream match, producing one of the greatest WrestleMania main events of all time.

The best WrestleMania show ever with the two biggest stars of the greatest Era ever colliding in the main event, what more could you want?

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2

Triple H vs Cactus Jack

Royal Rumble 2000

The McMahon-Helmsley Regime had continuously messed with Mankind in the months prior to the Royal Rumble, but Mick Foley revealing that he was bringing back Cactus Jack to take on ‘The Game’ took this feud to the next level.

This Streetfight is regarded as one of the best Royal Rumble matches at a PPV ever, with Triple H proving that he could ‘hang’ as a ‘top guy’ by going out and creating a bloody affair that has endured the test of time.

The match really made Triple H as a main event level talent, it gave him the credibility to be THE top heel of the company for the next year and Mick Foley did wonders when it came to making ‘The Game’ look as damn good as he could.

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1

Christian & Edge vs The Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boyz

WrestleMania 17

WrestleMania 17 ended with a fantastic main event, but it was the TLC match between Christian & Edge, The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz that stole the show and showcased just how great the top end of the tag team division was in WWE at that point.

These three teams have a blowaway Triangle Ladder match at WrestleMania 2000 and the first TLC match at SummerSlam 2000, so this match needed to up the ante from what fans had already seen and it did so to an outstanding degree.

The chaos and carnage produced by all six men still holds up to this day compared to other TLC matches that have taken place since, showing just how much they were willing to risk to define themselves as the best WWE tag teams ever.

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