5 Attitude Era wrestlers who would have been perfect fits for AEW

AEW has an incredible amount of top-tier talent currently signed to their roster. From high-fliers like Dante Martin to submission experts like Bryan Danielson, the company has a seemingly endless amount of talent at its disposal. And by having such a large roster of talented performers at the moment, AEW has managed to take the wrestling world by storm.

Though All Elite Wrestling has only been around for a few years now, their loyal fan following and unique programming has built them into a legitimate rival to the WWE.

In many ways, AEW has accomplished this through the talents of its numerous wrestlers as well as its more adult programming. By emphasizing more violent matches and tailoring its shows to more mature audiences, the company right now has earned favorable comparisons to WWE during the fabled Attitude Era.

Given the resemblance AEW shares with WWE during the late 1990s and early 2000s, it's worth wondering which Attitude Era performers would have thrived in AEW.

#5. Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle is a wrestler who can do it all. During his early days in WWE, he was fantastic as a smug, arrogant, airheaded all-American Olympic athlete. Later on, he enjoyed just as much success as the more serious, no-nonsense suplex and submission expert he became in the mid 2000s. Whether he portrayed someone funny, annoying, or straight-faced, he was always enjoyable to watch in WWE.

Angle was far from a simply entertaining personality, however. He has also been hailed by many as one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time (and rightfully so). Through his mixture of suplexes, submission holds, and occasional top-rope maneveurs, he was a wrestler who brought incomperable athleticism to WWE. Seeing him arrive in AEW when he was at his best and most comedic (say 2000-2002) would be a dream come true. Just imagine the segments he'd share with someone like Orange Cassidy, or the matches he'd have with Kenny Omega or Bryan Danielson.

#4. The Undertaker

The Undertaker is recognized as one of WWE's finest wrestlers. Initially debuting in the early '90s, the Phenom reigned atop the WWE as one of its main stars for over 20 years. He wrestled in the WWE's golden era against the likes of Hulk Hogan and Yokozuna. Later, he would regularly wrestle in some of Wrestlemania's most acclaimed matches, building a win streak that stretched for over two decades. However, it was Taker's run in the late '90s to early 2000s that saw him arguably at his best and most entertaining.

During the Attitude Era, the Undertaker went through several iterations of his character. Initially, he portrayed a more Gothic version of his classic character, wrestling as a babyface. Later, he would become the demonic Lord of Darkness, the terrifying leader of the villainous Ministry. Eventually he evolved into the gritty, tough-as-nails biker, the American Bada**. Undertaker's ability to move with the times, altering his character and overall wrestling style as he went, is one of his most unique features. Seeing any version of the Undertaker on AEW television would have been an absolute joy.

#3. Dean Malenko

Dean Malenko is an interesting exception to this list, as he is technically already in AEW. Signed to the company as a senior producer, he has infrequently appeared in non-wrestling roles on All Elite programming. Since Malenko retired in the mid-2000s, however, and has been diagnosed with Parkinson's, it's extremely unlikely (almost impossible) that we'll ever see him wrestle again.

Nowadays, Malenko is considered by many to be the most underrated wrestler of all time. In fact, Bryan Danielson--one of Malenko's biggest fans--cited him as a primary inspiration for becoming a wrestler. Malenko was credited with establishing a new cruiserweight style of wrestling, relying on a mixture of submission holds, suplexes, and high-flying techniques. Along with fellow wrestlers Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Jericho, he had a large hand in creating the prototype for the luchador-esque wrestling matches we see in AEW today. Seeing the Man of 1,000 Holds in his prime would be a welcome sight for any wrestling fan to behold.

#2. Bret Hart

Bret Hart meant it when he said: "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be." Like Kurt Angle, Hart brought a unique wrestling style to WWE in a time when skill was in short supply. Let's face it, Hulk Hogan was all quotes and personality, with very little wrestling skills to back it up. During an era when personality was the primary factor behind a wrestler's push, Hart came along and challenged the norm. He was fast, he was agile, and he was different.

Unfortunately, Hart seemed plagued by constant issues in the WWE and, later, in WCW. His initial push against Yokozuna, which led to the main event of Wrestlemania IX, somehow ended with Hulk Hogan winning the WWE Championship with little explanation, which left some fans and even wrestlers with a sour taste in their mouths. In the late '90s, backstage politics and a bitter real-life feud with Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon ended with Hart leaving the company arguably when he was at his best. In WCW, the company failed to utilize Hart as the first-class performer he was, shuffling him through odd booking decisions. Eventually, Hart's career would come to a grinding halt when he was forced into a premature retirement in the wake of a serious injury. If AEW had been around when Hart left WWE, he would have found a welcome home in Tony Khan's company. Likely too, Khan would've booked the Hitman as the world-class talent he was.

#1. Shawn Michaels

Like his longtime rival Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels was a wrestler who just seemed like someone different on WWE's roster. He had huge personality, dazzling in-ring talent, and the amazing mic skills Vince McMahon looked for in his world champions. As both a babyface and the heel leader of D-Generation X, HBK was an intense and unique performer who audiences either loathed or loved.

Perhaps the most incredible thing about Michaels is how well he managed to perform even as he got older. Like the Undertaker or Kurt Angle, Michaels' 2000s face run saw him deliver some of the finest matches of his career. But it's the 1990s era Michaels that would fit most ideally among All Elite Wrestling. Just imagine the 1997 Michaels-led DX going up against Jon Moxley, for example. Having Michaels at the height of his career in AEW--when he was still the smug, effortlessly cool Heartbreak Kid--is a unique hypothetical that, sadly, fans could only ever dream about.