5 Attitude Era characters that wouldn't work in WWE today

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin might not have gone entirely over in WWE today

Stone Cold Steve Austin

A brash, beer-drinking character like Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the many reasons why WWE's Attitude Era was so popular. The concept of the character was to be anti-establishment. Steve Austin was the embodiment of the company's shift to more mature and adult programming. Austin's persona would be similar to an anti-hero who could change the face-heel dynamic by introducing a third dimension.

Stone Cold would gain an immense amount of cult-like fan following after his King of The Ring promo. Austin would gradually rise to become the company's top star. His tough persona would see him often flipping off his opponents.

He was infamous for turning on anyone at any time and stunning them regardless of whether they were male or female with his patented Stone Cold Stunner.

The most popular angle of Austin's career would come from his feud with Vince McMahon. Vince would refuse Austin's antics and prevent the superstar from becoming the WWE Champion. In a recurring theme, the boss would be tormented and publicly humiliated in unimaginable ways by The Texas Rattlesnake.

An anti-authoritarian character would be very appreciated in modern times, but elements of what made the Austin character stand out would be a red flag today. A beer-drinking, abusive guy who assaults women by face locking and jawbreaking them makes the persona too edgy for television. More so when you take into account that WWE is rated TV-PG.