7 WWE Eras and the Superstars that ruled them

If you're looking at how the world of professional wrestling has evolved today, a lot of the credit for that monumental alteration goes to WWE.

Since Vince McMahon has productively brought so many different elements in the business, the company has ascended to unimaginable heights to become a global phenomenon.

With alterations in the product, WWE have definitely become more fan-friendly and interactive today than they used to be probably two decades back.

Superstars like The Undertaker, Kane, HBK, Stone Cold, John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Daniel Bryan have all emerged as some of the most successful superstars of their generation.

Considering that the company acknowledges conceptualizing their creativity over a period of seven eras, it is also equally responsible to understand how many superstars ruled them.

Assessing the most popular superstars in their respective eras is a massive task. So, here are the 7 WWE Eras and the superstars that ruled them.

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#1 The Golden Era (1982 to 1993) - Hulk Hogan

With Vince McMahon taking over the company and introducing a completely different dimension to the world, the Golden Era thrived under the rule of Hulk Hogan.

There's no superstar that even came close to matching Hulkamania's presence and McMahon's reliance over the former WWF Champion proved difficult for other stars like Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, and Rowdy Roddy Piper to get some spotlight.

Considering that WrestleMania was first held under the Golden Era, this generation of superstars hold a substantial place in the company's history.

Since Hulk Hogan went on to headline multiple WrestleMania events, he remained untouchable until he went away to WCW and guys like Bret Hart broke out as sensational superstars to go ahead in the next era.

Pretty noteworthy moments in this era and the introduction of WrestleMania complimented by mainstream pop-culture, WWF ascended to the top of professional wrestling.

#2 The New Generation Era (1993 to 1997) - Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels

Possibly the most underwhelming era in the company's history was the New Generation Era. Since WWF's credibility got diminished due to steroid allegations, Mr. McMahon suffered the consequences after losing established stars in Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper.

In such an unfortunate state, the Boss went ahead and started pushing emerging superstars who were grabbing the brass ring as quickly as possible.

Superstars like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker became three of the most popular superstars in possibly the worst era in company's history.

With Bret Hart becoming an established entity in sports entertainment, he went on to rule the entire era and delivered pretty incredible matches, with Monday Night Wars beginning to take the heat in the backdrop.

Considering that Hulk Hogan left the company on unfortunate terms, the inception of NWO in WCW led WWF to suffer the ramifications of the cause, with many superstars following the same path and diminishing the company's credibility during the Monday Night Wars.

Despite the recognition that Bret Hart and HBK received, there's no denying that controversial remarks by fellow wrestlers underwhelmed the company's reputation.

#3 The Attitude Era (1997 to 2002) - Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock

There's no denying that the Attitude Era is widely regarded as one of the most popular eras in WWE's history and will forever remain untouchable for its edgy content.

With Bret Hart eventually leaving WWF for WCW after the infamous Montreal Screw Job, Mr. McMahon propelled to a different stratosphere and became one of the biggest heels in the business.

Standing against him was a money-making anti-hero in Stone Cold Steve Austin that not only dismantled the Authority but brought legitimate attention to the product.

Considering how viewership and rating spiked during the Attitude Era, a substantial appreciation should be provided to stars like Stone Cold, The Rock, Mankind, the Undertaker, Triple H, and Kane.

WWF was making tremendous money during this period by bringing some of the most controversial storylines on the table which made the product more realistic than it is now.

Austin's feud with the Rock and Mr. McMahon remained untouchable, with their catch-phrases selling merchandises with stupendous returns.

A significant bout between Stone Cold and the Undertaker in 1999 became the most highest-rated segment in the company's history and shall remain untouchable forever.

#4 The Ruthless Aggression Era (2002 to 2008) - The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, John Cena, and Triple H

The Ruthless Aggression Era changed the entire complexion of the business and continued shifting towards more engaging content with incredible in-ring performances.

While the viewership remained pretty moderate, the in-ring storytelling brought career-defining feuds to the table, with superstars like HBK, Triple H, Kurt Angle, the Undertaker, and John Cena reaching their full potential.

Superstars like Randy Orton, Edge, and Brock Lesnar were also introduced that went on to dominate their respective brands, with SmackDown led by Paul Heyman producing game-changing content.

With the hardcore fans judging the quality of a superstar through its all-round performances in every department, the Ruthless Aggression Era ascended many superstars by checking in all departments.

Fantastic journeys of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, the return of ECW, and riveting feuds between Triple H and Shawn Michaels becoming pretty memorable.

While the Undertaker remained a respectable persona in all eras, it was the Cerebral Assassin and John Cena that became two of the most popular superstars in the Ruthless Aggression Era.

#5 The PG Era (2008 to 2011) - John Cena

While the Ruthless Aggression Era ascended WWE to unimaginable heights, the company's considerable shift to fan-friendly content became too boring during the PG Era.

More concentration on pushing superstars like a superhero, with John Cena emerging as an untouchable superman that constantly delivered the same in-ring quality on a weekly basis.

Considering that the Undertaker's feud with Shawn Michaels became a highlight, other feuds remained highly stagnant and did nothing to bring intrigue to our television screens.

The brand split was coerced to an unfortunate death, and the Cenation Leader became more unstoppable by delivering 'Never Give Up' catchphrases to cater to the required audience.

Since WWE moved away from engaging content, the narratives became completely simple and offered nothing fresh for the fans to sink their teeth into.

The Nexus' inception felt promising but fell flat on the initial stage, with WWE completely burying them at SummerSlam 2011. However, CM Punk was beginning to rise during this time before he actually snapped and took over wrestling to a different stratosphere.

#6 The Reality Era (2011 to 2016) - Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and Brock Lesnar

CM Punk's phenomenal rise to the frame was responsible in changing the business forever and bring more serious attention to independent performers that were scratching and clawing to grab Vince's 'brass ring'.

The Cult of Personality's pipebomb changed a lot for technically agile performers and brought more opportunities to the table for the company to invest in.

While Punk began this era, it was Daniel Bryan that truly ruled it. Despite being insanely popular, the Beard went on to tell perhaps the greatest story of this decade.

His journey to the main event of WrestleMania 30 was an instant blockbuster and solidified his status as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

Considering how popular independent performers were becoming, Brock Lesnar's ascension to the top of the business was bone-chilling, with the Beast Incarnate ending the Undertaker's streak to become an untouchable entity.

The Shield's debut set the standards high, and John Cena's US Championship Open Challenge brought some incredible in-ring quality to Monday Night Raw on a weekly basis.

With the introduction of the WWE Network, Vince McMahon definitely brought a lot of game-changing alterations to the business and turned it into a global phenomenon.

#7 The New Era (2016 to Present) - Roman Reigns, Ronda Rousey, and AJ Styles

WWE's New Era has certainly brought more limelight to the company's stance on fan-friendly content and bringing simplistic feuds to the table that may sometimes get pretty intriguing.

Possibly the most fulfilling moment of this New Era was the inception of brand extension and accommodating talented superstars to different brands, in order to bring fresh content on a weekly basis.

There was a landscape shift observed in the way WWE booked the Women's division and NXT and turned it into one of their biggest successful projects in history.

While many superstars like Brock Lesnar and John Cena were still claiming the yard, it is Roman Reigns and AJ Styles that took the torch and run with it.

Both the superstars remain two of the most popular and decorated superstars in this era and are continuing to establish themselves to the top of the mountain.

Since the Big Dog remains a despised figure, the Phenomenal One has certainly had the biggest impact in this company's New Era and has transformed the entire business with its fantastic in-ring skills and quality.