WWE '13 Attitude Era: A mildly cursed blessing

Why WWE ‘13’s Attitude is both a blessing and a curse

Though still not up there with the best of the series, WWE ’13 represents one of the better editions of this long-standing franchise in a while. Its refurbished Predator Engine makes for some of the smoothest gameplay the series has seen in years, while it’s customisation features are bursting at the seams. But, many would argue, the most significant feature of WWE ’13 is its Attitude Era story mode. It gives WWE ’13 a distinct, almost old-school flavour, retelling some of the best, most exciting and most controversial moments the company has seen and not seen for years now it’s stuck in a PG-Era. But it also comes at a cost.

For those who don’t know, the Attitude era is marked as a point in WWE’s timeline where, in order to compete with WCW’s Monday Nitro, programming in WWE (or, at the time, WWF) was cranked up to eleven. Content became more violent, sexually suggestive and just downright crazy, but it also made for a series of incredible and memorable moments. How about the Montreal Screwjob, one of the biggest upsets in WWE history? You get to relieve that. What about when Mankind and The Rock fought violently at Royal Rumble in an I Quit Match, only for the match to end when a fake recording of Mankind was played? Yep, that’s there too. Plenty of highlights are here, and the biggest stars – from Stone Cold to D-X – make an appearance.

The abscence of the only Olympic Medalist is sad considering his influcence on the Attitude Era, but also cruely undertstandable

It’s remarkably in-depth and exciting, but also disappointing. This is mostly down to one big elephant in the room: licensing. The problem is that a few of the Attitude Era’s best stars – some of which helped to define the era – have since moved on to Total Nonstop Action. Perhaps the most notable of these is Kurt Angle, who’s wacky antics such as spraying milk all over wrestlers, were pivotal moments of this era. But now he’s a big fish in TNA, and legal mumbojumbo most likely prevents his appearance, which is a crying shame. Other stars who didn’t make the cut due to differing companies include the Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boys. Sure, Edge and Christian make an appearance, but the trio together helped define the tag division and contributed to several match types, including Tables Ladders and Chairs. When Edge told John Cena that TLC was his match type, he wasn't exaggerating.

But, let’s not put all the blame on licenses. Plenty of mid-to-top card athletes from the Attitude Era were missed out, and some of them strike me as odd. Steve Blackman is a good example: no ties to other wrestling companies, and though not a top-calibre member of the attitude era, his presence would not have detracted at all. Imagine reliving the feuds between him and Ken Shamrock! D’Lo Brown is another which springs to mind, again not a crucial part of the era, but another opportunity to beef up the roster and relive some great rivalries, as well as possibly reform The Nation of Domination fully (all but D’Lo are present in some form). The addition of some more mid-card stars could have beefed out the "Off Script" chapter.



Perhaps the most saddening absences are all diva-related. A meagre three divas comes into play in the form of Lita, Trish Stratus and Stephanie McMahon. All pivotal to the era mind you, but some key divas are absent. Perhaps the most notable is Chyna, who far exceeded the bounds of typical divas. Not mere eye candy, she was successful in male divisions, defeating male superstars and even winning the Intercontinental Championship. She’s the only diva to achieve this! However, it seems either due to personal animosity or, some argue, her new lifestyle in the adult film industry, she has been left on the sidelines. Others include Sunny and Sable, both of whom are considered some of the first divas in the business! Not only that, the lack of Attitude divas means they make for uneventful fighting and rivals in the Universe mode, should you opt for an Attitude-era only universe.

Not treated like a woman or a man, Chyna's absence from WWE'13 is one of many divas not included.

In defence of THQ and Yukes, they did have some opposing forces against them. Outside of the aforementioned licensing problems with competitor wrestling companies, other successful Attitude Era wrestlers are, shall we say, sensitive to include. Owen Hart is considered by many one of the key members of this era, but his death during Over the Edge 1999 still remains controversial and touchy. Not being included is not really surprising, and this applies to Chris Benoit. Though a latter-day Attitude star, he still had some influence towards the end. But his death in 2007 is controversial and the WWE have taken the eraser route where now, he is not a part of anything the WWE produces. So again, his lack of inclusion in WWE ’13 is hardly surprising. When both Hart and Benoit are absent from a WWE-produced documentary about the Attitude Era, it says it all really.

So, perhaps I am being harsh on WWE ’13. Many factors put Yukes under pressure, be it licensing or sensitivity depending on which superstar you discuss. Plenty of stars could have been included, but perhaps they opted to focus on the pivotal players of this era, and in their defence, they do this. D-X, Brothers of Destruction, The Rock, Stone Cold and Mankind are all accounted for, which is all that is needed for some. But for those in love with this era, and everything about it, the gaps in roster just cannot be filled. DLC has alleviated this to a degree, with Too Cool now present for those who purchase it, but now DLC is finished, anyone left out can only be filled by custom wrestlers created by you or the community. And let’s face it, that’s not exactly a substitute for the real thing.

Still, gotta love what Yukes did with the Attitude Era, sure beats any of that Road to Wrestlemania crap they were including before. Even if it's not all it could be, it's still an enjoyable, informative and pretty exciting look at perhaps the high point of WWE.