>>14614223It's sort of true because by 2000, WWF was so hot that everyone up and down the card was over. But that was because of Austin/McMahon rivalry and the Rock to a slightly lesser extent. WWF was so packed with stars by then, and WCW was a hot mess, so pro wrestling itself was over as fuck. And everyone associated WWF with pro wrestling especially by early 2001 as WCW died.
But that didn't last. The Invasion was a massive flop that soured fans and shrunk the audience. The return of the nWo was also a big miss with exception of Hogan/Rock which led to Hogan turning face anyway. And then WWF's most recognized stars started to leave for different reasons too. Hunter was never a big draw. Sorry, but he wasn't. The most charismatic guys that could have been the next superstars were Brock Lesnar and Jeff Hardy. Jeff was fired for drugs in 2003 and Brock left for NFL then UFC in early 2004.
WWE still had lots of talent, but the fans were worn out by all the departures of big names and their most popular acts, coupled with disappointing storylines.
The Attitude Era was a tough act to follow! Vince intentionally made it about the brand, not centered around one or two massive attractions. That was his choice. It kept the business going. By the time Vince went PG around 07/08 and we got the Super Cena era, the wrestling audience had completely changed and with PG there was no winning it back.
