The Attitude Era of pro wrestling may have had its talons deeply dug into the skin of pop culture, Matt Hardy believes the genre has a bigger impact across the globe.
The older Hardy boy talked about the state of the industry on the latest episode of The Extreme Life and he feels that everything is heading in a positive direction even if wrestling isn’t as prominent as it was in 1998.
“Wrestling is really, really good now beyond a shadow of a doubt. I think it’s very different the way you judge the parameters of the entire wrestling industry. I think if you look back to the Attitude Era, it was more ingrained in pop culture. I think that people in America, you might even say North America, were much more aware of pro wrestling and it was cool, it was trendy, but it was very different.
“Now, it is so much larger on a global scale. Sure, we got huge numbers where seven million, eight million, nine million, however many people would watch wrestling on any given Monday night back then, but it was very different. There was only 40 television channels then or whatever. It was much, much smaller as far as the things you can watch and your choices.”
Matt Hardy Sees The Global Effect Of Pro Wrestling
While Matt Hardy doesn’t think the product is as mainstream like yesteryear, he believes the industry casts a wider net.
“If you fast forward 25 years later, now you have thousands of channels just on cable, you have all these streaming services. I don’t think wrestling is hotter now than it was in the late 90s, but I do think wrestling has a much more sprawling impact around the globe and I think it has the chance and ability to become hotter now than it was back then.”
Please credit Extreme Life With Matt Hardy and h/t Inside The Ropes for the transcription.