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An underdeveloped thought I've had when trying to define this "non-era" we've been inhabiting for so long, and just when I think it started. They say stuff like "Ruthless Aggression" era and "New Era" era, but what is the true tenor of the times during this period?
That's why I'm going to pedal the term "Big Time era" defined by the period of time that Vince McMahon just didn't give a crap whether or not his product was on the pulse anymore. This is the period where the mission was Cena, Cena, Cena, because that guy that made the great impression in the opening match of WrestleMania XX was the guy to make an impression as the WWE tried to go "legit." 2003 saw HLA, CLBs and heel Rocks. It was still trying to chase something. 2004 was the first year they really promoted the event as being bigger than the talent. 2005 was really the last time that they thought something hot needed to happen to carry the show. And this is the last time that the WrestleMania shows were truly memorable. This is about the period of time you start forgetting who won Royal Rumbles. 2006 was the first year that you were getting John Cena whether you liked it or not, and 2006 was the year that the babyfaces walking out of the show with the belts were booed. Don't like Mark Henry? Too bad, he's in The Undertaker match. Aren't feeling Carlito & Chris Masters? They are your opening act.
Something about WrestleMania 22 just feels like it epitomizes where WWE was going to go. This is the show with Vince McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels, where Vince would end up challenging God. This is peak Vince McMahon boredom without him having any competition. There's not so much a violent shift as there is an incremental one. Plus, the theme song for WrestleMania 22 was "Big Time," which was released in 1986. It feels like something so random and arbitrary to promote the show, like "Great Balls of Fire" last year. This is the complete erratic departure from trying to find something that worked in the wake of the Attitude era and instead finding someone to hammer home until you get the brand more over than the performers.
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