Why Gangrel Failed As A Singles Wrestler In WWE's Attitude Era
Michael Hansen 
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More than 20 years after it came to an end, countless wrestling fans still look back on the Attitude Era and claim it to be one of, if not the best periods in pro wrestling history. A block of a few years in WWE when it felt like quite literally everyone was watching. Everyone was talking about it at work, and even though kids probably shouldn't have been watching, everyone was talking about it at school too. Iconic wrestlers like Stone Cold and The Rock provided unforgettable moments. Austin stunning Vince McMahon, driving a beer truck into the arena, helping Mankind win the WWE Title. Man, The Texas Rattlesnake really was responsible for a lot of that success, huh?
Some fans still won't admit it, but not everything that happened during the Attitude Era was unmissable gold. Go back and watch just about any episode of Raw that aired between 1997 and 2000 and there'll be a fair bit of stuff in there that was either terrible at the time and still terrible now, or has aged terribly. Considering some of the gimmicks we've seen over the years, probably more of the latter. Pro wrestling tends to be behind the curve a little bit when it comes to catching up with the rest of the world on what is and isn't okay to do and say.
RELATED: Gangrel's Forgotten Return To WWE In 2004, Explained
Wrestling's Vampire, Gangrel
The Attitude Era also shone a spotlight on a wrestler masquerading as a vampire. Yes, I am talking about Gangrel, and I'm unwilling to commit him to either side of the Attitude Era's pros and cons list. Although Gangrel continues to wrestle to this day, his WWE star burned out relatively quickly. His Attitude Era run lasted just three years, and he led The Brood for just a third of that. The impact the stable had made it feel like they were around for much longer, and the men Gangrel introduced to the wider wrestling world as a part of The Brood is one of the reasons why he wasn't a bigger deal in WWE.
Yes, The Brood's leading vampire may well have been the group's founder, but it didn't take long for it to become evident that he wasn't the most talented in the trio. While no one could have predicted the heights Edge and Christian would reach as a team and individually, WWE sure realized they would be better off without Gangrel after a relatively short amount of time. The Brood was broken up for the sake of Edge and Christian, furthering their careers and the WWE tag division. Already, Gangrel's run as a vampire in WWE was languishing.
No One Wanted To Be A Vampire, Not Back Then
Therein was problem number two. The guy was a vampire. I was nine years old watching Gangrel walk to the ring and spray what was supposed to be blood up in the air, and I vividly remember thinking it was a little much. Also, if he was a vampire, shouldn't he be drinking the blood? Anyway, a pretty outlandish gimmick right in the middle of an era when the most successful wrestlers were simply amplified versions of their real selves. Returning to Stone Cold yet again, the man was the personification of everyone watching who wished they could punch their boss in the face because The Bionic Redneck was chugging a few beers and actually doing it.
Gangrel was a wild character-wrestler a few years after wild character-wrestlers were what WWE was going for. Granted, vampire isn't an occupation, but when wrestlers were being given gimmicks like hockey player, garbage man, and yes, rooster, a wrestling vampire might have had a better chance at making it big. Supernatural characters were proven to work in WWE via the likes of The Undertaker and Kane, which begs the question was WWE at quota for that sort of thing? An undead guy battling his burned-up brother, both of whom can summon lightning and fire. Yeah, when that's already on the show, maybe throwing a vampire into the mix was a little much.
Suffice to say, the demographic WWE was chasing at the time was tuning into Raw every week to see a badass beat up his boss, and women leaving very little to the imagination. If Gangrel had landed the vampire gimmick a few years earlier, or maybe even a few years later when Twilight and The Vampire Diaries meant bloodsuckers were “in”, Gangrel would have enjoyed more success in WWE. Considering the man still wrestles today, and has competed just about everywhere available throughout his career, he's probably not that phased that things didn't go better for him in WWE during that short run.
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