WWE have always loved the (slightly) false narrative about Vince McMahon gambling everything on the success of inaugural WrestleMania, and as the self-appointed gatekeepers of the entire industry at this point, why wouldn't they?
As if genuine wrestling history wasn't already being made, the company have retroactively added even more to the landmark event by implying that Vince and Linda would have gone bust without the incredible boom that followed.
Much about All Elite Wrestling's 2019 launch mirrored the maiden 'Mania's madness. As with ALL IN and Double Or Nothing, the 'Brawl To End It All' and 'War To Settle The Score' events in 1984 and 1985 respectively helped solidify the company's burgeoning relationship with MTV whilst promoting Madison Square Garden as a home base for what was for many fans a renewed artform. The Elite glibly promised to 'Change The Universe', but these and other comparisons only serve as a reminder that WrestleMania - more than StarrCade or any other NWA event Cody Rhodes could weaponise - was the business' real Big Bang.
Understanding the heft of the history is important in getting through the show too. The magic is as real as it gets, but your personal mileage may vary...
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
