10 Things We Learned From WWE 24: Empowered

7. Months In The Making

AJ Lee Kaitlyn
WWE

Though the focus of this particular special neatly packaged the 2018 Royal Rumble as its key focus, the wealth of footage at the disposal of the editors to set the scene suggested that the company had been looking again to toot their own horns for some time.

Cameras followed the various competitors from matches at Hell In A Cell 2016 and Money In The Bak 2017 as well as the historic Abu Dhabi last December that featured Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks work the first women's wrestling match of any kind in the coutry.

The end results made for engaging snapshots of the featured performers, particularly in the case of Banks and Bliss. A 'This Is Hope' chant that broke out early in the match has been swallowed and regurgitated so readily by WWE since December that a conspicary theorist might suggest a staffer started it in the first place, but at least the real slices of history - the matches - don't require editorial tampering anymore.

On the off chance WWE didn't have this particular feature on the docket, it begs the question what else the absorbing interview footage with Charlotte, Carmella et al may have been used for, if even used at all.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but 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 in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. 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 sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett