10 Totally Stupid Things WWE Has ALREADY DONE Since WrestleMania 34

7. It Ain't Great

Alexa Bliss Braun Strowman
WWE

Greatest Royal Rumble, then.

A card that had more to analytically assess before and after rather than during the event itself, WWE's Saudi Arabia love-in skewered pre-show criticisms of the business relationship between the company and country with a giant promotional puff piece half-way through and an abhorrent apology coming out the other side.

Saudi Arabian men (and women and children - but only if accompanied by said men) sat in luxurious armchairs literally and figuratively distanced from the world around them in much the same way Vince McMahon does on his vaunted private jet. It was an awkward reminder of how loud money talks - even if it was through sock-puppet promos from John Cena and announce team relentlessly referring to how good the hospitality was.

WWE had an opportunity to shift the narrative of course - with pro wrestling. A mammoth five hour show provided opportunities for the ultimate distraction piece. Only Titus O'Neil inadvertently obliged (more on that later), with the company offering little underneath the enormous 50-man main event to steer conversation away from the numerous ethical dilemmas the show threw up.

Speaking of throwing up, WWE's own coping mechanism was sickening, saccharine and f*cking rubbish...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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