SmackDown - the show that barely feels different from SmackDown Live other than the fact less people talk about it on Saturdays than used to on Wednesdays - is worth a billion dollars.
It's a figure that has to be brought up as often as it is, because it's unprecedented for a wrestling company to be earning so much for their output. It reflects, more than any TV rights deal in wrestling history how well Vince McMahon read the room when he cannibalised his pay-per-view game in 2014 for the good of his Networks and his flagships. Conversely, it highlights how far gone his once-dynamic creative mind is - Roman Reigns getting covered in dog food will not f*cking do, no matter how much you could practically hear the Chairman's cackles through Michael Cole's headset.
Raw is better than SmackDown. Three hour jesus-f*cking-christ-why-do-I-do-this-to-myself Monday Night Raw. Something has to change.
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
