The 'Visionary' gimmick never really got any more fleshed out than it was at inception, but it started working for people in a big way nonetheless. Meanwhile, his scenery-chewing cackle at long last became endearing, especially paired with the ostentatious outfit and infectious singalong theme. Starting the year working critically acclaimed tag team matches alongside "best friend" Kevin Owens before moving into Feud-Of-The-Year territory opposite Cody Rhodes and Matt Riddle didn't hurt his cause either.
WWE have strangely pulled back on what felt like an organic babyface turn, but perhaps that's Rollins himself figuring out how much is too much when it comes to being a fan favourite. His turns have killed him before, but this one feels like a can't-miss. Kudos to man and management for trying to make this so.
It's been a year of memorable moments for the former WWE Champion, and it's hard to argue he hasn't deserved the lot of them. Especially one that was more about the man across the ring from him...
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 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 65,000,000 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 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. 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.
