Though Becky Lynch's heel turn was at first a frustratingly familiar bone-headed WWE move, the brass ring she subsequently grasped was anything but typical territory.
Meshing her sensational Twitter game with a series of small but significant changes to her character, the hottest woman in the industry became 'The Man'. A star suddenly beyond the stratosphere previously only occupied by somebody still to come on this list, the persona was an overnight sensation as SmackDown Live Women's Champion.
In reality, Becky had been galvanising this support for years. A beloved figure before the turn, 'The Man' was the version getting the push that she'd always deserved and the fans had always craved. The only major shock was just how well the organisation handled it - her talent wasn't ever in doubt.
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
