A catchphrase that eventually (and perhaps inevitably) ceased to be true, the early days of SmackDown Live genuinely felt transformative for the careers of many struggling to break through with just one prioritised show per week.
Post-2016 Brand Split saw numerous stars shine brighter for their efforts on SmackDown live, with an aforementioned tag team wrestling revolution emerging out of matches between The Usos, American Alpha and unlikely duo Heath Slater and Rhyno. A main event scene populated by Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles was an internet forum fantasy scene brought to life for better and worse. A women's division stewarded by Becky Lynch welcomed a new space for Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Naomi and a returning Mickie James to get involved. Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon were unintrusive babyface authority figures and little else.
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
