He was the choice of the people and SmackDown Live's Number One Draft Pick in 2016, but his usefulness on top had already been outlived before the blue brand made it to Survivor Series season thanks to one too many indifferent displays.
Between the ropes, his contests with Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler simply didn't sparkle as they could and should have done, thanks in part to an aura-destroying encounter with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 and cripplingly awkward podcast interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin that was more goof than aloof.
Worse was to come upon losing the title, too. Rather than regaining some sort of fire and aggression in the wake a tough defeat, he instead found himself tied too tightly to some pretty poor comedy...
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
