Daniel Bryan had become a fabulous heel since winning the title at December's Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, infuriating audiences with his self-aggrandising 'YES!' exclamation and poor treatment of sympathetic girlfriend AJ Lee.
Audiences were subsequently not only excited just to see the match between the two, but also a contest befitting of their abilities on a grand stage, especially after an indignity the two suffered one year earlier. The pair had developed somewhat of a kinship behind the scenes at the 'Show of Shows', having seen their planned WrestleMania XXVII United States Title match relegated to the dark portion of the broadcast and then cancelled outright when run-ins turned the contest into a Battle Royal won by The Great Khali.
That dark match got five minutes and eighteen seconds, which was exactly five minutes longer than this opener for the World Heavyweight Title received.
With one swift Brogue Kick after Bryan's stolen good luck kiss from AJ, Sheamus was champion, and an arena of supporters were left deeply unenthused. But more on that later.
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
