Many signs that pointed to WWE's dominance over WCW in the ultra-prosperous annum, but few acquisitions were as big a statement of intent by Vince McMahon than the four he scored unexpectedly shortly after The Royal Rumble.
Chris Benoit (more on him later), Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko were ultra-proficient but occasionally colourless midcarders unable to escape the lofty shadows of the established headliners in Atlanta. Sadly for 50% of the four, Saturn and Malenko didn't exactly progress very far beyond that up north.
A six-person encounter with Too Cool and Chyna wasn't exactly a 'Show Of Shows' celebration for the defectors - they were warm bodies for the babyfaces ahead of the heroes cutting rug at the conclusion. WrestleMania 2000 didn't need filler, just as McMahon ultimately didn't really give a sh*t about "vanilla midgets".
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
