The almost unanimous focus placed upon the at-times-bothersome 'Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment' was a harrowing reminder of just how quickly WWE can overplay a winning hand - at WrestleMania XXVII, the 'Great One' wasn't so great.
The show was 17 minutes old by the time the opener kicked off thanks to a rather moribund promo to kick the evening off, with his backstage presence limited to turgid WWE comedy and a disappointing showdown with fellow special guest Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Though not made clear to the fanbase at the time, Rock was merely weeks into a three-year arc, but most of his actions on an altogether-uninspired 'Show Of Shows' didn't particularly proffer the bright future at the box office.
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
