More than any other specific moment between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania that year, it took a WrestleMania main event to showcase why Triple H was 'The Game' no longer.
2000's version of the future heir to the empire could have brought a crowd - knackered from the era-spanning epic they'd just enjoyed - back to life. Hunter and Chris Jericho had engaged in an utter banger two years earlier, with Stephanie McMahon's honour and the WWE Championship on the line then too.
Thus commenced the era of insecurity. The match shouldn't have gone on last, shouldn't have gone as long, and shouldn't have been as dull. But this was the new Triple H. He'd lose the belt a month later, but the real reign of terror had begun.
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
