5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Feb 1)

2. So The WWE Championship Is Made Out Of Hemp Now

Daniel Bryan Wwe Title
WWE

The New Daniel Bryan character in itself is such a bizarre but no less welcome development.

Here we have a socialist vegan quoting classic literature in the middle of the same WWE ring in which some poor woman was once fat-shamed because Vince McMahon wanted to bury Rosie O'Donnell. This socialist vegan preaches an incredibly reasonable message - vital, provided you're not a dipsh*t incapable of differentiating between weather and climate - but does so under the guise of an obnoxious heel to both draw heat from the audience and work Vince into broadcasting it.

It's funny; AJ Styles on Louder With Crowder claimed that WWE prefers its performers to not politicise their promos one way or the other. That's probably what they just told AJ; were he afforded creative freedom, he'd likely tell his public to say your prayers, train for conversion therapy, and eat your vah-ta-mins.

On Tuesday's SmackDown, Bryan unveiled the sustainable WWE Championship, made up of hemp and a naturally fallen oak, in the process attracting attention from performative woke mainstream outlets, reinforcing the smug conviction the character has in himself, and creating the sort of indelible visual that is ripe for memes, video packages and merchandise.

The very sight of this thing, on Republican-leaning WWE television, was bonkers.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!