Long before Shane McMahon realised he could simply jump from or off great heights to generate the pops and ego-boosts he craved, he genuinely attempted respect the storytelling art of professional wrestling. Fortunately, he was in there with the industry's finest fabulist.
X-Pac and 'Shane O Mac' assembled a glorious war in which the former European Champion got to be goliath in an effort to take back his stolen prize. The title didn't normally matter, but was the second most-treasured prize on the entire event as a result of the electric chemistry between the two.
It all ended in heartbreak for the challenger - his best friend and DX leader revealed the true nature of his reunion with Chyna. They had both turned heel. A Pedigree floored X-Pac long enough for Shane to steal the win, before a DX/Corporation war triggered Kane's remergence and the first embers of yet another powerful programme later that year. This, in defence of the much-maligned (elsewhere in this piece, no less) Vince Russo, was Very Good Sh*t.
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
