Daniel Bryan's SmackDown Live return weeks before the 'Show Of Shows' was masterfully handled by WWE and the 'YES! Man' himself. Neither party could top it on 'The Grandest Stage', but the above-average tag battle pitting Bryan and fellow blue brand boss Shane McMahon against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn just about stayed the right side of scintillating,
Suffering an early assault from the heels, Bryan's return from stretchered-out oblivion mirrored his last evocative display in the very same building, and his match-winning onslaught was a cathartic reminder of all the audience had lost in the years hence.
There was a touch too much Shane McMahon, but that's been a complaint just about every single time he's hauled on one of those themed baseball jerseys. Bryan told the world to fight for their dreams - battling for less McMahon would be wasted effort on a flagrant fantasy.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 almost 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 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL 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
