Jinder Mahal: United States Champion was a Plan B following one of the worst Plan A's in contemporary company history.
Jinder Mahal had been one of the most talked-about wrestlers in the world in 2017 thanks to a divisive and transparent WWe Championship run, but at no point had he remotely levelled up to the responsibility of the role.
By comparison, his 'Show Of Shows' victory didn't carry half the heft, even if sentimental favourite Rusev was again bantered off at the height of his 2018 popularity. 'The Bulgarian Brute' taking the pin felt intended as a bullet in the heart of the 'Rusev Day' movement, but burned fans were already moving on from yet another failed pet project.
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
