Dressed as wrestling's 'Night King' from Game Of Thrones for 2018's overblown WrestleMania aesthetic this year, 'Monday Night Rollins' proved as indestructible as the devastating force from the HBO show by throwing himself in to combat with far less trepidation than normal.
It brought the best out in all three men - The Miz and Finn Bálor were two of several that probably could have argued a higher place on that year's card, but the trio were at least giving the honour of opening the show instead of the potential poisoned chalice of closing it.
'The Architect' was entrenched in his Triple H rivalry one year earlier - this win gave him agency over his career for the first time in a long time, and kickstarted a year-long run to the opposite end of the 'Show Of Shows'.
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
