Fans headed for the exits early as Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe chinlocked their way to one of the most disappointing pay-per-view main events of the decade, but was the abysmal assemblage down to the men in the ring or the ones pulling the strings from the safety of the backstage area?
In every possible sense of the phrase, the New Jersey fans didn't care and had literally had enough.
They'd had enough WWE - Backlash 2018 was just a week removed from the ultra-controversial Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, and only four on from yet another controversial WrestleMania. They'd had enough Roman Reigns - the 'Big Dog' was a two-time loser against Lesnar and wasn't wrestling here like his future trajectory depended on it. They'd even had enough Backlash - the show was the worst pay-per-view of year and foreshadowed possibly the most disheartening post-'Mania slump in recent memory.
Beating the traffic meant so much more than witnessing Roman Reigns beat Samoa Joe. The product's value had never felt lower.
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
