It'd be easy enough to classify this as a Down if simply viewed the prism of the Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton singles matches that dragged on and on in 2013's post-SummerSlam rot, but that series of encounters was simply reflective of a company stubbornly refusing to book in line with fan expectation.
More on the Yes Movement later, but so much of that ungainly groundswell was inadvertently driven by WWE themselves.
The company reframed the narrative in the intervening years, noting that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's storyline crusade against Bryan's success was a necessary mountain for him to climb ahead of a WrestleMania triumph, but the real story exists within the bowels of the WWE Network. The truth is all there - they were actively working to drain the life from an organic entity far stronger than any of them had realised.
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
