When a World Title match between champion Daniel Bryan and Royal Rumble winner Sheamus was announced for WrestleMania XXVIII, it was thought as much to be an atonement for some poor treatment the pair were given on the pre-show the prior year. Having had their United States title clash dumped to the dark match slot (and then converted to a battle royal won by the Great Khali half way through) in 2010, the rematch a year later looked to vindicate their pair for the previous mistreatment.
Fans knew it, and thus uttered their incredulous indignation when, after just 18 seconds, Bryan had been defeated. Part of a bigger storyline involving the crumbling relationship between Bryan and AJ Lee, it served merely as a backdrop to their inevitable collapse. Overbearing douchebag boyfriend Bryan demanded a kiss, then had his lights knocked out with a Brogue Kick.
The sentiment from the "Yes" chants that followed birthed an entire moment and the match itself can now be viewed through that. On the night at least though, the anger and fury was very, very real.
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
