Anarc crafted magnificently and cared for during challenging creative and physical times for the combatants, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa's rise through the ranks as a team and stereo trips to the top as singles stars grew from NXT gem to company diamond over three glorious years.
Paired against one another in 2016's spellbinding Cruiserweight Classic whilst forging a path as a team on the black-and-gold brand, the frustration from Ciampa lay dormant just enough that his heel turn was as saddening as their brief successes were euphoric. Winning tag gold to delay the inevitable, the loss of that and any future together tore them to shreds in 2017 right as Ciampa found himself sidelined with an injury in the months to follow.
Gargano was no less broken in his absence, informing months of spectacular (losing) TakeOver displays before their classic 2018 series and eventual 2019 coming together as battle-ravaged babyfaces. The best long-term angle this decade from WWE, and one so good it could still realistically be part of the next one too.
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
