Daniel Bryan's return to active competition in 2018 didn't - as some felt it might - strip the pathos from his powerful 'Show Of Shows' triple threat triumph.
The 'Yes Man' was a "B+ Player" to the bitter end - Bruiser Brody in boots and beard alone, half a foot shorter than his oven-fresh WWE Superstar competitors. And their insecure boss Triple H rigging the game. And weeks and months of confrontational booking from the company to stifle even the very potential of such a thing occurring.
Divisive only because of a stretcher spot that stretched believability, the contest otherwise had absolutely everything. Attitude Era overbooking in the closing stretch was enhanced by of-the-era workrate that reflected the company's evolving style. Yet, like the soul-sucking streak finale just two matches, prior, only the closing seconds needed to be perfect to capture perfection.
Dave Batista tapping out to surrender Randy Orton's Title to Daniel Bryan was the sort of dream sequence the Washington native referred to when he first made his return. He had fought for them. And they had fought for us.
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
