Daniel Bryan's victory over Triple H was the evening's most predictable, but the pair worked diligently to build the drama that 'The Game' may yet put a stop to the evening's biggest pop. And even when he lost, he didn't stop trying.
An underrated effort that was only briefly revisited on the post-WrestleMania Raw, Hunter and Bryan had spectacular chemistry together - particularly with the tension ramped up beyond reason with so much weighing on the result.
It was as if stakes that mattered actually helped the match. This was, to inadvertently paraphrase Michael Cole, vintage WrestleMania. Madison Square Garden may not have been there for symmetry, but memories of Bret Hart working twice and Chris Benoit being forced into a Triple Threat were. Bryan was the everyman forced into having beat literally every man. A magnificent closing shot had been teed up by an almost-as-awesome opener.
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
