6 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE Backstage (Jan 28)
3. The Big Dog On The Big Game
WWE
Call it British bias based on interest in the SuperBowl on this side of the Atlantic compared to in its home nation, but there was something somewhat dispiriting about seeing both Roman Reigns and King Corbin relegated to interviewer spots before their Royal Rumble showdown.
Of course this is the biggest sporting event in the world, a television spectacle on an almost identical scale and this was presumably mandated by Fox for the expressed purpose of broadcasting it on Backstage, but both WWE and the network got the balance wrong.
Reigns and Corbin didn't look like stars alongside the players prepping for one of the biggest moments of their lives, but like competition-winning work experience kids frozen to the spot. Football fans and casuals might have gotten a bit of a kick out of it, but how many of those watch this show anyway?
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
