6 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE Backstage (Jan 28)
3. Loosening The Reigns
WWE
Roman Reigns is the best.
Charming, polished but totally open to discuss everything from his experiences over the last year, to Kobe Bryant's sad death being announced just hours before the Royal Rumble went live to Baron Corbin's portaloo spot on the show itself, he showed the balance, interest and patient thought forged from years of being 'The Guy' in WWE.
As per the usual sources, Roman was a lock to win the Royal Rumble until a midweek change of heart by The Chairman, but perhaps Vince McMahon got this one bang right.
Reigns is an easy insertion into a WrestleMania title clash with The Fiend, whilst Drew's hard-earned place has done much to build on his recent babyface fire. There's no reason why they can't both shine on the 'Grandest Stage'.
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
