The shock and awe around Seth Rollins’ insertion into an unpredictable Brock Lesnar/Roman Reigns main event at WrestleMania 31 was palpable, and produced the most successful show-closing heel victory in the event’s history.
Sprinting down the enormous runway as both Lesnar and Reigns lay prone, ‘The Architect’ used his since-banned curb stomp on his former ‘Shield’ partner to score his first WWE World Title and cannily leave a conclusive finish between ‘The Beast’ and ‘The Big Dog’ for another day.
Patiently waiting for the right moment rather than the quickest and easiest one in the months prior to the 'Show Of Shows', WWE deployed their biggest surprise on the biggest possible stage for the first time ever. Rollins, as beneficiary was forever made in its aftermath.
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
