Dave Batista's World Heavyweight Championship ascension could have done without Triple H's ego getting in the way after 'The Game' had managed not to be at all like himself in the build-up. It didn't need Hunter having a far superior entrance than his 'Animal' opposition. It was outright hamstrung by the 21:34 runtime after months of watching Big Dave plough through foes in minutes.
But it spoke to just how ready the Challenger was for the role that fans looked past it all to enjoy his glorious coronation. The sense of celebration around Chris Benoit's victory the prior year was cathartic but temporary. Batista, meanwhile had ended the reign of terror from within. He'd prove his worth over and over again in the near-year he spent with the title, though his absence from the following year's 'Show Of Shows' spoke volumes of the grind.
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
