6 Ups & 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Backstage (Feb 4)
4. Ripley? Believe It Or Not...
WWE
"I smell money" was Booker T's unusually succinct assessment of the early teases of a Rhea Ripley/Charlotte Flair NXT Championship match at WrestleMania, and it was refreshing to see a potentially major part of the black-and-gold brand's spring line-up earn a spot on the show thanks to the presence of 'The Queen'.
Charlotte will appear on NXT television to further (or faux-finish) the angle, but in the meantime, more discussion on the show's vibrant women's league is welcome.
Ripley was positioned as a one to watch around Survivor Series weekend. This potential elevation to the 'Show Of Shows' already feels like the next logical step in having her challenge for Flair's kayfabe and IRL WWE throne.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 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 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast.
He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, 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.
