Going into WrestleMania 35, fans wearily predicted which of the three major babyfaces wouldn't come out of the 'Show Of Shows' as new Champion, such was the acceptance of the company's obsession with the heat.
Heroes had actually built up well for a change, to the point where Seth Rollins - by far the most obvious choice to sacrifice on the night - couldn't really afford the loss. In a rare act of contrition, the audience got everything they wanted.
Becky Lynch's victory got a mammoth response inside Metlife Stadium even after the endurance test that was the runtime, whilst Kofi Kingston's moment will surely live on with a similar legacy to the loss of The Undertaker's streak five years earlier. The broken system, about to be made even worse by some impending insane Vince McMahon directives, was still able to make moments.
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
