'The Apex Predator' has morphed into something of surprise package on Twitter and very occasionally in promos in his latter years, but the matches continue to be the matches they've been for most of his career.
He protects his body, he protects his opponent, and he protects the profits of the merchandise and food stands, as he did in this modest but moribund match against AJ Styles. The feud was centred around the 'Phenomenal One's claim that SmackDown was the "House That AJ Styles Built", but Orton claimed WWE turf by teasing him into a WrestleMania match perfect for a typically boring edition of the blue brand.
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
