How dare Triple H and Batista set up this match with an angle so awesome that everybody was fooled into thinking this wouldn't be the usual overindulgence by 'The Game'.
Batista was every bit the 'Animal' when he brutalised Ric Flair off camera on his 70th Birthday to trigger his former Evolution friend in to one more match after teasing hostilities on SmackDown 1000 the prior year. He was but a caged tiger tamed by wrestling's Doc Antle in the eventual payoff.
Mirroring the exhausting length of their WrestleMania 21 battle, a weird weapons brawl bordering on banter wasn't what anybody would have predicted. When Hunter subverted expectations in this way against Sting in 2015, at least D-Generation X and the New World Order could get involved.
An awkward Ric Flair walk-on didn't pack half the punch at the 24-minute mark, with the only significant reaction during the whole match coming from Big Dave himself when the pair worked a spot around Hunter pulling out his nose ring.
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
