7 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE Backstage (Oct 15)
2. "I'll Have An F-U, Please Bob"
WWE
In deciding that this inaugural casting of Backstage required a pro wrestling hook, WWE didn't actually fill viewers in on a number of potentially-excellent features that followed (more, pleasingly, on those later) nor the possibility of seeing Booker T give former TNA Tag Team Champion Adam 'Pacman' Jones a shoutout on FS1.
They promised, explicitly, repeatedly, a "blockbuster" trade.
With respect to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross and blah blah blah everybody knows that bit because Bliss and Cross are class and SmackDown is better for them, but the pointed nature of the promotion permitted viewers to think big. Champions-swapping-brands big. The Fiend being forced back to f*cking Raw to feud with Seth Rollins forever big. Liv Morgan going back to the "Land Of Opportunity" big.
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
