There are two sides to the Roman Reigns: Universal Champion story, and it’s time for the positive one. Even with a few caveats, it's impossible not to acknowledge all that he does.
For better or worse, nobody could have done this job in WWE at the moment - or certainly nobody as well.
Reigns performs with such incredible menace that he goes some way to smashing the theory that weekly episodic monsters can’t really exist. He wrestles like a hybrid powerhouse but his aura is that of a seven foot super heavyweight. He doesn’t tolerate sh*t despite working in a universe smeared in it. He doesn't lose ever (not even when he could justify the odd one or two) in an organisation where even the winners are booked more to "steal" their successes than earn them.
He's a rule-proving exception that should in fact be the f*cking rule, but it's to his credit that he remains that way regardless. A WrestleMania crowning of a brand new star in his stead feels more mythical than topical, but that's not Reigns' problem.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he 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. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
