Reports have contradicted one another about exactly who was at the heart of the decision to turn Becky Lynch heel upon her return to WWE at SummerSlam 2021.
By December, that question was replaced by a far simpler one - why have WWE persisted with it?
Becky Lynch might be a better promo now than she was during the electrifying rise of 'The Man' in 2018, but the differences between the end destinations are stark. Then, she was assembling a star-making run with tangible friction and frisson. Now, she's adept in elite-tier turd-polishing in front of crowds that cheer the lines she's teed up for boos.
Her in-ring's the best it's ever been too. Elegant, thoughtful and artistic, she's proffering some strong stuff, against the backdrop of a permanently weak bigger picture.
A welcome return to the shows, it'd be nice if she was permitted to simply give punters what they want, as well as what they need.
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.
