Taka Michinoku and Aguila weren't exactly built for Vince McMahon's 'Grandest Stage' but the Light Heavyweights maximised their 5:57 for the benefit of the awestruck Boston faithful bearing witness to their literal flights of fancy.
As Attitude Era cult favourite Papi Chulo and later Essa Rios, Aguila carved out a bizarrely successful career considering the relative obscurity of the proto-Cruiserweight Division, but his masked persona afforded him his biggest ever moment working for Vince McMahon against pet project Michinoku.
It was a frustratingly satisfying showcase. Devoid of storyline but heightened by high spots, Taka could have had one of these per month and got the belt over rather than "amaericanising" himself alongside Bradshaw and The Headbangers.
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
