The beginnings of the storyline were all too familiar for WWE - Wrestler A is an abject f*cking loser. Like 95% of all storylines underneath whatever Roman Reigns happens to be up to that week, the angle kicked off with Matt Hardy becoming just one of the forgotten rank-and-file on Monday Night Raw. Following an aforementioned white hot start, the North Carolinian had cooled after his brother went on the injured list following a pleasing feud with Sheamus and Cesaro. Matt was a floater on the show without him - that is to say, a turd in the toilet that is the red brand.
His losses were at least part of a bigger picture. Hardy had gently fostered the "DELETE" chants since his return, and steered into them as he appeared to gradually morph back into the persona that propelled him back to the forefront of the wrestling zeitgeist. Everything was finally returning to how it needed to be. Hardy's eyes were widening, audience anticipation was building and ordinarily critical observers were laughing as loudly as Matt in the gimmick himself.
Laughing, they were. Laughing. It was the best foreshadowing WWE had done in years.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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
