To be typecast is often viewed as a weakness in Hollywood, but it's an excellent way to set a scene or even an entire film without needing to lay too many narrative foundations. Paul Rudd is cinematic bliss for this reason. His personality radiates so powerfully that viewers want to support and nurture his characters. Such a performer is a gift to Vince McMahon - creating a universally beloved star is one of the hardest jobs in the industry but has repeatedly proven one of the most profitable done right.
Yet, just six months removed from a real life return about as cinematic as the company could muster, Daniel Bryan is now an also-ran. Fans back winners, and a return to full time work in WWE has reduced responses because Vince McMahon just can't see it. He's literally seen it before - he saw every single screen on Kevin Dunn's video wall as Bryan held both titles aloft at WrestleMania XXX when he got back from taking The Undertaker to the hospital, but conveniently forgot that sea of satisfaction when booking Bray Wyatt to dump him out of the Royal Rumble a few months later.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 almost 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 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL 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
