Thanks to the luxurious rehabilitation montages he was afforded following two harrowing quadricep injuries in 2001 and 2007, WWE fans became acutely aware of his iron will in a battle against his own body. As gruesome as his mid-match injuries were, his recoveries were almost as inspiring. His post-Crown Jewel bruising had everybody cringing, but his post-op picture was a reminder that his approach to returning to the ring is as robust the manner in which he books himself. (Spoiler: Triple H wins).
'The King Of Kings' hasn't had to fight for his throne for years, mainly because the one he has his eye on is already his when Vince McMahon finally shuffles off this mortal coil. He was lambasted for his political maneuverings as a full-time wrestler, but there's a tragic irony to how simple his final sideways step will eventually be. For years, Hunter made moves big and small to retain a position atop a company he was never really atop of.
Yet, crushing an entire company in 2000 was remarkably straightforward...
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
