The REAL Reason Daniel Bryan Just Won The WWE Title

Saying "YES!" to the Madness Of King Vince.

Daniel Bryan AJ Styles
WWE.com

Tackled magnificently in this article and this video, WhatCulture Great Men™ Michael Sidgwick and Adam Nicholas recently confirmed the official beginning of The Banter Era in WWE.

For those unfamiliar with the terminology, a “banter era” entered common usage on social media as fans of sporting or entertainment enterprises chronicled a series of moments and missteps that threw away the logic, cohesion and consistency that may have existed in more successful times. The basic rationale being that it was better to laugh at the chaos than cry.

Better p*ss yourself laughing at Shane McMahon running around with an ill-gotten trophy that p*ss and moan online, right? Better marvel at the sheer audacity of WWE’s decision to sneak Hulk Hogan onto the Crown Jewel card than recoil again in horror at the comments that got him booted out of WWE’s Hall Of Fame in the first place, right? Better to just accept that such a show could even take place than protest the ethical and socio-political nightmares at play, right?

Well, no. Wrong. But sheer madness awaits if you try and expect something different from a company no longer (or not currently, at least) capable of doing things the sound-minded way. Only by steering into the insanity can you stay sane.

Much like how The Attitude Era began with Stone Cold Steve Austin bleeding all over the WrestleMania 13 canvas rather than Vince McMahon’s formal television address the following December, The Banter Era crept above the surface one year before its official Crown Jewel coronation and SmackDown Live confirmation.

AJ Styles was involved then, too...

CONT'D...

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Contributor
Contributor

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 over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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