Triple H was the Hart/Michaels placeholder in between Rock and Austin's exit and the emergence of John Cena and Dave Batista. He wasn't half the wrestler either of them were, but had twice as many matches and segments to try and pretend he was. It was during this time that the product was as detached with its core audience as it arguably is now.
The 2002-2005 period in which 'The Game' stewarded Monday Night Raw with teeth-gnashing familiarity sent fans fans racing for a resurgent UFC, but Hunter's status as the show's top heel was the company's (and his own personal) justification for the malaise.
'The Champ' and 'The Animal' were unspoken saviours. 'The Game' hung around at the top of the card but never with such oppressive dominance, and the organisation rebuilt itself in the image of both. Batista even called attention to this in his last full time programme with WWE in 2011 - a side-by-side with Cena that saw him shunted into second place against his will. Even he was no match for 'Big Match John'. Just like Braun Strowman - as was frustratingly evidenced on Monday Night Raw - is no match for Roman Reigns.
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
