Diversity is everything and both WWE and AEW have an abundance of talents of different ages and experience, but look closest to those in the seats of power. Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard booked much of the stuff Tony Khan and The Elite might have enjoyed 20 years ago, but that mixed with all their divergent pro wrestling inspirations has informed AEW's most obvious realisation - what fits now is just a contemporary version of what always did.
McMahon was a bit of an a*sehole to call them his roster millennials with such disdain in his infamous 2014 podcast interview with Steve Austin, not least because he's the reason for them putting up with so much sh*t. They grew up watching the worst excesses of his character (a character he tried to kill multiple times because he knew it was passé), and are now left to work for a man that's lost somewhere between reality and that warped fantasy.
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
