Dawn

The injury bug really is biting this save a ton huh. Surprising as I'm usually relatively lucky on that end even on highest frequency. Love repurposing Xplosion as a Knockouts show, by the way.

Hell yes, feed me more 90s WWF/WCW diaries!

Did you mean Aces n' Eights? That was actually a really good storyline up until the reveals started happening and it was one underwhelming reveal after the other.

HHH Jeff Jarrett Jake Roberts & Mark Henry Owen Hart & British Bulldog Sycho Sid Steve Austin

Some do, others are that broken page icon with just the image's url by its side.

Very enjoyable show to read that popped me for the ending with Beer Money. A shame the forum flubbed up your images 😭

DDP Four Horsemen La Cultura Torcida Misawa Rick Rude Sting

??? Joe Hendry MK Ultra Mike Bailey ABC Chris Sabin ??? Jordynne Grace Killer Elite Squad Moose Sure, Grizzled Young Veterans Tenille Dashwood

Sami & KO Asuka Rhea, Ronda & Shayna Ilja Dragunov Gunther Cody Rhodes by DQ LA Knight Karrion Kross

Sting Rick Rude Dustin & Ricky Brian Pillman Cactus Jack The Rock 'n' Roll Express Larry Zbyszko Johnny B. Badd & Steiners

2 Cold Scorpio & Rocky Maivia Smoking Gunns Faarooq Owen Hart Undertaker, Warrior & ???

Hollywood Hogan Eddie Guerrero Faces of Fear Wrath DDP Outsiders Brian Pillman Lex Luger Regal

Wait...did I miss something? People went from predicting a card to predicting another and I was bamboozled along

Randy Savage Dean Malenko Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman Lex Luger Hull Kogan

My interest is certainly peaked, I love diaries from this era! Hope the multitasking doesn't turn into too much of a hassle. I'll be reading!

Yeah? Would you then not complain it's taking forever for that match to happen? Like everyone was doing during Bray Wyatt's return and feud with LA Knight. That setup took three months. What would you have Cody and Nakamura doing until the blowoff match? Let's go with your suggestion then, plus let's be generous and assume they'd save it until the go home Raw before the Rumble. How are you filling two months of television for a feud supposed to elevate both men before the Rumble without more than one 1v1 (AND after Nakamura just lost his feud to Rollins, which means he NEEDS to be established as a threat specifically TO CODY)? Is really a month fewer than Bray v Knight's setup going to spare this program of complaints? And what would it be until then? Infinite brawls? Infinite tag team matches? Please, I opened up that discussion hoping that you'd reply in kind and let us know of ANY solution you'd like to the DQ ''problem''. Shout out to guyver for actually making the research. ONE DQ in an entire month of television (the one I've been addressing this whole time, even) is nothing at all.

Glad we're just ignoring all the well thought out counters and are back to things bad just because.

Warrior by DQ Steiner Bros Luger & Windham Ric Flair Hogan, Duggan, Savage & Sting

Ok...if he doesn't put on these storyline matches on TV to set up the future rubber matches, then you'd complain that the shows are filled with boring and meaningless matches instead. I know I would much rather watch a Cody/Nakamura 20 minute banger that ends inconclusively to continue their feud rather than 10 conclusive but meaningless squash matches for the main eventers over the hapless midcard like it used to be under Vince. Show of hands from when the Intercontinental Champion was jobbing every week on Raw? When the same matches were happening week to week and 50/50 booking that got no one over? I get the complaint but it's not like you or anyone who dislikes this trope is providing a viable solution. Let me use the Cody/Nakamura feud as an example since it was the most recent time this happened. 1. If they don't do the first match on TV that ends in a DQ to set up the future ones and instead store that initial match for later, people complain that the program is taking way too long to actually go somewhere (see Bray Wyatt v LA Knight, Dexter Lumis v Miz) 2. If they do the first match on TV and Cody wins conclusively, the whole storyline loses its point. Cody has no reason to want to beat Nakamura anymore even if he continues to be tormented. People complain the story is now pointless and just treading water or that the heel looked too weak far too soon. 3. If they do the first match on TV and Nakamura wins conclusively, Cody looks weak on the RTWM which nobody wants nor needs and now Nakamura has no reason to continue going after Cody. If Cody is the one to chase Nakamura after this, he just looks like a sore loser. 4. This is going to be the toughest and longest one to counter since they did it pretty well with the Brock program. But Brock is a whole different beast with an untouchable aura. If they do the first match on TV and Cody wins on a fluke like he did with Brock, it just isn't the same as that situation. Cody HAD to beat Brock in a more flukey way by using his wits on their first go around because he had just gone through the worst loss of his career and Brock was overwhelming him. But this would not fit with Nakamura because of a number of reasons. Brock is already built in as a threat no matter what, whereas you have to build Nakamura as an Avengers level threat for Cody to overcome before finishing the story. You can't do that by having Cody already win the first match decisively or by making Nakamura look like a fool (because he isn't a monster you HAVE to resort to dirty tricks in order to beat sometimes in which crowds will understand why the babyface did such a thing such as with Cody himself and Eddie Guerrero did that with Brock) which would then turn into the complaints. ''Why did they shove Nakamura into this program just for Cody to beat him right away'' yadda yadda. 5. And if Nakamura wins their first match on TV cheaply, it misses all the points. The complaints become, why is Cody such a dumb babyface so close to WrestleMania. Lastly let's talk about what they did do, which was have Nakamura get himself disqualified and brutalize Cody because the point of challenging him for that first match was exactly that. To catch Cody off guard and show him what he's dealing with and that he is a danger to Cody finishing his story. If the two cross paths at the Royal Rumble, this will now be an incredibly heated showdown instead of just random punch and kick trading. ''Oh but they could have achieved that with a brawl'' then I go back to point #1 where people would complain that they're not having an actual match... This way: 1. Nakamura's endgame is shown and he looks like a threat & a wily heel. 2. Cody has an actual reason to keep going after Nakamura and the eventual match where he will win cleanly. 3. They both have had a match that heats up the program and neither looked weak in the process. 4. They add pizzazz to the Rumble. 5. They even add in a little overness sprinkle to the Creed Brothers! Cody doesn't look like a dumb babyface who doesn't have any friends, Nakamura looks relentless in his pursuit as he keeps returning to attack Cody even when others are trying to repel him. I'd argue this made them both look stronger than either of them winning the match conclusively would have. The point is, I feel people will complain no matter what they try to do. Obviously not every feud where their TV matches end on a DQ are one and the same but simply complaining that this happens is way too insufficient. You have to look into the context. Surely there are times when it's just pointless and done to drag things along but generalizing ''DQ finishes bad'' is not it either. Would you really rather Cody and Nakamura squash midcarders every week en route to the Royal Rumble while their program loses steam because they've never had a match in about 2 months? Or endless tag team matches that don't really solve their individual issue with one another? This is not a dream match situation/Mania main event level feud that can be afforded the months long slow burn before they ever meet in the ring for the first time. Maybe it would have been if Nakamura had been built strongly for actual YEARS and not just recently but that's not the point. Anyway. I think Triple H has hit a fine enough balance where his match booking doesn't really bother me. They're all usually wrestled really well since they're given ample time, stories are told in each of them (rather than just random match combinations) and he's got me hooked on what's coming next. He's not perfect, obviously. Judgment Day opening Raw every week and doing basically the same promo WAS a trend I got tired of. Among a few other things. But he is a far, far cry from the days of Vince. Positively so.

I'd assume AJ puts LA Knight over before Mania and the plan is for LA to beat Logan Paul for the US title there, that feud has been set up since Money in the Bank.

Sami Zayn Shinsuke Nakamura Ronda & Shayna

Gotta admit that did get a chuckle out of me. Hunter's mind has definitely evolved from who he was in the reign of terror.

It's been forever. Maybe because Triple H actually knows how to book them without their only predominant trait being that they smile and kiss babies.

Steve Austin Scott Steiner Debut Sting Alex Wright Brian Pillman

yeah TEW is quite weird in translating the individual performances to the match ratings, I don't get it at all myself.