Downward Spiral

I absolutely agree on the Diana having a bit of a 'marmite' voice. I think she's far and away the runaway favourite so I'm fully braced for her being all over the place when the competition ends. I do think there are technical aspects of her performances which could be worked upon outside of her voice, though.

JLS certainly aren't offering anything new, I agree. They're pleasant enough for this stage, but I don't think they'll win it. It's much easier for an audience to connect with 1 person than 4. Additionally, I think there's an awareness that that style of group is now becoming slightly outmoded in terms of the pop market. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make the penultimate week.

How dare you insult my Irish homie!

Has Edinburgh moved?

And let's face it. He is dire.

I, sir, do not concur [/rhyming couplet]

I can't believe Austin is out this early on. I never really rated him, and his performance of Wishing on a Star was bordering on anaemic. Still, he was probably considered a front-runner and I think it's shaken a few things up.

Why the hell is Eoghan still there? If he makes the final I may weep. Ditto for Daniel,although to be honest, vocally, he wasn't that bad this week.

Am I just flat out missing something with Diana. Yes she's different and has a quirky voice, but it's the kind of voice that makes me want to tear my ears off with my bare hands. Her performance of 'Call Me' was absolutely shocking. There was no diction which meant you couldn't hear a single lyric and there was minimal attempt at choreography. I don't by the 'oh disco doesn't suit her argument'. It very rarely suits anyone, it's an outdated genre (arguably) but most of the other contestants gave a good stab at it. I know she's the runaway favourite, but I can't help feeling that the novelty is going to wear off soon.

Ruth still owns. Probably her worst vocal performance thus far but was carried through by her ability to attack the song and the performance ticked all the right boxes, vocals aside.

Alexandra I thought was disappointing and I thought she might be in trouble, actually. There were a few times her vocals seemed a little flat and the song suffered for it. I also hate Donna Summer which didn't endear her to me, although that's not her fault.

Rachel's version of No More Drama was pretty shocking, although I liked the aggressive tone she put into the song. Certainly deserved to stay over Austin.

By far, for me the standout performance of the night was JLS. I liked the comparatively stripped down routine which let their vocals shine through. I really like Astin as the lead, actually, maybe something they consider on a more permanent basis.

All in all, I was shocked at the bottom two. I thought there were worse performances that Rachel's and Austin's but ultimately I'm not sad to see him go. A bit of an unremarkable week this week, but I'm worryingly enthusiastic about Mariah week. People like Ruth and Laura I think are really going to shine. Furthermore, Diana will have to tread a fine line between placing her own stamp on the song she's given and ruining it.

Alright, Avenged and I have spoken and come to the conclusion that this just isn't going to be possible this week for various reasons. Initially, I was going to pull out completely and let the thing die, but with an extended deadline, I'm hoping I'll get my creative mojo back and some time on my hands to commit with this. Therefore, I'm laying this thing open to someone else to come in and take Avenged's place. If a deadline for midnight next Sunday GMT could be set, I'd be more than happy to give this a go and see this thing through.

If anyone's concerned about me having more time to work on this than someone just starting out, don't worry. I've barely had a moment to even think about it so I'm at no advantage.

One final thing, I think if this was a ranked battle, it'd give me a much greater incentive to work hard towards it. Starr, is that OK?

So... bring it on, I guess :-)

For me, it has to be the Mordecai rules, if you're OK to go with that. Love me some Fertig. If you have a really strong preference for one of the other two though, let me know and I'll be open to negotiation.

As far as a deadline goes, a week from today should be fine for me to get this up. Shall we say a deadline of midnigh, a week from today?

I'll take you on if you'd like Avenged. Bit of a busy time at work so I'd appreciate something to work on in downtime. Similarly up for something relatively modern WWE.

Definitely agree it's Daniel's time to go. For my money, his voice wasn't strong enough to get through to the next round, but I suppose male vocalists in that category were a bit thin on the ground.

I do think Rachel is possibly living on borrowed time too, which is possibly a shame although the live shows are showing up some of her flaws as a performer.

As for potential winners, Ruth's performance of Purple Rain I think will certainly get her noticed (and rightly so) but unless some sort of hype machine gets going she just won't build up the support to make it to the final. I like Laura White and Alexandra at this stage along with JLS but for some reason Diana is getting all the plaudits. Am I the only one that just doesn't get it with her? This 'waify' approach to everything drives me mad at the best of times and I can't help thinking this schtick is going to get old and start backfiring on her soon.

If Ruth is voted out next week, I will riot.

I don't care, we just need less of the current Simon Amstell rambles on taking the piss for 20 minutes of a half hour show. I know it's only loosely a quiz show at the best of times, but taking 12 minutes out of a half hour just to get to the second question of the first round is ridiculous.

I wouldn't mind so much if he was actually being funny, rather than trying to be daring and getting a rise out of the guests.

I have to completely disagree with you on that one. Amstell rambling on is by far and away my favourite part of the show. I've just watched the most recent one and I nearly pissed myself laughing during the Nick Grimshaw celebrity bit.

I thought it was a great show. I'd be very surprised if this turns out to be the last series. IMO Amstell is a fantastic host and has made what once was a tired format extremely funny and rejuvenated.

I'm seeing him later next month when he comes to Oxford. I can't wait. If it has half the magic that Monster did I'll be happy. Let me know how it goes fsf

Well, I have to say, both entries provided a fascinating read telling a great story with two completely different time periods and contexts for their matches. My vote ultimately went for entry 1, but only after much soul-searching. Entry 2 was a well put-together narrative and I loved Terry Funk trying to tear apart the New World Order. Nash going after Bret's leg was also an interesting touch and I really like how you kept selling the leg to the very end. My only problem was the ending. Both had real screwjob elements to them but the Diesel/Taker confrontation had much more impact for me than the NWO clusterfuck. The switching of the title made the whole thing extraneous to Nash/Bret and became a wider story about the breakdown of the nWo. By the time the power balance was brought about again at the end, there was already too much going on to really care. It was a really effective ending, please don't get me wrong, but it just wasn't to my personal taste.

Entry 1 I thought told a really great old school story and made the cage match seem like a big deal. I loved the appearance of the Undertaker at the end and how his interference cost Diesel the title as he cost the Undertaker the belt at the Rumble. I loved the battles on top of the cage and the tease of the big time Jacknife which, at that time when High Spots in the WWF were virtually unheard of, would have had everyone's heart in their mouth.

As I said, both entries were fantastic and this is going to be such a close battle. In the end, my vote goes to entry 1 but in any other battle, number 2 would certainly have picked up the vote.

Thanks for a really entertaining read!

It's all about Ruth Lorenzo and/or Rachel.

Sonic and Dr Robotnik (Dr Eggman? Fuck right off). Seriously. Rebellion against the creator. Robotnik trying to destroy what is undoubtedly his finest creation. The whole thing was genius... Well... until the later games. Which stretch things a bit.

Close second. Yuna vs Seymore in FFX. Good God how I wanted Seymour to fuck the hell off.

I have to say, Man Behind the Mask was the absolute deserved winner in this one, a fantastic and unique entry drawing on two of the domes most well-known and well-loved diaries. A hearty congratulations to you sir.

To defend my entry, the date of the War Games was significant. This was the date on which Mankind was destroyed by HHH with a chair, due to Foley's extensive knee injuries. That event heralded the completely unsung end of the Union. My aim was to give them an appropriate send-off, which presented me with a real problem. The pay per view beforehand, which would have been the appropriate place for the match to take place, just happened to be the infamous Over the Edge show, which I didn't think would fly. I'm very happy with where I came, especially because I knew that the decision to put it on Raw would turn quite a few people off, but I'm quite proud of the fact that I gave the Union a decent send-off.

Essa's WCW One Night Stand was a great concept and an extremely well-written match, but like some others, I would have serious reservations about the ability of the people involved to still be able to go in that match. That alongside the time distance from the event, prevented me getting into it.

Entry 4 suffered in my estimation by havin 2 WCW/NWO matches alongside one another. That said, a really nice feelgood ending.

Entry 5. I toyed with the idea of a TNA/WWE war games but I just couldn't find the quintessential team to represent each. That's where I think this one suffered. Where was Jarrett and/or AJ Styles. I got the champion vs champion thing but I think it lost its impact as a result.

Entry 6 was all kinds of fun and a fun well written match which would have nicely rounded off the Originals/New Breed feud. Just imaging the end where the originals went ape-shit with the hardware would have been an awesome spectacle.

That all said, I'm thrilled MBTM won, and congratulations to everyone on a great contest!

Count me in for this. Expect a novish-ish entry of law-to-middling quality from someone who has no familiarity whatsoever with War Games beyond Lethal Lockdown

Finally got the chance to get caught up with this after some time away. In the main I think things are progressing nicely, leadin up to a nice King of the Ring card. I also like the new layout you've got, although I think bolding the end of every paragraph is perhaps a little distracting. In addition, your news feeds are completely confusing me. I know they're meant to be dirtsheet pages essentially but it seems like every other week they're contradicting themselves. It's getting to be a little confusing, rather than making what does happen unpredictable. Aside from those two gripes, however, I'm finding that everything seems to be going quite well and I'm looking forward to seeing what you produce at KOTR

King of the Ring

Sunday 25th June 2000

Fleet Centre, Boston, Massachusetts

Prediction Time

WWF Championship – Steel Cage Match

Mankind © vs. The Rock ©

I think it's time that The Rock finally took the title and let Mick finally retire. I expect some big bumps in this one and I really look forward to seeing how it pans out.

Number #1 Contender

“The Game” Triple H w/Stephanie McMahon vs. “The Big Red Machine” Kane

The poem has been accompanying Kane's matches as of late it seems, and I think this wil be the match when the deadman makes his return, causing some chaos among D-X.

King of the Ring Finals

(Test vs. Eddie Guerrero) vs. (Kurt Angle vs. Val Venis)

Winners of first matches: Test and Kurt Angle

Overall winner: Kurt Angle

For me, this is a no-brainer. Angle needs to cap off a phenomenal debut year by taking KOTR. Test may be in line for a big push, but no way should he go over Angle for this one.

WWF Intercontinental Championship

“Y2J” Chris Jericho © vs. “The Crippler” Chris Benoit

Whilst I enjoyed the first steps inthis feud, I think it's about time it ended and both men moved on to other things. Honestly it's going to be hard to pick a winner I think but I'd like Jericho to prevail.

WWF Tag Team Championships

The Hardy Boys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) © vs. Legion of Doom (Animal & Hawk)

Heel run for the Hardys eh? Interesting decision, but not one that makes an awful lot f sense to me after their huge victory at Judgement day. I'd have prefereed it if you'd kept them face and built up an all-face match just for the atmosphere it would create. Since the Hardyz have just turned heel, they deserve to keep the belts.

Number #1 Contendership

The Dudley Boys (Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley) vs. Edge & Christian

Difficult one to call again, but I'm going with the Dudleyz, Edge and Christian could benefit a lot more from a programme with the LOD I feel.

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship

“The Grand Master” Brian Christopher © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty w/Rikishi

"The Grand Master" is going over here, enough said. For him to lose would be to completely undrmine his character and the huge (and quite frankly, highly unlikely victory) he pulled off against Kishi.

The Big Show vs. Albert

Go on, give Albert the rub, I dare you

WWF Hardcore Championship

Tazz © vs. Goldust

Something about Goldust a) beating Tazz and b) being Hardcore champion just seems to utterly wrong. Do it.

Plus, the return of The Undertaker... But which match will he get involved with? Triple H vs Kane

Good luck with writing the show and I look forward to seeing how it turns out. I think it's a shame you've not been getting much feedback as of late but it's good to see you're persevering nonetheless.

I've been meaning to get around to replying to this since you posted Judgement day. I think I got the vast majority of my predictions wrong which I'm not too upset about since it means your booking is keeping me guessing which can only be a good thing.

- Test going over I liked as I think now is a perfect time to begin pushing him so that he's out of the shadow of his corporation days. I particularly liked the fact he was in there against a whole host of ECW alumni at the end and the end of the friendship between Tazz and Stevie Richards was hinted at and done well. Plus, Test last eliminating Tazz to my mind gives him a huge rub and possibly sets up a nice mini-programme between the two in the future?

- Wow, Malenko was pretty dominant in that match there. And I have to say I liked it, it helps build Dean up and I don't think Scotty or X-Pac can bring the credibility to the title that Malenko can. Plus I've always seen X-Pac as more of a European or possibly Intercontinental title kind of guy so him not winning is a good thing IMO.

- So the Hardyz go through what, 7 teams? Sorry, I just don't buy it as that makes pretty much every other tag team in the WWF look weak IMO. I see what you were trying to do in building up the Hardyz as fighting champions but I think this is the wrong way to do it. For instance, Edge and Christian now look completely weak and if you gave them the next title shot, I really wouldn't give them a chance in hell at winning, and if they did, I just wouldn't buy their victory. To my mind your only option now is to have the Hardyz face a new team that wasn't in that match, or possibly one of the first eliminated, like the Dudleyz.

- Happy to see Eddie's reign continue and a nice ending to the match where Val believed he won it, setting up a nice feud in the process. If Lita doesn't end up becoming Eddie Guerrero's new Mamacita, I may not be too happy though!

- I suppose Jericho needed that win to get his heat back. I'd like to se both men go on to new things now, however.

- The fatal fourway was well thought out, I thought, although I was surprised to see a) HHH win it and b) Big Show get eliminated first. I like the fact that HHH didn't go over clean and it sets up a particularly star-studden KOTR main event which is always a good thing.

- I did not expect this to go to a draw but in the end it makes perfect sense. This allows Mankind's and The Rock's reign to continue building up their animosity, and when you put HHH into the ix, it gives you a fantstic new main event programme with three men who have great chemistry with one anothr and have issues going back over three years. Great decision and a well booked match with both men getting themselves disqualified and Mankind showing he's willing to do anything to destroy the Rock.

All in all a good show. I always feel that Judgement Day is a bit of a transitional show who's principal purpose is to build for the next PPV which at this time was the King of the Ring. This show did that perfectly and despite my gripes about Tag Team turmoil, I did enjoy reading this, and I thought your layout was perfect, clear and easy to read and follow. Well done.

Wow, PPV 2 already! I have to say the workrate you've put in has been fantastic thus far. Storylines have developed nicely and the show seems a lot more 'tight' if that makes sense? There's nothing really tangible that I can say to explain why that's the case, but it's just a feeling I get from it. Judgment Day is a very interesting card and could lead you in any one of a number of directions storyline wise. To that end, I really won't be surprised if I get next to none of these right!

WWF Championship Match

Mankind © vs. The Rock ©

Every time Foley and Rock hooked up IRL, it was always electric. With Mankind being somewhat unhinged on Smackdown, I see this one getting violent in a hurry which is definitely a good thing. I know Mankind got the better of the Rock on Smackdown, and usually that means the face will triumph, but I really want to see Mankind's reign extended. Difficult one to call, but I'm going for Foley.

#1 Conendership to the WWF Championship

No Disqualifications, Elimination Four Way Dance

Triple H vs. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle

If Mankind goes over, you need a face to challenge him, and I know you're a big fan of Kane so I could see you push him in this one. Of course, again thinking back to real life, this was the PPV the Undertaker re-debuted, wasn't it? Mayb the American Badass could be influential in the outcome of this one?

WWF Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

I have to say, I agree with Benoit, Jericho's just not getting the title. My reasoning is that he just doesn't need it. His charactr's been well established and he's already had a title reign. Benoit's only been in the company for 6 months and his crippler gimmick hasn't been explored to the full yet, I feel. This is the time to do it.

WWF European Championship Match

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Rikishi vs. Essa Rios vs. Val Venis w/Lita

I don't know why, but I really don't like the pairing of Val Venis and Lita. It's interesting but it just doesn't 'fit' in my eyes. I could see them being better as a heel couple, but equally I don't think that would work either, with Lita's gimmick and ring style being so innovative at that time, she couldn't help but be a face IMO. Having said that, you'e pushed them to the moon at the moment so I think it might continue. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Eddie steal it, however, and set up a one-on-one match later on.

WWF Tag Team Championships Gauntlet

Teams will draw numbers and enter

The Hardy Boys © vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boys vs. A.P.A. vs. Mean Street Posse vs. The Headbangers vs. Kai En Tai

Wow, you're really pushing the Tag Team division at the moment. Unless my memory fails me, this is the second multi-team title match in a row on your PPV's isn't it? While I see your intentions are to build up the competition in the division, I do feel that a two-team feud is needed just to keep things in check. In my eyes, a match where the Mean Street Posse could walk away with the tag titles devalues them, IMO. I know that's not your intention and your going for unpredictablilty but that's just my thoughts. I REALLY want E and C to take back the gold. After their first reign only lasted a month, I want to see them get the belts back and run with them.

WWF Light-Heavyweight Championship Match

Dean Malenko © vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. X-Pac

If my predictions thus far are correct, DX aren't going to have a very successful night. Make up for that by having X-Pac take the belt I think.

King of the Ring Tournament Spot

Pinfall or Submission Elimination

Viscera vs. Billy Gunn vs. Test w/Trish Stratus vs. Road Dogg vs. Al Snow vs. Tazz vs. Stevie Richards vs. Perry Saturn vs. Crash Holly vs. Bull Buchanan

Interesting way to build up the KOTR and I like it. Only gripe is how soon Billy Gunn's returned from his shoulder injury as this would mean he's only been gone 3 months. However, I'll cast that gripe aside and say that he really needs to eliminate Road Dogg to build up heat for a NAO feud, which just never happened in real life. I personally am going for Test, as I think a good showing in the KOTR would deservedly lift his stock.

PREDICTION CONTEST

Not quite sure of the prize. But there will be one. As for a tie-breaker, please add a guess for the buy-rate of the PPV. If there is a tie, the person closest to the real number will win. Okay? Thanks. And thanks in advance for any predictions.

Erm.... wild stab at 0.98.

Good luck with the show and I hope it all comes off well.

Just some quick thoughts with regards to the shows since Backlash.

- I have to concur with Baby Hewey about DiBiase. Even though in the game he's really charismatic, something about him doesn't fit. Had he become a Christian at this time? I just remember watching a shoot which bsically said he left the wrestling business because things were getting too smutty. Having said all that, I like what he's done so far so I'll see how it pans out.

- The co-champions business. Well, it seems a little odd tome because, as you say, the same schtick was done with Jericho and Chyna earlier in the year. I was going to suggest vacating the belt but that always cheapens it. I do look forward to a future Rock/Mankind match as the chemistry they had in the ring was unbelievable I thought.

- The midcard seems to be shaping up nicely, and the snippet about next year's wrestlemania about Benoit v Edge gives a nice indication of where you're taking things. In all seriousness though, if this diary continues, you'll have some serious work to build up Edge and Benoit to the level where they eclipse Rock, HHH, Austin and co.

- I really like the idea of a contender's heat to build up the lower midcard and it raises some interesting possibilities and gives Heat a more 'must watch' feel that it's lacked throughout much of its tenure. Oh and Chyna becoming one of the Godfather's ho's? In a completely platonic way I'd mark.

All in all, things seem to be progressing nicely keep it up and look forward to seeing the continuing build-up ot Judgment day.

Well, my predictions may have sucked, but meh, enjoyed reading nonetheless. I'm pleased the Radicalz were kept strong by winning everything, and I hope they get a good push. The Hardyz beating E and C is a major disappointment a month after E and C won the belts. That first reign helped E and C establish the characters that would go on to really help them make a name and it's been cut short. Interested to see how things shape up for Summerslam, however.

Man, Big Show has to be having some serious morale problems for jobbing out to Steph. I know it was through interference but, still. I hope Show recovers and receives somewhat of a push, perhaps setting up a match with Shane like IRL.

Where, by the way, is Test at the moment? I don't think he's been mentioned. I realise that's a random comment, but still!

Yeah, all in all a good show. Nice twist with the title and Rock and Mankind beating the hell out of one another is always worth seeing. Nice to see Goldust returning, although maybe beating up a member of the APA is a little too serious for him? Hoping for some good comedy segments with Goldy and I'm interested in seeing where you take him.

Good show and I look forward to see how things progress towards Judgment day.

FINAL CARD

Sunday 30th April 2000

WWF Championship Match

Kane vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Rock

The Rock, to me, is the only one in a real position to take the title. Angle, as I've said before, just isn't ready yet, although you have been building him up with interviews with JR etc. Kane. I mean, on Smackdown, Kane earned the shot by overcoming X-Pac and Road Dogg, and it's all coming off a little too midcard to be believable for me. It could be a surprise to see him take it but to me it would be without much build-up and a little too random. Plus, I think with Foley handing over the belt, having the Rock winhas more significance, and more of a chance for something shocking to happen (i.e. a turn of some description).

Triple H & Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley vs. The Big Show & Shane McMahon

Difficult to know really who's going to prevail in this one. Both have had their fair share of dominance over the past weeks. Gut instinct would say HHH and Steph get the win, but I'd like to see you try and elevate the Big Show a little more and get revenge for HHH knocking him out of the Backlash tournament.

WWF Intercontinental Championship

Ladder Match

Chris Benoit © vs. Chris Jericho

A potential for a really great match if their match at RR 2001 (I think?) is anything to go away. The adjusted countdown on Smackdown, reading Y2J '6days' I thought was a really nice touch. I'd love to see Jericho come through on this one, because I think after the absence you hyped it would make him look a little weak if he lost. Look forward to seeing which way you go, however.

WWF Tag Team Championships

Edge & Christian © vs. The Hardy Boys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy)

Quite simply, to lose the titles after a month, given that E and C are my favourite tag team possibly of all time, would be lame. Plus, given that Matt was made to look like a whiny little bitch on Smackdown asking for a fair fight, I would not be happy if the better team lost here.

WWF European Championship

Eddie Guerrero © vs. Albert w/Trish Stratus vs. Rikishi

If Benoit's losing the I/C title, then Guerrero needs to retain the European title. Slight reservations, ince you did mention that Eddie was getting a slight push, but I think this would be a good way of increasing the value of the title.

The A.P.A. (Bradshaw & Farooq) vs. The Dudley Boys (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley)

I have to say this a bit of a coin flipped, but I'm going with the Dudleyz. Thinking of the storylines going into WM, the Dudleyz were complaining about defending their titles in a match where D-Von's fear of heights would adversely affect them. Hence, they clearly need a win to get them back into contention and to earn the fair re-match. Clearly.

WWF Hardcore Championship

Bull Buchanan © vs. Tazz vs. The Big Boss Man

Otherwise the title change is meaningless. Having said that, this is the Hardcore title. What am I thinking? Still though, push Buchanan. I dare you

Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty & Grand Master Sexay) vs. Dean Malenko & Perry Saturn

If Saturn and Malenko go over, it would make your new Light Heavyweight champion look exceedingly weak IMO. The only way to rectify that would be to have Sexay turn on Scotty, but I think that storyline would benefit from further buildup. Difficult one to call though

Predictions are very welcome

I have to say your work-rate on this has been really impressive which shows you're into it. I've been reading and I have a couple of thoughts on what's happened so far.

- Mick Foley winning the belt at Mania, I wasn't too upset with it happening, but Mick immediately retiring straight afterwards with no-one coming out to bitch about it? That doesn't seem likely, especially from someone like HHH. HHH lost his title to a man who's career he had ended, surely he would have tried to make a parting shot on Mick himself?

- The double elimination tournament. Is this not a little bit overkill? It's a novel idea and that's always to be commended but EVERY single superstar now has to lose twice over the next few week's to Backlash. I hope you've planned this carefuly to limit the field or this will be a massive clusterfuck. So far I believe that only Big Show has been eliminated. Do tag team matches count? This seems very complicated and in many ways, too complex for the WWF to pull off at that time. Remember in 2000 the internet wasn't AS widespread as it was today. You would be alienating a hell of a lot of casual fans by featuring this very complex tournament on the show to my mind. Furthermore, if EVERY WWF superstar is in the tournament, where are the Divas. Or is it just assumed they don't count?

- Having said all of that, I feel your undercard is taking shape quite nicely. I like how you're capitalising on the oht tag division by continuing to have Hardyz Dudleys and E & C in everyone's business. I'm not against the APA being in there either. I also like the interaction between the Radicalz and Jericho. I'd quite like an angle where they try to recruit Jericho, since he was one of the first big names to jump ship and could have fit the group quite well. Regardless, a Benoit/Jericho feud has my interest. The only quible I have is that Kurt Angle seems to have forgave and forgot losing all his titles. I understand he wants to chase the WWF title but at this point I don't feel he was nearly ready to have that responsibility. Hotshotting the title onto Angle will not do your booking any favours IMO.

One thing which is also glaring out at me from your last show is the Women's match. Stephanie defends her title, so HHH comes out and helps her win. Fine. Is a SLEDGEHAMMER really necessary to accomplish that? It seems, along with a number of other things, overkill.

Please don't take these criticims too harshly, I'm just offering my opinion. To your credit, you've clearly been working hard on this so keep going and good luck with getting the Backlash card together.

Another good set of shows after the Rumble. I have to say one of my highlights of both Raw and Smackdown is your portrayal of Test. I love how Test is seemingly desperate to get his hands on Undertaker but in reality is too scared. As much s I would love Test to go over at NWO, it just isn't happening, unless your main event plans change drastically.

Other more general thoughts on the shows:

X-Pac getting a WWF title shot? Well... at least he didn't go over.

I can't help feeling you've spoiled the D-X storyline unnecessarily with your news from OVW. However, I think you've done that for a reason and I sense a swerve coming.

A bit disappointed to see yet another Edge and Stasiak match but ultimately it served its purpose to move Edge onto a new feud. I just wish it was with Angle or Jericho, but a feud with Storm could be mutually beneficial.

Speaking of Angle, a feud with RVD? Potential gold IMO. RVD was so hot around this time and it's a fantastic way to capitalise on that. With Austin and Kane bubbling up as a potential big feud also, things are looking really good I think.

Yeah, sorry these thoughts aren't very structured but these are the things that struck me most. I'm looking forward to seeing where everything goes into No Way Out and then onto 'Mania. Good work

Well that was certainly worth the wait! My overall impression was that was a solid show, possibly even surpassing Vengeance. I also like the fact that I think I got most of my predictions wrong. It shows you were able to surprise me and you've given yourself a number of great avenues to explore in the future.

- Key's open challenge was... well, it was. I like that you're having him squash guys. I can see Key retainnig to Wrestlemania where he's going to have a real challenge on his hands! More on that later.

- The Angle/Jericho match was comparatively well written I thought, and I think you made the right choice with Jericho going over. My only slight criticism is the believability of Jericho being able to hit the Lionsault when he was noticeable hobbling after the ankle lock. All in all though, it was a good match and a great storyline which has elevated both men well.

- I thought the backstage segment was good. My only qualm is that you could be building up Lawler and McMahon to be a real blood feud like Flair and Vince IRL. Lawler came out at Vengeance with a fair bit of vitriol against McMahon and he seems to have tailed that off a bit. Lawler's reminding me a bit of Teddy Long in this so far, not a bad thing but I'd like to see things escalate a bit.

- APA/Dudleyz, as I said, I felt apathetic about. Having said tha,t a good match, and possibly teasing some dissension between Faarooq and Bradshaw? Yes please.

- Gold. Absolutely Gold. Arquette in the Rumble. My statement still stands. If DDP doesn't get his hands on him I'm not going to be happy.

- Mero/Tajiri - solid stuff and Torrie finally turns heel. I hope you can elevate Tajiri away from this storyline as I think he deserves to go onto bigger and better things.

- Women's match for Raw, that's fine by me, I hope you can continue to elevate that division after Lance Storm overshadowed the match at Vengeance.

- I'm pleased that Stasiak's gone over to end this feud. But it's a bit bittersweet for me. Edge is the master of the ladder match to my mind (not Jeff Hardy, who I should point out, before this week's Raw, has won 1 ladder match in his entire career) so to see him lose was a bit unfortunate. It served its purpose though, and I like that it took 5 chair shots for Stasiak to keep him down. Edge can now move on, and a programme with Angle or Jericho would be perfect I reckon.

- Oh God no, not another D-X reunion? I don't really see the need for this, although I am aware that Trips is due to return so maybe this is the reason. I'll be interested to see what you do with it, but I'm not convinced thus far.

- The Rock wins the title. I'm OK with that. The Rock going through about 5 other guys to do it? Questionable. I can definitely see what you were trying to do, and you got Vince across as the egomaniacal and yet cowardly owner with the power here. I just feel that Bulldog in particularly could have deserved better. Overall though, I'm interested in what you'll do from here. You've got two months to build up a Rock/Undertaker feud. Something tells me there's a big swerve coming up because I just don't see that match clicking personally.

- Ah, now onto the Rumble. Rumbles are always great fun to book but a nightmare to read but I persevered. Nice continuity with Blackman coming out first. Waterman didn't last long did he? Although I think a programme with The Big Show could be a nice idea. And YES Arquette finally feels the bang. I still think it could have been a nice touch to have DDP absolutely beat the crap out of Arquette but the moment's passed, and I'm still pleased lol. A Kai-en-tai programme needs to happen. I'd love to see those guys on PPV at some point. A big break-up storyline could really elevate their profiles. I agree with 1PWCorino about Sabu's elimination, you could have had him just fly over the top rope himself because he's that crazy but nonetheless I'm pleased you've signed him. Him and Key or possibly RVD have a feud with their names on it I feel!

- Onto the final stages, Kane going out should be a shock to no-one. Number 30 is the unluckiest number to draw in the rumble and I'd like to see a programme between him and Austin go places. Test looks really strong in this rumble match and he doesn't lose anything by being eliminated by 'Taker. I' not sure about Taker winning the Rumble personally but I'm interested to see where you're going to go with it. As I've said. Trips is due to return. I see him taking someone's spot for the main event.

Good show overall, as I said. This diary's really coming along well and you've really settled into the flow of writing, anf your writing and booking have improved noticeably since the first few shows. Congratulations on a great show and can't wait to read the Road to Wrestlemania!