Here is some fun useless information here, I got curious and did research on it. This is the complete list, with a couple of asterisks. I didn’t include Royal Rumble matches, I didn’t include impromptu title matches (MITB Cash Ins and Hogan/Yokozuna), I didn’t include No Holds Barred because that’s not really a PPV but it was on the list anyways for some reason. This is also PPV/PLE only, no network specials, so no NXT. Enjoy!
John Cena - 68 Triple H - 64 The Undertaker - 63 Roman Reigns - 51 Randy Orton - 48 Shawn Michaels - 40 Stone Cold Steve Austin - 39 Brock Lesnar - 36 Seth Rollins - 33 The Rock - 32 Kane - 26 Edge - 23 Chris Jericho - 21 Batista - 21 Kurt Angle - 19 Hulk Hogan - 18 Bret Hart - 17 CM Punk - 17 Big Show - 15 Daniel Bryan - 15 Dean Ambrose - 14 AJ Styles - 14 Mick Foley - 13 Kevin Owens - 13 Diesel - 12 Sheamus - 12 Bray Wyatt - 12 Braun Strowman - 12 Drew McIntyre - 12 Booker T - 11 JBL - 11 The British Bulldog - 10 The Miz - 10 Sid - 9 Chris Benoit - 9 Goldberg - 9 Bobby Lashley - 9 Jeff Hardy - 8 Cody Rhodes - 8 Baron Corbin - 8 Sami Zayn - 8 Rey Mysterio - 7 Finn Bálor - 7 Samoa Joe - 7 Jey Uso - 7 Randy Savage - 6 Yokozuna - 6 Shane McMahon - 6 Rob Van Dam - 6 Dolph Ziggler - 6 The Ultimate Warrior - 5 R-Truth - 5 Wade Barrett - 5 Ryback - 5 Becky Lynch - 5
⬇️ FOUR OR LESS BELOW ⬇️
FOUR: Andre The Giant Bam Bam Bigelow Ted Dibiase Vince McMahon Eddie Guerrero John Morrison Alberto Del Rio Cesaro Charlotte Flair Shinsuke Nakamura Asuka Matt Riddle Jimmy Uso
THREE: Vader Owen Hart Bubba Ray Dudley D-Von Dudley Mark Henry Jinder Mahal Kofi Kingston Shayna Baszler Solo Sikoa
TWO: Roddy Piper Paul Orndorff King Kong Bundy One Man Gang Rick Rude Hercules Big Boss Man Haku Jim Neidhart Sgt. Slaughter Hawk Animal Lex Luger Ken Shamrock Rikishi Carlito Chris Masters Finlay Umaga The Great Khali Christian Rusev Sasha Banks Bobby Roode Ronda Rousey Lacey Evans Nia Jax Big E Austin Theory
ONE: Mr. T Junkyard Dog Don Muraco Ken Patera Butch Reed Koko B. Ware Hillbilly Jim Terry Taylor Brutus Beefcake Zeus Marty Jannetty Arn Anderson Bobby Heenan Tito Santana Rick Martel The Warlord Paul Roma General Adnan The Iron Sheik IRS Earthquake Typhoon Rick Steiner Scott Steiner Ludvig Borga Jacques Rougeau Crush Jerry Lawler Imposter Undertaker Lawrence Taylor Tatanka King Mabel Ahmed Johnson Faarooq Brian Pillman Terry Funk Savio Vega Road Dogg Billy Gunn Diamond Dallas Page Rhyno Paul Heyman Ric Flair Maven Gene Snitsky Tommy Dreamer The Sandman Kenny Johnny Mikey Mitch Test Hardcore Holly Mike Knox Ted Dibiase Jr David Otunga Heath Slater Justin Gabriel Michael Tarver Darren Young John Laurinaitis Erick Rowan Luke Harper Sting Elias Nikki Bella Ricochet Mustafa Ali Andrade Bayley Kairi Sane Natalya Liv Morgan Ruby Riott Sarah Logan Otis Aleister Black Carmella Dana Brooke Bianca Belair Madcap Moss Omos Logan Paul Ridge Holland Pete Dunne LA Knight Damian Priest Dominik Mysterio JD McDonagh Rhea Ripley

So my story idea is that VERY large oil deposits were discovered in several very urbanised and capital cities across the world in the mid 21st century, and so large oil companies bought up the area, infiltrated governments and slowly took over entire cities to regions to even smaller countries, becoming a Corporatocracies and very corrupt places. This leads to company takeover (sort of like the Outer Worlds Obsidian game) and several companies have united in an agreement to each take a section of the city (in this case London, now renamed city 14), over the big oil company holds most of the power. Due to this, England becomes a separate country, now simply Albion, while Wales, Scotland and Ireland and cut out of the Uk. The country becomes an exclusive exporter of oil and fossil fuels, and everything now runs entirely on oil. The Thames is completely uninhabitable, blackened by all the oil, and London is now separated by the river (which has several oil rigs on it) to the wealthy north and poorer yet more independent south. Now I don’t know if this lands under diesel punk or whatever, but I’m going for a very dirty, industrialised and polluted atmosphere. I have no clue how guns would operate in this timeline, so any comments, criticisms or help would be very appreciated! Thanks!

Apologies if this doesn’t quite fit this sub, but I’m not sure where else to post it.
Open the past few weeks I’ve been getting repeated calls from multiple 01204 numbers about diesel emissions claims. Now normally these kind of calls wouldn’t bother me, but these people have my full name and my vehicle details including registration number (as well as my mobile number) and so it seems there’s been a data leak of some sort. (I’m very careful about where I input my data.)
I’ve tried asking for their company details (they just repeat “we’re the diesel claims department” every time), for their privacy contact (no answer), to make a GDPR request (they ignore me), how they got my details (they just give some rubbish about a diesel claims database), and to be removed from their list (they say they will but then call back anyway). It’s always an 01204 number so I assume every call is from the same company.
I reported the initial calls to the ICO and will continue doing so.
Has anyone else had similar calls, or does anyone have any idea what the source of the data might be? Any suggestions as to other steps I can take?
I’m in England.

Leeds United 4 - 0 Norwich City

Leeds scorers: Ilia Gruev (7'), Joël Piroe (20'), Georginio Rutter (40'), Crysencio Summerville (68')
Aggregate score: Leeds United 4-0 Norwich City
Venue: Elland Road, Leeds, England
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Leeds United:

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Illan Meslier		Karl Darlow
Archie Gray		Liam Cooper	83'
Joe Rodon		Charlie Cresswell
Ethan Ampadu		Connor Roberts	74'
Junior Firpo		Jamie Shackleton
Glen Kamara		Jaidon Anthony	74'
Ilia Gruev	7' 54' 83'	Daniel James	69'
Wilfried Gnonto	69'	Joe Gelhardt
Georginio Rutter	40' 56' 74'	Mateo Joseph	74'
Crysencio Summerville	68' 74'
Joël Piroe	20' 74'

Manager: Daniel Farke (Germany)
Norwich City:

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Angus Gunn		George Long
Jack Stacey		Danny Batth
Shane Duffy		Jacob Sørensen	81'
Ben Gibson	63'	Kellen Fisher
Dimitrios Giannoulis	63'	Grant Hanley
Marcelino Núñez	6'	Sam McCallum	63'
Kenny McLean	90+1'	Borja Sainz	46'
Jonathan Rowe	37' 81'	Christian Fassnacht	63'
Gabriel Sara		Sydney van Hooijdonk	81'
Ashley Barnes	81'
Josh Sargent	46'

Manager: David Wagner (United States)
MATCH EVENTS
1': We're off!
4': Summerville gets the one-two and skips through the defense and fires but puts it high from wide.
6': Marcelino Núñez comes in late on Rodon, dangerous free kick coming
7': GOAL LEEDS!! They score the free kick! Ilia Gruev finds the gap at the near side! That's awful goalkeeping by Gunn who was hours late to jump.
20': GOAL LEEDS!! Gnonto fires a long forward pass to the far post, Gunn hesitates and doesn't get there, Joël Piroe heads it in!!
22': SAVE!! Ampadu misses on an interception, leaving Sargent one on one with Meslier but Meslier comes out quickly and smothers the chance!
35': A Gruev interception launches a Leeds attack, but Gnonto's low shot is easily saved.
37': Jonathan Rowe carded for diving
40': GOAL LEEDS!! Georginio Rutter smacks it in off the underside of the post!!
43': Another break by Leeds!! Gnonto is all alone! Oh but the shot is saved, another unimpressive finish by Gnonto.
45+2': Gunn dives to put away with a cross but gives it right to Gnonto! He tries to find room to shoot but he's blocked on the line by Giannoulis!
HT Leeds United 3-0 Norwich City [3-0 on agg.] Leeds are flying, and Norwich are likely flying home.
46': Norwich substitution: Borja Sainz on for Josh Sargent
46': We're back!
46': SAVE! Leeds nearly score a fourth goal just thirty seconds after the restart, but Gunn blocks the one-on-one chance from Piroe at close range.
51': Summerville's header skims over the top corner
51': Summerville cuts around the backline and fires from wide, blocked by Gunn at the near post.
54': Ilia Gruev with the tactical foul
56': Georginio Rutter lunges into Sainz
63': Norwich double sub: Sam McCallum and Christian Fassnacht on for Ben Gibson and Dimitrios Giannoulis
68': GOAL LEEDS!! Gnonto fires, again Gunn saves but again Gunn spills, it's comes over to Firpo who cuts it back to Crysencio Summerville who knocks it in easily! Gunn has been just awful.
69': Leeds substitution: Daniel James on for Wilfried Gnonto
74': Leeds triple sub: Connor Roberts, Jaidon Anthony and Mateo Joseph on for Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Joël Piroe
81': Norwich double sub: Sydney van Hooijdonk and Jacob Sørensen on for Ashley Barnes and Jonathan Rowe
83': Leeds substitution: Liam Cooper on for Ilia Gruev
90+1': Kenny McLean into the book for a bad challenge
FT Leeds United 4-0 Norwich City [4-0 on agg.] Demolition! The Canaries bow out pathetically and Leeds moves on to Wembley

Leeds United 4 - 0 Norwich City

Leeds scorers: Ilia Gruev (7'), Joël Piroe (20'), Georginio Rutter (40'), Crysencio Summerville (68')
Aggregate score: Leeds United 4-0 Norwich City
Venue: Elland Road, Leeds, England
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Leeds United:

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Illan Meslier		Karl Darlow
Archie Gray		Liam Cooper	83'
Joe Rodon		Charlie Cresswell
Ethan Ampadu		Connor Roberts	74'
Junior Firpo		Jamie Shackleton
Glen Kamara		Jaidon Anthony	74'
Ilia Gruev	7' 54' 83'	Daniel James	69'
Wilfried Gnonto	69'	Joe Gelhardt
Georginio Rutter	40' 56' 74'	Mateo Joseph	74'
Crysencio Summerville	68' 74'
Joël Piroe	20' 74'

Manager: Daniel Farke (Germany)
Norwich City:

Starting XI	Notes	Subs	Notes
Angus Gunn		George Long
Jack Stacey		Danny Batth
Shane Duffy		Jacob Sørensen	81'
Ben Gibson	63'	Kellen Fisher
Dimitrios Giannoulis	63'	Grant Hanley
Marcelino Núñez	6'	Sam McCallum	63'
Kenny McLean	90+1'	Borja Sainz	46'
Jonathan Rowe	37' 81'	Christian Fassnacht	63'
Gabriel Sara		Sydney van Hooijdonk	81'
Ashley Barnes	81'
Josh Sargent	46'

Manager: David Wagner (United States)
MATCH EVENTS
1': We're off!
4': Summerville gets the one-two and skips through the defense and fires but puts it high from wide.
6': Marcelino Núñez comes in late on Rodon, dangerous free kick coming
7': GOAL LEEDS!! They score the free kick! Ilia Gruev finds the gap at the near side! That's awful goalkeeping by Gunn who was hours late to jump.
20': GOAL LEEDS!! Gnonto fires a long forward pass to the far post, Gunn hesitates and doesn't get there, Joël Piroe heads it in!!
22': SAVE!! Ampadu misses on an interception, leaving Sargent one on one with Meslier but Meslier comes out quickly and smothers the chance!
35': A Gruev interception launches a Leeds attack, but Gnonto's low shot is easily saved.
37': Jonathan Rowe carded for diving
40': GOAL LEEDS!! Georginio Rutter smacks it in off the underside of the post!!
43': Another break by Leeds!! Gnonto is all alone! Oh but the shot is saved, another unimpressive finish by Gnonto.
45+2': Gunn dives to put away with a cross but gives it right to Gnonto! He tries to find room to shoot but he's blocked on the line by Giannoulis!
HT Leeds United 3-0 Norwich City [3-0 on agg.] Leeds are flying, and Norwich are likely flying home.
46': Norwich substitution: Borja Sainz on for Josh Sargent
46': We're back!
46': SAVE! Leeds nearly score a fourth goal just thirty seconds after the restart, but Gunn blocks the one-on-one chance from Piroe at close range.
51': Summerville's header skims over the top corner
51': Summerville cuts around the backline and fires from wide, blocked by Gunn at the near post.
54': Ilia Gruev with the tactical foul
56': Georginio Rutter lunges into Sainz
63': Norwich double sub: Sam McCallum and Christian Fassnacht on for Ben Gibson and Dimitrios Giannoulis
68': GOAL LEEDS!! Gnonto fires, again Gunn saves but again Gunn spills, it's comes over to Firpo who cuts it back to Crysencio Summerville who knocks it in easily! Gunn has been just awful.
69': Leeds substitution: Daniel James on for Wilfried Gnonto
74': Leeds triple sub: Connor Roberts, Jaidon Anthony and Mateo Joseph on for Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Joël Piroe
81': Norwich double sub: Sydney van Hooijdonk and Jacob Sørensen on for Ashley Barnes and Jonathan Rowe
83': Leeds substitution: Liam Cooper on for Ilia Gruev
90+1': Kenny McLean into the book for a bad challenge
FT Leeds United 4-0 Norwich City [4-0 on agg.] Demolition! The Canaries bow out pathetically and Leeds moves on to Wembley

Round 1, Pick 6 - Malik Nabers, WR, LSU:
NFL: Nabers possesses the competitive fire and instincts teams look for in an elite receiver. The LSU wideout is a big-time playmaker who can make the game easier for Daniel Jones with his route-running and yards-after-the-catch ability, turning short passes into big gains for Big Blue.
CBS Sports: A+. I love this pick for the Giants. It says they didn’t believe in the quarterbacks who were left and now they get a playmaker on the outside. This kid will be a star.
ESPN: It's hard to have complaints landing a receiver as explosive as Nabers, especially once it became evident that getting any of the top three quarterbacks (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye) wasn't possible. The Giants talked with New England on Thursday about pick No. 3 for Maye. But the decision was always in New England's hands. That was the problem with landing outside those top three picks. The Giants clearly weren't willing to settle for former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Follows the ‘Draft Day’ Day tradition, even this year.
Round 2, Pick 47 - Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota:
NFL: Nubin might lack a superpower as a prospect with no special trait, but he does a lot of things very well. He can be the Giants' post safety as an assignment-sound defender who will bring excellent intensity and commitment to the locker room.
CBS Sports: B-. Film is first-round caliber. Such a cerebral player with outstanding ball skills and solid range. Amazing ball skills. Will find the ball if it’s in his area. Best away from the line patrolling. Some stiffness as an athlete and not a true burner. Average testing numbers.
ESPN: A safety makes sense after the Giants allowed Xavier McKinney to walk this offseason. McKinney signed a massive deal with the Green Bay Packers. That left the Giants with Jason Pinnock and Dane Belton as the top two safeties on the depth chart. Nubin gives new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen an instinctive and versatile safety to work with. Nubin's pro comp is former Denver Broncos Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons. The Giants would certainly take that.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: If he didn’t get drafted he was going to start his sourdough era.
Round 3, Pick 70 - Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky:
NFL: Phillips had a few rough games last season, but he could develop into a useful piece in the Giants secondary, either as a nickel or an outside safety. His size and ball production are subpar, but his toughness and tackling skill(s) give him a solid floor.
CBS Sports: B-. Silky smooth inside-out CB. Serious juice in his lower half. Not incredibly long but perfect size to play at nickel in the NFL. Incredibly willing in run support but does miss plenty of tackles. Quicker than fast but certainly not slow. Wished there was more ball production in college. Chippy type.
ESPN: Another position of need receives a reinforcement. Phillips joins a group that only has last year's first-round pick, Deonte Banks, penciled in as a starter. This is a player whom some teams had a second-round grade on. Phillips is a smooth cover cornerback who plays with physicality, especially for his size. The Giants clearly came into this draft -- and Day 2 in particular -- looking to upgrade the secondary.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: He cannot bring himself to throw away his Transformers.
Round 4, Pick 107 - Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State:
NFL: Johnson opened eyes at the Senior Bowl, being featured more as a receiver there than he often was at Penn State. His long, athletic frame makes him something of a Logan Thomas-like prospect and a good understudy to Darren Waller -- if he plays this year.
CBS Sports: B+. Elite tester. Huge frame with intimidating length. Was low-volume option at Penn State but has the explosive chops to become a better receiver in the pros. Ironically not a great blocker despite his towering, filled-out body type. Has just enough short-area quickness to separate on occasion in the NFL. Easy drops on film but counters with contested catches.
ESPN: Johnson could help fill the void if Darren Waller elects to retire. He is still contemplating his future. The Giants have been operating as if Waller is not on the roster. Johnson adds the physically gifted pass-catching element they would need in their offense. He has the size and speed to be a major threat at the NFL level. Daboll could be asking for an immediate contribution from their newest tight end. It's also worth noting that Johnson is the third of the Giants' top four draft picks to have a pre-draft visit. That is important to this regime.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Is the nephew of Tom Kenny, voice of SpongeBob.
Round 5, Pick 166 - Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, Purdue:
NFL: A converted wideout, Tracy shifted to the backfield last year and did well with the opportunity, averaging a stout 6.3 yards per carry. If Malachi Corley is the Deebo Samuel Lite of this class, then Tracy is sort of the Corley Lite. I expect Tracy to be used extensively as a receiver out of the backfield.
CBS Sports: A. Former Iowa WR turned Purdue RB. Incredible bounce and agility to make defenders miss when they’re ready to make the tackle. Some breakaway speed too. Contact balance is good, not great. At times seems tentative hitting the hole but has the goods to make more than what’s blocked. Older prospect who’s new to the position.
ESPN: Tracy is a much-needed piece being added to the Giants' offensive backfield. New York had newly signed Devin Singletary backed up by Eric Gray and Gary Brightwell entering the draft. It's likely they would have taken Trey Benson two rounds earlier, had the Arizona Cardinals not taken him four spots ahead of the Giants. This gives Tracy a chance to make an immediate contribution, even if it's just as an option out of the backfield early in his career. He was a wide receiver up until last year, so there is room for growth despite already being 25 years old.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Plans to moonlight as the mascot at his Alma mater in the offseason.
Round 6, Pick 183 - Darius Muasau, LB, UCLA:
NFL: Muasau reminded me a bit of former Vikings LB Kentrell Brothers, a short but stout hitter and playmaker around the line of scrimmage whose coverage deficiencies are a bit worrisome.
CBS Sports: A-. No-hesitation off-ball LB with length deficiency. Quicker than fast but can get to the ball in a hurry because of his smarts. Unafraid to meet blockers in the hole and give them a jolt. Average ball skills and tackling soundness. Feels like someone who can outplay draft position.
ESPN: Muasau brings speed and youth to the linebacking corps. He's also likely an immediate special teams contributor. There is a connection with Muasau to the Giants. Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial coached Muasau as a freshman at Hawaii. This played a part in the Giants' comfort with their sixth and final pick of the draft.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Watches the 1986 Action/Thriller ‘The Delta Force’ on VHS every day.

Friday Night. flames
The show starts with the European championship opportunity tag team natch between Judgment day & The Blackpool Combat Club.
Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh) vs Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Charlie Dempsey)- if JD wins they get added in the European Championship match
The crowd cheers for both teams as they make their entrance. The match starts off with Dominik Mysterio & Charlie Dempsey. Dempsey immediately used his technical expertise against mysterio tripping him up and putting him in a headlock takedown. Holding him down there but Dom gets out of it and pushes Charlie into the ropes and leapfrogs over Charlie and then hits him with a beautiful dropkick taking Charlie down. Dominik starts getting aggressive and grounding and pounding on him for a little bit before picking Charlie back up and tries to Irish whip him into the corner but Charlie reverses it into a bridging hammer throw into the corner of the judgment day. JD tags in and faces off against Charlie Dempsey. JD strikes Charlie with a huge strike followed by another but Charlie strikes back with a huge palm strike and a nice chop but JD fights back they continue going back and forth for a couple minutes before JD Knocks Charlie loopy with a Headbutt. JD trys to drag JD to the corner but Charlie gets out with a big kick trying to get out crawling to tag in Claudio but JD grabs his leg but Charlie hits him with a back mule kick and gets the tag to Claudio. Claudio goes off immediately giving a huge European uppercut to JD and then a big punch knocking Dom off the Apron. Claudio picks up JD for the Ricola Bomb but JD punches him in the face and then reverses it into a hurricarana. Claudio gets caught in the corner JD starts to hit Claudio with kicks and elbows before Dominik gets back up and JD tags him in. JD hits a head butt on Claudio, slings him up with a Delvin slide like maneuver but Dominik catches him with a back suplex, taking down Claudio. Claudio getting back up but hit by a Superkick into the ropes and Dom clotheslines Claudio over the rope and runs off the ropes for a suicide dive but Charlie pulls Claudio aside and Dominik Mysterio lands head first on the edge of the announce table. Claudio gets back and looks to hit the ricola bomb on the announce table but JD takes out Claudio’s leg with a chop block and puts him on the announce table before Charlie hirs a German suplex but he lands on his feet and headbutts him hard. Jd wakes Dom up and tells him to go up top. JD holds Claudios Leg’s down and Dominik hits a frog splash off the top rope through the announce table. Jd throws Dominik into the ring and then Claudio into the ring. Dominik crawls to the cover 1…2…. CLAUDIO’s foot reached the rope. Dominik slowly gets up and sees Claudio grabbing the middle rope in position for a 619…. No caught by Claudio and drops him the ring for a swing… 1 2 3 4 5 6 JD then decides to get in the ring and jump Claudio taking out his knee. JD then holds Charlie off as Dominik rolls up Claudio 1…2…3
THE JUDGMENT DAY WINS!
Roman Reigns vs David Finlay- World Championship Quarterfinals
This is a tough challenge for David Finlay but David goes at it head on and starts charging at Roman immediately spearing him in the corner over and over again. But Roman fights back and spears David in the corner with multiple shoulder thrusts. Roman then picks David up and starts berating him before picking him for a powerbomb that David reverses or a sunset flip roll up 1… kickout by Roman quickly. Roman gets up looking at David angrily. David slaps Roman in the face trying to get in Roman’s head. Roman pissed starts throwing multiple shots over and over again pissed off. Roman gets cocky and mocks David and start grounding and pounding him but David catches him and rolls him up again 1…2 kickout David starts feeling himself and starts fighting back with strikes and kicks finally knocking Roman down with a dropkick. David Finlay picks himf got a suplex for a quick cover but Roman picks out at 2. David goes to the ropes and hits Roman with a clothesline but Roman reverses hit a clothesline followed by another one and then a leaning clothesline. Going to the corner calls for a Superman punch. Runs at him and hits him with a Superman punch. Roman goes to the corner again “OOOOOOAHHHHHH” SPEARRRR NO a knee to the face. Off the ropes Roman goes for the spear again but David Finlay pushes Roman to the side runs to the other side of the ring and runs at him to hit a spear of his own. David Finlay picks up Roman hits then Trash panda for the cover 1….2… ROMAN KICKS OUT. David picks him over for a suplex…. THE OVERKILL 1…2…3
DAVID FINLAY WINS
Jamie Hayter vs Dakota Kai- women’s championship quarterfinal
This match starts off with a back and forth between 2 great strikers in the women’s division. They both get the upper hand through this match. At the end of the match Dakota Kai catches Hayter with a pump kick that knocks her loopy. Dakota then goes off the rope for the kairopractor but Jamie rolls out of the ring before Kai can get the pin. Dakota goes outside and brings Hayter back in. Dakota looks for another kairopractor but Hayter capitalizes and hits her with a huge lariat flipping her upside down both are down but Hayter gets back up and reversed a kick by Kai and grabs her for the HAYTERADE. 1….2….3
JAMIE HAYTER WINS
Bullet Club Wardogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) vs GYV (Zack Gibson & James Drake)- tag team championship tournament quarterfinals
The Bullet Club looks to get farther in another tournament against GYV legends here in England. James Drake and Drilla Moloney start the match. They lock up but Drilla just kicks James in the gut. Drilla then starts immediately trying to beat down James and starts throwing punches and kicks to the head of James. Drilla then picks up James and hits a suplex for a quick pin 1…2 kickout. Drilla goes to the ropes and looks for a big boot but James ducks it and tags in Zack. Zack springboards into the ring clothesline to Drilla. Then takes out clark off the ropes. Drilla rolls Zack up 1… kickout by Zack Drilla then locks Zack in a headlock but Zack reverses and hits a dropkick on Drilla. Zack gets good offense on Drilla before clark gets the tag. The continue both teams getting the upper hand against each other and Drilla is in the ring with Young Vets at ringside Drilla hits a suicide dive heat seeking dropkick on both throwing James back in the ring. Drilla looks for the Drilla Killa but James reverses it and picks him up for a spinning tombstone but Zack comes out of nowhere and hits the code breaker hitting the TICKET TO MAYHEM. Zack then jumps out the ring on Clark taking Clark out. The cover by James 1…2…3
Grizzled young veterans win
Guilia vs Mandy rose- women’s championship quarterfinal
I don’t know enough about Guilia so I’m not gonna fully book this match but I’ll give the ending
At the end, Mandy went for the bicycle knee but Guilia moved out the way and Guilia picked her up in a tombstone position and hit her with the Glorious driver to win:
Guilia wins
Adam Page vs Bryan Danielson- World Championship Quarterfinals
The match starts off with Adam Page and Bryan Danielson staring down. They offer a sign of respect in a handshake but then Bryan locks up and picks up Adam’s leg and dragon screws Adam and takes him down and starts stomping on his leg aggressively before dropping a knee drop on his leg. Bryan then continues targeting the leg and puts him in a leg lock but Adam page gets out of it and punches his way out. Adam grabs danielson and hits him with a huge punch and an elbow striking Bryan with multiple strikes before throwing danielson into the ropes but danielson hits a running elbow to the face knocking Adam out of the ring. Bryan runs off the ropes and hits Adam with a suicide dive followed by a second one and goes for a third one but Adam catches him and slams him back first into the apron. Going to the second turnbuckle and backflips into Bryan for a Moonsault going back to the ring and goes for the Buckshot lariat 1…2… DANIELSON KICKS OUT.! Adam page continues fighting back and looks for a dead eye but Danielson reverses into a sunset roll up 1…2. Kick Out but Danielson grabs his arms and starts stomping Adam’s chest violently but Adam uses his strength to hold danielson’s body up and Monkey flips him off. Adam hits a huge elbow to the face of danielson when danielson bounces off the rope Adam hits a discus clothesline putting danielson into the corner and on the top turnbuckle and goes for the Moonsault fallaway slam but Danielson reversed it and hit a top rope DDT. Holy shit what a reversal by danielson. Danielson goes to the corner lines Hangman up… THE BUSAIKU KNEE. 1…2… HANGMAN KICKSOUT. Danielson then repeatedly stomps on the chest of hangman before turning it to a hammer and anvil elbows repeatedly then locks him into the Lebell Lock and Hangman passes out.
DANIELSON ADVANCES
Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) vs Subculture (Mark Andrew & Flash Morgan Webster)- tag team championship quarterfinals
2 of the most well known Tag Teams in the UK. Tyler Bate & Mark Andrew start the match as the crowd cheers for 2 as they soak it in. Tyler Bate locks up with Mark and pushes him to the corner and overpowers him. They lock up again but Baye pushes Andrews again. This time Andrews gets upset and charges at Bate with a double leg takedown and starts pounding at him on the ground but Bate wraps his legs around Andrews and turns Andrews over into a sleeper but Andrews fights out after a while reaching out and snapmaring Bate off of him and hits a running basement dropkick. Andrews gets the tag to Webster and grabs Bate to a wrist lock and hits a double stomp arm breaker on Bate. Webster tries to continue the assault but Tyler gets back it with a running wheel kick. Bate exhausted from the assaults and eventually gets the tag to Trent and Trent lariats Webster immediately and then takes out Andrews. picks up Webster but Webster catches him and reverses it to a roll up sunset flip 1..2.. Seven kicks out and and reverses it to a deadlift powerbomb and starts getting aggressive. The 2 teams continue to have a back and forth. until Bate is legal against Webster and bate goes for the rebound lariat but Webster catches him with a huge knee strike. Webster tags in Andrews. A inverted frankensteiner by Andrews assisted from Webster by a huge knee strike for the cover 1….2…3
SUBCULTURE WINS!
Xia Brookside vs Tiffany Stratton- women’s championship quarterfinals
2 of the youngest stars in the women’s divisions are going at it to advance in the Women’s Championship tournament. The match starts off and xia and Tiffany circling around the ring before locking up and they wrestle around the ring for a little while but Tiffany grabs her arm and kicks her in the knee before hitting an arm breaker against the mat. Tiffany continues beating on xia before xia fights back and starts throws strike after strike going back and forth for awhile they continue the match both girls getting the upper hand both getting exhausted. At the end of the match xia hits a Superkick on Stratton knocking her off the ropes and Stratton cartwheels toward Brookside and hits her with an Alabama slam. For the stack pin 1…2.. kick out by Brookside. Brookside crawls to the corner Tiffany goes in the other corner the handspring elbow in the corner and then goinf for the Prettiest MOONSAULT EVER but no Brookside rolls over and grabs her for the BROKEN WINGS for the cover 1…2..3 AND THE WIN FOR XIA BROOKSIDE
Xia Brookside Wins
Will Ospreay vs Micheal Oku
Both men come out to the ring with huge cheers for both men. Both men competing before having major respect for each other they stare down. They both soak in the crowds cheering circling each other for a minute and then lock up both fighting back against each others locks until Ospreay pushes Michael Oku into the corner. The referee tells Ospreay to break it up but Ospreay hits a big chop on Oku but that pissed Oku off and he pushed Ospreay into the corner and chops Ospreay back. Ospreay then puts Oku in the corner and then winds up for a big chop but just looks at Ospreay and shakes it off making a shake off sign against his chest. Call out to RevPro days. Ospreay charges back at Oku but Oku ducks runs at Ospreay and tilt a whirls around for the ddt taking Ospreay down before continuously striking him with elbows to the back. Before Ospreay gets back up and gets hit with uppercut by Oku. Ospreay starts getting bad and Oku looks for an Irish whip but Ospreay reverses it throws Oku into the ropes backflips over Oku and then does a backflip on Oku’s chest followed by a Superkick on Oku knocking him to the corner going to the other side of the ring and runs at him but gets kicked in the face by Oku. Oku climbs the middle rope and looks to jump on him but Ospreay moved and Oku ducks Ospreays move and hits a sleeper slam. Oku tries continue the assault but Ospreay fights back and chops Oku to the ground and grabs his wrist and hits him with another before picking him back up and hits a beautiful spinning back breaker. 1..2. Oku kicks out. Ospreay then picks up looks for a snap German but Oku lands on his feet and hits Ospreay with a huge jumping lariat. Oku Calls Ospreay up and hits a backstabber. Oku goes for a springboard Moonsault but Ospreay moves goes off the ropes handspring springboard back kick taking Oku out to the ring before running at Oku with a suicide dive followed by another and 3rd before throwing him back in the ring calling for the oscutter… he springboard but Oku catches him and hits a nice bridging German suplex 1…2.. Ospreay kicks out. Ospreay slowly crawls to the corner and Ospreay gets put on the top turnbuckle and Oku goes for an avalanche hurricarana but Ospreay holds on drops down and drops him with an alley oop on the top turnbuckle. Ospreay calling for the Tiger driver picks him and drops him with the Tiger driver 1…2.. Oku kicks out of the Tiger driver. Ospreay claps his hand together for the oscutter and this time connects with the oscutter on Oku. HE isn’t done he PICKS UP OKU DOUBLE UNDERHOOK, LIFTS HIM UP STORMBREAKKER. 1…2 OKU KICKS OUTS OSPREAY goes to the corner Oku barely being able to stand and Ospreay takes him out with a decapitating hidden blade. 1..2..3 OSPREAY collapses as he wins against going to the semifinals. Oku laying on the ground exhausted and Ospreay starts to get back up and helps Oku up in a sign of respect.
WILL OSPREAY ADVANCES
Sheamus vs Zack Sabre Jr
Sheamus gets cheered loudly as Sabre goes right after Sheamus trying to take out his leg, grabbing his leg and hitting a dragon screw and continues going with simple submissions to the leg keeping Sheamus down. Sheamus eventually gets out of it with a nice punch and starts hitting strikes on Zack. Sheamus put Zack in the corner and starts laying him out with punches and kicks til he collapses. Before picking back up and putting him on the top turnbuckle. Picks him up on his shoulders and goes for an avalanche white noise but Zack Sabre reverses it to a crucifix bomb grabbing his arm for an arm bar looking to make Sheamus tap out. He’s in the hold for a minute but Sheamus looks to reach the ropes but Sabre grabs his other arm and puts him in a double arm crucifix position for the pin 1…2.. SHEAMUS kicks out Sabre then grabs his leg but Sheamus kicks him off and gets back up and Sabre looks for a big European uppercut knocks Sheamus against the rope and bounces off and Sabre looks for a running enziguri but Sheamus ducks it and bounces off the rope and hits Sabre with the KNEECAP for the cover 1…2.. KICKOUT! Sheamus runs to the corner calling for the Brogue kick but it’s TMDK’s Mikey Nicholas and Shane Haste holding onto Sheamus legs in the corner but Sheamus kicks them off but when he turns around gets caught with a huge European upper cut. He then does a European clutch bridging roll up 1…2… Sheamus kicks out getting back Sabre goes for a springboard enziguri but Sheamus moves goes off the ropes and hits a huge Brogue kick for the pin 1…..2….3 SHEAMUS WINS TO END THE SHOW TO A HUGE OVATION . Sheamus has beaten ZSJ.
SHEAMUS WINS
Ends Show

I made an XI of players who often turned up for big occassions in ODIs like tournament knockouts, big group stage matches and often saved the team whether from bat or ball. T20s are somewhat considered but ODIs are the priority.
Anyways here it is:
1- Shane Watson
MOTM in the 2006 CT Final and also scored consecutive centuries in the 2009 CT semi and final. Was MOTS in the 2012 T20 World Cup too and guided the team to victory against us in the 2015 quarter final.
2- Adam Gilchrist (w)
He's played 3 World Cup finals and he turned up in every single one of them. A quickfire 54 against a lethal pak bowling attack, 57 against India and a mammoth almost 150 in just a 100 balls against Lanka.
yeah...enough said, this surely cements him here.
3- Virat Kohli
Carryjob in 2014, 2016 world cup and his role in the 2011 final is underappreciated too.
Let's not forget the 183 and 82* against Pakistan.
4- Aravinda De Silva
Scoring a 100 in a world cup final is one thing but taking 3 wickets too with 2 being really crucial is something which we might never see again. All that too against a mentally strong bunch of aussies. It was him vs Australia that day.
Quickfire innings against India too in the semis, when he came out to bat only one run had been scored for the loss of two wickets. When he was dismissed for 66 the rest of the team only scored 19 runs,, a complete one man effort here on the rescue.
5- Micheal Bevan
This lineup is incomplete without the og "finisher". He started this trend and was a Mr.Reliable for an already stacked Australian team.
He walked out at 15-4 in the 1996 semis facing Ambrose and Walsh and helped Australia post a 200+ score which at that point looked impossible.
Same opposition again in the same year in what is known as one of the greatest chases of all time. His 78* is the best example of why some innings are better than some centuries.
6- Glenn Maxwell
I only wish I could relieve his innings against Afghanistan again. This phrase gets overused but it truly was a once in a lifetime knock.
7- Lance Klusener
The first name that comes to mind when someone mentions the 1999 wc is Lance Klusener. He could bat, he could bowl, he could field.
Would've got his country to their only ever final too but oh well...
8- Wasim Akram
Best ever bowling performance in a world cup final, I may be slightly biased with this lol.
It was a complete different story before his two consecutive dismissals in the 92 final, England were looking to win the game. Wasim somehow conjured two unplayable deliveries at once tilting the game to Pakistans side. His batting cameo made a big difference too.
I remember watching a video showing his spell vs South Africa in the 1998 bank final so there's that too.
9- Shane Warne
There weren't a lot of spinners to pick from here. His 4 wickets in the 99 semis and then another 4 to dismantle Pakistan's batting lineup (ffs why is it always us in this list) in the final is enough to put him here.
10- Mitchell Starc
Might raise a few eyebrows but he's the leading world cup wicket taker for a reason. Most wickets in two consecutive world cups too, only player to do so.
You could rely on him when defending a low score too, the spell vs new zealand in the 2015 group stages was pure joy to watch.
11- Muhammad Amir
From his opening spell in the 2009 final to his dismantling of the indian top order in ct17 final, this man always turned up for the big occassions.
His spell vs India in the Asia Cup is worth mentioning too even though it was a losing case, he's not the type of bowler to give up even after the team posts a very subpar total.
Honorable mentions: Ricky Ponting, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Kapil Dev, Vivian Richards, Ben Stokes
So, there you go. What are your thoughts with this, who would you change etc

It's pretty clear that even though The Patriot and We Were Soldiers are based on real conflicts and feature their own versions of real people, they're not set in the same universe as ours. Starting with The Patriot, Colonel Benjamin Martin is a fictionalized version of Francis Marion who is also a composite character inspired by other Revolutionary War heroes, as is Colonel Travington a fictionalized version of real British officer Banastre Tarleton, who in real life was never killed by Marion and died in England long after the war. With this in mind lets go to We Were Soldiers, I think it's quite clear that this version of Hal Moore is not our Hal Moore, firstly the real Hal Moore was a blonde who had the nickname "Yellow Hair", a trait clearly absent in the movie's version of him, who is played by Mel Gibson, the same actor who played Benjamin Martin, We Were Soldiers also took artistic license with in it's own ways, for instance the American war hero Rick Rescorla who was from Cornwall England, was replaced by in film an unnamed Welsh platoon leader, which indicates that these two movies are set in a Mel Gibson expanded cinematic universe that revolves around fictionalized versions of real conflicts that also double as Christian morality plays (which is why both Colonels are showing praying on the battlefield).
This is further reinforced by how Gibson's specific portrayal of Moore is almost exactly like that of Martin with the differences in eras taken into consideration, both focusing on Colonels who are devoted to God while also being a father to both their men and their family, it's hard for me to describe exactly how in words, but if you watch the two movies you can intuitively tell that Mel Gibson puts on the same voice and attitude when playing the two men, compared to other Gibson characters these two stand our as just "feeling" the same, which may not be coincidental or a case of an actor coming across as the same in most of their movies (for instance, with Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel) since Gibson has huge acting range, this is the same man mind you who in Mad Max, he played a tough brooding apocalyptic Australian cop, whereas in Conspiracy Theory, he played a necrotic and eccentric New York cabbie, so if a character of his appears similar, it's possibly not a coincidence or a case of mere "typecasting".
If this is indeed a Gibson Cinematic Universe, then it's likely that this universe's version of Hal Moore is a decedent of Benjamin Martin rather than that of any of the real Hal Moore's ancestors, since this Moore looks like Mel Gibson and talks and acts just like his character from The Patriot, because in the Gibson Cinematic Universe the real Hal Moore's ancestors (along with the Rescorlas) were never born which necessitates Martin's survival during the events of The Patriot for this version of Moore to exist.

I spent today up the north coast in Cushendun and Cushendall and was reaquatinting myself with the very rich history there of the vicious power struggles there between Séan mac Cuinn Ó Néill (Shane O’Neill) of the Northern O’Neill, Somhairle Buíodh MacDonnell (Sorley Boy MacDonnell) of the Scottish settler MacDonnell clan and the Elizabethan crown in England and it made me think, this here would put some of the Norse sagas and Shakespearean plays to shame.
I was wondering if there are any good films or shows which document any form of Irish history in the early modern period?

Hi,
3 months ago I bought a 2015 Fiesta ecoboost (i know, i know) with a spotless MOT and great service history at 67k miles for 4.3k. I had upgraded from my 2007 Mitsubishi Colt which died at 110k miles.
I’m 24, been driving for 7 years, no convictions and no claims so insurance is as low as it can be for me and my age group i suppose.
I’m a student doctor and get placed all over the east of england so I need a reliable car that’ll survive the next 2-4 years with about 15k miles per year. 90% of my driving is motorway driving with most journeys being 70 miles+.
After reading more about the ecoboost engine, i’m not feeling confident in it to last me the next few years, especially with the amount of driving I do.
I have seen late-00s 1.9TDI golfs with good history’s for £5k and similar miles to my current car. Is it worth swapping my fiesta for an older golf with the 1.9TDI engine? I think my driving would suit a diesel, and insurance is cheaper on the golf.
Example of the golf https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404118554217
Thanks

Part 1: Childhood Part 2: Oregon Part 3: Puerto Rico Part 4: Global Part 6: Elsewhere Part 7: Retirement

Part 5: Iran

Iran was not a place I’d visited, or particularly liked the idea of visiting. Add to that the fact that the man on the other end of the phone was offering me a contract for a djinn, and you can understand why I immediately rejected the job. But before I could put the phone down, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
A million US dollars for taking the contract. Ten million for a successful recovery. Fifteen million for a live recovery. Fool that I am, I said yes.
I declined the Nigerian contract, and flew to England to prepare. For several weeks I researched the legends of the djinn. Islamic tradition holds that they are as real as humans, and live human-like lives; belief among modern Muslims is common. The more I read, the harder it seemed to kill, let alone capture alive, a djinn; they are generally invisible, more or less insubstantial, and shapeshifters.
This wasn’t necessarily a problem. I generally prefer cash but I do have a couple of offshore bank accounts, and by the time I got to England my benefactor - whom I’ll call Abdul - had already wired a million dollars. He had made it clear that this was an upfront fee, no strings attached, so even if I failed to find a djinn this would still be an extremely profitable job. But I would certainly try.
Americans are on their own if they ignore government advice and visit Iran, and there are no direct flights from the USA or the UK. But Abdul seemed to be high up in the government, or at least to have connections. I stayed at a boarding house in London, and he posted a package of documents and letters. I now had a special Iranian passport, with a page written in Iranian and English that declared me a “person of national importance” by authorisation of “the Office of the Supreme Leader”. There were specific instructions that I was to be let about my business without hindrance or questions, and that all Iranians were required to lend me any assistance I may require. To my untrained eye, it all looked official and legitimate, and I wondered how many other people had similar documentation.
A couple of months later I was as ready as I felt I could be. I had appropriate clothes to wear in public in Iran, including both fashionable and conservative headscarves, and I took a charter flight to a private airfield near Tehran. When I landed in the scorching heat, he was there to greet me, and showed me to a garage where he had gathered the equipment I’d requested: weapons, a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon (hey, may as well travel in style as well as comfort) with plenty of spare diesel, and all the other gear that was either too large or too difficult to bring from London.
This was all arranged. What I hadn’t expected in the garage was an imam. Shamil was not just a cleric but also a scholar, and according to Abdul knew more about djinn than any anybody else on Earth (“any other human”, Shamil corrected him). I hadn’t asked for this but it was a welcome addition. Shamil said that he would be happy to tell me anything I needed to know, and that he would travel with me as long as I wanted - except for an actual encounter. He explained that as an Islamic leader, the spiritual hazards in confronting a djinn were far higher for him than for me, and so if he felt we were closing in, he would return to his day job. And with that out of the way we made our farewells to Abdul.
I never saw Shamil without his elaborate black-and-gold robes, and it took me some time to get used to the juxtaposition of his formal wear with his vehicle. Behind the Jeep was a shiny electric dune buggy (though it would not stay shiny for long), which he plugged into a foldable solar array every time we stopped in the day. He liked to occasionally speed ahead, and the sight of his robes billowing behind him looked almost like a cartoon. And this is how we traveled for days, weeks, in the desert. We slept in our own separate two-person tents but we cooked and ate together, and at every meal he would tell me more about the djinn.
As my guide, Shamil was quite vague. He wouldn’t tell me exactly where we were going, instead just leading the way, in a meandering course. We might travel east for two hours, then suddenly turn and go southwest for no obvious reason. At breakfast on the fourth morning I asked him about it. Well, confronted might be more accurate, but Shamil was perfectly calm and civil.
“I don’t know where the djinn are.”
“What? We’re just wandering aimlessly, hoping we bump into one?”
“No. I don’t know where they are, but they leave traces. I can see where they’ve been. The more we travel, the better idea I get of where they might be right now.”
“Traces? What, like footprints? Old coke cans?”
Shamil laughed gently. “No, not like that. The djinn live in another world, sort of adjacent to ours. As they pass they leave spiritual traces that very few can see. For the first two days yes, we were wandering, but yesterday morning I saw something. Very faint; they haven’t been here for some time, but the traces are getting stronger. We’ll be there soon.”
I guess I must have given him a dirty look. “Haha! Don’t worry Carla. I’m on your side. If I were going to do anything untoward, I would have done it by now. You’re perfectly safe with me.”
He was right. He had had plenty of opportunities to kill me (or try to). Heck, just taking the Jeep and leaving me alone in the desert would probably have been a death sentence. I decided to trust him, and we continued searching.
Shamil gave me several artifacts. A gold mirror, a talisman etched in Farsi, a small glass vial, a book of spells (“No ma’am, these are no spells. Magic is forbidden. These are incantations”), a velvet pouch containing desert sand. He taught me how to use these in capturing a djinn. The spells - incantations - were Old Persian and took time for me to learn how to say, even with the phonetic English spellings written next to them, but with Shamil’s guidance I became competent.
We had been criss-crossing the desert for about three weeks when Shamil announced that we were closing in. There was a djinn settlement nearby, he told me. I expected him to leave then, but he stuck around for a few days. “You must not confront an entire village. You would never survive! We must find a lone djinn, a hunter perhaps, or a hermit. We must stay away from the settlement to the north.” We were on the top of a hill with spectacular views for miles around, and Shamil gestured across the wide expanse of desert below us. He apparently could see an entire village, where I could see only sand.
Two days later he guided us toward a rocky outcropping, tall but easy to walk up. “There. That rock exists in both worlds, and a djinn makes his home there. He is outcast, alone. Go to the top at dawn. He will be there.”
We spent the afternoon checking on my supplies, eating well, and making sure I had enough diesel and GPS charge to make my return. Then just before sunset, Shamil got into his dune buggy and sped away, leaving me alone for the night in the middle of what seemed to me an empty desert.
I still wasn’t sure I believed in djinn. But I thought back, that night, to my similar thoughts about the sasquatch. Tomorrow morning I would go to the top of that ridge; tomorrow afternoon I would drive back to Tehran, either with or without my quarry. I slept well that night.
I woke at 4am, had a good breakfast, and prepared. I could well have been the only human for fifty miles around, so I dressed in proper hunter gear rather than the conservative clothing typical of women in Iran. Aside from feeling more comfortable, this gave me plenty of pockets to hold my hunter’s tools - strange though they were on this occasion. I had no idea how useful my weapons would be but of course I took them - a handgun, a rifle, and two combat knives. I checked everything thoroughly one last time, and as soon as it was light enough to see I started the trek up to the rock.
The way was easy, the path seemingly worn smooth over the years by the passage of people. Or something. I arrived at the top without having to catch my breath, took a sip of water, and pulled out the golden mirror.
I looked normal. I angled the mirror to see the reflection of the desert, and it also looked normal. It was a few minutes before dawn, so according to Shamil, that was to be expected; djinn can only move between worlds at dawn and dusk. I waited in the desert silence until the first rays of sunlight spilled over the horizon, and looked again.
At first everything looked pretty much as before. Shimmering slightly, but I put that down to the first heat of the new sun. But the shimmering intensified, as though the whole world was wobbling. The reflection got so bad that after about twenty seconds, I couldn’t make out any details; and then it calmed down. Slowly I saw the rock’s reflection reappear - but now, there was something else.
I was staring at the real world with my right eye, and the reflection with my left. My right eye registered exactly what I would expect. But my left eye spied a tent, not fifteen feet in front of me. Leather sheets were slung and fastened over a round wooden frame, about twelve feet tall and twenty wide, a bit bigger than my RV and plenty of space for one person to live.
I read a short incantation from the book, a prayer of protection. Shamil had assured me that it would work, even though I wasn’t a Muslim. I was not convinced. It was only two lines, but that was enough to attract the attention of the tent’s occupant. As I finished the last line I saw a faint haze in the direction of the tent. I brought the mirror back up to my eyes and looked.
I don’t think I screamed. This was a hunt, and I was as prepared as I could be. But what I saw was unlike anything I’d imagined. The creature who stepped through the tent’s leather doorway was human in only the most trivial ways. All seven feet of its height was covered in pitch-black leathery hairless skin, clothed in only a loincloth and copious amounts of gold jewelry. Horns rose either side of its eyes, spiraling up to point at the sky. Four long fingers on each hand ended in short but sharp claws; I couldn’t see its feet, as they were shrouded in a sort of dark mist. It stared at me with vertical slitted eyes; at first I thought they were red, but then I saw that they were pure black with fire rising through them, like burning coals.
I may not have screamed, but I stood rooted to the spot. I felt true terror, for the first time I could remember. The djinn regarded me for several seconds, presumably assessing whether I was a threat. Then I think it realized that I could see it. It stepped towards me so quickly, ready to strike with its hand.
This pulled me out of my reverie. With instinct honed over years of practice I sidestepped its blow. It overbalanced and took a few seconds to regain its footing, during which I had pulled out the glass vial and the book. With the vial and mirror in my left hand and the book in my right, I backed away and started reading.
The incantation was twelve lines, and I had to finish them before the djinn could hurt me. I stepped backward around the tent, trying to keep it between us. I got to the second line when it caught up with me.
As the black leathery hand reached towards my face I caught the talisman, hanging from a chain around my neck, with my right thumb, and pushed it into the way. The djinn recognized what it was too late, and when its skin struck the talisman, I heard a hissing sound. Smoke rose in both worlds from where they had touched, and the djinn recoiled. The blow was still enough to send me backwards, almost falling to the ground; but it had put more distance between us. I turned to run, and read lines three … four … five …
I tried to keep the mirror steady, to look behind me, but it wasn’t easy. Its footsteps must have been heavy, but the mirror showed me light, not sound, and I hadn’t heard anything at all other than the sounds I made. To an onlooker I would have looked like a mad person in the grip of psychosis.
I’d lost sight of the djinn. I turned around, trying to keep both my momentum and my balance. I could see nothing in the mirror - but then I heard it for the first time, a hiss coming from low down. In the real world I saw a large black snake, rearing to strike.
I threw a kick with my heavy combat boots, catching it right in the head just as it lunged toward my thigh. The snake fell back, but not as far as I liked. I read lines six … seven …
I backed away again, and transferred the book to my left hand. With my right hand now free I pulled a knife from my belt. The snake was gaining on me. I read line eight … nine …
It lunged again, but I was ready. It was an inexpert fighter, and even in snake form it was telegraphing its moves to me. As it flew toward my chest I struck a solid blow, slicing its head off.
Or that’s what I expected to happen. Just before my knife made contact, the djinn … dissipated. It turned into a cloud of black smoke. I lost my footing and staggered forward, just getting my balance back in time to feel a powerful kick in my back.
I tumbled to the ground, rolling twice in the dirt. I may be getting on a bit but I can still roll with the blows, and I avoided serious injury. I kept hold of the book, but the glass vial fell to the ground, landing on the sand. The mirror was not so lucky; it landed on solid rock and shattered.
I was at risk of losing, and had to work fast before that happened. Without the mirror, and with the djinn in its usual form, I could neither see nor hear it. I read line ten as I stood up. I ran away from where I’d last seen the djinn, grabbing the vial as I passed. I read line eleven.
And suddenly I was lifted into the air. Thick invisible fingers wrapped around my neck. I felt the stride of the creature as it brought me to the edge of the cliff. It knocked the book out of my hand with ease and prepared to throw me sixty feet to the desert below.
I’d read those verses many times. I’d tried to learn them. Could I remember that last line? I had maybe three seconds. Adrenaline surged through me. Time seemed to slow. I gave it my best shot.
I finished the incantation as the djinn started to throw, and landed mere inches from the edge. There was a deafening whistling sound, as though I was in a howling gale. And then silence.

If you want to check out the full article, you can do so here: https://withthefirstpick.com/posts/chris-mcglynn-comparing-my-way-too-early-mock-draft-to-the-2024-nfl-draft-01hx04j216sc
History is usually not too kind way-too-early mock drafts. Spencer Rattler, Eli Ricks and many more have opened the draft cycle as highly-touted prospects who failed to live up to expectations. Many more have seen their "stock fall" in large part because their tape is put under the microscope, revealing that they never should have been that highly regarded in the first place.
And so, it is time for one of my favorite exercises. I am taking my way-too-early mock draft for 2024 and comparing it to what happened at the draft in Detroit. It is a great way to see how much has changed in a year. Several prospects lived up to the hype, many more fell off and others still came from way off the radar to be high draft picks.
1. Way-too-early pick: Arizona Cardinals - Caleb Williams, QB, USC Actual draft pick: Chicago Bears via Carolina Panthers - Caleb Williams, QB, USC
This one should come as no surprise. Williams was seen as the top quarterback in this draft from the very beginning, and while some will argue Drake Maye was worthy of the top pick, there was never really any doubt that Williams would be the first selection. Turns out the Cardinals were a bit better than we all expected and the first year of the Bryce Young experience was a bitter disappointment.
2. Way-too-early pick: Arizona Cardinals via Houston Texans - Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State Actual draft pick: Washington Commanders - Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Remember when we all thought the Cardinals could have the top two picks in the draft? Don't blame me, blame the sportsbooks. Turns out the Texans were way better in C.J. Stroud's and DeMeco Ryans’ debut campaign. Still, the Cardinals did wind up taking Harrison, just at No. 4, not No. 2. As for Daniels, he was a player I was really excited about heading into the 2024 draft cycle, but I did not have him in the first round of this mock. He took a huge step as a passer and leader in his second season at LSU, propelling him into this spot.
3. Way-too-early pick: Indianapolis Colts - Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State Actual draft pick: New England Patriots - Drake Maye, QB, UNC
Fashanu entered the 2024 in a fierce competition for Joe Alt for the top tackle spot. Alt took some major strides in 2023. Fashanu had the same issues pop up regarding his play strength and overall power. In the end, Fashanu still wound up going in the top half of the first round. For the Colts, expectations were low after drafting Anthony Richardson. Even when the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft went down, Shane Steichen got this team to compete and really turned the outlook for Indianapolis around heading into 2024. We will talk more about Maye in just a moment.
4. Way-too-early pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Drake Maye, QB, UNC Actual draft pick: Arizona Cardinals - Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
I will admit, I did not see Baker Mayfield leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs and landing a big extension in the offseason. Let's remember that he opened training camp in a quarterback battle with Kyle Trask! That was put to bed quickly, Tampa wound up winning the division and knocking out Philly in the wildcard round before falling short against the Lions. Maye came into the cycle with a top of hype, but ultimately had an uneven year with a worse supporting cast. I believe in his upside, but he is a bit of a project as he heads to New England. Harrison was my top player on the board heading all the way back in May of 2023. That never changed and he was the first non-quarterback off the board.
5. Way-too-early pick: Tennessee Titans - Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia Actual draft pick: Los Angeles Chargers - Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
Bowers was a known quantity heading into this draft cycle. Injuries and a lengthy debate about his positional value pushed him down the board. He might be the best tight end prospect we have had in nearly two decades, but given the lackluster impact of Kyle Pitts so far (more of a coaching issue than a talent issue it seems), teams backed off taking Bowers so early. Alt, who I mentioned before when talking about Fashanu, was seen as a top-10 candidate given his size, length and experience. He made some small improvements as a pass blocker in 2023, which I think gave him the edge over the rest of the tackles in the draft class.
6. Way-too-early pick: Washington Commanders - Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas Actual draft pick: New York Giants - Malik Nabers, WR, LSU We have found our first major outlier from the way-too-early mock. Ewers had an up-and-down season, ultimately deciding to return to Austin for his senior year. I clearly learned nothing from this exercise, because I projected Ewers at No. 6 in my 2025 way-too-early mock, coincidentally to the Giants. Meanwhile, Nabers put together another impressive season, leading to months of debate as to who WR1 in this class truly was. I stuck with Harrison, but Nabers was one of the highest graded players I scouted in this draft cycle. He has superstar potential in New York.
7. Way-too-early pick: Atlanta Falcons - Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State Actual draft pick: Tennessee Titans - J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
I promise, I am not trying to draw anymore attention to the fact that we all expected the Falcons to draft an edge rusher in the top 10. We all know by now what Atlanta opted to do instead, so let's focus on Verse. He had top-15 buzz in the 2023 draft, but returned to school for one more season. I don't know that it hurt him in any way, because there is a chance a deeper dive into his film and the pre-draft process could have seen him slip down the board a bit. He had another impressive year at Florida State and wound up going inside the top-20 to the Rams. As for Latham, this was the first real reach of the draft for me. I think he is a bit raw and I have questions about his ability to thrive at tackle in the NFL in general, much less making the switch to playing left tackle. He goes to a great situation with Bill Calahan to lead his development, but this is a risky proposition to say the least.
8. Way-too-early pick: Chicago Bears via Carolina Panthers - Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame Actual draft pick: Atlanta Falcons - Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
This was the biggest stunner of the draft. We have picked apart why that is ad nauseam by this point. Let's talk more about Penix. He was iffy to be a first-round pick, much less a top-10 selection last summer. He was still only a year removed from an injury-plagued career at Indiana at that point. This is an interesting position for him to land in, but I am a big fan of the player.
9. Way-too-early pick: Los Angeles Rams - Bo Nix, QB, Oregon Actual draft pick: Chicago Bears - Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
I was a bit too high on Nix heading into the 2023 season, but this wound up being only three spots earlier than he was actually selected. I thought he would have been a good candidate to eventually replace Matthew Stafford, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons. Los Angeles still has not identified an heir apparent, but the Rams also had a much better season than this projection expected. The Bears ended up in this slot, taking one of the most entertaining players in college football in Odunze, who I had mocked just a little later on. He will form a terrifying trio with Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore in Chicago.
10. Way-too-early pick: New England Patriots - Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State Actual draft pick: Minnesota Vikings via New York Jets - J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
There is a lot to unpack here. For starters, Egbuka had an injury-riddled year and wound up returning to school. He figures to be in the conversation to go in the first round in 2025. The Patriots had a much worse season than this, thanks in part to Mac Jones flaming out. Then there is McCarthy. He was not talked about a ton as a legitimate candidate to be drafted. He had shown flashes as a true sophomore, but keep in mind that he wasn't the designated starter to open the 2022 season. That was Cade McNamara. He saw a massive jump in his completion percentage and made big plays in key moments as Michigan won a national championship. He is going to need some seasoning and it will be interesting to see what happens when he is asked to be more than a game manager. The talent is there and this is a great landing spot for him under Kevin O'Connell.
11. Way-too-early pick: Pittsburgh Steelers - Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama Actual draft pick: New York Jets via Minnesota Vikings - Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
McKinstry was the top corner on my radar heading into the 2023 season. He had his moments of brilliance, but struggled at points too, specifically against Adonai Mitchell. Additionally, his medical exam at the NFL combine revealed a Jones fracture in his foot, which likely pushed him down boards slightly. He landed in the second round with the Saints on draft day and has every chance to earn a starting spot.
12. Way-too-early pick: Las Vegas Raiders - Kalen King, CB, Penn State Actual draft pick: Denver Broncos - Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
This projection did not work out well. King had a rocky 2023 campaign, highlighted by a really rough showing against Marvin Harrison Jr. A poor pre-draft process, including subpar measurables and testing numbers saw King slide all the way to the seventh round. Perhaps he will bounce back and recapture some of his 2022 form in Green Bay, but his draft stock tanked throughout the season. For the Raiders, corner was and still is a need for them, but they opted to offense early before taking Decamerion Richardson in the fourth round.
13. Way-too-early pick: Chicago Bears - Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA Actual draft pick: Las Vegas Raiders - Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Latu was one of my favorite prospects throughout the draft process. He was my highest rated defender heading into the draft and ended up being the first defender selected just a couple picks after this spot. He is about as technical a pass rusher we have ever seen coming out of college. Chicago chose to go offense instead with its two first round picks, but Latu would have been an excellent fit across from Montez Sweat.
14. Way-too-early pick: Green Bay Packers - J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama Actual draft pick: New Orleans Saints - Tailese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Turns out, Jordan Love was a lot better than we anticipated and the Packers were picking nowhere near this point. Latham actually came off the board before this point, so the Saints turned to Fuaga instead. He was a major riser this season, hat tip to Trevor Sikkema for championing him earlier than anyone else I can remember. His fluid movement skills for a player his size makes him an intriguing option to eventually flip to left tackle in the NFL.
15. Way-too-early pick: New York Giants - Rome Odunze, WR, Washington Actual draft pick: Indianapolis Colts - Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
It was no secret the Giants needed wide receiver help. We knew that way back in May of 2023. New York's season ended up going much worse than this, with Daniel Jones struggling early before suffering a season-ending injury. The Giants were actually heavily linked to Odunze throughout the draft process and he would have been a great fit.
16. Way-too-early pick: Seattle Seahawks - Jer'Zhan Newton, DL, Illinois Actual draft pick: Seattle Seahawks - Byron Murphy, DL, Texas
Clearly, the sportsbooks nailed this one. I will give myself some partial credit here as well. Seattle needed defensive line help in a big way. They traded for Leonard Williams at the deadline and still wound up selecting Murphy on draft day. Newton wound up sliding into the second round, which surprised a lot of analysts. He had a great season for Illinois and looked like a first-round pick, even if not quite this high. Meanwhile, Murphy lands in a perfect situation to thrive at the NFL level.
17. Way-too-early pick: Minnesota Vikings - Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama Actual draft pick: Minnesota Vikings via Jacksonville Jaguars - Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
It's better to be lucky than good. I would love to take credit here for projecting a first draft pick nearly a year ahead of time, but I think this is an excellent illustration of how difficult it is to predict what will happen in the NFL draft. I had Turner as the third edge rusher off the board in my way-too-early mock, behind Verse and Latu. When the draft actually rolled around, I expected Turner to be the first edge rusher selected, likely in the top 10. A historic run on offensive players pushed him down the board to this point. He had a really strong 2023 season and has elite athleticism. His ceiling is incredibly high at the next level.
18. Way-too-early pick: Denver Broncos - Maason Smith, DL, LSU Actual draft pick: Cincinnati Bengals - Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Smith was such a projection pick this early in the process. Then again, I guess every pick was. Anyway, Smith is such a rare athletic talent, but he was coming off a torn ACL this past season. He had a fine season, but nothing that warranted a first-round selection. He landed in the second round with the Jaguars. Perhaps, Smith will look even better two years removed from his injury. On the other hand, we have Mims, who is still a relative unknown. He has ideal traits and size to be a high-level starter in the NFL. However, due to injuries and talent ahead of him at Georgia, he only has eight collegiate starts. He will essentially get a redshirt year in Cincinnati, assuming Trent Brown can stay healthy, before likely taking over at right tackle in 2025.
19. Way-too-early pick: New Orleans Saints - J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State Actual draft pick: Los Angeles Rams - Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
Ohio State messed with a lot of the depth in this draft class, bringing back a ton of draft eligible talent for another run. Tuimoloau is a strong player, but he hasn't really shown much development as a pass rusher. He has 12 career sacks in three seasons, and it is not for a lack of opportunity or playing time. For what it is worth, I did not include him in my way-too-early mock for 2025. I think he projects more as a Day 2 rotational player than a potentially impact starter.
20. Way-too-early pick: Houston Texans via Cleveland Browns - Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson Actual draft pick: Pittsburgh Steelers - Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
It turns out, we might have overrated the Clemson defense a little bit. Trotter is a fun player, flying around and getting to the ball, but he is undersized and lacks the ideal agility required to start at the NFL level. I will say, I do love that he landed with the Eagles, where his dad spent the majority of his career. While Trotter's stock slipped throughout the season, Fautanu's skyrocketed. Thought by most to be a guard, he put those questions to rest at the combine, measuring in with longer arms than Joe Alt. He is a brawler with great play strength. He fits Pittsburgh so well and has the potential to be the team's long-term starter at left tackle.
21. Way-too-early pick: Los Angeles Chargers - Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas Actual draft pick: Miami Dolphins - Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
When you look at where the Chargers were expected to be picking and then compare it to where they actually picked, you get a pretty clear picture as to why Brandon Staley was fired. Los Angeles is still in need of a tight end, with Will Dissley and Hayden Hurst the top two options at the position, but that will wait until next year, maybe until when Jim Harbaugh can draft Colston Loveland. Sanders wound up sliding all the way to the fourth round, which felt a bit harsh for a player as dynamic in space at the position. That being said, first round was too rich a projection as well. He lacks physicality and struggles as a blocker. As for Robinson, I did not have him in my way-too-early mock. I watched him against Ohio State in 2022 and did not see a first-round talent. I was low on Robinson throughout the process and thought this was a little earlier than he should have gone. He is a great athlete, but he is unrefined and had little production at Penn State.
22. Way-too-early pick: Miami Dolphins - Raheim Sanders, RB, Arkansas Actual draft pick: Philadelphia Eagles - Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
This one did not pan out so well for me. I loved Sanders coming into the process. He had over 1,700 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns for Arkansas in 2022. He followed that up 284 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in just six games due to injury. His yards per attempt also plummeted from 6.5 to 3.4. He wound up transferring to South Carolina. We will see if he can bounce back and get himself back into top 100 consideration for 2025. Meanwhile, Mitchell went the other direction. He was a small school star with some consideration, but he proved he could contend at the Senior Bowl and wound up being the first corner selected. He could be a Day 1 starter in Philly.
23. Way-too-early pick: Jacksonville Jaguars - Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa Actual draft pick: Jacksonville Jaguars via Minnesota Vikings & Houston Texans - Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
The Jaguars ended up picking here after a trade down with the Vikings. DeJean inexplicably slid out of the first round, but he was definitely a first-round talent. Even after suffering a season-ending injury at Iowa, he returned for a great pre-draft workout and his tape is first-round caliber. He landed with the Eagles in the second round. Thomas benefitted from Jayden Daniels' Heisman season and a clear spot in the starting lineup. He entered the 2023 season with 770 yards and seven touchdowns through his first two years combined. He posted 1,177 yards and an FBS-leading 17 touchdowns in a monster breakout season. He will be a great field-stretching option in Jacksonville.
24. Way-too-early pick: Detroit Lions - Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State Actual draft pick: Detroit Lions via Dallas Cowboys - Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The offseason hype around the Lions turned out to be warranted. Detroit had to trade up to pick at No. 24. They took Arnold, which fills a huge void on their defense. He is a hard-nosed tackler with good ball skills. He started the year in Kool-Aid McKinstry's proverbial draft shadow, but ended up surpassing his teammate by the time the draft rolled around. Meanwhile, Sawyer, like J.T. Tuimoloau, returned to school for another year. He is similar in that he has great strength, but lacks the production to go with it. He has a future as an edge setting defender, but he does not generate enough pressure to warrant first-round consideration heading into the 2024 season.
25. Way-too-early pick: Baltimore Ravens - Michael Hall Jr., DL, Ohio State Actual draft pick: Green Bay Packers - Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
It is funny now to look back and think the Ravens had a pressing need at defensive tackle. Justin Madubuike had a breakout year with 13 sacks that resulted in All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl spot and a massive contract extension. Hall wouldn't have been the pick anyway. He is a great interior pass rusher, but is undersized and struggles to win consistently at the point of attack. He landed with Cleveland in the second round. Regarding the pick that did happen, Morgan looked much sharper in his second year removed from a torn ACL suffered in 2021. There are some concerns about his length when it comes to his ability to play tackle in the NFL, but the Packers have never shied away from moving college tackles into interior offensive line spots.
26. Way-too-early pick: Dallas Cowboys - TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State Actual draft pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Graham Barton, OL, Duke
Projecting an Ohio State running back to the Cowboys isn't the worst thing I could have done. Dallas still desperately needs running back help after passing on the position entirely. Henderson returned to Columbus for another year after an inconsistent season and will compete for touches in a backfield that now features Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. Barton is another college offensive tackle whose future lies on the interior of the offensive line at the NFL level. He was on the radar, but had a great pre-draft process to push him into the first round.
27. Way-too-early pick: Green Bay Packers via New York Jets - Andrew Mukuba, S, Clemson Actual draft pick: Arizona Cardinals - Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri
Mukuba had a lot of traction heading into the season, but injuries led him to returning to school and transferring to his hometown team in Austin. The Packers had a clear need at safety as well, signing Xavier McKinney to a big deal this offseason. As a Jets fan, just a quick moment to savor when the Jets were thought to be Super Bowl contenders with Aaron Rodgers, which is why this pick was projected to belong to the Packers. For Robinson, this was a surprising rise for a player with very little production or fanfare heading into the season. He broke out with 8.5 sacks and then had a phenomenal week at the Senior Bowl. This was still a bit early for my liking, but he has the versatility and power to hang around the league for a long time.
28. Way-too-early pick: Cincinnati Bengals - Calen Bullock, S, USC Actual draft pick: Kansas City Chiefs via Buffalo Bills - Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Bullock is a ball-hawking safety with excellent ball production from his time at USC. However, one of the biggest issues for him, and most of the USC defense, was his inability to tackle. A big part of that is that at 188 pounds, he is in the second percentile for weight at the safety position. He wound up landing with Houston in the third round as a result. Meanwhile, the Chiefs traded up with the Bills again to land a speedster at wide receiver. More on Worthy in just a second.
29. Way-too-early pick: Buffalo Bills - Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas Actual draft pick: Dallas Cowboys via Detroit Lions - Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
Oh how close this was to actually happening. Worthy was on the board for the Bills at 28 and they needed a receiver in a bad way. Instead, Buffalo traded down and Worthy is now the newest weapon for Patrick Mahomes. The Texas star has a very slight frame, but broke the 40-yard dash record at the combine this year. He will change how teams have to defend Kansas City. His draft stock clearly did not shift a whole lot from where he was initially projected to where he landed. The same cannot be said for Guyton. He was not really in the conversation heading into the 2023 season, but he has exciting intangibles despite his lack of experience. In a couple years, he could look like a steal at this spot.
30. Way-too-early pick: San Francisco 49ers - Akheem Mesidor, DL, Miami Actual draft pick: Baltimore Ravens - Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
Mesidor remains a prospect I will be watching closely for the 2025 draft. He had a great first season with Miami in 2022 after transferring from West Virginia. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury just three games into the 2023 season. I did not have Wiggins in my way-too-early mock, and in retrospect, I probably should have. He was the Clemson defender I overlooked. He has great speed, impressive effort and top-tier ball skills. He lasted to the end of the round because of his slight frame and questionable tackling in space. I have no doubt Baltimore will find a way to get the most out of him.
31. Way-too-early pick: Philadelphia Eagles - Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU Actual draft pick: San Francisco 49ers - Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
Philly picked much earlier than this on draft day as their Super Bowl hangover finally hit in the second half of the season. I was high on Suamataia heading into the season, but he still has a bit of a ways to go from a development standpoint to make it to be a starter. He landed with the Chiefs in the second round. The 49ers got back to the Super Bowl, but fell short and John Lynch decided he wanted more firepower on offense. Whether this means Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel is on the way out or not, Pearsall should have a role in this offense early. He is a reliable playmaker with inside-outside versatility.
32. Way-too-early pick: Kansas City Chiefs - Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon Actual draft pick: Carolina Panthers via Buffalo Bills & Kansas City Chiefs - Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
The Chiefs did wind up selecting a wide receiver in the first round, just not Franklin. It was a bit of a shock to see Franklin slide as far as he did. He was not a first-round talent as I had initially thought, but I figured he would go mid-to-late second round, not in the early fourth. He was very productive at Oregon, but a slight frame and small hands likely pushed him down draft boards. That being said, I like his landing spot with his college quarterback in Denver. On the other hand, Leggette was on no one's radar heading into the season. In his first four seasons at South Carolina, he was largely a special teamer with 423 career receiving yards. He exploded with 1,255 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He is a hometown kid with a chance to play a major role in his first season. He should be one of Bryce Young's top targets this year.

Imagine an ODI tournament of the following all-time teams, each player performing at roughly the form of the best 5-6 years of their career, in a double round-robin format where each team gets a home game and an away game against a given opponent. What would you expect the final rankings of teams to be? Note: Don’t judge players by how they were for their time -- judge them on a level playing field.
(Also, since these are roughly meant to be my guess for the all-time best teams of each of these countries in ODIs, feel free to suggest alternative teams! Note, however, that my selections are likely controversial, since (1) my general views are that ODI batting improved over time, thanks to a greater emphasis on strike rate (obviously also benefited by shorter boundaries and flatter pitches, but there was also genuine improvement), making my choice of batters a bit more modern than many would be comfortable with, and (2) this is just the best 5–6 years of batters’ careers, so a lot of batters I’ve picked are not bona fide legends/have only been playing for around that time but in that time have performed really well. But yes, I’m sure people will be annoyed I haven’t picked Dean Jones, Steve Waugh or Greg Chappell for Australia, Ian Botham, Graham Gooch or Marcus Trescothick for England, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble or Javagal Srinath for India, Inzamam ul-Haq for Pakistan, Hansie Cronje, Graeme Smith, Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs for South Africa, and so on. I have been watching cricket for decades -- I’m not as young as my team lists would suggest.)
Australia

1. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
2. David Warner
3. Ricky Ponting (c)
4. Michael Bevan
5. Michael Hussey
6. Andrew Symonds
7. Shane Watson
8. Mitchell Starc
9. Brett Lee
10. Shane Warne
11. Glenn McGrath

England

1. Jason Roy
2. Jonny Bairstow
3. Joe Root
4. Eoin Morgan (c)
5. Kevin Pietersen
6. Ben Stokes
7. Jos Buttler (wk)
8. Andrew Flintoff
9. Graeme Swann
10. Darren Gough
11. James Anderson

India

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Sachin Tendulkar
3. Virat Kohli
4. Yuvraj Singh
5. KL Rahul
6. MS Dhoni (c) (wk)
7. Kapil Dev
8. Zaheer Khan
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Mohammed Shami
11. Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand

1. Martin Guptill
2. Brendon McCullum (wk)
3. Kane Williamson
4. Ross Taylor
5. Martin Crowe (c)
6. Chris Cairns
7. Jacob Oram
8. Richard Hadlee
9. Daniel Vettori
10. Shane Bond
11. Trent Boult

Pakistan

1. Saeed Anwar
2. Fakhar Zaman
3. Babar Azam
4. Mohammad Yousuf
5. Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
6. Shahid Afridi
7. Imran Khan (c)
8. Wasim Akram
9. Saqlain Mushtaq
10. Waqar Younis
11. Shoaib Akhtar

South Africa

1. Quinton de Kock (wk)
2. Hashim Amla
3. Jacques Kallis
4. AB de Villiers
5. Faf du Plessis (c)
6. David Miller
7. Lance Klusener
8. Shaun Pollock
9. Dale Steyn
10. Imran Tahir
11. Allan Donald

Sri Lanka

1. Sanath Jayasuriya
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan
3. Kumar Sangakkara (wk)
4. Mahela Jayawardene
5. Aravinda de Silva
6. Arjuna Ranatunga (c)
7. Angelo Matthews
8. Chaminda Vaas
9. Lasith Malinga
10. Muttiah Muralitharan
11. Ajantha Mendis

West Indies

1. Gordon Greenidge
2. Chris Gayle
3. Brian Lara
4. Viv Richards
5. Shai Hope (wk)
6. Clive Lloyd (c)
7. Carl Hooper
8. Malcolm Marshall
9. Joel Garner
10. Michael Holding
11. Curtly Ambrose

Every single day I'm getting a call from some diesel emissions claim service. This would normally just be a minor annoyance, but this is particularly getting to me because they're asking for my grandad by name, who passed away in 2019.
I'm assuming the reason I'm getting the calls is because in 2017/18 I helped my grandad with his insurance, and since he was getting on in years and didn't have a phone at the time, I put my own mobile number down.
I've probably received 15 calls so far, all different numbers. If I don't answer they'll keep ringing through the day. Every call I've told them no they can't speak to the person in question because he's passed away, and asked to be removed from the calling list. As I received more and more calls, I started becoming less patient and tolerant, and multiple times have expressed my wish for the right to be forgotten under the GDPR (I need to do the training for work, so I'm aware of the general provisions), but to nobody's surprise this hasn't stopped the calls.
Is there any service I can use that would help to stop these calls, or any other advice people could give in this situation? The difficulty is that the people calling are undoubtedly one of those ephemeral entities that will be impossible to nail down, but continuing to call after being informed the person they are trying to contact is deceased just feels wrong and insensitive, and I'm sure there must be something I can do to stop this, as it's becoming harassment at this point.
ETA: I'm in England.

April 27th
Europe
Premier league (England)
Antonee Robinson (Fulham) Started at LB and went the full 90’ in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace (7.1/6.70) 33/47 passing Match Highlights
Chris Richards (Crystal Palace) Started at LCB and went the full 90’ in a 1-1 draw at Fulham (7.3/6.94) 0/1 shot on target, 50/62 passing
Auston Trusty (Sheffield United) Started at LCB and went the full 90’ in a 5-1 loss at Newcastle Utd (6.1/6.65) 18/20 passing, 2 chances created Match Highlights
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Championship
Haji Wright (Coventry City) Started at LW and played 85‘ in a 0-0 draw at Blackburn Rovers (6.2/6.34) 1/3 shots on target, 12/15 passing Match Highlights
Josh Sargent (Norwich City) Started at ST and went the full 90’ in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City. Scored in the 45th’ (7.7/7.15) 3/9 shots on target, 8/11 passing Match Highlights
Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City) Started at GK and went the full 90’ in a 4-1 loss against Middlesbrough FC (4.8/5.84) 3/7 saving Match Highlights
​
League 1
Charlie Kelman (Wigan Athletic on loan from QPR) Subbed on in the 69th‘ in a 2-0 win against Bristol Rovers (6.3/6.12) 2/4 passing, 1 chance created Match Highlights
​
League 2
Vicente Reyes (Forest Green Rovers on loan from Norwich City) Started at GK and went the full 90’ in a 1-0 win against Notts County (7.3/6.99) 1/1 save Match Highlights
Shane McLoughlin (Newport County) Subbed on in the 80th‘ in a 4-1 loss at Bradford City (-/5.93) 12/13 passing Match Highlights
Jeremy Kelly (Crawley Town) Started at LWB and went the full 90’ in a 2-0 win against Grimsby Town. Assisted on the game winner in the 24th’ (8.4/8.45) 23/29 passing, 1 chance created Match Highlights
​
La Liga (Spain)
Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo) Subbed on in the 53rd‘ in a 3-0 loss at Deportivo Alaves (6.2/6.11) 19/21 passing Match Highlights
​
Serie A (Italy)
Christian Pulišić (AC Milan) Started at RW and played 82‘ in a 0-0 draw at Juventus FC (6.9/6.53) 22/23 passing, 2 chances created Match Highlights
Yunus Musah (AC Milan) Started at RB and played 81‘ in a 0-0 draw at Juventus FC. Picked up a yellow in the 45th’ (7.6/7.25) 0/1 shot on target, 39/43 passing, 1 chance created
Weston Mckennie (Juventus FC) Subbed on in the 70th‘ in a 0-0 draw with AC Milan (6.1/6.23) 1/2 shots on target, 10/14 passing
Timothy Weah (Juventus FC) Started at RWB and played 70‘ in a 0-0 draw with AC Milan (7.1/6.79) 19/24 passing, 1 chance created
​
Serie B
Kristoffer Lund (Palermo FC) Started at LWB and went the full 90’ in a 2-1 loss against Reggiana (7.3/-) 1/4 shots on target, 35/46 passing, 1 chance created Match Highlights
Nicholas GIoacchini (Como 1907) Subbed on in the 87th‘ in a 1-1 draw at Sampdoria (-/-) 2/4 passing Match Highlights
Andrija Novakovich (Calcio Lecco 1912 on loan from Venezia FC) Started at ST and played 66‘ in a 4-0 loss at Parma Calcio (6.6/-) 1/2 shots on target, 7/10 passing, 1 chance created Match Highlights
​
Bundesliga (Germany)
Timothy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt) Subbed on in the 87th‘ in a 2-1 loss at Bayern Munich (-/6.00) 1/1 pass Match Highlights
Kevin Paredes (VfL Wolfsburg) Subbed on in the 45th‘ in a 2-1 win at Freiburg (6.5/6.24) 0/1 shot on target, 12/14 passing
​
2. Bundesliga
Johan Gómez (Eintracht Braunschweig) Started at RST and played 75‘ in a 4-0 loss against Hamburger SV (6.2/6.21) 8/10 passing Match Highlights
​
3. Liga
Joe-Joe Richardson (SV Sandhausen) Subbed on in the 46th‘ in a 3-1 loss at MSV Duisburg (-/-) Match Highlights
Jalen Hawkins (SV Waldhof Mannheim) Subbed on in the 85th‘ and off in the 90th’ in a 1-1 draw at SC Verl (-/-) Match Highlights
Terrence Boyd (SV Waldhof Mannheim) Started at ST and played 85‘ in a 1-1 draw at SC Verl. Assisted in the 5th’
Santiago Castaneda (MSV Duisburg) Started at CDM and went the full 90’ in a 3-1 win against SV Sandhausen. Picked up a yellow in the 90th’
Kaan Inanoğlu (MSV Duisburg) Subbed on in the 61st‘ in a 3-1 win against SV Sandhausen
Justin Butler (Borussia Dortmund II) Subbed on in the 75th‘ in a 2-2 draw with Erzgebirge Aue (-/-) Match Highlights
​
Ligue 1 (France)
Emmanuel Sabbi (Le Havre) Started at LW and played 90‘ in a 3-3 draw at PSG. Assisted in the 19th’ (7.9/7.66) 9/11 passing,1 chance created Match Highlights
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Jupiler Pro League (Belgium)
Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo) Subbed on in the 64th‘ in a 3-2 loss at Gent (6.4/6.33) 0/1 shot on target, 5/5 passing, 2 chances created
Kahveh Zahiroleslam (St. Truiden) Started at ST and played 66‘ in a 1-1 draw at Standard Liege. Picked up a yellow in the 23rd’ (6.4/6.44) 0/1 shot on target, 12/16 passing, 1 chance created
​
Premier League (Scotland)
Dante Polvara (Aberdeen FC) Started at LCM and went the full 90’ in a 1-0 win against Motherwell (7.9/-) 0/1 shot on target, 29/36 passing, 2 chances created Match Highlights
Scott Pittman (Livingston FC) Started at LM and went the full 90’ in a 2-0 win against Ross County (6.8/-) 20/27 passing Match Highlights
​
2.Liga (Austrian 2nd Division)
Bryan Okoh (FC Liefering on loan from RB Salzburg) Started at RB and went the full 90’ in a 0-0 draw at Admira Moedling (-/-)
​
1.Divisjon (Norwegian 2nd Division)
Chris Hegardt (Stabaek) Subbed on in the 66th‘ in a 2-2 draw at Aasane (-/-) Match Highlights
Thomas Roberts (Stabaek) Started at RCM and went the full 90’ in a 2-2 draw at Aasane. Assisted in the 16th’
Ian Hoffmann (Moss FK) Started at LB and played 86‘ in a 2-1 loss against Egersund (-/-)
​
Liga HaAl (Israel)
El Yam Kancepolsky (Hapoel Tel Aviv) Subbed on in the 80th‘ in a 5-1 loss against Beitar Jerusalem (-/-) Match Highlights
​
1.HNL (Croatia)
Rokas Pukštas (Hajduk Split) Started at RCM and went the full 90’ in a 5-1 win against Rudes. Scored in the 4th’ and 26th’ (8.3/-) 2/7 shots on target, 15/17 passing, 2 chances created Match Highlights
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Superettan (Swedish 2nd Division)
Marcelo Palomino (GIF Sundsvall) Subbed on in the 55th‘ in a 1-1 draw with Varbergs BoIS FC (-/-) Match Highlights
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Ekstraklasa (Poland)
Ben Lederman (Raków Częstochowa) Subbed on in the 46th‘ in a 1-0 win at Widzew Lodz (6.7/-) 26/31 passing Match Highlights
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Fortuna 1 Liga
Szymon Lyczko (Stal Rzeszów) Started at RW and played 83‘ in a 4-2 win against Lechia Gdańsk (-/-) Match Highlights
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Fortuna Liga (Slovakia)
Zyen Jones (FC Kosice) Started at RW and played 79‘ in a 2-0 loss against Zlate Moravce (-/-) Match Highlights
​
Veikkausliiga (Finland)
Justin Rennicks (AC Oulu) Started at LW and played 63‘ in a 2-1 loss against VPS (-/-) Match Highlights
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NIFL Premiership (Northern Ireland)
Jaziel Orozco (Larne FC on loan from Real Salt Lake) Started at LCB and went the full 90’ in a 5-0 win against Coleraine (-/-) Match Highlights
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Kategoria Superiore (Albania)
Xhelil Asani (KF Erzeni) Started at LB and played 81‘ in a 1-0 loss at Skenderbeu. Picked up a yellow in the 80th’ (-/-) Match Highlights
​
South America
Liga 1 (Peru)
Claudio Torrejón (Club Cienciano) Started at RCM and played 82‘ in a 2-0 loss at Cusco FC (-/-) Match Highlights
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April 28th
Europe
Premier league (England)
Giovanni Reyna (Nottingham Forest on loan from Borussia Dortmund) Subbed on in the 73rd‘ in a 2-0 loss against Manchester City (6.1/6.06) 5/7 passing, 1 chance created Match Highlights
​
La Liga (Spain)
Johnny (Real Betis) Started at LCM and went the full 90’ in a 1-1 draw with Sevilla. Picked up a yellow in the 90th‘ (7.8/6.84) 1/3 shots on target, 28/32 passing, 1 chance created Match Highlights
​
Segunda Division
Konrad de la Fuente (SD Eibar on loan from Olympique Marseille) Subbed on in the 77th‘ in a 2-1 loss at Albacete Balompié (6.1/-) 3/3 passing
​
Bundesliga (Germany)
Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin on loan from Leeds Utd) Started at RCM and played 73‘ in a 0-0 draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach (6.7/6.65) 2/2 shots on target, 25/32 passing, 2 chances created Match Highlights
Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach) Started at LWB and went the full 90’ in a 0-0 draw with Union Berlin (6.5/6.62) 0/1 shot on target, 21/26 passing, 1 chance created
Jordan Pefok (Borussia Mönchengladbach on loan from Union Berlin) Subbed on in the 87th‘ in a 0-0 draw with Union Berlin (-/6.02)
Damion Downs (FC Köln) Subbed on in the 61st‘ in a 1-1 draw at Mainz 05 (5.9/6.05) 4/5 passing Match Highlights
​
2. Bundesliga
Maximilian Dietz (SpVgg Greuther Fürth) Started at LCB and went the full 90’ in a 5-3 win at Wehen Wiesbaden (6.4/6.05) 82/87 passing Match Highlights
Nathaniel Brown (FC Nürnberg on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt) Subbed on in the 64th‘ in a 1-0 loss against Karlsruher SC (5.8/6.05) 0/1 shot on target, 8/10 passing Match Highlights
​
3. Liga
Mansour Ouro-Tagba (1860 Munich) Subbed on in the 61st‘ in a 2-0 loss at Unterhaching. Picked up a yellow in the 90th’ (-/-) Match Highlights
Bryang Kayo (FC Ingolstadt) Subbed on in the 46th‘ in a 4-0 loss at RW Essen (-/-) Match Highlights
Isaiah Young (RW Essen) Subbed on in the 24th‘ in a 4-0 win against FC Ingolstadt
​
Eredivisie (Netherlands)
Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht) Subbed on in the 72nd’‘ in a 2-2 draw at RKC Waalwijk (6.3/6.32) 6/7 passing
Paxten Aaronson (Vitesse on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt) Started at CDM and went the full 90’ in a 3-2 win against Fortuna Sittard. Won player of the match by scoring in the 22nd’ and 75th’ (9.0/8.42) 3/4 shots on target, 20/28 passing, 1 chance created
Philippe Sandler (NEC Nijmegen) Started at RCB and played 23‘ in a 3-0 loss against AZ Alkmaar (6.2/6.12) 22/23 passing
Deron Payne (FC Volendam) Subbed on in the 62nd’‘ in a 1-0 loss at Sparta Rotterdam (6.1/5.94) 11/17 passing
Zach Booth (FC Volendam on loan from Leicester City) Started at RW and went the full 90’ in a 1-0 loss at Sparta Rotterdam (6.0/6.28) 1/4 shots on target, 14/19 passing
​
Ligue 1 (France)
Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco) Started at LST and played 45‘ in a 3-2 loss at Lyon. Assisted in the 1st’ (6.7/6.10) 0/1 shot on target, 5/9 passing, 1 chance created Match Highlights
​
Jupiler Pro League (Belgium)
Mark McKenzie (KRC Genk) Started at LCB and went the full 90’ in a 3-0 loss against Club Bruges (5.1/5.24) 0/1 shot on target, 61/71 passing, 1 error led to goal
​
Premier League (Scotland)
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic FC) Started at RCB and went the full 90’ in a 2-1 win at Dundee FC (7.7/-) 0/1 shot on target, 55/68 passing, 2 chances created Match Highlights
​
Bundesliga (Austria)
George Bello (LASK) Started at LB and played 83‘ in a 5-0 win against Rapid Wien (7.2/-) 0/1 shot on target, 26/31 passing Match Highlights
Sebastian Soto (SK Austria Klagenfurt) Subbed on in the 90th‘ in a 3-2 loss at Hartberg (-/-) 0/1 pass Match Highlights
​
Eliteserien (Norway)
Samuel Rogers (Hamarkameratene on loan from Lillestrøm SK) Subbed on in the 61st‘ in a 1-1 draw at Lillestrom (6.8/-) 0/1 shot on target, 27/31 passing Match Highlights
Michael Lansing (Kristiansund BK) Started at GK and went the full 90’ in a 2-2 draw at Stromsgodset (6.1/-) 4/6 saving Match Highlights
​
Superettan (Swedish 2nd Division)
Arquímedes Ordoñez (Ostersund FK on loan from Cincinnati FC) Started at ST and went the full 90’ in a 0-0 draw at Helsingborg. Picked up a yellow in the 26th’ (-/-) Match Highlights
Erik McCue (Örebro SK) Started at RCB and went the full 90’ in a 2-1 win against IK Brage (-/-) Match Highlights
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Nemzeti Bajnokság I (Hungary)
Henry Wingo (Ferencvárosi TC) Started at RCB and went the full 90’ in a 2-1 win at MTK Budapest (-/-)
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Kategoria Superiore (Albania)
Gledi Mici (KF Tirana) Started at RCB and played 59‘ in a 2-1 loss against Partizani. Picked up a yellow in the 48th’ (-/-) Match Highlights
​
Prva Makedonska Fudbalska Liga (North Macedonia)
Adrien (Tikves) Subbed on in the 67th‘ in a 3-2 loss at Shkupi. Picked up a yellow in the 90th’ (-/-) Match Highlights
Keith Larson (Makedonija) Started at LW and played 46‘ in a 1-1 draw at Rabotnicki. Scored their goal in the 45th’ (-/-)
​
South America
LigaPro Serie A (Ecuador)
Michael Hoyos (Independiente del Valle) Started at ST and played 68‘ in a 1-0 win at Imbabura SC (-/-) Match Highlights
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Primera División (Uruguay)
Matias Fracchia (Danubio FC) Subbed on in the 74th‘ in a 5-3 win at Miramar Misiones (-/-) Match Highlights
​
Past week's Post

(LONG POST) (PART 1)

1. Wrestlemania IX, 1993 Wrestlemania IX is the worst WrestleMania of all time. Some of the strangest moments in Wrestlemania history happened this year. In a highly anticipated match, Giant Gonzales lost to The Undertaker in a disappointing disqualification ending after using…. Chloroform. Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart in the main event only for Hulk Hogan to come out and get a title shot and beat Yokozuna in 21 seconds. Oh and everyone’s wearing togas.
   
2. Wrestlemania II, 1986 This show took place in 3 different venues. This made for very awkward presentations and crowds. The only bright spot about this show was The British Bulldogs defeating The Dream Team for the Tag Team Championships. The worst part about this show was Rowdy Roddy Piper losing to Mr T by disqualification in a boxing match.
   
3. WRestlemania XXVII, 2011 The card of this WrestleMania has to go down as one of the worst in WWE history. Just to give you an idea, the winners on this show were Snooki, Michael Cole, and The Great Khali- and somehow this isn’t the worst WrestleMania. You can thank The Undertaker’s match against Triple H and some other mid-card matches for that.
   
4. Wrestlemania XI, 1995 WWE’s obsession with involving celebrities at WrestleMania really peaked on this show. Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event with several NFL players at ringside. LT wrestled much better than many would have expected but the fact that this match was the main event goes to show how messy this card was. Additionally, Diesel defeated Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship.
   
5. (Tie) Wrestlemania IV, 1988 I'm a fan of tournaments, but making almost the entire card of Wrestlemania into a tournament was a strange decision. Randy Savage vs Ted DiBiase was a good Main Event, but the rest of this is pretty forgettable.
   
6. (Tie) Wrestlemania VII, 1991 Hulk Hogan vs Sgt Slaughter was a weak main event. The Highlight was the Ultimate Warrior beating Randy Savage, with Miss Elizabeth coming to Savage’s rescue after the match.
   
7. (Tie) Wrestlemania V, 1989 Hulk Hogan took on Randy Savage, as The Mega Powers split up, ending one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history. Unfortunately, the rest of the card was not good and included some really bad matches.
   

33.(Tie) Wrestlemania 36, 2020 This is the toughest show to rank because most of the matches happened inside an empty WWE Performance Center warehouse shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost everything in the ring felt weird to watch because of the awkward silence, but the wrestling wasn’t bad. The two cinematic matches- The Undertaker vs AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match and Bray Wyatt vs John Cena in a Firefly Fun House Match- were some of the most creative and rewatchable things WWE had done in a while.
31.(Tie) Wrestlemania 32, 2016 A stretch of injuries to stars made this card tough. The main event featuring Roman Reigns and Triple H was long and boring. The highlights of the event were Shane McMahon becoming the first person to jump off the Hell In A Cell and a women’s triple threat match featuring Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. Also, Zack Ryder had a surprise ladder-match win for the Intercontinental Championship.

1. ( Tie) Wrestlemania VIII, 1992 It’s still hard to believe WWE didn’t give us the Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair Dream Match here. Instead, Flair vs Randy Savage was a very good match. In Turn, Hogan vs Sid Justice was one of the worst main events ever. A fine show, but one of the least memorable.

Honestly it confuses me that there are so many locomotives on Sodor that come from different parts of the UK. Like, an E2 in the North West of England? Doesn’t make sense to me at all. How does a steam locomotive from the LBSCR - in the southernmost part of the UK - make it all the way to the Furness Railway - in Cumbria - on accident? How does that make any sense? I can understand Edward on Sodor, that’s self-explanatory and Henry, whether Mk1 or Mk2 makes sense. But Gordon? Why Sodor? Why would a high profile express steam locomotive for the GNR end up in Sodor? It’s not like Gordon was unsatisfactory. James I can also understand given that the L&YR was relatively close to the FR & NWR. And since Percy is essentially a freelance design or a contractor’s locomotive that also makes sense. Toby also makes sense, because being purchased from the LNER after the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway closed is the equivalent of a locomotive being purchased for preservation, except in this case actually having a practical use. As for Duck, why would BR send a 57xx class all the way from London to be a pilot locomotive in the North Western Region when if the North Western Region needed a pilot they could’ve sent a locomotive from the Midland Region? Or have Riddles design a standard shunting engine? Donald and Douglas are the same case, two Standard 3’s would’ve done the job. Or one, considering there was only meant to be one. Oliver would make sense given Oliver was meant for scrap. And why wasn’t all of the locomotives sent for scrap? Is the NWR some really large heritage railway? Did it somehow split off from BR before the locomotive fleet would be replaced with diesels? And if so, how would it legally operate? It can’t be under a Light Railway Order because then the Express would legally have to go at the speed of a branch line train which seems rather ridiculous. And early heritage lines had to operate on Light Railway Orders. And why would BR diesels come on the railway after in would’ve in theory became a heritage line? Perhaps i’m just trying to make sense of a simple children’s series and maybe I should stop. Actually, no. Why was the NWR excluded from grouping when it was literally one of the shortest railways, even before grouping? Okay now i’ll stop.

Hello and welcome to my introduction to the 2024 Dorset Council Elections.
As I’ve written a lot the TDLR is the Conservatives are almost certain to lose control, possibly to NOC and likely to a Lib Dem majority with the Greens also making small gains.
​
The Background
The Geography
Dorset Council consists of the whole ceremonial council of Dorset with the exception of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with forms it’s own Unitary Authority. Dorset is a reasonable size so there is quite a bit of variation across the county in terms of rurality and transport links. Whilst the main urban area is excluded from the council Weymouth (pop. 53k) and the county town of Dorchester (21k) still form major centres for the council’s 380,000 people with several smaller market towns scattered across the rural county. Two mainlines cross the county with the electrified southwestern mainline providing hourly trains from Weymouth eastwards to Bournemouth and onwards to Waterloo and diesel West of England line criss-crossing the somerset border with hourly trains to Exeter and London. These lines are connected by a smaller line from Dorchester to Yeovil (where the layout of the railway is ridiculous). Road travel is key given the rural nature of the county but it is not quick but in my limited experience Morebus seem to run a better network than Stagecoach do in Devon.
The Council
The council is made up of 52 wards that elect 1 to 3 councillors each to a total of 82 with 42 needed for a majority. The council was created in 2019 as part of the reorganisation of local government in Dorset which moved it from having 6 district councils under a county council with Poole and Bournemouth having their own unitary authorities. Due to it having been created in the wrong year for single election UA the first two terms are of five years and after that will revert to the standard 4 years (personally I think this should have been done with 3 year terms). This reorganisation was not without controversy (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole were not best pleased being lumped together) but doesn’t seem to have caused any cataclysmic issues (e.g. as far as I’m aware both councils are reasonably solvent).
The political history
Dorset is similar to much of the south west in being predominantly Lib Dem/Conservative contests, nut one that has historically lent more conservative than Devon, Somerset and Cornwall. At parliamentary level the conservatives have been very strong largely due to FPTP but also never having dropped below 40% of the vote. Since the War there have only been 3 non-tory MPs elected at general elections, most recently in Mid Dorset and North Poole where the Lib Dems won in 2010, and 2 at by-elections (additionally Oliver Letwin (West Dorset) lost the tory whip for the last few months before 2019). The former county council was also tory dominated having had a conservative majority from it’s creation in 1974 until it’s end in 2019 with the exception of a period of NOC (which I think was a Lib Dem minority) from 1993 until 2001. The five district councils that make up Dorset Council (the previous UAs and Christchurch borough council are almost completely within BCP) have a more varied history. West and North Dorset both had 4 yearly elections and Independent Majorities until 1987 and 1995 respectively followed by a period of NOC and Lib Dem control until the tories took control in 2003 and 2007 which they held onto until reorganisation. Purbeck flipped between NOC and Conservative majority from 1996 with yearly elections (the conservatives having had control since 2011 and a majority since 2015). Weymouth and Portland also had yearly elections and has been NOC since 1980 with small periods of Lib Dem and Labour control (last in 2015) in between mostly Tory leaders of the council. East Dorset has been Tory since the 70s apart from a Lib Dem administration from ’95 to ’97.
The 2019 Dorset Council elections
The first election for the council was in the glorious spring/summer of 2019 where politics went completely bananas, it is also the last electoral remanent from that most febrile of times. The 2019 locals saw a massive decline for a conservative party beset by infighting with a prime minister constantly battling the right of the party, sound familiar? In Dorset the damage to the party’s position was rather severe though they held onto their majority by just 2 seats with 43 overall, one of which was subsequently lost in a by-election to the Greens. The best comparator election is the 2017 Dorset County Council election, though the loss of Christchurch will make any figures slightly imperfect. Compared to 2017 the Tories had lost 13.5% to fall to 39%, the Lib Dems gained 4% to get to 29% and 28 seats, Labour stayed the same at 12% with 2 seats and the greens slightly improved to 7% and 4 seats with 4 independents also elected. Since then there also looks like theres been a couple of Lib Dems who’ve become independent leaving the party on 27.
​
What’s going to happen this time?
Well somehow the national picture is looking even less rosy for the tories than it was in that most glorious of summers and given how they lost massively last year (when almost all the other 2019 results were up) its not unreasonable to anticipate this election may not go their way. In light of their knife edge majority a fall into NOC is extremely likely and a full Lib Dem majority is very plausible (Ed Davey was quite optimistic when on Spotlight, the BBC regional news for the South West). The tories are standing a full slate again with the Lib Dems only missing 5 candidates on 77 (up from 68), Labour are down to 51 from 64 whilst the Greens are up 1 to 24 from 23. There are 5 less (21 vs 26) Independents standing this time round and a lot less UKIP (3 including 2 ‘English Democrat and UKIP’ vs 32) with Reform being negligible in presence at only 3 candidates as they are not a serious party and should be ignored.
What the wards look like:
Beacon (1), Blackmore Vale (1), Cranborne Chase (1), Hill Forts and Upper Tarrants (1), West Moors and Three Legged Cross (2) and West Parley (1) all have conservative majorities of about 30% or more so even on their absolute worst night they should hold these 7 seats.
Charminster St Mary’s (1), Crossways (1), Dorchester East (2), Radipole (2), Sherborne Rural (1), Shaftesbury Town (2), Sherborne West (1), Westham (2), Wimborne Minster (2), Winterborne and Broadmayne (1) should be similarly safe for the Lib Dems and in light of the general situation they are also likely to hold the more marginal (over the tories) seats of Colehill and Wimborne Minster East (2), the seat they hold in the split ward of Corfe Mullen (1), Cranbourne and Alderholt (1), Dorchester Poundbury (1), the 2 seats they hold in the split ward of Lychett and Matravers and Upton (2), Sherborne East (1), Upwey and Broadway (1) and Wareham (2) giving them a rock solid bas of 15 seats that should comfortably extend and additional 11 to 26 (currently they hold 29).
Melcombe Regis (1) is safe for the Greens and they should also hold their by-election gain of Lyme and Charmouth (1) giving them 2 they should be able to count on.
The other 49 seats are more in contention.
The tories hold over the Lib Dems is only marginal in Beaminster (1), the second Corfe Mullen seat (1), Gillingham (3), the first Lychett Matravers seat (1) and Winterborne North (1). Winning all of those would put the Lib Dems up 7 to 33 and likely in a position to lead a NOC council. Chesil bank is similarly very likely to flip Green from tory.
Blandford (2), Puddletown and Lower Winterborne (1), Stalbridge and Marnhull (1), Stour and Allen Vale (1) and Yetminster (1) are all more challenging gains (totalling 6) for the Lib Dems but not impossible on a good night with Chalk Valleys (1) and Eggardon (1) being similar for the Greens.
Ferndown North (2), Ferndown South (2) and St Leonards and St Ives (2) are all complicated by strong showings for UKIP. I’m going to be a bit optimistic and say they’ll go 3 seats each tory and Lib Dem with two outright wins and one split ward however this is a bit of a stab in the dark.
South East Purbeck (1), Sturminster Newton (1) had Independents only 3% behind the conservatives last time but they’re not standing again so it should be quite an easy gain for the Lib Dems (3rd in 2019). West Purbeck (2) is similar but with a slightly stronger lead for the tories so the ward may well split.
Bridport (3) is going to be a rather interesting one. In 2019 two Lib Dems sandwiched the solitary Green followed by 3 tories, the 3rd Lib Dem then 3 Labour with a UKIP in the middle. This year the Lib Dems, Greens and Tories are all standing 3 candidates with 1 Labour making up the numbers. Lib Dem/Green contests are rare and tricky things so I’m tentatively going to say the status quo of 2 Lib Dem and 1 Green will stay but I’m not overly confident.
Chickerell (2) had a Conservative and an Independent win the seats last time but the Ind isn’t standing again and neither is the Green who was next after the second Con. I’m going to say the Lib Dems gain both seats (as it was quite marginal last time) but there is a slim chance Labour could get one.
Dorchester West (2) was split between a Lib Dem and an Ind who just beat the second Lib Dem in 2019. This time it looks like the Lib Dems aren’t standing a second candidate against the Ind so I expect both incumbents will hold their seats.
Littlemoor and Preston (2) was significantly more marginal in 2019 than it’s by-election this January where what had been a very split opposition centralised around the Lib Dems. As the tories held this so recently I suspect they will keep both seats though the margins aren’t unassalible so its not impossible that the ward will split or go Lib Dem.
In Marshwood Vale (1) the tories were only 9% ahead of an Ind in 2019. The Ind has now joined the Greens (who were 3rd) so I reckon they’ll win, possibly quite comfortably.
Portland (3) is currently split between 2 Inds and 1 Labour. Both Inds are standing again as is the Labour councillor (alongside 2 pother Labour candidates) so I reckon the incumbents will all hold. The Lib Dems are also standing this time which could change things so this isn’t one of my most confident wards.
Rodwell and Wyke (3) was split with two Greens either side of a Labour. Again I’m going to reckon the incumbents hold but one party or the other could easily take a seat.
Swanage (2) could go Labour on a good night for them but the Lib Dems aren’t to far behind so could also be contenders. Inds and a Green adding to the split in the opposition means that this seat will most likely stay conservative however.
Verwood (3) should be safe for the conservatives but drastic change in opposition candidates this year (3 Lib Dems rather than 1, no Greens who came second two less Labour and 1 less UKIP) mean that a split ward or Lib Dem gain is not out of the question even if a tory hold is most likely.
Overall seat number predictions (changes with 2019):
Lib Dems- 47 (+18)
Conservatives- 22 (-21)
Green- 8 (+4)
Ind- 3 (-1)
Labour- 2 (=)
References (I have included Wikipedia as a reference site but I should be clear that is not good practice for anything more serious than this):
My own knowledge of having visited the area frequently (I’m happy to be corrected by a local if I’ve messed something up)
https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/documents/35024/4507074/SoPN+-+Dorset+Council+-+2+May+2024+v080411.pdf/8af4a8d3-eda6-bffa-cfd5-4c0713ee7920
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset_(district))
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset_Council_(UK))
Various other Wikipedia pages about the district councils I’m not bothering to hyperlink.