Booking Like A Mark

Was Lyra Valkyria the right choice to be the inaugural Women's Intercontinental Champion? Mark doesn't think so! On this episode, he rebooks the tournament to crown the first champion, and charts the belt's storylines through Wrestlemania 41. His choice for champion... Natalya Neidhart! With her unique connection to multiple former men's Intercontinental champions, her family history brings value and prestige to the title.Also, on this episode, Alexis plays "Hart To Hart" trying to see if she can tell which individuals were part of the famous Hart family of professional wrestling. The other names... members of Kevin Hart's family! Will Alexis be able to figure out the two family trees?

Remember in 2002, when Shawn Michaels convinced Triple H to come to Monday Night Raw? The next night they teased a reunion of D-Generation X, until Hunter turned on his longtime friend. This kicked off one of the biggest feuds of the "Ruthless Aggression" era. On this episode of the podcast, Mark looks at what the remainder of 2002, and the first half of 2003, would have looked like if Shawn Michaels and Triple H actually reformed the faction.Plus, Alexis plays "Ring or Screen" identifying members and memories of D-X, while Eric joins Mark to talk about their collections of wrestling merchandise and the video games they grew up with.

*** WARNING - This is an ADULT themed episode. There is explicit language and content that is NOT suitable for all audiences. ***On this special episode...Alexis tries to figure out if maneuvers like the Rear Naked Choke, Corkscrew, and Anaconda Vice are sex positions or wrestling submissions.Eric and Mark discuss being adolescents during the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras, watching the WWE divas.Mark books a storyline where Val Venis / Sean Morley becomes an adult film director, as the head of More-Lay Productions.

It's a double feature! On this episode, Mark takes inspiration from two major motion pictures, Gladiator and Lethal Weapon. With the films serving as the blueprints, he crafts two storylines in the WWE...When Shane McMahon finds out Triple H is going to be his father's successor, he takes Vince McMahon out of the equation. Now running the company, with his sister by his side, Shane has to deal with a vengeful gladiator on the road to Wrestlemania. When he discovers this superstar's identity, Shane will stop at nothing to make sure the gladiator doesn't become the WWE Champion.Ron Simmons is ready to retire. He's too old for... the grind of the WWE schedule. Unfortunately, due to a contract issue, he is brought back to Smackdown. Under the advisement of his former friend, and Smackdown General Manager, Theodore Long, Simmons forms a tag team with Rob Van Dam, a young and exciting superstar with a completely different style and personality. With Simmons power and Van Dam's skill, they could become WWE Tag Team champions... if they don't kill each other first!Plus, Alexis joins Mark to discuss the differences between going to the movies and attending a professional wrestling event. With the WWE announcing it will actually show Summerslam in select theaters, it's the perfect time to compare the two experiences! Also on this episode, Eric has a MAJOR announcement!

The Blackpool Combat Club was formed in AEW in 2022, when Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley forged an alliance, but what would it look like if this faction came together in 2018, when both men were still in the WWE? Who would join them and what other factions could the BCC feud with? Using the story beats from the AEW storyline, as well as the superstars and schedule of the WWE at the time, helps Mark explore an alternate universe version of the faction.In addition to this week's booking, Eric and Mark talk about going to live wrestling shows, like the AEW Dynamite they attended in 2024. Eric recounts the story of being literally two feet away from Darby Allin just before he dove off a balcony onto Jon Moxley. Plus, Alexis plays "Identity Crisis" and tries to figure out what the WWE aliases were for select TNA and AEW superstars!

Kurt Angle... AJ Styles... Samoa JoeThese are names synonymous with Total Nonstop Action wrestling, but also men who competed in the WWE in 2017. In fact, the roster at that time was full of superstars who had history in TNA!From Bobby Roode to Rhyno to Matt and Jeff Hardy, there are plenty of options of talent to put in a faction, but what would bring this group together, and who would they all feud with? In this episode, Mark maps out the steps to bring together former TNA superstars into one stable.Plus, Eric plays "TNA or TN Nah", identifying TNA gimmick matches, and Mark goes against AI to see who can compose the better poem about TNA!

One of the greatest rivalries of 2005 was between Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, with Chavo Guerrero playing a minor role in that feud. What would have happened if these three superstars came together to form a faction, dealing with other stables like JBL's Cabinet and the Mexicools? Could this iteration of the LWO rule over Smackdown, or would the egos of Mysterio and the Guerreros be too much to stay on the same page?This episode of the podcast is unique, since it was recorded in the car on the way back from a Weeknd concert! The past six Wrestlemania's featured his music, but can Alexis name the songs that were used? Plus, Eric and Mark discuss the communities that they have joined through the podcast!

One of the most important storylines of 2010 saw the Nexus debut and attempt to take over the WWE. Opposing them was John Cena, the face of the company. Although Cena eventually was forced to join the faction, what if he helped CREATE the group... specifically the year he debuted, 2002. On this episode, Mark creates a storyline leading to the creation of a 2002 version of Nexus, featuring Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Dave Batista.Also on the show, Eric plays "Nexus or Against Us" and Mark competes against AI in the first "Poetry SLAM"!