European champions Real Madrid overcame Al-Hilal in an eight-goal thriller at the final of the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday night to seal a fifth title in nine years.
The game, played in the Moroccan capital, saw Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo feature in the final minutes for the Saudi Arabian side.
Asian champions Al-Hilal, who trailed by two goals before 18 minutes, did put up a monumental fight against their European counterparts but it was Real who clinched the victory with a 5-3 scoreline.
Al-Hilal goalscorers were Luciano Vietto (a brace) and Moussa Marega while Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde netted a brace each for Real Madrid, and Benzema scored a goal.
Carlo Ancelottiโs team successfully added to their four cups from 2014 to 2018, and their triumph meant European teams have won the past 10 editions of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the competition features reigning continental champions and champions of the host country. But FIFA has announced its intentions to change the format from June 2025 to feature 32 teams and be held every four years
Twenty-one players have been called up by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to the DโTigersโ camp in preparation for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers scheduled for Luanda, Angola.
The invited players were announced by the NBBF on its official Twitter account.
Messiโs current deal expired at the end of the current season and nothing has been finalised on a new contract.
The Argentine is looking at some jaw-dropping offers from Saudi Arabia and Major League Soccer and could be on his way out of PSG.
The PSG President for this reason is said to have identified the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations finalist as a potential replacement for the football king.
Salah has scored 17 goals and has provided seven assists in 31 games across competitions for the Red this season despite Jurgen Kloppโs side struggles.
The Egyptian forward, who moved to Anfield in 2017, has scored 173 goals in 285 games and provided 70 assists for the Reds, helping them win the Champions League and the Premier League
By surpassing Kareem Abdul-all-time Jabbarโs scoring mark, LeBron James has solidified his position as one of the most dominant NBA players in history.
With 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter on Tuesday night, the 38-year-old surpassed Kareem Abdul-record Jabbarโs of 38,387 points with a step-back fadeaway jumper from the foul line over the Oklahoma City Thunderโs Kenrich Williams.
Abdul-Jabbar played in 1,560 games to reach his total, whereas James did so in slightly more than 1,400.
Michael Jordan averages 30.1 points per game, which is the most in NBA history. James is barely behind another active player, Kevin Durant, in fifth place on that list with 27.1. (27.3).
The game was paused after Jamesโ record-breaking shot for an on-court ceremony with Abdul-Jabbar and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
โI just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind,โ James said.
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โTo be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, itโs very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to the Captain, please.โ
James went on to thank his family and those who have supported him.
It has been a tumultuous 24+ hours for Tรผrkiye, as the nation stands perplexed and unknowing of what lies beyond the oblivious wall, after experiencing what could well be the most devastating disaster of the century thus far.
In a heartening display of relief, the Turkish Wrestling Federation reported that eight wrestlers have been rescued from the wreckages in the Kahramanmaraล earthquakes thus far.
Kahramanmaraล Municipality athletes tragically found themselves beneath the debris of the quake, the seismic force of which was centered in Kahramanmaraล and left its mark throughout many provinces, such as Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Osmaniye, Diyarbakฤฑr, Malatya and ลanlฤฑurfa.
National wrestler Taha Akgรผl took to his social media account to report that the building housing dozens of athletes had been demolished, with an estimated 30-40 wrestlers inside.
The Turkish Wrestling Federation has declared that their rescue operations are still in force, with 8 athletes having been miraculously pulled from the wreckage thus far.
The Federation commented on the matter saying, “Rescue efforts continue for our wrestlers, who were among the athletes of Kahramanmaraล Municipality who were under the rubble after the earthquake in Kahramanmaraล. The number of wrestlers rescued so far has reached 8. The search and rescue works continue with the great dedication and faith of our wrestling family.”
Sadly, the future looks grim for a group of athletes from Malatya, with their fates far from certain.
The 11 volleyball players and four amputee footballers from Malatya Metropolitan Belediyespor, who were taking part in the playoff of TVF Men’s Volleyball 2nd League 6th Group, are now faced with an uncertain future, as the Kฤฑrรงuval Hotel in Battalgazi, where they were staying, was reduced to rubble in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
Nothing definitive has been established, but the search-and-rescue operations remain underway to save those still entombed beneath the wreckage.
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Adding to the heartrending tragedy, Yeni Malatyaspor revealed that their goalkeeper Ahmet Eyรผp Tรผrkaslan was still entombed beneath the rubble, and that there had been no communication from him as yet.
Clearly overcome with emotion, his wife, Kรผbra Tรผrkaslan took to social media with a desperate cry for help, pleading, “Eyรผp has been buried under the rubble for 30 hours, someone please come to his aid.”
She exclaimed in despair, “This place is an utter disaster. We must do something to help Eyรผp, who has been trapped beneath the rubble for an agonizing 30 hours with no hope of rescue from the debris without a crane or other heavy equipment.”
Mongolian-born Japanese sumo wrestler Hakuho, often considered the sport’s greatest-ever champion, retired on Monday after battling persistent knee trouble, officials said.
The 36-year-old’s departure will leave a gaping hole at the top of the ancient sport. He has won a record 45 tournaments โ 13 more than anyone else in history โ but has been sidelined by injury for most of the year.
He made his only appearance of 2021 at July’s Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, going unbeaten to win the title after missing all or part of the previous six competitions.
He and 17 other wrestlers from his stable were forced to miss the following tournament, which ended Sunday, after a coronavirus outbreak.
His departure leaves just one other wrestler, Terunofuji, in the yokozuna class โ sumo’s highest rank.
“I learned from the sumo association chairman that Hakuho’s letter of retirement was filed through his stable master today,” Hironori Yano, head of the yokozuna deliberation council, which is close to the association, told reporters.
Hakuho’s decision, reportedly the result of a right knee injury, brings the curtain down on his illustrious career after 1,187 wins.
The Japan Sumo Association declined to comment, but the news made headlines in the country and grateful fans tweeted their support for the star.
Near the Kokugikan venue where sumo’s Tokyo tournament is held, Takashi Sakai was full of praise for the retiring wrestler.
“I want to tell him: ‘Great work. Well done.’ He worked really hard, coming all the way to Japan, becoming a sumo wrestler and a yokozuna champion. It’s not very easy to achieve all that,” the 76-year-old told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“He has been the strongest wrestler for a long time and has been very influential,” said Miyako Arai.
“I think there are many wrestlers whose admiration of Hakuho led them to pursue the sport,” the 46-year-old Arai added.
‘A tremendous yokozuna’ Born Munkhbat Davaajargal and the son of an Olympic silver-medal freestyle wrestler, Hakuho came to Japan at age 15 to enter the sumo world.
He debuted in 2001 and won his first top-division title in May 2006, before reaching the sport’s highest rank of yokozuna at age 22 in July 2007.
His battles with fellow Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu โ the pantomime villain to Hakuho’s popular good guy โ helped breathe new life into the sport, with attendances booming.
Asashoryu retired in 2010, but Hakuho went from strength to strength, overtaking the legendary Taiho’s record of 33 tournament wins in January 2015.
The one-time rival called Hakuho “a tremendous yokozuna,” in a post on Twitter after news of the retirement emerged.
“I will save the rest of my words for when the two of us speak in person. But to sum up, thanks for all your hard work,” Asashoryu wrote.
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Southampton are currently at the bottom of the Premier League table but had just employed the services of the Nigerian international who is in good goalscoring form.
The 28-year-old signed a three-and-a-half year contract and made his debut for the club as a substitute in their 3-0 defeat at Brentford last weekend.
โItโs a huge challenge, not just for me but for everybody in the team. Iโm going to give it all if I have the chance to play, and try to help the team to survive.โ
Manchester City have issued a statement in response to accusations from the Premier League of more than 100 alleged financial rule breaches dating back to the 2009/10 season.
City stand accused of failing to accurately report financial information in each season from 2009/10 util 2017/18, with various rules alleged to be broken in each.
There are additionally allegations of incorrect records of manager payments between 2009 and 2016, pre-dating Pep Guardiolaโs arrival at the club, as well as financial fair play concerns between 2013/14 and 2018/19, and failing to act properly under investigation from 2018/19 until now.
The Premier League has submitted its evidence to an independent commission for a final ruling.
The statement from the club speaks of โsurpriseโ at the Premier Leagueโs allegations, refutes failing to cooperate with and assist the investigation and expresses confidence that the evidence does not point to any financial wrongdoing.
โManchester City FC is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with,โ the club have said in response.
โThe Club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.
โAs such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.โ
Liverpool crashed to a fourth defeat in their last seven games in all competitions when Wolves fired three goals against the Reds in a Premier League encounter on Saturday evening, a miserable run featuring only one win.
Jurgen Kloppโs side are languishing in 10th place, 10 points adrift of the top four amid their worst season of Kloppโs seven-year reign.
It is the first time since 2012 that Liverpool have lost three successive away league games, while they have already conceded more league goals this season than they did in the entirety of last term.
Facing a struggling team who kicked off in the relegation zone, Liverpool immediately crumbled as Joel Matip deflected Hwang Hee-chanโs cross into his own net after five minutes.
Wolves debutant Craig Dawson doubled the lead after 12 minutes when the defender smashed in from 10 yards.
With Wolves fans taunting Klopp with chants of โyouโre getting sacked in the morningโ, Ruben Neves sealed the rout with a 71st-minute finish from Adama Traoreโs cross.
โIโm so disappointed and angry about the first 15 minutes. We better change it. Thatโs true, 100 per cent. I have no words for it really, Iโm sorry.โ
Nigeria international, Kelechi Iheanacho, scored one and made two goals to help Leicester City to come from behind and win Aston Villa 4-2 on Saturday evening.
Villa went ahead after 10 minutes through Ollie Watkins, but James Maddison levelled two minutes later.
Unai Emeryโs men regained the lead with a 32nd-minute own goal from Leicester debutant Harry Souttar.
But Leicester equalised again in the 41st minute through Iheanacho and Tete netted on his debut in first-half stoppage time before Dennis Praet wrapped up the points in the 79th minute.
The win moved Leicester to the 13th place on the log with 21 points.
With their hectic winter transfer window now closed, Chelsea’s focus is on striking an agreement to extend the contract of midfielder Mason Mount, 90min understands.
Co-owner Todd Boehly made it clear earlier this season tying both Mount and right-back Reece James down to long-term deals was among the club’s top priorities this season, but while the latter put pen to paper on a six-year contract back in September, Mount is yet to sign.
An agreement is yet to be reached with the 24-year-old, but sources have confirmed to 90min Chelsea are now focusing all their efforts on reaching a positive outcome in the coming months.
Chelsea are prepared to make Mount one of the highest-earning players in the squad as a reward for his emergence as a regular starter for both club and country.
Mount’s representatives are aware of interest from other clubs but Mount is understood to be keen to stay at Chelsea and re-establish himself as a key player as part of the Blues’ lofty plans for the coming seasons.
Among Chelsea’s plans is the signing of Mount’s best friend, West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. A former Blues academy player, Rice has attracted significant interest from Arsenal in recent weeks but Chelsea remain keen on a reunion – even after their ยฃ106m acquisition of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
While tying down Mount to a long-term deal is not essential to Chelsea’s pursuit of Rice, sources close to the situation believe it would help in convincing the West Ham midfielder to join up with his friend at Stamford Bridge.
Thiago Silva is set to sign a new contract in the coming weeks while Chelsea remain in talks with the representatives of injured midfielder N’Golo Kante, whose deal expires at the end of the current season.
Decisions also have to be made on the players whose contracts expire in 2024. Mateo Kovacic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic all join Mount in entering the final 18 months of their contracts
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has been named the Premier League’s Player of the Month for January 2023.
Rashford picked the prize up in September as well and has remained a crucial player for United ever since, racking up 18 goals and eight assists in 31 games across all competitions this season.
In January, Rashford netted three goals across four Premier League outings, earning himself the Player of the Month prize for the second time this season and the third time across his career.
He opened the month by netting in a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, before he famously completed a United comeback in the Manchester derby against Pep Guardiola’s City with an 82nd-minute winner to seal all three points.
After drawing a blank against Crystal Palace, Rashford rounded out January with a screamer of a strike in a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal which was also nominated for the month’s Best Goal award.
Rashford came out on top of a seven-man shortlist that also included Newcastle’s Dan Burn, Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, City’s Riyad Mahrez, Brighton’s Solly March, Brentford’s David Raya and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.
The Red Devils will also come up against Leeds United and Leicester City, before rounding out February with the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.
Manchester United secured their place in only a second major final in six seasons on Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
Goals from Anthony Martial and Fred decided the game, bumping up an already comfortable aggregate lead from the first leg to 5-0, setting up a clash with Newcastle at Wembley this month.
The hosts had mild penalty appeals when Alejandro Garnacho went down under pressure from Neco Williams and Willy Boly. But nearly half an hour had passed before either side had a clear sight of goal, with a powerful Casemiro header saved by Wayne Hennesseyโs outstretched right foot.
Despite chasing an aggregate deficit, Forest had seen very little of the ball but probably should have taken the lead on a rare foray forward. A throw-in gave Brennan Johnson the chance to dribble his way through, but the pacey Welshmanโs finish straight at Tom Heaton lacked conviction.
Antonyโs cleanly hit strike from outside the box in the closing stages of the first half had Hennessey worried as he flew to his left, seeing the ball just rise over the crossbar.
Wout Weghorst then struck the post right before the interval after an otherwise quiet opening 45 minutes from the Dutchman, while Forest winger Emmanuel Dennis had his head in his hands when his goal-bound effort was inadvertently blocked by teammate Sam Surridge.
United had stronger penalty appeals not long into the second half when Weghorst nicked the ball in front of Forest defender Scott McKenna, whose attempt to clear then upended the forward. It was given the VAR treatment but the on-field decision surprisingly stood.
Tempers flared a little around the hour mark, with tackles flying and Alejandro Garnacho involved in an ongoing fracas with Johnson and Williams on Forestโs right flank. The young Argentine forced Hennessey into a good save at the near post in one of his final acts before Ten Hag made a flurry of changes, including the return of Jadon Sancho after more than three months out.
With United already starting to turn the screw, those changes triggered the second half goals. The first went to Martial, capitalising on a rebound after fellow sub Marcus Rashford had seen an attempt blocked following an initial run by the Frenchman.
Sancho was then involved in the second goal not long after, feeding Bruno Fernandes on the right. The United skipperโs exquisite outside-of-the-foot ball to the far post was then put back across the box by Rashford for Fred to score an easy tap-in.
Heaton still had to have his wits about him late on to preserve his clean sheet, throwing a big hand up to parry a powerful drive from Danilo as Forest searched for a very late consolation. With the goal gaping, Surridge skied his own attempt on the rebound.
Man Utd player ratings (4-2-3-1) GK: Tom Heaton – 6/10 – A deserved opportunity but hardly a busy night until a spectacular late save.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7/10 – Took up an interesting position relatively high up the pitch and often tucked inside that made it difficult for Dennis and made space for Antony.
CB: Lisandro Martinez – 7/10 – Commanded every situation.
CB: Raphael Varane – 7/10 – Always composed and in control.
LB: Luke Shaw – 6/10 – Back after illness and can be satisifed with this performance.
CM: Casemiro – 8/10 – Another fine example of the type of performance that has really driven the whole team’s resurgence this season.
CM: Fred – 7/10 – Has been thriving alongside his fellow countryman and could play an awful lot more now that Christian Eriksen is out for a few months.
RM: Antony – 6/10 – Inches away from a great goal and posed a threat early on.
AM: Bruno Fernandes (c) – 8/10 – Put in a star turn, especially after moving to the right in the seconc half. Went close to a goal of his own late on.
LM: Alejandro Garnacho – 7/10 – Becoming more and more at home in this team.
ST: Wout Weghorst – 6/10 – A quiet opening 45 minutes until hitting the post on the stroke of half-time. Probably deserved a penalty after the break.
Substitutes SUB: Marcus Rashford (62′ for Garnacho) – 7/10
SUB: Jadon Sancho (62′ for Antony) – 7/10
SUB: Anthony Martial (63′ for Weghorst) – 7/10
SUB: Victor Lindelof (80′ for Casemiro) – N/A
SUB: Harry Maguire (80′ for Varane) – N/A
Manager Erik ten Hag – 9/10 – Went with a strong side to avoid any slip-ups, but it was the substitutions and slight tweak in shape as Fernandes moved to the right that made the difference.
Nottingham Forest player ratings (4-2-3-1) GK: Wayne Hennessey – 6/10 – Made a handful of saves to keep it 0-0 for at least a while.
RB: Neco Williams – 7/10 – Had his hands full with Garnacho but ultimately outlasted his imprssive opponent, before switching to the other side.
CB: Scott McKenna – 5/10 – Arguably fortunate not to give away a penalty for a swinging leg that caught Weghorst.
CB: Willy Boly – 6/10 – Stood tall for long periods until the resistance finally broke.
LB: Renan Lodi – 5/10 – Barely touched the ball and had a tough night of defending.
CM: Remo Freuler (c) – 5/10 – Tough night against a very good United midfield.
CM: Orel Mangala – 5/10 – Similar story to Freuler, found it hard going.
RM: Brennan Johnson – 6/10 – Should have done with a great first half chance that he created himself, having already done the hard bit.
AM: Gustavo Scarpa – 6/10 – Had promising moments just as in the first leg.
LM: Emmanuel Dennis – 5/10 – Late replacement for the injured Jesse Lingard and initially struggled to get into the game. Had one decent chance blocked by his own teammate.
ST: Sam Surridge – 5/10 – With little of the ball, frustrations got the better of him when he cleaned out Raphael Varane to pick up a yellow card.
Substitutes SUB: Alex Mighten (64′ for Johnson) – 5/10
SUB: Danilo (64′ for Freuler) – 6/10
SUB: Serge Aurier (65′ for Lodi) – 5/10
SUB: Oliver Hammond (86′ for Scarpa) – N/A
SUB: Detlef Osong (86′ for Surridge) – N/A
Manager Steve Cooper – 7/10 – Set up his side well and they did admirably to hold out for as long as they did.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has backed Jadon Sancho to become an important player for the club once more following his long-awaited return to action on Wednesday night.
Sancho came off the bench to a rapturous reception at Old Trafford to contribute to Unitedโs 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest to cement their place in the Carabao Cup final later this month.
The 22-year-old hadnโt featured since October before that, with initially illness and then concerns over fitness and also his mental wellbeing keeping him out of the team.
But Sancho showed even in flashes against Forest, playing an important role in the move that made the second goal for Fred, that he has the quality to make an impact.
โHe already showed that [he can be a decisive player],โ Ten Hag said afterwards.
โThis season for instance, the game against Liverpool was a great goal. He scored against Leicester. He had some really good games, Spurs as well, so he already showed his great capabilities.โ
Sancho is yet to consistently perform to those standards in a United shirt since his 2021 transfer from Borussia Dortmund, although he has faith from the boss and time remains on his side.
โHe has really high standards,โ Ten Hag continued. โHe has great capabilities to contribute to our team and the team is improving, we are playing more in the opponentโs half and his capabilities are coming more to the fore. He can act on them more and have more touches on the ball and that gives him the best platform to perform.
โIt is always important that players enjoy football because that gives energy and also the motivation to act and to perform.
โThe reception from the fans to him was great and that will give him even more a push to continue in the way he is now acting. He has just started again, he is back in Carrington, and hopefully he can keep that and really contribute to the team because when he is in form, he is important to us.โ
In an exclusive for WrestlingNews.co, Steve Fall’s Ten Count interviewed Jeff Cobb. He talked about debuting at Wrestle Kingdom, Mecedes Mone, WWE, and other topics. Scroll down for the entire interview.
Jeff Cobb talking about Mercedes Monet working for New Japan:
“It was really cool to see her show up. It’s great because from what I’ve heard, she loves professional wrestling. At the same token, she’s getting a chance and opportunity to wrestle different girls. From the IWGP, New Japan, Stardom standpoint, it’s good because she has a lot of fans that may not know Japanese wrestling per se, so it brings a lot of eyes for both sides and I think it’s a good partnership.โ
“Originally, my first tryout I ever had was in 2014. Then at that moment, or at that time, six of us got pulled to the side. We did some interviews, took some pictures, and then it switched in a couple of days or so, like, ‘We don’t want anybody over 30.’ At that time, NXT wasn’t as huge as it eventually became. I believe they just signed Kevin Owens at the time. They had all this influx of indie guys coming in, or bigger name indie guys, so they were like, ‘Okay, well, we don’t want anybody over 30, but then we make exceptions to the rules about this.’ A month later, there’s rumors like, ‘Okay, we don’t want any more independent guys because we have too many’, or whatever. So it changes and that’s totally fine. I can’t be upset about that because it’s their business model and it’s what they want to do with their company. So I didn’t hear from them for a long time.โ
โJust so happened right before the pandemic of 2020, William Regal would call me. Brian Kendrick would call me and say, ‘Is it cool to pass your number to Canyon Ceman?’ I’m always open to talk to people, entertain talks, or whatever. This was actually around the time when New Japan and I were figuring out a contract. At the same time AEW offered me a contract as well.โ
โAt the end of the day, I can make a great living being in Japan and doing a couple appearances here and there. It may not be WWE, The Rock money, but I’m a very low maintenance kind of guy, so I don’t need millions and millions of dollars, although, you know, people are like, you know, you’re stupid for not taking it.โ
โA few months after a bunch of conversations with Canyon Ceman is when he got fired, and a whole, I donโt want to say, dumping of the roster happened. Looking back, I think I made a good choice because if I went there, six months later, I could have been released and then go crawling back to another company for a job.”
Dave Bautista, better known to WWE fans as Batista, is preparing to say goodbye to the Drax the Destroyer character.
He made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in the 2014 โGuardians of the Galaxyโ film before appearing in other MCU movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, Avengers Infinity War, Avengers Endgame, Thor Love & Thunder.
After the 2014 film, his Hollywood career took off. He played the character in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and will bid farewell to the character in โGuardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.โ
The former WWE star previously confirmed that the upcoming film would be the last time he appears in an MCU movie because he wants to take his career in a different direction.
Bautista appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night to promote his upcoming film, M. Night Shyamalanโs โKnock at the Cabin,โ which will be released on Friday.
During it, he compared the end of his Drax run to the end of his career, which happend at WrestleMania 35 when he lost to Triple H.
โYeah, itโs weird. I donโt know why itโs like news. So this is my seventh film as Drax and my third Guardians. It was like our trilogy. Thatโs kind of what we all signed up for, to do a trilogy, and I think this is going to be the last version of our Guardians of the Galaxy. Itโs hard (to walk away), but itโs time. Itโs the perfect exit. We had those perfect kind of character arcs and such a storybook ending. I constantly relate it to the way I ended my wrestling career. I ended it on a storybook note, and I would never go back and tarnish that. And itโs the same with this with Drax. I just got to end the perfect way. I would never sign up for another job as Drax just to get a paycheck. I would tarnish that, and I wonโt do it,” Bautista stated.
The Boogeyman recently underwent the knife. The former WWE star has shared two posts on Instagram noting that he had surgery.
He captioned the first post with, โThrough adversity,one only builds character, canโt keep a good man down..#WWELEGEND BOOGEYMAN โ$TILL CMIN2GETCHA.โ
As was noted earlier, there’s a viral photo of Ricky Starks arriving backstage at the WWE Royal Rumble last night. WWE’s John Cone is also pictured in the photo.
The photo looks like it may have come from a surveillance camera screenshot and it began to go viral on various social media sites earlier today. That led to some conspiracies to pop up that Starks may be looking at a WWE job at some point.
We don’t know when Starks’ AEW deal runs out but he signed around June of 2020. The photo below does not mean anything one way or the other and he’s not the only wrestler from a competing company to appear backstage at a WWE show. In fact, there have been instances of current WWE talent visiting backstage at other wrestling shows.
Starks seemingly reacted to the photo on Twitter (scroll down for his tweet) by making a joke about “GTV,” the storyline that played out for weeks around 1998-99 on WWE TV. The storyline was that someone was setting up surveillance footage in different areas of the arena. Unfortunately, the story never reached a conclusion but for years, there’s been speculation that Goldust would have been the person revealed behind the GTV videos
During a “Big 4” pay-per-view weekend, there’s typically a lot of non-contracted talent in the area because they are usually booked for a signing/appearance elsewhere but it’s rare to hear of a star from a competing promotion hanging out backstage at a WWE event.
A photo circulating online appears to show Ricky Starks arriving with Cody Rhodes last night just prior to the live Royal Rumble broadcast. Starks and Rhodes are good friends and Starks is also friends with other wrestlers in WWE with Bayley being one example.
Starks is currently being pushed as one of the breakout stars of AEW after he beat Chris Jericho on Dynamite a few weeks ago. For those of you wondering, there has been no indication that he has any plans to leave AEW
After last night’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, fans were left wondering a few things, including what the future holds for Jey Uso in The Bloodline.
Today in a post on his Instagram account, Jey confirmed that he is out of The Bloodline. Jey simply wrote, “I’m out” with a red tear drop and an image of him in the ring just before he left the ring after the rest of The Bloodline brutally beat on Sami Zayn. Jey has been backing Sami in recent weeks and last night he made it clear that he was not on board with everything that went on after the match with Sami.
As WrestlingNews.co first reported, the plan is for Sami Zayn to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Championship at the Elimination Chamber PLE in Montreal.
Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt has expressed shock over how $12.7 million of his money went missing from a local private investment firm, that authorities are investigating as part of a massive fraud.
Speaking to reporters on January 27, Bolt said that he had sacked his business manager and added that the split was not amicable.
According to Boltโs attorneys, his account with Kingston-based Stocks and Securities Limited dropped from around $12.8 million to just under $12,000. The corporation had been given until Friday to repay the funds, failing which they would take legal and criminal action.
The public should prepare for both the โexpected and the unexpectedโ in this case, according to attorney Linton P. Gordon, who spoke to the Jamaica Observer newspaper.
โThere is nothing to say at this stage, given what is happening, we have met with persons, and we are dealing with certain matters,โ he was quoted as saying.
Earlier this week, Jamaican Finance Minister Nigel Clarke announced that the director of the Financial Services Commission was stepping down and that the Bank of Jamaica would now be in charge of regulating the islandโs financial system.
He said that in addition to several government organizations, the suspected scam also impacted senior citizens.
The FBI and other unnamed foreign specialists have been asked for assistance by Jamaican officials, who have also claimed that consumers were provided incorrect information about their balances as part of the suspected scam. Officials have not yet disclosed the exact number of clients impacted or the amount of money lost.
Bolt mentioned the suspected scam while speaking at a luncheon sponsored for an upcoming relay.
โAs you all know. Iโve been going through a tough week, a few tough weeks. No matter whatโs going on right now, Jamaica is my country. That will never change. Iโm just trying to focus on my family and trying not to think too much about it because itโs a difficult situation,โhe said
As he arrived at the King Fahd International Stadium for the clash, Ronaldo received a rather surprising reaction from the home crowd.
The 37-year-old, who has been treated like royalty since making his big-money move to the Middle East, was greeted by chants for his eternal rival Messi.
Ronaldo played against Messi last weekend in a friendly and is now settling into domestic action with his new side.
One of the world’s most well-known boxing legend, Mike Tyson, is in trouble once again.
This is because a woman in New York state has filed a civil suit against him, accusing the former boxing champion of raping her in a limousine in the early 1990s, according to court filings.
The woman, who asked the court to remain anonymous, filed her complaint in early January under a temporary New York state law allowing victims of sexual assault to seek civil damages regardless of the statute of limitations.
Tyson spent three years in jail beginning in 1992 after being found guilty of raping model Desiree Washington, who was 18 at the time.
In a short affidavit dated December 23, 2022, the plaintiff states that she met the boxer at a nightclub โin the early 1990s,โ and then followed him into his limousine, where he allegedly assaulted her before raping her.
โAs a result of Tysonโs rape, I suffered and continue to suffer from physical, psychological and emotional injury,โ she said.
By late Tuesday, Tyson had not issued any public statement.
Born in Brooklyn in 1966, Tyson had a turbulent childhood before becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion in the 1980s, terrifying his opponents with his fury in the ring and phenomenal punching power.
But after his prison sentence, he could not retain his titles.
In a notorious 1996 matchup, Tyson bit off a piece of his opponent Evander Holyfieldโs ear.
Gripped by depression and addiction, he continued to make headlines, notably for a one-man show in which he described his lifeโs many ups and downs.
He has recently launched into the cannabis industry with his own brand of marijuana products and hosts a podcast
Former Premier League stars, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher engaged in a heated argument about Argentina captain Lionel Messi on Sky Sportsโ Monday Night Football.
Recall with ๐น๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐ that Neville had claimed after Argentinaโs 2022 FIFA World Cup 2-1 loss against Saudi Arabia in their first group game that, over recent years, it has become easier for defenders to win the ball back off Messi, adding that โpeople donโt fear him anymoreโ.
Nevilleโs words aged like milk as Messi and his Argentina teammates went on to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating France in the final last December.
Messi also won the Golden Ball, scoring seven goals and providing three assists during the tournament.
However, Carragher recalled the incident and asked Neville on the MNF show: โTell us your real thoughts on Messi?โ
Neville responded: โDo you think I said Messi would not win the World Cup?โ
Carragher then said: โNo, you said he was easy to take the ball off. What did you say in the green room before?โ
Neville then justified his previous comments, saying: โNo. My words were, on Messi, that Messi now from ten years ago, you can take the ball off him a lot more โ words along those lines. He was not beating players like he used to!โ
The former Manchester United captain then went on to point out Carragherโs mistakes as a pundit, saying: โYou said Rashford should be sold by United! You said Conte should be at United! You said [Lisandro] Martinez could not play in the Premier League! Youโre a disaster!โ
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says his side are focused on their own progress and not the challenge of Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Odegaard’s Gunners beat Manchester United in a thrilling Emirates encounter on Sunday, with Eddie Nketiah scoring twice including a dramatic winner to send Arsenal 11 points clear of United.
City remain Arsenal’s biggest challengers at the top of the table and the two sides are still to square off three times this season – firstly in Friday’s FA Cup meeting before league clashes in February and April.
City beat Wolves earlier on Sunday before Arsenal reinstated their five-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s side by beating United. The two sides are the clear frontrunners for the title, though Norway international Odegaard insisted Arsenal are maintaining focus in north London first and foremost.
Asked about City’s presence, Odegaard said: “No, honestly, we donโt care about City or any other team. We expected them to win so that was not a big surprise and we just focused on our game, to come here and win and thatโs what we did. The way we won this game gives us a special feeling that will help as well.”
Marcus Rashford had given United the lead with a strike from distance in the 17th minute but Nketiah converted Granit Xhaka’s equaliser before Bukayo Saka struck home brilliantly in the second half.
Lisandro Martinez brought United level with a header from a scrappy set piece, but Nketiah’s late winner ensured Arsenal maintained their lead in the Premier League heading into the FA Cup weekend
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