Mike Santana has been on the top of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) for quite some time but he faced one of his toughest challengers yet in pro wrestling veteran Eric Young on “Impact.”

Young earned a guaranteed title shot with a battle royal win a few weeks ago. He made a statement against Santana last week when he hit the TNA world champion with a piledriver. Young was on a tear against the champion but continuous two counts nearly forced his hand against the referee.

But taking his eye off the prize ultimately hurt Young. Santana nailed a huge double underhook toss from the top rope against Young. A Santana bulldog and rolling cutter put him back in full control. Though, he couldn’t get Young to stay down either. The referee did get caught in the middle of the match, as Young hit him inadvertently.

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Mike Santana makes his entrance during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on June 3, 2025. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE)

Santana hit Spin the Block but the referee was down. He tried to get the referee back up as quickly as possible. He picked up Young back to a vertical base and Young kicked him in the groin. Young nailed Santana with the TNA World Championship and then nailed a piledriver.

As the referee was counting, Santana somehow got his hand on the rope to break the count. Young was about to finish off Santana when Ricky Sosa appeared and distracted Young long enough for Santana to roll up Young.

Santana retained the TNA World Championship.

Nic Nemeth’s music hit and it looked like he was going to call his shot and get a title match on “Impact.” Nemeth grabbed the mic and said he could call his shot and win the title, but he wanted to wait until Slammiversary.

Nic Nemeth enters the ring during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Wrestling DONTAKU event at Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka, Japan, on May 3, 2024. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

Santana and Nemeth shook hands, signaling the match was on. The two later worked together to take out Order Four after Mustafa Ali’s match against KC Navarro for the TNA International Championship.

Nemeth then hit Santana with a Danger Zone. Santana was right not to trust Nemeth ahead of their match at Slammiversary.

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Moose returns, sets match vs Eddie Edwards

Moose celebrates during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 30, 2025. (Andrea Kellaway/WWE)

It was a few weeks ago that The System took out TNA veteran Moose in the back. After the TNA broadcast reported that Moose was cleared to return, he came out of the back as The System dished out punishment to Leon Slater.

Cedric Alexander just pinned Slater in a tag team match with Eddie Edwards. Brian Myers and Bear Bronson got into the ring and put the beatdown on Slater. That’s when Moose’s music hit. He came to the ring and sent The System scurrying.

Moose said he will take on Edwards in a match at Slammiversary.

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“Impact” match results:

• Mike Santana def. Eric Young to retain the TNA World Championship.
• Mr. Elegance def. Elijah.
• Cedric Alexander and Eddie Edwards def. Leon Slater and Fabian Aichner.
• Allie, Rosemary and Mara Sade def. Ash by Elegance, Heather by Elegance and M by Elegance.
• Mustafa Ali def. KC Navarro to retain the TNA International Championship.

New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson scored 45 points on Saturday night to lead his team back from a 16-point early game deficit and defeat the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 94-90 to win the coveted National Basketball Association (NBA) championship.

The game-five victory was the fourth comeback win in the Knicks 4-1 run in the best-of-seven series.

Hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after the game, team owner James Dolan shouted, “I want to say something to New York. Hey New York! I’m sorry it took so long! But here we are… and hopefully it won’t take that long again!”

“I don’t know what I am feeling,” a teary-eyed Brunson told reporters after the game. “I’m in awe. I don’t know… whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.”

‘Never-say-die’ attitude characterized Knicks dogged determination to take championship

Voted the championship’s most valuable player (MVP), Brunson, who averaged 32.6 points per game in the series, came up big in game 5, scoring 29 of his 45 points in the second half.

Team President Leon Rose praised the team’s character and grit, “the never-say-die attitude” and calling their playoff run “incredible.”

Saturday’s road victory in San Antonio, Texas, was set up by the most dramatic comeback in NBA history the Wednesday prior at the Knick’s home, Madison Square Garden — arguably one of the most storied venues in US professional sports — when the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to win 107-106 at the buzzer.

Knicks now among NBA elite with third championship

The championship is the first to be won by the Knicks (who incidentally won the first NBA game ever in 1946) since 1973 — 53 years ago — when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.

Saturday’s victory puts the Knicks in elite company, making them one of just nine teams to have won at least three championships.

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“There are a couple of franchises that are pretty iconic just because of the history that they have, the location that they’re in, sometimes even the building that they’re in,” said Knicks head coach Mike Brown. “New York is definitely one of the few that you could say that to in all three facets.”

When the 1973 championship team landed at JFK Airport after their victory over LA, police braced for a “rabid” crowd of “hundreds” of people.

It is safe to say that this time, when the Knicks bring the first major professional sports championship (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) title back to the Big Apple in 14 years, crowds will be decidedly larger and definitely more rabid.

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Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

By Emily Green and Herbert Villarraga

TIJUANA, Mexico, June 14 (Reuters) – Some 25 miles (40 km) south of the U.S.-Mexico border, nestled between taquerias in the suburbs of Tijuana, hangs a flag in the Mexican colors of green, white and red. But its design is far from common in these parts.

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Inside is what owner Saied Assadi says is only the second Iranian restaurant ‌in all of Mexico. “Food is one of my passions,” he said when Reuters visited this week, as he served up a traditional Iranian platter of rice, grilled tomatoes, mixed meats and salad.

But not ‌all Iranians in the area are eager to visit Assadi’s restaurant.

The Iranian community in Tijuana only numbers about 20 people – out of a city population of some 2 million. Even in this tiny community, however, differing politics epitomize the split in the diaspora and the challenges ​facing the Iranian team on the eve of their World Cup campaign.

Dara Makoipour, an Iranian who moved to Tijuana in 2018, is put off by the flags that decorate Assadi’s restaurant. “We have different views,” said Makoipour, who prefers to cross the border to eat at Iranian restaurants in California.

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Featuring a lion and sun motif, the flag decorating Assadi’s restaurant was Iran‘s national flag before the 1979 revolution and is associated with the country’s previous Shah-led government. It has become a subject of controversy ahead of the World Cup, as supporters attempting to take it into stadiums may breach FIFA rules restricting political paraphernalia.

In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, security denied entry to fans carrying the flag.

Asked about Iranians ‌who find the flag off-putting, Assadi said: “Whether that person wants to come eat ⁠Iranian food or not because of the flag, that’s his choice. Some people are extremists.”

But there is something that unites Makoipour and Assadi, and that is their support for Iran’s soccer team, known colloquially as Team Melli, or “national team” in Persian.

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TIJUANA: AN UNUSUAL CHOICE

Uncertain about whether the U.S. would issue the team visas with the two countries at ⁠war, the Iranian squad announced last month it was relocating its training base from Arizona to Tijuana.

The selection made some sense. This Mexican border city is relatively close to the team’s group-stage games in Los Angeles and Seattle, and Mexico was happy to host.

Still, for a squad representing a country where alcohol is banned and women are required to wear hijabs, a city famed for strip clubs and gambling dens was a bold choice.

If the team had doubts, they seemed to be ​assuaged ​by the warm welcome they received from supporters when they arrived at 5 a.m. last Sunday, nearly four hours behind schedule. ​Since then, a small number of fans have gathered outside the hotel every day ‌seeking autographs.

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“Tijuana and especially the Mexican people – they’ve been amazing,” Iran national soccer player Saeid Ezzatollahi told Reuters.

So far, Team Melli hasn’t ventured far. They are traveling with a private chef, Mexican soldiers guard their hotel, and their only excursions have been by chartered bus to a nearby stadium to train.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

The Iranian community in Tijuana is so small it doesn’t even register on the census – a stark difference from nearby Los Angeles, which boasts the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

But Sadegh Galavi said he felt immediately at home when he and his wife visited in 2022 from Tehran.

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“Literally, we fell in love with Mexico,” he said. “And then Tijuana makes me feel that there is a lot of opportunity to work, to do many things, to build a life.”

Galavi found a job after seeing a car on the street with vanity plates that read TEHRAN. He left a ‌note on the windshield; the owner turned out to be Makoipour. Galavi is now a mechanic for an auto restoration business ​Makoipour owns.

Makoipour and Galavi were ecstatic when they heard the team was coming to Tijuana.

“As long as the other side” – the U.S. – “doesn’t ​give them a hard time, the rest is going to be easy peasy,” Makoipour said.

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FIRST MATCH

On ​Sunday, the team will travel by private plane to Los Angeles one day ahead of their first World Cup match, against New Zealand.

Support staff and soccer federation members denied U.S. ‌visas will stay behind, including the team supervisor, analysts and press liaison.

The U.S. ​State Department has said it will not allow the Iranian ​team to “abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the U.S. under false pretenses.”

Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, responded that the Trump administration believes “anybody who doesn’t think the same as them is a terrorist.”

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The Iranian flag remains a flashpoint. A California non-profit has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent any restrictions on bringing the pre-revolutionary flag into stadiums, under freedom of expression protections.

FIFA previously directed Reuters to its ​stadium code of conduct, in which it prohibits any flags “of a political, offensive ‌and/or discriminatory nature.” FIFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit.

Assadi, whose restaurant displays that flag, said he believes the Islamic Republic is “not giving people the freedom” ​they deserve.

But he will be cheering the national team on Monday, regardless of his – and the team’s – political views.

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“Pretty much everyone in Iran plays soccer,” he said. “I hope all Iranians will ​support the team as soccer players.”

(Reporting by Emily Green and Herbert Villarraga; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Rosalba O’Brien)

Another quartet of World Cup games is on tap for Sunday, June 14, with major stars set to take the field. On the schedule is Germany vs. Curacao at 1 p.m. ET, Netherlands vs. Japan at 4 p.m., Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador at 7 p.m. and Sweden vs. Tunisia at 10. That means fans have four matches’ worth of soccer betting opportunities, and we’ve identified anytime goalscorer prop picks at FanDuel for each one.

For more World Cup picks, including outright winners, spread picks and totals, you should check out the picks from SportsLine experts like Jon Eimer, Martin Green and Brad Thomas. Anyone following their World Cup betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Best World Cup goalscorer picks for Sunday

• Kai Havertz, Germany (-170, FanDuel)
• Donyell Malen, Netherlands (+190, FanDuel)
• Yan Diomande, Ivory Coast (+450, FanDuel)
• Viktor Gyokeres, Sweden (+150, FanDuel)

Kai Havertz, Germany (-170, FanDuel)

Germany having questions at forward is something of a running theme. That being said, there are plenty of teams in this tournament that would love to have Havertz up top. He showed his quality in the Champions League final when he scored an extremely difficult goal from a tight angle, and he will be tasked with leading the line for a German side that has aspirations of making a deep run. With all due respect to Curacao, this is a team Havertz and his teammates should make light work of.

Donyell Malen, Netherlands (+190, FanDuel)

A move from Aston Villa to Roma at midseason seemed to finally unlock Malen’s potential. He hammered home 14 goals in 18 matches after his switch to Serie A and firmly earned his place on the plane for the Dutch team. While Villa utilized him as a second striker or in-cutting right winger, Malen was firmly Roma’s lead striker. He’ll mostly be operating as a winger again for the Netherlands, but manager Ronald Koeman will know how to get the most out of the dynamic forward. He may very well be the team’s most exciting offensive option.

Yan Diomande, Ivory Coast (+450, FanDuel)

You might hear Dimonde’s name a lot this summer. The 18-year-old just broke out in a huge way for RB Leipzig with 12 goals and eight assists. He’s a blazing speedster and displays technical ability far beyond it’s years. It’s why the top Premier League teams are trying to sign Diomande — he’s been heavily linked to Liverpool, among others. Ecuador’s defense is formidable, but if anyone has the fire to break through, it’s Diomande.

Viktor Gyokeres, Sweden (+150, FanDuel)

With Alexander Isak’s fitness still a major variable, the Swedish attack is likely to be centered around Gyokeres. His move to Arsenal this past season may not have resulted in the lofty highs many dreamed of, sure, but he still scored 14 goals and won the Premier League. It’s hard to imagine that Sweden’s goalscoring output will depend as heavily on set pieces as Arsenal, so Gyokeres should have more to feast on — especially against a Tunisia team that isn’t expected to go far. 

Liverpool may be ‘reluctantly’ prepared to offload one of their most-used players from the 2025/26 season, according to one transfer insider.

Alexis Mac Allister recently marked the three-year anniversary of his transfer to the Reds from Brighton, but his future has been the subject of speculation over the past few weeks.

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Paul Joyce has written of the ‘doubt’ over the 27-year-old’s future at Anfield amid the absence of contract negotiations (when other 2023 signings were in talks or had already agreed new deals), while Fabrizio Romano claimed during the week that other clubs are ‘starting to look at’ the midfielder’s situation.

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Liverpool ‘could reluctantly cash in on’ Mac Allister

Speaking on the latest Transfer Insider podcast for Football Insider, Pete O’Rourke named the Argentine as one player who Liverpool may be willing to sell during the summer, if they need to raise funds for prospective signings of their own.

The reporter said: “Liverpool have to wheel and deal in the market this summer to try and raise some cash to boost their own transfer kitty.

“Mac Allister is somebody that they could reluctantly cash in on. He still has good value and is a World Cup winner, so if he goes and has a good World Cup again this month, then that’ll obviously maybe bring other teams to the table as well.

“Liverpool, right now, are looking to strengthen rather than weaken the squad, but if they are needing to sell players, Mac Allister could be one of those that could be sacrificed.”

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Mac Allister still has plenty to offer at Liverpool

Like many of his teammates at Anfield, the 27-year-old endured a drastic decline in form in the 2025/26 campaign compared to the previous season, and his current market valuation is among the highest of any Liverpool player according to Transfermarkt.

If FSG were to receive any signals that he might be prepared to leave this summer, that could potentially make the hierarchy more amenable to offers from elsewhere for the Reds’ fifth most-used player of last term (Transfermarkt).

However, one underwhelming campaign doesn’t change the truth that Mac Allister is a top-class midfielder who’s one of the world’s best players in his position when he’s operating at his highest level, and he has it in him to come up with clutch moments for his team.

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It was his goal which secured a memorable win over Real Madrid last November, and he also netted the stoppage-time winner at Nottingham Forest in February, a crucial result in ultimately qualifying us for the Champions League.

Hopefully Liverpool won’t feel obligated to sell the Argentine this summer and he can bounce back to his best levels under Andoni Iraola next term.

Former NFL defensive end Aldon Smith has died at the age of 36.

The San Francisco 49ers, who selected Smith as the seventh pick of the 2011 Draft, confirmed his death, but the cause has not been revealed.

Smith spent four seasons with the 49ers, helping them to three NFC Championship Games, and a season apiece with the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys.

He played 75 regular-season games in his career and retired in 2023.

“We are devastated by the sudden and tragic passing of Aldon Smith,” read a 49ers statement.

“Aldon’s undeniable talent and sheer dominance on the field were on display from the moment he joined our organisation, having recorded one of the best rookie seasons the National Football League has seen.

“Beyond his excellence as a player, Aldon will be remembered for his infectious smile that lit up every room he walked into.”

Smith was named in the NFL’s all-rookie team in 2011 after registering the second-most sacks (14) by a rookie in a single season since 1982.

The following season he was selected for the Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honours.

However, his career was disrupted by off-field issues, with multiple arrests on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI), possessing illegal weapons, and domestic violence.

Smith was suspended in 2014 after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy before being released by the 49ers in 2015 following a DUI arrest.

Joining the Raiders later that year, he made only nine appearances before receiving an indefinite suspension for substance abuse.

He missed the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and was released by the Raiders in 2018.

Smith returned to the NFL with the Cowboys in 2020 – he made 16 starts – and had a fourth-month stint with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 without making an appearance.

Qatar‘s Boualem Khoukhi stunned Switzerland with a late equaliser as the sides played out a 1-1 draw in their opening match at the World Cup on Saturday.

A Breel Embolo penalty had broken the deadlock for Switzerland early in the first half in the San Francisco Bay Area, before the wasteful favourites were made to pay as Qatar earned their first ever point at a World Cup.

Qatar, appearing in just their second finals after hosting the 2022 World Cup, looked rusty after the war in the Middle East caused the cancellation of two of their warm-up friendlies, meaning their meeting with Switzerland was just their third match since December last year.

And for the majority of the match they were outclassed as Switzerland racked up 26 shots, before 35-year-old Khoukhi’s header four minutes into injury time sparked wild celebrations on the Qatar bench.

For their boss Julen Lopetegui, it was also a landmark moment as he coached his first World Cup match.

Read moreWorld Cup co-hosts US thrash Paraguay in dominant Group D opener

The 59-year-old had been set to guide his native Spain at the 2018 edition in Russia, but was sacked days before the start of the tournament after it was announced he had agreed to take over Real Madrid after the World Cup.

The Swiss are seeking to progress to the knockout stages for the fourth consecutive World Cup but their inability to kill off a match they dominated will worry coach Murat Yakin.

Manuel Akanji offered Qatar the first big chance of the match in just the second minute as his defensive lapse sent Edmilson Junior through, but he could only shoot tamely at Gregor Kobel.

94th minute equaliser

That let-off woke up the Swiss, who were awarded a penalty on 13 minutes as goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada clattered into Remo Freuler, despite a suspicion of offside, and after a four-minute stoppage Embolo sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.

The rest of the opening period was one-way traffic towards the Qatar box but Edmilson nearly caught the Swiss cold just before half-time, drawing a right-footed save from Kobel at the end of a rare foray forward.

Read moreFather of three seized by ICE at FIFA match last summer warns immigrant fans of danger

Under a blazing Californian sun the chances dried up in the second period with the most notable moments a Granit Xhaka drive from distance that whizzed narrowly over the bar and an Embolo poke that nestled in the side netting.

But ultimately Switzerland were made to pay for their profligacy as Khoukhi powered in at the back post to bullet home a 94th-minute equaliser.

Switzerland next play Bosnia on Thursday in Los Angeles, while Qatar meet co-hosts Canada in Vancouver on the same day.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

ATLANTA, GA – The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here, and fans across North America are ready to cheer on their favorite teams.

And many young soccer fans will get the chance to cheer on those teams while standing on the grandest stage itself.

At every World Cup game, children between the ages of 6 and 10 will escort players onto the field before kickoff.

It’s a tradition that dates back to 2002, when UNICEF and FIFA partnered for the “Say Yes for Children” campaign.

SCOTTISH FANS DRANK EVERY BEER ON FLIGHT TO U.S. AHEAD OF WORLD CUP

This year, FIFA’s breakfast sponsor, but also the sponsor for the player escort program, is Quaker Oats. 

“Together, we teamed up with 30+ community organizations across 11 United States host cities to give 1,400 young people from underserved communities the chance to walk players onto the pitch,” Quaker says in a press release.

In Atlanta, that community organization chosen for all eight World Cup games, is Soccer in the Streets. A nonprofit giving kids across the greater Atlanta area a chance to learn about soccer no matter their economic or social status. 

Soccer in the Streets is the official sponsor for player escorts at the World Cup games in Atlanta, GA. (Chelsea Torres)

This year alone, 2,500 kids will benefit from Soccer in the Streets programs. 

“Access starts with making it free for all kids so that no one is, has a barrier of cost to playing this beautiful game,” says Soccer in the Streets Executive Director Kaseem Ladipo.

Ladipo says with a partnership with Common Goal, another national organization, their free inner-city soccer league, StationSoccer is the official player escort at the World Cup games in Atlanta. 

FIFA IMPLEMENTS MANDATORY WATER BREAKS

Under StationSoccer, each soccer field is conveniently located near six different train stations across Atlanta.  

150 kids from the nonprofit Soccer in the Streets will get to escort players at all eight World Cup games at Atlanta Stadium. (Chelsea Torres)

Ladipo says 150 of their players will be escorting players at the eight games at Atlanta Stadium.

“They’ll have an opportunity to be hand in hand with a FIFA legend or soon-to-be FIFA legend.”

WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE

Two of those 150 play at the West End location. 

“It’s definitely turned our household into a football household,” says Erica Holloman-Hill, a mom of four boys who play for StationSoccer. 

Erica says she’s still learning about the sport, but says her boys playing in this free league has helped them grow in more ways than she imagined. 

The youngest, Asun, is 8. Then Asir, 10; Asad, 12 and the oldest, Asim, 14. Erica named them the “A-team.”

Mom of four, Erica Holloman-Hill sits with her four boys and nephew at the StationSoccer — West End location.  (Chelsea Torres)

When asked what their favorite part of playing with each other is, Asad immediately said, “we get to teach each other skills, and we get to see how good they are.”

Erica tells FOX when she first heard about the vision for StationSoccer, she was hesitant. But now her four boys are going strong two years in. 

And with the world’s largest tournament in their backyard, her two youngest sons will get a chance of a lifetime. 

Under the Quaker Oats partnership, Asun and Asir were chosen to attend a ‘Breakfast Academy’ hosted by Quaker. 

“We learned a lot of things about the fine grains, whole grains, half grains, water, fruit and all the other stuff,” says Asun. 

After learning about nutrition and showing great leadership on and off the pitch, Asun and his brother Asir, were selected to walk alongside players at the South Africa vs Czechia game on June 18th at Atlanta Stadium. 

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Asir says he’s excited, but also, “a little bit kind of nervous because I never escorted anyone.”

He says every day he’s thinking about being on the pitch, but even when he’s not awake. 

“I think about it in my sleep, too.”