In an interesting sequence of events, three former WWE Superstars have seemingly formed an official stable tonight on AEW Dynamite. They now look to go after championship gold.
FTR is currently feuding with Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, and they are set to compete in a high-stakes contest next month at AEW Double or Nothing. This will be a New York Street Fight, with an additional “I Quit” stipulation. The tag team titles will be on the line, and should Cope and Christian lose, they’ll retire as a duo.
But both Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have found themselves in a feud with another top faction on the roster in The Conglomeration. Last week, tensions got high between them after running into each other on Collision. They got into it again earlier tonight, with both teams being at ringside for Adam Copeland and Christian Cage’s match against RPG Vice.
Advertisement
Moments later, Stokely Hathaway was backstage and proposed an idea that he and FTR had come up with, which Tony Khan had already approved. This would feature a double jeopardy match next week on AEW Dynamite between Dax Harwood and Orange Cassidy.
If Cassidy wins, he will team up with either Roderick Strong or Kyle O’Reilly to take on FTR for the tag team titles. But if he loses, FTR and a third man will challenge the Conglomeration for the trios belts. They then revealed that the partner they had in mind would be Tommaso Ciampa.
Ciampa and FTR were rivals during their days in NXT, but now in AEW, their goals have aligned, and they look to have formed a partnership of sorts. They could prove to be formidable challengers for the Conglomeration, but this will all depend on Dax Harwood. This would be an interesting situation to watch out for as this will have major implications for several title scenes.
Advertisement
Why did you not like this content?
Advertisement
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Get all the hottest wrestling news FIRST by clicking here
LOS ANGELES — Jabari Smith Jr. scored 22 points, Tari Eason added 18 and the Houston Rockets avoided playoff elimination for the second straight game with a 99-93 victory over the Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday night, trimming Los Angeles’ lead in the first-round series to 3-2.
Alperen Sengun had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the fifth-seeded Rockets, who sent the series back to Houston for Game 6 on Friday night with a gritty performance to overcome Austin Reaves’ return to the Lakers.
Houston has won two straight even without top scorer Kevin Durant, who has missed four of the series’ five games with injuries.
No team has ever recovered from an 0-3 deficit to win an NBA playoff series, but the Rockets are halfway. Only four of the 159 teams to start a series down 0-3 have ever even forced a Game 7.
Advertisement
LeBron James scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half and added seven assists, but Los Angeles lost its second straight after stealing Game 3 with an improbable rally in the final seconds of regulation.
James’ teams have never blown a 2-0 series lead in his entire 23-year NBA career.
Reaves had 22 points and six assists in his return from a nine-game injury absence for the Lakers, but they committed 15 mostly atrocious turnovers in their worst performance of the series and only their second loss in 16 home games since February.
Deandre Ayton had 18 points and 17 rebounds for Los Angeles, which is still without Luka Doncic. The NBA scoring champion doesn’t appear to be close to a return from a strained hamstring.
Advertisement
Strained oblique muscles had sidelined Reaves since April 2, but he had 11 points and six assists in the first half of Game 5. Yet the Rockets coolly carried an advantage into the second half and led 87-74 with 5:55 to play.
Los Angeles awoke for a late 11-1 run and trimmed Houston’s lead to 88-85 on a driving layup by James, but Reed Sheppard hit a jumper before ripping the ball away from James for a dunk with 2:20 to play.
Ayton’s putback dunk made it 96-93 after James and Reaves both missed open 3-pointers. Thompson hit one of two free throws, and James badly missed another 3-point attempt that allowed Houston to ice it.
The Rockets shot particularly poorly while losing the series’ first two games in Los Angeles, but they’ve rediscovered their collective touch while running a balanced offence in Durant’s absence. Houston has played with the confidence exemplified Tuesday by Smith, who claimed the Rockets were “obviously the better team” despite their 3-1 series deficit.
Advertisement
The Rockets’ resilience is also good news for the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who are resting and awaiting the series winner after sweeping Phoenix.
For Rutherford a spell in the Welsh leagues followed but time is now spent split between some coaching, taxi-ing two of his boys to football training and working in a showroom of a hardware store.
All a world away from the millions on the line for the internationals in Parkinson’s squad aiming for the Premier League, one that has been rebuilt season on season with £30m-plus spent last summer alone.
“But even though it’s very different, it’s also the same club,” he says, his middle son part of the club’s academy.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to go back now and then and you see some of the same faces, good people, people who gave up their time for free to keep the club afloat.
Advertisement
“It’s a global brand but the football club is still at the heart of it. It’s kept its soul.”
Rutherford is well-qualified to judge. Although the co-owners never reached out after his release, he was invited to sample the US adulation for his old club as part of an invitational Wrexham side in a tournament in North Carolina alongside the likes of Mark Howard, Lee Trundle and Andy Morrell.
“Honestly, it’s hard to put it into words how big it’s become unless you see it,” he says of Wrexham’s new fanbase. “It was just after the club got into League Two, and I actually said when I was out there that they would be in the Premier League in 11 years.
“I don’t know why I didn’t say 10, but I thought they would land in League One for a few years and then take five or six years to get out of the Championship.
Advertisement
“To think they could do it in four is just phenomenal. I don’t want to say it would be a Hollywood story, it’ll be more like something out of Football Manager.”
Either way, there is a final day to script, with Rutherford a reminder that not every ending is a happy one.
“It’s bittersweet that we couldn’t get that promotion to the league and what happened, but I can look back now and say I was one of those who played a small part in the story and be proud of that,” he says.
“It was difficult at the time but hindsight gives you that context and I hope people keep that context if it doesn’t happen this time.
Advertisement
“It would only be a tiny applying of the brakes on an unbelievable journey – they’re still on their way.”
Eight matches, 180 balls, 2 wickets, strike rate 90 – that’s Jasprit Bumrah‘s numbers in IPL 2026 so far. By the lofty standards that Bumrah has set for himself over the years, this season has been a big struggle. Mumbai Indians’ consistent performances have almost always aligned with Bumrah’s precision bowling. This time, however, both have had to endure difficulties. This is the first time since 2015 that Bumrah’s economy rate has gone above eight runs per over. It currently stands at 8.80. While many bowlers would happily take that number, for a bowling great like Bumrah, the slide may not be to his liking. More importantly, Bumrah’s lack of wickets is hurting MI.
Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard admitted that Bumrah “hasn’t been up to the mark” in the post-match press conference after MI’s latest loss against SRH.
“When a cricketer is not doing well, we look at every single aspect as to why he’s not doing well. And there’s no difference when it comes to Jasprit Bumrah. He has done this for years. And as a human being, he is entitled as well to make mistakes, not have a good day, not have a good season, or not have a good couple of months. And I just feel that we need to sometimes remember the good things that he has done. Yes, we try to live in the present, and he hasn’t been up to the mark, but he’s still been a number one bowler for Mumbai Indians and India over a period of time,” Pollard said in the press conference after the loss to SRH.
Advertisement
Pollard was also extremely candid about his side’s inability to put together a “complete game of cricket” so far. But the MI batting coach pointed out that the dressing room is willing to put up a fight and has not yet accepted defeat, despite losing six of their eight games. With six more games to go, MI still have the opportunity to reach a maximum of 16 points if they go on a winning streak from their next game.
“It has not been as consistent as we would have hoped. The results are showing. It is something you cannot shy away from. Collectively, we have not been good enough. We just need to be collectively better as a unit. That is as much as you can ask. You can ask them to execute better in different areas of the game,” he said.
“But we need to play that complete game of cricket to win a match. It is getting difficult with the way cricket is going, but what I can safely say is that in the dressing room, the guys are wanting to fight.
“We have lost games, but we have not accepted defeat. When I said defeat, I didn’t want the headlines to suggest that Mumbai Indians have been eliminated, because mathematically and from a points perspective, we are still very much in the tournament. Yes, we have accepted losses because we lost the last couple of games, but we have not accepted defeat because we are not out of the tournament. We are still looking to go back and see what we can do and how far we can go in this tournament,” he concluded
Advertisement
Featured Video Of The Day
Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans
NEW CHANDIGARH: Shubham Dubey has spent most of his cricketing life waiting. Waiting for recognition, for opportunity, for a moment that would demand everything he has quietly built over the years. On Tuesday night, as Rajasthan Royals were drifting towards defeat against an unbeaten Punjab Kings side here, that moment finally arrived. Dubey seized it with both hands.Walking in as an ‘impact substitute’ at No. 6, ahead of established names like Ravindra Jadeja and Dasun Shanaka, the 31-year-old Dubey was handed a situation that could easily have swallowed him.Rajasthan Royals still needed 72 off 36 balls, the chase slipping and the pressure mounting. But Dubey didn’t just hold his nerve. He flipped the game on its head.Dubey finished unbeaten on 31 off just 12 balls, striking at 258.33, and added 77 in just 32 balls with Donovan Ferreira to script a six-wicket win. What had looked like a faltering chase turned into a statement win, ending Punjab’s unbeaten run.
Watch
Kumar Sangakkara on RR’s win over Punjab Kings
Born in Yavatmal in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, Dubey’s beginnings were modest. A decade ago, he didn’t have the means to afford basic cricket gear. His father, Badriprasad Dubey, ran a paan stall in Nagpur and the family scraped through with limited means.The breakthrough came through the faith of his mentor, the late Sudeep Jaiswal, who backed him when few others did. Jaiswal bought him his first proper cricket kit — a new bat, gloves and other essentials that would allow Dubey to compete on equal footing. More importantly, he helped him find a pathway into the Vidarbha team.From there, Dubey carved his reputation in the less-celebrated corners of Indian cricket. Tournaments like the Bapuna Cup in Vidarbha became his proving ground, where he developed into a powerhitter capable of shifting momentum in a matter of overs. The wider recognition came during the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Dubey piled up 221 runs at an average of 73.66, striking at 187.28. These were numbers too compelling to ignore for the IPL scouts.Rajasthan Royals responded by investing Rs 5.8 crore in him ahead of IPL-2024. But the transition wasn’t seamless. He managed just 33 runs in four games, though his strike-rate of 173.68 hinted at his intent. RR released him but bought him back, this time for Rs 80 lakh.“Dubey, coming in as an impact player, it’s one of the hardest things to do, because you don’t know if you’re playing or not. So mentally, he was exceptionally skilful. The way he was able to keep his focus and go in the middle and bring the game in our favour was outstanding,” said Kumar Sangakkara, Rajasthan’s head coach and director of cricket.Sangakkara pointed out that Rajasthan Royals’ strength lies in the depth of their batting, with Dubey firmly part of that core. “The focus is a lot on Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi). But at the same time, when I look at my side and I run through my batters, there’s Dhruv (Jurel), Yash (Yashasvi Jaiswal), Riyan (Parag), Donovan Ferreira and now someone like Dubey,” Sangakkara said.
Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has had his say after watching Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Crucible
England and Manchester United legend Paul Scholes was left star-struck after he was acknowledged by Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Crucible. The ex-midfielder also insists he has no regrets about witnessing the Rocket in action for just less than an hour, describing his visit to the World Snooker Championship as among the most memorable experiences of his life.
Scholes was left in awe as O’Sullivan gave him a nod at the end of the game, forcing the ex-United star to admit, “he knows who I am!” The former footballer’s revelation follows BBC snooker commentator John Parrot’s on-air apology to Scholes after his opportunity to watch the legend was abruptly curtailed as the Rocket dismantled his opponent in just over half an hour.
Advertisement
O’Sullivan, who has toyed with retirement in recent times, was eventually knocked out by John Higgins in the quarter-finals of this year’s competition. Nevertheless, Scholes was present to witness the Rocket tear through He Guoqiang in the opening round.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
The seven-time world champion had raced into a 7-2 advantage following the first session and needed just three additional frames to complete a dominant victory.
Scholes was positioned in the front row for the second session of the match. During the encounter, the BBC cameras focused on the Premier League-winning icon, with Parrot saying: “A very interested spectator, one of England’s greatest midfielders, Paul Scholes, is here today to watch Ronnie. I’m sure he’ll be impressed with what he’s seen.”
Advertisement
As O’Sullivan closed in on the win, the former snooker star added: “Paul Scholes might have enjoyed this but he’s only going to see three frames of it. Sorry Paul, this man is just too good.”
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football Podcast, hosted by Paddy McGuinness, the United legend opened up about his longstanding desire to watch snooker’s greatest ever player perform on the legendary Crucible stage.
He revealed that the experience was so memorable that he had absolutely no regrets about it being over so quickly. “I wanted to go and do it for years, go and watch Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Crucible” said Scholes. “I live an hour away (from the Crucible) so on my phone, had a look, see if I buy a ticket – there was one ticket left.
Advertisement
“It’s three seats away from Ronnie – I’ve clicked on it, 450 quid, and I just thought ‘F*** it. I’m doing it’. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I don’t really get excited about much stuff, do I?
“But this was f*****g unbelievable. One of the best things I’ve ever done. Honestly, peace and quiet, I could have sat in that chair for two weeks. I swear to God, I could have watched every single game.
“He did it in about 45 minutes, got two centuries – absolute genius. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, honestly. At one point, I got a bit giddy.
Advertisement
“Do you know what? I was on a high for about three days after it. I’m still talking about it now, it’s one of the best things I’ve done in my life. Watching a genius at work like that, it’s unbelievable.”
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
If the two American stars do meet, several details would need to be resolved, including whether they would fight for Haney’s WBO welterweight world title or at a 144lb catchweight.
Advertisement
Stevenson has, after all, previously claimed that he would only be willing to meet the likes of Haney, Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn at this particular catchweight.
It would therefore appear that there is still plenty of work to be done, though both champions have at least expressed an interest in their possible clash.
Stevenson claimed his WBO world super-lightweight title in January, jumping up from 135lbs to dethrone Teofimo Lopez with a dominant points victory.
Haney, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision triumph over Brian Norman Jr, who he dethroned in November to become a three-division world champion.
Based largely on this performance, two-weight world champion Bradley has claimed on his YouTube channel that, against Stevenson, Haney would find it immensely difficult to get the job done.
“I got Shakur. Shakur all day. Shakur is a pressure fighter… He puts that pressure on your ass.
“If Haney struggled with Lomachenko, he’s going to struggle against Shakur Stevenson.
“I told ya’ll, [Stevenson’s] the best fighter in the world.”
Advertisement
Most would argue that Stevenson is more of a slick technician than an all-out pressure fighter, though his style is perhaps best described as versatile.
Apr 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (53) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Andre Pallante allowed a run and five hits over six innings, Alec Burleson homered and the St. Louis Cardinals held on for a 5-4 win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
Pallante (3-2) did not walk a batter and fanned six.
Ivan Herrera went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for the Cardinals, who have won the first three games of the four-game series.
Spencer Horwitz homered for the Pirates, who lost their fourth straight.
St. Louis right-hander Riley O’Brien pitched the ninth for his eighth save with a big assist from left fielder Nathan Church, who leaped at the wall to snare Nick Gonzales’ long drive with a runner on for the final out.
Advertisement
Oneil Cruz’s bases-loaded fielder’s choice in the eighth cut Pittsburgh’s deficit to 5-4.
Pinch hitter Nick Yorke’s two-run single with the bases loaded in the seventh pulled the Pirates within 5-3. Pittsburgh loaded the bases again in the inning, but JoJo Romero struck out Ryan O’Hearn and got Marcell Ozuna on a groundout.
Pirates starter Bubba Chandler (1-3) gave up three runs on three hits in five innings with four walks and six strikeouts. Four of the strikeouts came in the first two innings.
Advertisement
J.J. Wetherholt’s run-scoring double in the third gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. It was St. Louis’ first hit, and it scored Ramon Urias, who had walked and moved to second on a flyout.
A two-out, two-run homer by Burleson in the fifth stretched the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0. He drove Chandler’s 1-1 slider to the opposite field in left-center an estimated 411 feet for his fourth home run. It also brought home Herrera, who had doubled.
Pittsburgh finally got to Pallante in the bottom of the fifth when Horwitz led off with his third homer. He took a 1-0 slider over the fence in center, an estimated 397 feet away.
The Cardinals added two in the seventh on RBI singles by Herrera and Jordan Walker to make it 5-1.
John Higgins moved a step closer to snooker history as he battled his way past Neil Robertson in the World Championship quarter-finals, leaving himself one victory away from becoming the oldest ever world finalist.
The 50-year-old will be the oldest semi-finalist since 52-year-old Ray Reardon in 1985 when he faces Shaun Murphy in the last four, beginning on Thursday afternoon, and a fifth world title is becoming a genuine possibility for the Scot.
Higgins trailed 2010 champion Robertson 9-7 heading into the final session but quickly eradicated that deficit with breaks of 66 and 77 before responding to the Australian’s run of 73 with two more frames to lead for the first time at 11-10.
(PA)
The frames were generally long and arduous but a trademark Higgins counter-clearance saw him snatch frame 22 by a point to move within one of victory beforefinally getting over the line in the next, just after 11pm, to triumph 13-10. It was a remarkable triumph and the tired-looking, but smiling, Scot gave a relieved wave to the crowd as he trudged off the arena floor.
Murphy and Zhao were locked at 8-8 heading into the final session, only for the Englishman to pull away in style, making breaks of 96, 80, 70 and 69 to secure a 13-10 triumph.
Advertisement
“I knew going into it nothing but my best would do,” Murphy explained after booking a first semi-final appearance since 2021. “Thankfully, I found it in the third session, and I’m delighted. It’s one of the best wins of my career.”
Shaun Murphy was delighted to knock out the defending champion (PA)
Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen became the first man into the semi-finals in the morning session when he seized on an “unforgivable” blunder by Barry Hawkins to triumph 13-11.
Hawkins looked set to force a decider when he fluked a red and just needed to roll up behind the pink to leave his opponent in huge trouble, only to come up short and allow Allen to clear up for victory.
“It’s unforgivable not reaching it,” admitted Hawkins. “I was worried about over-hitting it, believe it or not. I didn’t want to twitch, throw a quick one in and push the white past. But I just didn’t go through the ball. I was just thinking, that’s it, game over. I was gutted, obviously. What a way to lose. It’s a horrible feeling, knowing that you played an absolutely terrible shot. It’s just gutting, a sinking feel, after such a long match and playing well for the most part.”
Allen will face Wu Yize in the last four, with both men bidding to reach their first world final, after the young Chinese talent did most of his damage in the afternoon session, building a 10-6 lead over Iran’s Hossein Vafaei and wrapping up a 13-8 winlater in the day.
Eddie Hearn believes he has a ‘giant’ on his books who can bring a heavyweight world title back to Matchroom Boxing.
The announcement of Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury later this year looks set to close out a generation and welcome the new school, with the likes of Moses Itauma and Fabio Wardley poised to become the heavyweight division’s big names.
The 6ft 6in Aussie stunned Bowie Tupou with a sickening uppercut just over a minute into their bout and finished it with a right hand as the referee was stepping in to stop the action. Thankfully, Tupou made it to his feet with the help of his team and will be checked out fully.
Post-fight, Hearn said fans in Melbourne were witnessing a future heavyweight world champion.
“That was one of the scariest knockouts I’ve seen. This guy has got devastating power. We know there’s levels above Bowie Tupou, but these are the kind of opponents you have to go through on the way to the top. They’re the kind of opponents you hope will give you rounds. You’re not gonna do rounds with Teremoana Teremoana.
“What you’re watching right now is a future world heavyweight champion. This is going to be a huge star. He’s not just got the personality, he’s not just got the dance moves, he can really fight and he’s got power in both hands. A giant of a man.”
Advertisement
Hearn then said that he would like to headline his rising star back in Australia this coming July, though revealed that there has been interest to box him on a Saudi Arabia card. Teremoana himself reiterated a desire to win the Australian heavyweight title. Both statements point to a smart building phase ahead, rather than a rush to leap frog levels.
Lee Trevino, one of golf’s greatest players, is talking about his high regard for Jack Nicklaus, perhaps the greatest player, and Scottie Scheffler, the current top-ranked golfer, and he can illustrate that thought, though to help him, he needs another sport besides the one where all three claim their fame.
Volleyball.
Appearing on a video released Wednesday on the PGA Championships’ YouTube channel, Trevino was asked about several topics by host Rich Beem, who, like Trevino, is a PGA winner. They remembered Trevino’s start in golf. His victories. How he won them. The entire video is worth a watch, and you can do so here. One of the more interesting points, though, came when Beem asked Trevino what role Nicklaus played in his success.
Notably, Trevino said it was small, at least at the start. He knew Nicklaus’ standing. He knew what he needed to meet that. “You kind of pull your belt a little tighter,” Trevino said, in his Trevino way. That said, though, Trevino said he thought his humble beginnings had numbed him to any pressure — “I didn’t know what the hell pressure was,” he said — and that helped his play.
Advertisement
Then came a moment at a Ryder Cup.
Trevino and Nicklaus were teammates, and one of the nights, there was a function, but Nicklaus was a no-show. Later, Trevino asked him about that. The event felt important.
But Nicklaus said his daughter had a volleyball match.
“And that’s when I realized,” Trevino said, “you know, there’s more to this game.”
Advertisement
He went further on Nicklaus.
“I respect his golf, but I respect his fatherhood more,” Trevino said. “He was the best dad I have ever seen in my life.
“I learned a lot from him. I had kids in the beginning. I got divorced, [and] I never knew them because I was always on the golf course. When I married this young lady in ’83 and we had two kids, she looked at me and she says, ‘You’re going to help me raise these.’ And they went everywhere. But she pulled them. She would — no, no, she said, ‘We’re going to go see your dad.’ You know, ‘We’re going with your dad.’ And Friday nights, man, they were there, come home, the whole thing.
“And I knew exactly what Jack did. That gave me the vision of saying, ‘This is what Jack was doing.’”
Advertisement
And Trevino said he sees Scheffler doing that, too.
As he’s won 20 PGA Tour events over the past four years, including four majors, Scheffler has often talked about his family. He most memorably did so during a lengthy answer at a press conference at last year’s Open Championship, where he said his family is his priority.
“I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf,” Scheffler said, “but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.
“This is not the be all, end all. This is not the most important thing in my life.”
Advertisement
Trevino has noticed.
“Scottie said, ‘Listen, it’s just not this game,’” he said.
Here, Trevino ended his answer with a quick joke. After all, this is Trevino, who’s as skilled with his words as he is his golf.
“But I guess when you’re the GOAT, you say, ‘You can spend more time at home.’”
Advertisement
Editor’s note: To watch the entire PGA Championships video with Trevino, please click here.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login