AEW star Will Ospreay is one of the biggest names in the Jacksonville-based company. He is best known for his time in the independent circuit and New Japan Pro Wrestling. The 32-year-old recently returned to the Japanese promotion at Sakura Genesis on April 4.
Even though Ospreay rarely appears in NJPW now, he is still a member of United Empire. He and Great-O-Khan founded this faction in October 2020. The Aerial Assassin teamed up with Khan and Henare at Sakura Genesis and defeated Yuya Uemura, Taichi, and El Desperado in a captivating six-man tag team match.
Will Ospreay has achieved immense success in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a former two-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and a former NEVER Openweight Champion. Interestingly, he is not done yet.
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In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, the English native said that he wants to participate in G1 Climax again someday. He also wants to hold the fourth-generation IWGP Heavyweight belt. He has discussed all this with his fiancée, Alex Windsor.
“It’s hard to ask Tony Khan this year if I can take about 6 weeks off, but I’ve talked to my wife about it, and I do want to participate in the G1 Climax again someday. I’ve never won it, so I want to try again. Also, the fourth generation IWGP Heavyweight belt, which was revived this year, has been worn by Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, AJ Styles, Kenny Omega, and others, and I’ve always admired them. So I also want that belt.” said Ospreay.
Will Ospreay says that AEW smokes WWE in every field of wrestling
In a 2024 interview with Josh Martinez of the Superstar Crossover Show, Will Ospreay took a huge shot at WWE. He said that AEW smokes the rival promotion in every field of wrestling.
“We smoke ‘em in every field of wrestling, like we’re just better. I respect every single one of them there, they all know what they’re doing, they’re great at their job, they understand getting people on their feet. But we are so much more better of a wrestling company than them,” he said. [H/T: The Sportster]
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Aerial Assassin. Perhaps, he will join WWE someday.
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NEW DELHI: IPL comes and the demand for tickets and passes go soaring up by the fans. The desperation to get inside the stadium to watch their favourite teams in action in the IPL go high and high. When the tickets get sold out, the demand gets too hig, and the cricket fans even ask for tickets in black. But for a 25-year-old techie the craze for IPL tickets for RCB vs CSK turned too costly and he was duped for a massive Rs. 1.46 lakh. The techie, a resident of B Narayanapura, fell into a trap by a post posted by a fraudster who posed himself as a ticket seller on Instagram.As per a report in Deccan Herald, the techie alleged in a complaint to Mahadevapura Police that an individual claiming to be Sumit Biswal promised he could arrange IPL tickets along with food coupons. As per the techie, Biswal was introduced him as a senior supervisor for ticket counter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
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Devdutt Padikkal press conference: Chinnaswamy pitch, Tim David’s power & RCB’s batting strategy
“He asked me to come near the stadium gate number 10, saying someone would deliver the tickets within minutes, and even sent an email confirmation to gain my trust,” the complainant told Deccan Herald. “Initially, I agreed to buy two tickets for Rs 3,700 each,but he kept asking for more money under various pretexts such as refundable security deposits, additional ID cards and food coupons. Trusting him, I made multiple payments – even using my mother’s bank account after exhausting my own limits—and ended up transferring around Rs 1.46 lakh,” he added.RCB register their second winBhuvneshwar Kumar’s incisive spell of 3-41, coming after a marauding batting show from Tim David, Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal, propelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a commanding 43-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.The contest saw RCB’s batting unit dismantle CSK’s attack with relentless hitting, as David’s 70 not out off just 25 balls and Patidar’s unbeaten 48 off only 19 balls provided for the late fireworks after Padikkal’s fluent 50 off 29 balls had set the tone for the daunting total.Their combined effort lifted RCB to a daunting 250/3, thus setting a new record for highest total in IPL 2026. In reply, CSK faltered under scoreboard pressure, with Sarfaraz Khan’s 50 off 24 balls and Prashant Veer’s 43 the lone acts of resistance amid a string of failures from the top order.Bhuvneshwar was at his disciplined best and even crossed the 200-mark in terms of wickets in IPL, with others also chipping in as CSK were bowled out for 207 in 19.4 overs. The comprehensive win also meant RCB have registered four consecutive triumphs over CSK for the first time in the IPL’s history.
Leeds threw away a two-goal lead in second-half injury time and had a double scare in extra time before going on to beat West Ham in a penalty shootout on Sunday and reach the FA Cup semifinals for the first time since 1987.
Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi struck in the 93rd and 96th minutes as West Ham leveled the score at 2-2 at London Stadium and forced extra time – where two goals for West Ham were chalked off for offside – before Leeds won the quarterfinal shootout 4-2.
West Ham debutant Finlay Herrick saved a penalty from Joel Piroe but Leeds eventually prevailed with Pascal Struijk scoring the winning penalty.
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“At least I’m old enough that I was already born when there was the last semifinal for Leeds United in the FA Cup in the ’80s,” Leeds manager Daniel Farke said.
“It was a crazy game.”
The thousands of West Ham fans who had left early were trying, and failing, to get back in when Taty Castellanos thought he had put the Hammers ahead in the opening seconds of extra time after a bad error from Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri, only for VAR to rule Castellanos offside.
Then Jarrod Bowen crashed a shot against the crossbar, with Pablo offside when he rolled in the rebound.
The 20-year-old Herrick came on as a replacement for Alphonse Areola, who left the field to receive treatment with five minutes of extra time remaining.
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Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty had previously built a 2-0 lead for Leeds in a classic FA Cup game between two relegation-threatened teams in the Premier League.
FA Cup semifinal draw
Leeds will play Chelsea in the semifinals in a repeat of the 1970 FA Cup final, which Chelsea won after a replay.
Manchester City and second-tier Southampton meet in the other semifinal match with games to be played April 25-26 at Wembley.
The draw was held after Leeds’ victory.
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Penalty shootout controversy
West Ham averted some controversy after it backed down on a decision, reportedly taken by the safety officer before the match, that a penalty shootout would not be taken in front of the end housing 9,000 Leeds fans because of “safety concerns.”
As it was, the coin toss went West Ham’s way.
Farke said: “You could imagine what I think about such a situation.”
Absent fans
Stoppage time, extra time and the shootout were played in front of a half-empty stadium after the exodus of home fans.
“What I saw on the pitch was more important than anything,” West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said.
“What I saw was a group of players, a group of boys that didn’t give up. This is the major lesson that we have to take from today.
A trio of golfers can complete the third leg of the career grand slam with a victory at the 2026 Masters, which begins on Thursday, April 9. Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Brooks Koepka have won two of the other majors entering the Masters 2026. This extra incentive could up the interest in backing any of the three with PGA picks come Thursday, April 9 at Augusta National. The latest 2026 Masters odds via FanDuel Sportsbook list Scottie Scheffler as the +500 favorite (risk $100 to win $500), with Jon Rahm moving into the second spot on the Masters odds board at +950, followed closely by Bryson DeChambeau at +1000.
Other 2026 Masters contenders include defending champion Rory McIlroy (+1200), Ludvig Aberg at +1500 and Schauffele at +1600. Potential Masters sleeper picks who have had strong PGA seasons include Chris Gotterup (+4500) and Si Woo Kim (+5000). Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks, making any PGA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, or entering any 2026 Masters one-and-done picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated every PGA Tour event 10,000 times and reveals golf betting picks that have a history of being extremely profitable.
This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters — its fourth Masters in a row — as well as this year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. Anyone who has followed its sports betting picks could have seen massive returns on betting sites.
One major surprise the model is calling for at the Masters 2026: Schauffele, a two-time major winner and one of the favorites, stumbles and barely cracks the top 10. He’s had a rough start to the 2026 PGA Tour, as he missed the cut in his first event before placing 41st in his second. A big reason for Schauffele’s struggles lies on the green, where he ranks 76th in total putting after being third in 2024, when he won his two majors. When you factor in that Schauffele also has more missed cuts than top-fives over his last four trips to Augusta, he’s one to steer clear of with 2026 Masters bets, considering his short PGA odds. See who else to fade here.
Another surprise: The model is high on Morikawa, even though he’s a longshot at +3000 and has some concerns about his back after withdrawing from the Texas Open recently. He already has a PGA Championship and Open Championship on his resume, but Morikawa has been more consistent at the Masters than any other major. At no major does he have more top-fives (two), top 10s (three) or top 25s (five) than at Augusta National, which includes top-15 finishes in each of the last four years. The seven-time PGA Tour winner also enters in playing his best in years, as he prevailed at Pebble Beach in mid-February, ending a 45-start winless drought and then followed that up with a seventh place at the Genesis and then a fifth place at the Arnold Palmer. See who else to pick here.
How to make 2026 Masters picks
The model is also targeting two more longshots of +3000 or greater, including one of at least +5000 that could bring strong returns. You can only see the model’s picks here.
Scottie Scheffler +500 Jon Rahm +950 Bryson DeChambeau +1000 Rory McIlroy +1200 Ludvig Åberg +1500 Xander Schauffele +1600 Matt Fitzpatrick +2000 Cameron Young +2000 Tommy Fleetwood +2200 Collin Morikawa +3000 Justin Rose +3000 Robert MacIntyre +3300 Patrick Reed +3500 Hideki Matsuyama +4000 Min Woo Lee +4000 Chris Gotterup +4500 Jordan Spieth +4500 Brooks Koepka +4500 Si Woo Kim +5000 Shane Lowry +5500 Russell Henley +5500 Viktor Hovland +5500 Akshay Bhatia +6000 Patrick Cantlay +6500 Jacob Bridgeman +6500 Nicolai Højgaard +6500 Jake Knapp +7000 Adam Scott +7000 Sepp Straka +7000 Tyrrell Hatton +7000 J.J. Spaun +7000 Justin Thomas +7000 Corey Conners +8000 Marco Penge +8000 Sungjae Im +10000 Sam Burns +10000 Harris English +10000 Cameron Smith +10000 Jason Day +10000 Maverick McNealy +10000 Gary Woodland +10000 Brian Harman +12500 Max Homa +12500 Daniel Berger +15000 Rasmus Højgaard +15000 Ben Griffin +15000 Kurt Kitayama +15000 Aaron Rai +15000 Ryan Fox +17500 Casey Jarvis +17500 Keegan Bradley +17500 Dustin Johnson +17500 Alex Noren +17500 Harry Hall +17500 Ryan Gerard +17500 Sam Stevens +22500 Nick Taylor +22500 Michael Kim +22500 Wyndham Clark +22500 Max Greyserman +25000 Sami Valimaki +25000 Sergio Garcia +25000 Haotong Li +25000 Nicolas Echavarria +25000 Carlos Ortiz +25000 Aldrich Potgieter +25000 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +35000 Andrew Novak +35000 Tom McKibbin +35000 Michael Brennan +50000 Kristoffer Reitan +50000 John Keefer +50000 Matt McCarty +50000 Davis Riley +75000 Bubba Watson +75000 Charl Schwartzel +75000 Zach Johnson +75000 Angel Cabrera +100000 Mason Howell +100000 Fifa Laopakdee +100000 Ethan Fang +100000 Brian Campbell +100000 Vijay Singh +100000 Jose Maria Olazabal +100000 Brandon Holtz +100000 Naoyuki Kataoka +100000 Danny Willett +100000 Jackson Herrington +100000 Fred Couples +100000 Mateo Pulcini +100000 Mike Weir +100000
During the third round of last year’s Masters, Johnson shot a round of six-under 66, which vaulted him into a tie for 10th entering the final day. But the 2007 Masters winner was stunned. Coming into Augusta National, he’d seen fair-at-best results.
“I don’t want to say I’ve seen it coming because that’s not what I’m trying to — I’ve seen the work and the results of hitting the face and seeing the line on putts,” Johnson said. “Not this week, but weeks prior I’ve seen it.
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“It just hasn’t showed.”
Oddsmakers saw that, too, and Johnson was listed at a whopping 600-1 to win. Which means you probably stayed away.
But if you somehow were in on a Johnson top-10 bet, which he secured during the final round?
Blackout.
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They happen. Should you be in search of something similar this year, you’ve clicked on the correct article. Below, members of our staff have each made a long-shot selection to assist you with your own weekly picks, whether those are for a low-stakes office fantasy league, or (legal!) big-bucks bets with a sportsbook. It’s an enjoyable endeavor for us. Deploy it as you wish.
On to our analysis.
Masters sleeper picks to watch for 2026
Alan Bastable
Sleeper pick: Min Woo Lee, +4,000. Might be unfair to call the 25th-ranked player in the world a “dark horse,” but I don’t hear a lot of pundits talking up MWL as a green-jacket threat. He’s been excellent on Tour this season with seven cuts made in seven starts and three top-10s, and he’s made the weekend in three of his four Masters starts. This year, I expect him to contend on the weekend.
Josh Berhow
Sleeper pick: Russell Henley, +5,500. Henley very quietly finished top 10 in each of his past two major starts, and he’s had four top 10s in his past six major starts after just one in the previous 38. The point? He’s getting better on the big stage, and his game is in a good spot — top 20s in five of his seven starts this year and ranks 31st in SG: Approach and 14th in SG: Putting.
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James Colgan
Sleeper pick: Keegan Bradley, +15,000. It feels like the golf gods owe him one after the way the Ryder Cup knocked him down in September. A Bradley win after all he’s been through over the past six months would be one of the best comeback stories in the sport.
PGA Tour golfers aren’t the only ones who can make some 💰 starting next Thursday. You can too! Here are a few tips. https://t.co/uldLYRZvRh
Sleeper pick: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, +25,000. Which of this year’s Masters rookies is most likely to succeed? The winner at Australia’s Augusta National feels like a good bet. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen makes his first Masters start via a thrilling win in December’s Australian Open. The Dane vaulted into contention with his understanding of angles and strategy at Royal Melbourne, another Alister Mackenzie masterpiece, where every hole requires elite shotmaking and focus. The success Neergaard found at this World Top 10 course will help him again at another this April. Understanding is one thing, but execution is most important. With a crowd of 30,000-plus Aussies pulling for Cam Smith, Neergaard delivered an unlikely up-and-down to secure the biggest win of his career. He’s got what it takes in the big moments, but at the very least, I’ll be taking him to make the cut in his first Masters appearance.
Alex Gelman
Sleeper pick: Fifa Laopakdee, +100,000. Yes, it’s a massive long shot but don’t sleep on the junior from Arizona State. He punched his ticket to the Masters after winning the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur. He started his career at ASU by winning his first tournament and already has four collegiate wins, including a win three weeks ago at the Desimone Classic.
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Jack Hirsh
Sleeper pick: Si Woo Kim, +6,600. His game sets up really well for Augusta, where lots of run-out should help equalize his length disadvantage. His game has been trending all year, and he’s missed just one cut in eight Masters appearances.
Jessica Marksbury
Sleeper pick: Jason Day, +6,600. Not only does Day have two top-6 finishes this season (including a runner-up at the American Express), he’s also played well many times at the Masters, with five career top-10 finishes.
Zephyr Melton
Sleeper pick: Maverick McNealy, +10,000. Mav has played some steady golf this year, missing just one cut and finishing in the top 30 in every other event but one. He finished middle of the pack in his debut last year, but he’s got the game to stay in it over the weekend.
Nick Piastowski
Sleeper pick: Jacob Bridgeman, +8,000. Let’s go back to the strokes gained stats, where we’ll find Jacob Bridgeman among the leaders in the putting category. The winner must navigate Augusta’s sloping putting surfaces.
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Josh Schrock
Sleeper pick: Adam Scott, +6,600. Due to the small field, there aren’t a ton of good “sleeper” options. I’d probably take Rickie Fowler if he was in the field, but, alas, he’s not. So we’ll go with Scott, who played well at Riviera and has great course history at Augusta. Honorable mention to Jason Day.
Josh Sens
Sleeper pick: Jason Day, +6,600. Yeah, I know. A past major winner at 66-to-1 isn’t exactly a sleeper. But I don’t see the point of going much lower on the board at the Masters, where long shots have about as good a chance of winning as I do of earning an overnight in the Crow’s Nest. A true dark horse simply isn’t going to come out on top at Augusta so I’m not going to waste a wager on one. As I see it, Day is as far down on the betting board as anyone with an outside chance at the green jacket. He’s got a strong track record here, including a T8 last year, and a T6 last week on a tough course was another good showing in what has been a decent season so far.
Sean Zak
Sleeper pick: Jake Knapp, +6,600. Knapp has been flying less under the radar recently, but he’s been one of the five or six best golfers in 2026.
Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester Cty in the summer after nine glorious years at the Etihad Stadium.
11:45, 06 Apr 2026
No one is irreplaceable. And no club appreciates that more than Manchester City.
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In the last decade, City have seen the likes of Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne all ride off into the sunset. Legends one and all. Deserving of statues outside the Etihad. But success has continued to come in their absence.
And no doubt trophies will continue to be collected whenever Bernardo Silva decides to leave the club. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders said Silva will depart City this summer in his post-Liverpool press conference.
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Numerous clubs are monitoring the situation closely, including Barcelona, Juventus and several in both Saudi Arabia and the MLS. There is a simple reason for this: Silva remains at the top of his game.
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Despite approaching his 32nd birthday, the Portuguese midfielder is still one of the most consistent footballers of his generation. A player small in stature with a gigantic amount of talent, energy and appetite to continue succeeding at the highest level.
In recent times, Silva has become Pep Guardiola’s lieutenant both on and off the field. In the past nine seasons, no one has been picked more times by Guardiola than Silva.
This weekend’s trip to Chelsea will be Silva’s 450th game in all competitions, all of which have come under the Catalan. He is the bloke Guardiola trusts more than anyone else, which might just be the biggest compliment a footballer can be paid.
When games appear to be lost, Silva makes something happen. When Guardiola needs some inspiration, he relies on Silva. A player whose infectious influence on those around him cannot be measured.
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A footballer who can operate to maximum levels in different positions, someone with a relentless work rate to match his abilities on the ball and off it. He is an extension of Guardiola on the pitch. Someone who thinks, speaks and acts like his manager. An undroppable presence at this crucial stage of the season.
Guardiola has never hidden his admiration for Silva. “He doesn’t score too many goals or is not involved in all the assists, but he gives us something that is not in the stats, and a lot of things that are incredibly valuable to us. He is absolutely one of the best players I have ever trained in my career,” said the City boss of his captain.
With or without Guardiola next season, City will plough ahead with a deal to sign Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson this summer. Anderson has emerged as one of the brightest midfield talents in Europe. But filling the sizeable boots of Silva will be the ultimate test of his burgeoning reputation.
Yet this is what clubs like City have to do.
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Teams evolve – and there will be life after Silva. Replacing him will be tough. No doubt. But not half as difficult as replacing the manager who coached Silva into becoming one of the most influential footballers in Premier League history.
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2 min read Last Updated : Apr 06 2026 | 3:49 PM IST
Lautaro Martinez is back from injury, and Inter Milan is back looking like the Serie A leader again.
Lautaro scored twice in his first action since February and Inter routed visiting Roma 5-2 on Sunday to end a four-match winless streak across all competitions.
Lautaro scored in the second and 52nd minutes at the San Siro. Hakan Calhanoglu – fresh off helping Turkey qualify for the World Cup – Marcus Thuram and Nicolo Barella also found the net for Inter.
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Gianluca Mancini, along with Barella a member of the Italy team that failed to qualify for the World Cup, scored a momentary equalizer for Roma. Then Lorenzo Pellegrini pulled one back for Roma after the Giallorossi had gone four goals behind.
Inter, which had its advantage sliced from 10 to six points before the international break, moved nine points ahead of city rival AC Milan and 10 ahead of defending champion Napoli, which hosts Milan on Monday.
Bologna prepares for Aston Villa
Earlier, Bologna won 2-1 at relegation-threatened Cremonese to move up to eighth before hosting Aston Villa in the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday.
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Joao Mario and Jonathan Rowe scored early for Bologna before Federico Bonazzoli pulled one back late for Cremonese by converting a penalty. Youssef Maleh of Cremonese and Lewis Ferguson of Bologna were each sent off in stoppage time.
Cremonese was without former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, who sat out due to a muscle injury.
Also, Torino won 1-0 at last-place Pisa with an 80th-minute goal from Che Adams.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Asked at the post-fight press conference how he believes Wilder will fare if he does go on and face the division’s best, with a specific mention of unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, Chisora said:
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“He’ll do well. He’s got power. Wilder’s got power for the first three rounds, then after he fades, but he’s always got that power. I’m not gonna take that away from him.”
Usyk had been pursuing Wilder earlier this year as part of his plan to face every top name of his generation. Negotiations reportedly moved too slowly for the American, however, who instead signed to face Chisora. With the victory, he makes a case to remain on the Ukrainian’s hit list, though is battling against the likes of Fabio Wardley, Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury and Agit Kabayel.
In the meantime, Usyk – who beat Chisora by unanimous decision back in 2020 – will face kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven on May 23. Controversially, he has been permitted to put his WBC world title on the line for the fight, much to the dismay of the top contenders given Verhoeven has had just one professional boxing bout. It is unclear what the WBA and IBF intend to do.
The Undertaker is considered one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time, known for his legendary on-screen character, backstage leadership and company loyalty. One veteran recently claimed that one of The Phenom’s ideas was originally his during their time together from the territories.
During The Deadman’s time in WWE, he was known for being the judge, jury and executioner of Wrestler’s Court. There have been a ton of stories about stars going through the kangaroo court system, but it wasn’t an original idea of the Hall of Famer.
Thanks for the submission!
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Speaking on his Story Time podcast, Dutch Mantell, more famously known as Zeb Colter in WWE, revealed that he started Wrestler’s Court during his time in the local Memphis wrestling scene.
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“(Wrestler’s Court) was all instituted because of The Undertaker. And it was instituted by Undertaker is because we started it in the in the car back in the Memphis days. Because Mark has been on trial several times, all convicted I might add, because I was the judge,” Mantell said.
Some of the superstars who were put through Wrestler’s Court over the years include Muhammad Hassan, The Miz, Teddy Long, Goldberg, Edge, Christian and more.
But since The Undertaker has retired, the kangaroo court system is no longer practice inside the WWE locker room.
AJ Styles feared one of the spots against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36
The Undertaker’s retirement match happened at WrestleMania 36. It was a Boneyard Match against AJ Styles, which was a cinematic match that was widely praised by fans and critics.
Speaking on his Phenomenally Retropodcast with Tony Giles, Styles revealed that he was scared to take the bump from atop the barn because he wasn’t sure where to land.
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“I remember us being on top of the… I guess it was the barn or whatever… and I was thinking to myself, I can’t see where to land, just literally throwing me off the top of this building and I’m going through another little shed,” Styles said. [H/T SEScoops]
Fast forward six years later, The Deadman surprised Styles by announcing that he’ll be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.
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And still those voices are calling from far away. The familiar lyrics of The Eagles’ “Hotel California” echoed around the O2 Arena during one final, stirring Derek Chisora ring walk. Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say… “BOOOOOMB SQUAAAAAAD!”
And so, a 42-year-old Chisora will (reluctantly) leave boxing behind, at least the dangerous side of the ropes, while a 40-year-old Wilder battles on. Would this future have been the same if had the result been reversed?
Deontay Wilder celebrates a narrow win over Derek Chisora (Getty Images)
It’s hard to say. Chisora claimed before the bout that he would retire regardless, which was and is the right call, but you never know with “Delboy”. Wilder seemed more defiant, despite his waning powers and worsening record. With that in mind, perhaps even defeat might not have marked the end for the ex-heavyweight champion.
And he certainly appears intent on channeling this victory – as slight as it was – into more success. Just ask Anthony Joshua.
With that tragic incident still fresh in the mind, there are those who believe “AJ” should call time on his own storied career. Yet the Briton will return to the ring, his promoter has confirmed, with a summer comeback on the cards after he dismantled YouTuber Jake Paul four months ago.
So, here we are, with arguments abounding that Joshua and Wilder should each retire, yet with both linked once more.
“You ain’t ready for that,” Joshua replied after Wilder’s comment, with the American walking off and sniping: “He’s scared as f***.” It was one of Wilder’s tamer comments on a week of stupefying ones.
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Joshua vs Wilder has been mooted for the best part of a decade, but it was never closer than in 2023, when they shared a ring. They did not share the ring as opponents, instead boxing one after the other; Joshua took apart Otto Wallin, but only after Wilder faltered against Joseph Parker. If both had won, they would have met in two contracted fights, per Wilder.
He could not uphold his end of the bargain and went on to lose to Zhilei Zhang, while Joshua knocked out ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou. But Joshua and Wilder’s fortunes would reverse yet again, when AJ was brutally beaten by Daniel Dubois in 2024 and Wilder stopped Tyrrell Anthony Herndon last summer. With each man adding another win since then, it feels like a showdown could be sold once more.
Should it be, however?
Wilder vs Chisora brought chaos, with one of the Briton’s coaches entering the ring in round one (Adam Davy/PA Wire)
Firstly, Joshua seems to be on a different path, with his planned summer fight likely serving as a warm-up to a clash with Tyson Fury. Yes, that fight – even more craved and elusive than Joshua vs Wilder – is on the cards again. And even if Joshua vs Wilder could be lined up, would it be the right move?
Joshua would be the favourite at this point, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that his sole win in the last two years came against an influencer-turned-boxer, and that we still don’t know where his head is at (most recently, he’s been training with former opponent Oleksandr Usyk in Ukraine). Meanwhile, there was plenty of criticism of Wilder in the wake of his win over Chisora, including those afore-mentioned calls for his retirement.
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This writer saw it slightly differently. Yes, Wilder’s performance was flawed, but he looked much less gun-shy and much more resilient than in recent outings. When you weigh up every factor on his side and on Joshua’s, it feels like they might just balance out.
That said, one of Wilder’s post-fight comments contradicted the idea that he was more trigger-happy: “I held back a couple of times, because when I cut his eye open, I started thinking about him being with his children, and when I saw veins coming out of his temple…” Still, that’s not what we saw. Furthermore, Wilder and Chisora are friends, and the “Bronze Bomber” would surely show no mercy to AJ.
Chisora was knocked through the ropes in the eighth round (Getty Images)
Again, though, it should be noted that Joshua appears to have other options. Does Wilder?
He has talked up a world-title fight, which will almost certainly not come. Just a few months ago, unified champ Oleksandr Usyk hinted at a voluntary defence against Wilder, but it will instead come against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, and Usyk will then be forced into a mandatory defence. The only other heavyweight world title is held by Fabio Wardley, who will defend it against Daniel Dubois in May, and it would be a farce for Wilder to challenge the winner.
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However, a fight between Wilder and the loser of Wardley vs Dubois appeals.
At this point, Wilder will not risk his boxing future against anyone who is not a champion or a top name, which leaves him with very few options. For better of worse, Joshua remains the most-interesting option of all.
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – APRIL 05: Jessica Pegula of the United States poses with the trophy after defating Yuliia Starodubstseva of Ukraine during the Singles Final of the Credit One Charleston Open at Credit One Stadium on April 5, 2026 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Jessica Pegula defeated Yulia Starodubtseva 6-2, 6-2 to win the Charleston title and make it back-to-back victories at the event.
The win gives Pegula her second title of 2026 and the 11th of her career, with both of her clay court titles coming in Charleston.
After the match, Pegula joked about a previous comment regarding prize money:
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“Yes that is true Andrew, thanks. I didn’t forget .”
She also praised her opponent:
“First I’d like to say congrats to Yulia. Amazing tennis this week. Nothing but good luck to you and your team. For anyone who doesn’t know she has an amazing story. I encourage you guys to get to know her a bit more and continue cheering her on” ❤️
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It was another strong week for Pegula as she continues her season.
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