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SV 07 Elversberg 2026/27 season preview: Transfers, pre-season, predicted lineup & predictions

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Not to everyone’s delight, Elversberg are active in the transfer market ahead of their first-ever top-flight season. The smallest town to be represented in Bundesliga is backed by investor Frank Holzer, who is the head of pharmaceutical company Ursapharm, which didn’t go well with the traditional ethos of German football.

How was their 2025/26?

After missing out on a promotion the previous season with a narrow defeat to Heidenheim in the playoff, Elversberg faced a similar scare in the final month of the 2. Bundesliga campaign. A defeat to eventually relegated Fortuna Düsseldorf made them wait until the final matchday of the season to write history.

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The club from a town of 13,000 inhabitants has only made the jump to the second division in 2023. Despite the promising 2024/25 campaign, few predicted them to be around the top once again since their long-serving coach Horst Steffen was poached by Werder Bremen, while top scorers Fisnik Asllani and Muhammed Damar returned to their parent club Hoffenheim.

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And, in the middle of the season, 12-goal hero Younes Ebnoutalib joined Eintracht Frankfurt. To their credit, Vincent Wagner’s side maintained their momentum after the departure of the Moroccan attacker with David Mokwa proving to be the perfect replacement.

Their form at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde was a big factor as Hertha and Schalke were the only teams to return home with three points. In the end, Elversberg followed the latter to win automatic promotion to Bundesliga.

The Coach

A goal-scoring center-back in his playing career, Vincent Wagner wasn’t able to go beyond Regionalliga. However, he has now become a Bundesliga head coach at the young age of 40.

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After Asllani and Damar’s memorable loan spells, Elversberg glanced at Hoffenheim once again to replace Steffen. Including three years in Sinsheim, Wagner worked with youth teams in four different clubs.

The Nordhausen native has managed back-to-back promotions, leading Hoffenheim II to 3. Liga before joining Elversberg. His repertoire of working with youth teams perfectly suits Elversberg’s policy in the transfer market.

Transfers

Christian Weber, who signed Christos Tzolis during his time at Fortuna Düsseldorf, is preparing a Bundesliga squad for the first time. Weber and co. are tasked with finding promising youngsters so that debutants Elversberg could emulate Heidenheim’s success instead of an immediate relegation like Holstein Kiel.

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Bambasé Conté and Jarzinho Malanga returned to their parent clubs after playing their part in the promotion season, while Die Elv hope to reach an agreement with HSV for the permanent transfer of Immanuel Pherai as they did for fellow midfielder Lukasz Poreba.

With Cole Campbell (Dortmund) and Maurice Krattenmacher (Bayern), Elversberg signed prospects from Germany’s big clubs. The club shattered its transfer record for the US youth international as they parted ways with €6 million to sign the winger who only played 90 minutes of Bundesliga football for BVB and Hoffenheim last term.

According to Transfermarkt, they also spent €2.5 million to secure loan deals for Noel Futkeu (Frankfurt), Francis Onyeka (Leverkusen) and Noah Darvich (Stuttgart). The former finished as top scorer in 2. Bundesliga last season despite his club Greuther Fürth needing a playoff tie to stay in the division.

Onyeka also had a successful campaign in 2. Bundesliga with Bochum before captaining Germany U19 in their way of reaching the final of the European Championship. Darvich previously led Germany U17 to continental and World Cup triumphs, and he’ll hope to make his breakthrough in first-team football after scoring 10 3. Liga goals for Stuttgart II last season.

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The lack of Bundesliga experience in the squad isn’t addressed in the market. Michel-Ange Balikwisha is linked with a move after his poor debut season at Celtic as 27-year-old center-back Luca Sirch, who played 60 2. Bundesliga games for Kaiserslautern in the past couple of seasons, is so far the oldest new signing.

Pre-season preparations

Wagner’s side had a positive pre-season with marquee wins over NEC Nijmegen and Strasbourg. Darvich, Campbell and Onyeka were in excellent form as they ended their preparations with a 4-1 victory against Lorient.

In the opening competitive game of the season, 3. Liga leaders Duisburg gave them a bigger test until Onyeka’s late brace sealed Elversberg’s place in the second round of the DFB-Pokal.

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Predicted starting lineup

In the absence of the suspended skipper Lukas Pinckert, Luca Schnellbacher captained the side in Duisburg. The 32-year-old striker continued his fine pre-season form by scoring Elversberg’s first goal of the season, but Futkeu and Mokwa are expected to have more playing time ahead of him.

In midfield, Darvich and Onyeka could compete for the number 10 role, although there is a possibility for a lineup featuring all three youngsters (including Campbell) at the same time. Krattenmacher rarely featured during pre-season, but he’ll also be in contention for a starting berth.

Nicolas Kristof, who joined the club when they were in Regionalliga, will be the undisputed number one after helping them to three promotions over the years.

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Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kristof; Günther, Pinckert ©, Rohr, Keidel; Poreba, Darvich; Campbell, Onyeka, Krattenmacher; Futkeu

Fixture list

Elversberg’s first-ever Bundesliga game will be at home against the 2023/24 champions Bayer Leverkusen. The mighty FC Bayern will be the next team visiting Spiesen-Elversberg a week after the newcomers face Borussia Mönchengladbach away from home.

The last two matchdays of the league season will see them face Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen. With their closest southwest rivals Kaiserslautern in 2. Bundesliga, there will be no derbies for Wagner’s men this term.

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Expectations & Prediction

Alongside Paderborn, Elversberg are tipped for an immediate return to 2. Bundesliga. Before Holstein Kiel’s relegation in 2024/25, the last four Bundesliga debutants avoided that fate. Elversberg’s trust in prospects – they are also linked with 17-year-old Frankfurt defensive midfielder Eba Bekir Is – is admirable, but the lack of Bundesliga experience in the squad could be their downfall in the battle against the drop.

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MLB roundup: D-backs rally past Cubs on Ryan Waldschmidt’s walk-off HR

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Aug 25, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pinch hitter Ryan Waldschmidt (right) celebrates with teammates Merrill Kelly and Tim Tawa after hitting a two run walk off home run in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesAug 25, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pinch hitter Ryan Waldschmidt (right) celebrates with teammates Merrill Kelly and Tim Tawa after hitting a two run walk off home run in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Pinch hitter Ryan Waldschmidt hit a two-run walk-off homer with two outs in the ninth inning as the Arizona Diamondbacks overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 in Phoenix on Tuesday.

Tim Tawa drew a walk from Jacob Webb (6-4) with one out in the ninth. Pinch runner Jose Fernandez stole second with two outs before Waldschmidt hit a 2-1 hanging slider 408 feet into the left field seats, giving the D-backs 40 comeback victories this season — tied with the Cubs for the most in the majors. Waldschmidt is the first rookie in major league history to hit two walk-off homers while trailing in the same calendar month, also doing so Aug. 7 against the Dodgers, per OptaSTATS.

The Cubs had scored 30 consecutive runs and had thrown 23 consecutive scoreless innings since falling behind the Seattle Mariners 2-0 in the second inning of a 19-2 win on Sunday until the D-backs scored three in the eighth on Tuesday.

Chicago’s Ian Happ hit a three-run homer off Brandon Pfaadt to break a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, his third long ball in five games. Cubs starter Clay Holmes gave up two hits, both singles, in seven scoreless innings, leaving the game with a 4-0 lead.

Red Sox 7, Marlins 3 (11 innings)

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Jarren Duran slugged a grand slam as Boston defeated host Miami in extra innings to win its fifth straight game.

Mickey Gasper homered twice for the Red Sox. He has five homers in his past eight games. Prior to that, he had no homers in 107 at-bats in the majors this season. The Marlins, who have lost two straight, were led by Heriberto Hernandez, who slugged his team-high 20th homer of the season.

Both teams scored in untraditional ways in the 10th inning, Boston on a passed ball and Miami on a dropped third strike which would have otherwise been the third out and ended the game. Boston’s Payton Tolle struck out seven and allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings. Miami’s Tyler Phillips lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run and tying his career high with seven strikeouts.

Mets 3, Brewers 2 (10 innings)

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Francisco Lindor homered and later scored the winning run as host New York beat Milwaukee in the opener of a three-game series.

After Trevor Megill (2-3) walked Carson Benge and Luis Robert Jr., Christopher Morel hit a grounder to third which allowed automatic runner Lindor to score when David Hamilton’s throw home was off-target. Jonathan Pintaro (2-0) walked one in a scoreless top of the 10th. Robert homered and had two hits for the Mets, who are 13-8 this month.

Luis Lara hit a run-scoring single in the fourth and Christian Yelich delivered the game-tying, pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth for the Brewers, who have dropped two straight following a 6-1 stretch. New York rookie Zac Thornton gave up one run on seven hits over six innings. Kyle Harrison allowed one run on six hits over five innings for Milwaukee.

Guardians 8, Angels 6 (10 innings)

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Jose Ramirez doubled three times and drove in five runs, capped by a go-ahead two-run double in the 10th inning, as Cleveland rallied from an early five-run deficit to defeat Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.

Ramirez lined a double off Angels reliever Blake Weiman (0-1) into the gap in left-center to drive in Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan, leading the Guardians to their sixth straight win. Kwan went 5-for-5 with a walk, an RBI and three runs, matching his career-high hit total. Erik Sabrowski (5-2) struck out the side in the ninth, and Cade Smith fanned two during a scoreless 10th to pick up his 35th save.

Vaughn Grissom hit two homers and drove in three runs, Mike Trout went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run and Christian Moore also homered for the Angels, who lost their third straight game.

Pirates 1, Padres 0

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Oneil Cruz lined a two-out solo homer in the top of the ninth inning to plate the only run in Pittsburgh’s win over host San Diego.

Cruz ripped a changeup from Mason Miller (4-2) 379 feet into the seats in right field for his 17th homer of the year and the first allowed by Miller since last August. Gregory Soto (6-4) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning to earn the win for the Pirates, who have won two straight against the Padres after coming into this series having lost 13 of their last 15 meetings against San Diego.

Both starters pitched brilliantly but settled for no-decisions. Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes allowed just three hits in six innings, while San Diego’s Michael King twirled seven innings and permitted five hits.

Braves 4, Dodgers 3

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Ozzie Albies hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning and Raisel Iglesias pitched around Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff triple in the ninth as Atlanta held on to beat visiting Los Angeles.

After Ohtani’s triple, Iglesias struck out Freddie Freeman and got Mookie Betts to ground out. After Max Muncy was intentionally walked, Tommy Edman flied out to center field, preserving Atlanta’s second straight win and ending the Dodgers’ six-game winning streak.

Braves starter Bryce Elder threw six innings of three-run, eight-hit ball while Los Angeles starter Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since May 6 after dealing with back issues, went five innings and allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts.

Astros 9, Yankees 7

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Yainer Diaz homered twice, Yordan Alvarez hit a tiebreaking RBI triple with two outs in the eighth inning and Houston outlasted host New York.

Diaz started the deciding three-run rally off Brent Headrick (7-3) by homering to right with one out to tie the game 6-6. After a single by Jeremy Pena, Alvarez roped a first-pitch slider to the warning track in right-center field before scoring on a single by Isaac Paredes.

Spencer Jones doubled and Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled him home to kick off the bottom of the eighth but Bryan Abreu (5-3) got Austin Wells to ground into a double play and Josh Hader finished it off by notching the final four outs for his 19th save in 19 chances.

White Sox 11, Rangers 7

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Tristan Peters delivered a two-run double during a six-run first inning and homered for the fourth straight game as host Chicago held off Texas.

Chicago evened the series between American League playoff contenders at one game apiece. The White Sox out-hit the Rangers 14-11, but needed a ninth-inning escape despite their strong start as Grant Taylor came on with the bases loaded and two out to get Cody Freeman to ground into a forceout at second to end the game.

Rangers starter Jacob deGrom allowed the first five batters of the game to reach base. deGrom (9-9) went only 3 2/3 innings, giving up eight runs. Chicago left-hander Anthony Kay benefited from the early run support but fell one out short of qualifying for the victory after giving up four runs over 4 2/3 innings.

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Mariners 4, Phillies 1

Cal Raleigh homered and George Kirby pitched 7 2/3 strong innings as Seattle defeated visiting Philadelphia for a fourth win in five games.

Kirby (9-10) allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out nine. Mariners closer Andres Munoz worked the ninth for his 24th save of the season. Raleigh, who went deep three times on Monday, tied the team record of four homers in as many at-bats.

Bryce Harper had two hits for the Phillies, who have lost two in a row after a nine-game winning streak. Aaron Nola (5-10) permitted two runs on three hits in six innings.

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Royals 5, Blue Jays 3

Salvador Perez knocked in the go-ahead run with a fifth-inning single and Kansas City held off host Toronto for its ninth straight victory.

The game ended when Toronto’s Nathan Lukes was thrown out at second trying to stretch his two-run single off Steven Cruz into a double. Left fielder Isaac Collins got the ball to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., whose throw to second got Lukes.

Kansas City starter Seth Lugo (6-7) allowed one run on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in five innings, while Toronto’s Max Scherzer (1-7) allowed two runs in five innings as he dropped a seventh straight decision.

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Rockies 3, Nationals 1

Hunter Goodman homered in his return from the injured list as Colorado snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win at Washington.

The Rockies, who entered the game with the fourth-highest bullpen ERA in the majors (4.88), got five innings of scoreless relief from relievers. Mark Manfredi (1-0) pitched one inning for his first big league win and Jordan Romano worked the ninth for his 13th save.

The Nationals lost for the ninth time in 11 games. Washington went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and totaled five hits one night after scoring 13 runs on 13 hits. Mason Adams started for Colorado and pitched four innings in his major league debut.

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Orioles 13, Cardinals 1

Pete Alonso went 4-for-4 with a three-run home run and Christian Encarnacion-Strand also homered and drove in three runs as Baltimore hammered host St. Louis.

Jackson Holliday added three hits and right-hander Chris Bassitt pitched effectively into the seventh inning for the Orioles, who remain in the thick of a crowded AL wild-card race despite being four games under .500.

Alonso’s 31st homer of the season keyed a four-run third inning and Encarnacion-Strand’s seventh homer capped it. Bassitt (5-4) gave the Orioles a boost in his third start back since having surgery in June to remove bone spurs from his back, allowing a run on six hits (five singles) over 6 2/3 innings.

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Tigers 4, Rays 1

Max Clark hit his second career home run to help propel host Detroit to a victory over Tampa Bay which ended its six-game losing streak.

Javier Baez scored two runs and Hao-Yu Lee added an RBI single for the Tigers. Detroit starter Jackson Jobe gave up one run in 4 1/3 innings. Drew Sommers (1-3) didn’t allow a baserunner in 1 2/3 innings while picking up his first major league win. Kenley Jansen got the last three outs to record his 17th save.

Bulk Rays reliever Ian Seymour (9-5) gave up all four runs — three earned — and seven hits in the final 5 2/3 innings. Junior Caminero had two hits and scored the lone run for the AL East leaders, who scored first in the fourth. Jonny DeLuca had the lone RBI.

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Athletics 4, Twins 2

Carlos Cortes hit a two-run homer and Gage Jump pitched into the seventh inning as the Athletics beat Minnesota in West Sacramento, Calif.

Lawrence Butler had two hits for the Athletics, who won for the third time in four games. Jump (6-8) allowed two runs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings. Hogan Harris recorded two outs, Luis Medina pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Elvis Alvarado retired the Twins in order in the ninth for his fourth save.

Royce Lewis had two of the Twins’ four hits. Minnesota struck out 12 times and lost for the fourth time in five games. Right-hander Taj Bradley (9-6) threw the first immaculate inning (three strikeouts on nine total pitches) in Twins history in the fifth inning but allowed four runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings.

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Giants 3, Reds 1

Rafael Devers homered again, another pitcher got injured early in his start, and San Francisco followed a winning — albeit painful — script to beat visiting Cincinnati.

One night after they built an early lead and lost starting pitcher Carson Whisenhunt to an elbow injury, the Giants repeated the pattern. Adrian Houser exited due to arm tightness in the second inning, and he will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.

Anthony Molina (1-0) threw 4 1/3 innings to win his Giants debut. Carson Seymour was credited with his first career save despite serving up a Sal Stewart homer in the ninth. San Francisco’s Drew Cavanaugh had three hits and two RBIs.

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–Field Level Media

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India vs Sri Lanka LIVE Score, 2nd Test Day 4, IND vs SL Updates: Rain Arrives In Colombo But Play Not Stopped; Sri Lanka 2 Down

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India vs Sri Lanka LIVE Score Updates, 2nd Test Day 4: Ravindra Jadeja has given India their second wicket as he dismissed Kamil Mishara for 32.

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McLaughlin: Former NFL Players in College Football?

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NFL logoLSU has added another player to its roster who most recently played for an NFL team.

Lane Kiffin is among the top villains in college football this year, and this only adds to that status.

On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, I’m joined by ‘Locked On SEC’ host Chris Gordy to discuss Aaron Philo and Keelon Russell being named the starters at Florida and Alabama.

They’re coming into VERY different levels of pressure.

Minnesota Gophers logoMinnesota has been a model of consistency under PJ Fleck during his tenure.

Will they be a staple of the middle of the Big 10 once again in 2026?

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00:00 State of college football today
04:22 Lane Kiffin’s coaching expectations
06:49 Confidence in LSU’s season stability
12:55 Florida Gators’ season expectations
15:43 Discussing Alabama football expectations
17:39 Predicting Alabama’s win-loss record
22:05 Discussing potential for Big Ten team
24:25 Minnesota’s season outlook
26:43 Jeff Lebby’s tough road game
31:22 Key game against Michigan

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

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Yellow Jersey’s return creates buzz for 2026 spring carnival

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Calvin McEvoy observed a fitting synchronicity as Yellow Jersey accompanied Half Yours during a workout at Sandown on Saturday, with both horses nearing their spring racing comebacks.

Last year, Half Yours provided McEvoy and his father Tony with a taste of the pressure that accompanies the carnival’s major events, and it’s this same level of aspiration the stable holds for Yellow Jersey.

The McEvoys hold significant Cox Plate ambitions for the imported galloper, who is set to resume in this Saturday’s $200,000 Listed Heatherlie Handicap at Caulfield.

“He’s very untapped and he comes with a very big profile, which comes with pressure, I think,” Calvin McEvoy commented.

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“He cost a lot of money and the horse needs to come out and perform.

“Imports don’t always do that, but I believe that we’ve seen enough from him that has shown us that he’s a really good horse.

“He needs to go to the races and perform and I’m hoping that he can be another headline horse for us.”

The 1700-metre Heatherlie Handicap will be the sixth career start for Yellow Jersey. He won his first three races in France before achieving a second placing over 2200m at Group 2 level prior to his export to Australia.

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His sole run in Australia was a narrow second in the Listed Wayne Wilson Stakes (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 13.

The McEvoys had considered a start for Yellow Jersey in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m), but opted to manage his rating and keep options open, especially as he is also entered for the Caulfield Cup, a Group 1 handicap over 2400m for which weights are yet to be released.

“If he were to run sharp in that sort of race, there’s a chance he’d get eight to 10 (ratings) points and we thought that was a low percentage play,” Calvin stated.

Yellow Jersey held a slight advantage over Half Yours at the conclusion of Saturday’s track gallop. This session was part of a preparation geared towards a start in the Makybe Diva Stakes, a race targeted by last year’s Caulfield/Melbourne Cups champion.

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“He was a little bit fresh in behind, travelled very strongly and couldn’t have worked any nicer,” McEvoy said of Half Yours.

“He had a healthy blow, he gets one more trial this coming Friday and then goes into the Makybe Diva Stakes first-up.

“He’s exactly where you want him to be.”

The $750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) is scheduled for Flemington on September 12.

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The Rock sends a message to real-life Bloodline member ahead of huge WWE title match

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The Rock got involved in The Bloodline storyline for a few months in 2024, but has changed its whole trajectory since then. Keeping the WWE angle aside, though, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been a proud Samoan and backs up his extended family tree so much.

This time, his praise comes after WWE NXT’s post before its recent Tuesday night show, which featured a training clip of Fatu. Zilla is training his triceps, with a caption saying he is pumped.

The Great One simply commented here that it’s time for his family to ‘eat,’ implying a slang term for doing amazing work. You can see the post here.

“Time to eat fam.”

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Zilla will make his WWE in-ring debut this Sunday at NXT Heatwave against NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo, Cruz Montana, and Grayson Waller in a Fatal Four-Way match for the NXT Championship.

Fatu made his debut just weeks ago on NXT, taking out Montana and Waller in their No. 1 Contender’s match to face D’Angelo. Instead, it turned into a mess, resulting in the final outcome involving him.

The Rock is advertised for a WWE tryout

The current speculation in the wrestling world is that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson could be making his long-awaited return to WWE. The buzz started when WWE deleted and reposted an official announcement for an upcoming tryout in Honolulu. The updated promotional graphic featured The Final Boss alongside Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso.

The tryouts are scheduled around WWE’s October 16 and 17 live events at the Blaisdell Arena. While WWE hasn’t officially explained the graphic tweak, adding The People’s Champion to a promotional asset featuring his real-life family members has sent the wrestling world into overdrive.

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With deep family ties to Polynesian wrestling, Hawaii provides the ideal backdrop for The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment to resurface and kick off the next chapter of the Bloodline saga if it is to go that way.