The Yankees are moving on from Aaron Hicks after eight years. Hicks has been designated for assignment. He’s 33 and is hitting .188 over 28 games this season. It was a matter of time for the Yankees to make this decision. They were holding on to him for too long.
Jamal Murray scored 30 of his 37 points in the first half. Bruce Bowen and KCP combined for 32 points. Nikola Jokic added 24 points. It was a collective team effort. Denver Nuggets won 119-108 over the Los Angeles Lakers to take a 3-0 commanding series lead. No team has returned from an 0-3 deficit in NBA history.
Matthew Tkachuk strikes again. He scored the game-winning overtime goal once again to win it for the Florida Panthers. It is unbelievable. Deja Vu. Florida Panthers are heading home with a 2-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. They are two wins away from making their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1996.
Nick Khan announced that WWE would return to India for a fall live event. WWE’s last live event in India was on December 9, 2017.
Chicago Blackhawks showed no quit against the Detroit Red Wings. They trailed by two goals twice in last night’s game and came back to win the game in overtime, 4-3. Max Domi scored the winning goal for the hawks in an unassisted play. An impressive home opener for the hawks, and this could be the final home opener for Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
Denver Nuggets picked up their first win of the season against the defending champions Golden State Warriors with a 128-123 victory. Two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic had a triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists. The nuggets going on the road to win this game showed me a lot of promise for this team this season. A healthy Nuggets team is a title contender. Nuggets do need to improve in not giving away big leads. Warriors almost stole this game from them. Defense will be crucial for Denver if they want to make teams fear them.
The almighty Utah Jazz, without Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, are now 2-0 this season. Yes, it’s only two games into the season, but we didn’t expect this solid start from a team that lost two All-Stars. How did they do it? They took on Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night and showed them what they got on the court. Take Jordan Clarkson, for example. Jordan Clarkson scored 29 points on 7-for-12 shooting from 3-point range. Another name that comes to mind is Lauri Markkanen. He finished the game with 24 points and 13 boards. The Jazz defeated the Timberwolves 132-126.
Last night on WWE Smackdown, Logan Paul solidly closed the show. Paul said many things during his promo, but my favorite quote is when he said this: “No one expects me to step in the ring with the GOAT and actually win. But what happens if I do?” The line is well delivered and sounded so great on the mic. Jey Uso ambushed Paul from behind in the ring. Jey Uso is considered the hot head of “The Bloodline” group. Roman Reigns told him that himself during a segment last Friday on Smackdown. As for Logan Paul, he didn’t stay down. He got back up and laid out Jey Uso with one right-handed shot.
The WWE Elimination Chamber event took place on Saturday, February 19th, in Saudi Arabia. It’s a great business move from the WWE to have this event in Saudi Arabia. Those fans needed to see their favorite wrestlers and experience the atmosphere of a WWE live event.
Roman Reigns vs. Bill Goldberg – Universal Championship Match
There were no high expectations from me about this match. This is one of WWE’s ongoing issues. Horrible bookings, horrible storylines. Goldberg issued a challenge for Roman Reigns belt. I understand that they were supposed to wrestle two years ago at Wrestlemania, but this wasn’t a smart business move. Goldberg is way past his prime, and his in-ring ability is not the same. Goldberg is one of my favorite wrestlers from WCW, and I also liked him in 2003 when he joined the WWE. I don’t mind part-time wrestlers coming back, but it depends on how you will use them. Using Goldberg in a title match against Roman Reigns didn’t sit with me at all. The match lasted only six minutes. Goldberg caught Roman Reigns not once but twice with a spear. But then, Roman Reigns regrouped and ended the match by putting Goldberg to sleep. I give this match a C-. Just not an impressive match.
Raw Women’s Championship Elimination Chamber Match
The six divas from Raw went at each in this match. It was a solid match better than Goldberg and Roman Reigns, not to make the story long. Near the match’s conclusion, the last two divas remaining in the ring were Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss. Belair hit Bliss with her finisher to win the match. Belair is one of my favorite wrestlers in the game right now. So I’m happy to see her win. She’s going to Wrestlemania to compete for the Raw Women’s Championship.
Women’s Tag Team Match
Charlotte Flair and Sonya Deville versus Ronda Rousey and Naomi. Rousey had one arm with a rope tied behind her back. It was the stipulation of the match. I disagree with the stipulation because it would’ve made more sense if Flair or Deville had done the same thing. To have one wrestler out of the four being tied up looked weird to me. But the victory went to Rousey and Naomi after Rousey made Deville tap out.
Madcap Moss versus Drew McIntyre – Anywhere Falls Count Match
What stood out to me the most was McIntyre’s botched move on Moss, where he landed on top of his head. Watching this made me go, “Ouch.” What was so unbelievable is that Moss kept going. He got back up and continued to wrestle. That takes a lot of toughness and dedication. Very brave of him. McIntyre would go on to win the match. I hope that Moss didn’t sustain a severe injury.
Lita vs. Becky Lynch – Raw Women’s Championship Match
My favorite match of the night. A Fall of Famer against a future Hall of Famer. Lita did not miss a step. She came well prepared for this match. She showed her athleticism and proved that she had a lot left in the tank. Lynch dominated throughout the match, but Lita came back and hit her with a Twist of Fate and Lita-sault. Lita didn’t win the match, but it was a valuable effort. After the match, an emotional Lita should alone in the ring as the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Becky Lynch will face Bianca Belair at Wrestlemania for the Raw Women’s Championship.
Main Event
Brock Lesnar went off-script when he entered the ring, and it wasn’t his turn. He might get punished for doing that, but not severely punished. Lesnar cleaned the house by eliminating everyone. He is once again the WWE champion. It sucks that Bobby Lashley had to leave early in the match due to a possible shoulder injury. I don’t know how serious his injury is, but I hope he can make it back by WrestleMania, or he might have to go on surgery. As for Lesnar, he will take on Roman Reigns in a Champion vs. Champion match at WrestleMania.
After winning the Royal Rumble Match, Ronda Rousey comes to SmackDown for the first time ever. Having Ronda in Smackdown is good news for RAW’s rising stars like Bianca Belair.
Rousey came to the ring during this promo, saying she would pick her own opponent for WrestleMania. Rousey noted that Charlotte Flair wasn’t special and was just the first woman before saying she would see Flair at WrestleMania. Flair then said that the SmackDown women’s title is her baby, and it’s prettier than Rousey’s. Deville tried to put a stop to Rousey turning violent, but Rousey shoved her aside. Deville jumped on Rousey’s back only to be thrown on the mat and locked in an armbar as the show went off the air.
I wasn’t too impressed with this promo. It wasn’t a solid conclusion for the Smackdown episode. I like Ronda Rousey, but I would like to see her use more energy when she’s on the mic. I do think that Ronda on Smackdown will be a perfect marriage. I prefer to see Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks at Wrestlemania. Also, it wouldn’t surprise me if WWE makes Ronda Rousey a double champion by winning both Raw and Smackdown’s Women’s championship belts.
In this week’s Sports Throwback Thursday, I’m going to highlight my favorite moments of the 1990 and 1992 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
1990 Royal Rumble
During this time, I liked the Ultimate Warrior in the company. He was at the peak of his career during the 1990 Royal Rumble. His looks, promos, and in-ring work were outstanding. He was so hot at the time. My favorite moment in the 1990 Royal Rumble is when Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan clash. Everyone in the arena got up on their feet because they knew the fight was on. Warrior vs. Hogan is one of the best rivalries in WWE history. Hogan would win the Royal Rumble match by eliminating Mr. Perfect. Hogan was also the WWF champion at the time.
1992 Royal Rumble
Thanks to Peacock, the 1992 Royal Rumble is one of the most fantastic Royal Rumble events I’ve ever seen. I won’t mind if people think it’s the greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view ever. It’s undoubtedly one of my favorites. Ric Flair was the star of this pay-per-view event. Having Flair enter the ring as No. 3 instead of No. 1 was the right call. Flair spent almost an hour during the Royal Rumble match and still managed to give great promos is astonishing. We saw the excellent characteristics of Ric Flair in one night. I’m glad he won this Royal Rumble.
“WITH A TEAR IN MY EYE, THIS IS THE GREATEST MOMENT IN MY LIFE.” An unforgettable line from the Nature Boy.
On last night’s WWE Raw, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley exchange intense words during their promos. Lashley told Lesnar that for 20 years, Lesnar has been “ducking and running” from him. It was a great segment because both athletes were trading shots at each other. Lesnar would respond to Lashley by saying that he didn’t know Bobby Lashley until he met him at the WWE Day 1 event.
Lesnar told Lashley that he’s a “Brock Lesnar wannabe.” I thought it was surprising and comical when Brock Lesnar pulled out the “knock, knock” joke. It looked like Bobby Lashley was about to break character.
Lesnar is a great babyface, and I like the idea of having him appearing on both Raw and Smackdown. Brock Lesnar owned this promo against Bobby Lashley.
After the promo, The Hurt Business, Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin, former allies of Bobby Lashley, tried to attack him, but the attack failed when The All-Mighty fought them off.
This is a dream matchup because both men have been in the business for 20 years—tremendous athletes. We can’t wait to see them go at it at Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 29.
The 2022 WWE Survivor Series took place last night in Barclays Center. Two things stood out the most from last night’s event: Roman Reigns defeated Big E, and Randy Orton broke Kane’s record.
Randy Orton, also known as “The Viper” and “Legend Killer,” broke Kane’s record for most PPV matches in WWE history tonight at Survivor Series. Orton made his Survivor Series debut in 2003, and we have watched him grow into an incredible star in the business. A future Hall of Famer has accomplished so much in his career, and this one is even more special. Randy Orton surpassed Kane, The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena in the list.
In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Big E to close out the night. Roman is just flat-out exceptional as a heel. It fits him so well, and he proved it once again last night against the crowd. We need to recognize the Roman Reigns vs. The Rock teaser throughout the show. It made things even more enjoyable when Roman Reigns delivered a Rock Bottom to Big E, causing Barclays to chant “Rocky!” However, the night came to a close without any sign of Dwayne Johnson. A future match between two cousins would be fun to watch. The match might not be great, but it could be part of WWE history if it gets made.
Welcome to another edition of Sports Throwback Thursday! I know I didn’t write a Sports Throwback Thursday post last week, but I made sure that today I will give you something to read about. Today, I will talk about Wrestlemania 21. My favorite Wrestlemania during the Ruthless Aggression Era.
Wrestlemania 21 was special. You had an epic match between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels. They put on a show. Two great wrestlers bringing the best out of each other. This is one of the matches where you had to tip your hat to HBK. Although he lost the match by tapping out to the ankle lock, but he performed so well in that match. He got a standing ovation.
Edge won Money in the Bank match. I used to think Edge was crazy because of the facial expressions he used to make. I’m like “what is wrong with this dude?.” I feel that Wrestlemania 21 was the beginning of Edge hitting his peak moments in the business. The beginning of a future main event wrestler.
Randy Orton aka the “Legend Killer” vs “The Phenom” The Undertaker is one of my favorite rivalries in the Ruthless Aggression Era. This was an exciting match to watch. It was their first of several matches they went on to have in 2005. Undertaker defeated Randy Orton connecting with a Tombstone Piledriver to keep his Wrestlemania undefeated streak at that time. The streak was broken by Brock Lesnar.
John Cena and Batista won their first world titles at Wrestlemania 21. Cena defeated JBl, Batista defeated Triple H. They became the two of the biggest superstars since The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. I was a big fan of Batista. 2005 was his best year. The company went on to make John Cena as the top guy in the business. I was hoping for Batista to be the top guy for years to come, but the man is having success in Hollywood. I respect John Cena’s work ethic and dedication to the company. I don’t like his gimmick, he’s been the same character for over ten years, but his hustle is something I respect.
No Way Out 2004! This pay-per-view event is best remembered for the main event. Eddie Guerrero defeated WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to win his first WWE title.
During the match, Eddie got some help from Goldberg, who speared Brock was trying nail with the title belt. Goldberg’s spear was revenge for Brock Lesnar interfering in the Royal Rumble match, and gave Goldberg an F-5. This cost Goldberg the Royal Rumble match. Eddie Guerrero capitalized on the spear and finished off Lesnar with his finisher, Frog Splash.
Eddie winning the belt was a huge win and unforgettable day not just for Mexicans, but for Latinos in general. It’s unbelievable that it’s been 17 years since Eddie won the WWE title. Although he’s no longer with us, but we will continue to remember the contributions he brought to the company.
