List of All Articles with Tag 'sp'

Ron Hodges, a catcher who spent his entire 12-season major league career with the New York Mets, has died

Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen play similar games, but their styles are different

No deficit has seemed too large for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ quick-strike offense during a four-season run that includes two Super Bowl titles

Bryce Young and Will Levis never faced off during college in the Southeastern Conference

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys seem weary of questions about how they’ve play so well since getting blown out in San Francisco almost seven weeks ago

It's the question on every wrestling fan's lips: Will CM Punk join WWE and show up at Survivor Series? The always controversial CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, was fired from All Elite Wrestling in September following a backstage fight with Jack Perry during the All In show at Wembley Stadium. His surprise departure from the company sent shockwaves through the wrestling world with speculation immediately rife that Punk will join AEW's rival and his former employer WWE. Punk hasn't worked for WWE since 2014 when he unceremoniously quit and didn't step foot in a wrestling ring for another eight years, with the man himself being on record about his dislike of the company and those in charge. Now that Punk is effectively a free agent again and with Survivor Series taking place in his hometown of Chicago, speculation is understandably rife amongst WWE fans. So, what's going to happen? Will CM Punk be at Survivor Series? To put it bluntly, it is highly unlikely. Early reports suggested that WWE had no intention of signing Punk at this stage but neither a yes or no answer had been given. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer appeared to back up a previous report from Fightful which stated that Punk will not be at the show. Meltzer wrote: "If WWE was to bring in Punk, this night or Smackdown the night before would be the place to debut him. We’ve seen no evidence this is happening and those close to the situation have denied it, but it is possible it’s a well-kept secret.” Meltzer added: “From the start we were told that while there is negativity about Punk, they are not completely opposed to it if the idea is it’s something they have to do in regard to fan response. "While every creative head has their plan, this creative side is not looking at being combative with the audience like Vince McMahon often was." What if he is at Survivor Series? CM Punk references have been dropped on both WWE and AEW television in recent months but those should possibly be considered as sneak winks and nods to knowing viewers rather than concrete evidence he has signed. One possibility for Punk to be at the show has already been eradicated after the babyface team in the men's WarGames match announced that the returning Randy Orton will be their fifth man. Many felt this was announced early to shut down any expectation that Punk would be in the match Meanwhile, Shinsuke Nakamura has been teasing a match with a mystery opponent and has used Punk's GTS finisher on television in recent weeks. Nakamura does not have a match scheduled for the show but surprise bouts have been added on the night of shows before so it wouldn't be a shock if it were to happen. Whether Punk would be his opponent though remains a doubt. What have WWE Superstars and staff said about a CM Punk return? Punk is one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in all of wrestling. His critical comments in September 2022 about top AEW talent like Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and 'Hangman' Adam Page soured him with many hardcore fans of that company. He also left WWE in 2014 with seemingly all his bridges burnt and some of the talent there still appear to hold grudges against Punk. Earlier this year Seth Rollins called Punk a 'cancer' and told him to stay away from WWE. Current WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns also hinted at a dislike of Punk. In a September 2020 interview with Complex Reigns suggested that he didn't like Punk but would be willing to work with him again if it was best for business. With all this in mind, little is still known about Punk's employment status and if he actually wants to return to wrestling (he has been backstage at WWE and TNA shows in the past year) and even if WWE wants him. In terms of Survivor Series, unless something dramatic happens and the card is swiftly changed in the next 24 hours, fans should temper their expectations about seeing him at the show.

Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim has retired from international cricket with immediate effect

FIFA has opened disciplinary cases against Argentina and Brazil after fan violence at the Maracana Stadium delayed the start of a World Cup qualifying game

First place in the mediocre NFC South, the NFL’s only division to lack a team with a winning record, will be on the line when New Orleans visits Atlanta

The Washington Commanders have fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals find their seasons at a crossroads as they prepare to meet in Week 12

Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will not be fit to be involved in Chelsea’s visit to Newcastle on Saturday. There had been hopes that the £52million summer signing from RB Leipzig would have sufficiently recovered from the knee injury he sustained on the pre-season tout of the United States to play a part at St James’ Park. But, despite being fit enough to have taken part in training with the first team, the 26-year-old has not worked tactically with the squad and will not travel. Chelsea struggled without the France international in Pochettino’s first Premier League games in charge, with the goalscoring problems that he had been acquired to help solve carrying over from a tumultuous campaign last season during which the team scored fewer league goals than they had in almost a century. Those issues have become less urgent in recent weeks, with four goals scored on three separate occasions against Burnley, Tottenham and Manchester City. By contrast, the team had not previously scored four times in a game since April 2022. “(Nkunku) was doing things with the group last week,” said Pochettino. “But he’s not fully recovered to be part of the squad. “He’s a fantastic player, top scorer in the Bundesliga last season. He can play different positions, his quality is amazing. It’s really bad luck to lose him from the beginning of the season. “We’re going to find the best way for him to fit in the team. He’s going to find massive competition. His team-mates are ahead of him, they’ve had four months of competition. He needs to build his form and be at his best level. “We need to understand he’s coming back from injury, he will need time. We will be patient with him. “It’s not a competition (the Premier League) that he’s normally used to. He came from Europe, he needs to recover from injury but also to know the league. It’ll take time to perform at his best.” Pochettino confirmed that Romeo Lavia, signed in the last week of the transfer window from Southampton for £53m, is also nearing fitness but is slightly behind the progress made by Nkunku. Wesley Fofana has trained on grass at Cobham as he continues his rehabilitation from an ACL injury, though is unlikely to be available before the new year. Chelsea had come into form prior to the international break with five wins from eight in all competitions, a run which saw them score 19 times having previously netted only seven in their first seven under Pochettino. The manager is hopeful that the pause will not have disrupted his side’s rhythm ahead of their visit to face Eddie Howe’s side. “The break came at a bad time,” he said. “It came in a moment we were building a way to play, results were on our side. But I believe we can keep momentum even after two weeks with no competition.” I believe we can keep momentum even after two weeks with no competition Mauricio Pochettino Pochettino added that the squad has held group discussions about why performances and results have been better this season against the stronger teams – draws with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City and victory over Spurs – while there have been home losses to Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. “It’s part of the process,” he said. “We’re a young team, we started to work four months ago. We need to be more mature, more patient. We cannot get frustrated so soon when things don’t work. “Expectation creates nervousness when you play a team with less quality than you. You take rushed decisions, get frustrated. You want to do the job of your team-mate.”