Author Archives: Noah Stewart

Blue Jays are in the dirt

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Earlier, I spoke about Canada’s basketball team, the Toronto Raptors, but now I will be talking to you about Canada’s baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. I have been a Blue Jays ever since I could remember, mainly since both of my parents were born there and would live there for the majority of their life, so I have always had a soft spot for Toronto sports teams, especially the Blue Jays. From Jose Bautista’s amazing bat flip after smashing a home run in the playoffs, or seeing Edwin Encarccion circle the bases with his patented ed-wing celebration, I was there for it all and breathed the Blue Jays.

During the offseason, we let some people go and I wondered how we would do without them. If you are a Blue Jays fan like myself, then you were probably sad to see the departure of both Matt Chapman and Jordan Hicks, as they suited up and went over to California to both play with the San Francisco Giants. Those losses hurt a big team, I won’t lie, but we also added some gritty veterans to the squad, in former World Series Champion Justin Turner, who I assumed would be a great addition, despite his age. The same goes with the addition of another veteran, Joey Votto from the Reds, who once made some hateful comments on Canadian baseball.

“I don’t care almost at all about Canadian baseball, I wasn’t raised inside of Canadian baseball really. I’m coming up on half of my life being in the United States working and being supported by American baseball. As far as Toronto, and Canadian baseball, and the country of Canada… I don’t care at all. The Jays, or Canada in general, may disagree with that, but I really couldn’t give a rat’s ass about that.” said Former National League MVP Joey Votto. He would go on to apologize for those comments, but it made me really question the decision to sign him after all that.

Toronto Blue Jays fans have been in utter disbelief with how big of a let down the season has been so far, and the reason I started this story with telling you about the offseason, is because that is where the downfall of disappointment began. The Blue Jays were a consensus top ten team throughout the league before the season began, and the standard for Toronto was set. The offseason is when the true struggles began, as the Blue Jays were rumoured to be targeting the Japanese baseball star, Shohei Ohtani, but the Blue Jays would fall short of a deal, and that was the theme of the offseason. You think they would be able to land some big names, but they were only able to grab Turner and Votto, the two veterans. The Blue Jays had fallen flat on their face, after every deal negotiation would dissolve, things were not looking good.

The club is basically running it back with the same roster as last year, which got them all the way to the wild card series, but they unfortunately fell short if you didn’t know. That is nothing new to Toronto at all though, as they have been swept in the last three of four wild card appearances, with the Blue Jays not having a playoff win under their belt since 2016. Change was needed, but excitement was in store, said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “The mindset is just more excitement, excitement for guys to get back to their norms a little bit offensively. Excitement for the pitching staff to do what they’ve done and find out ways to get better.” said Schneider 

Now getting into the season, let me just tell you how in the dirt the Toronto Blue Jays really are, and it is really bad… like real bad. This is one of the worst offensive starts the team has seen, ever, as they were only averaging 3.8 runs a game through their first five games, and if you aren’t a baseball fan, let me just let you know how abysmal that is. We have a team full of power hitting batters but all the Blue Jays find themself doing is swinging and missing. Don’t be shocked that with this start, it is the sixth fewest runs scored in the first 25 games, in franchise history, yikes. The same story repeats itself, as if you didn’t know, back in 2022, the same stat was recorded and h=it ended up with former manager, Charlie Montoyo, being fired. So let’s just hope that the same thing doesn’t happen to my boy John Schneider as he is the last to blame with the team’s performance. The team did go on to make the wild card series that year thanks to Interim Manager John Schneider who turned the team around. Even in a recent game versus the Royals, the Blue Jays had seven chances to score with many on base, and were not able to even send one run into home plate, now you don’t have to know baseball to know how bad that is.

The bullpen has been actually doing pretty well this season, despite the departures of fan favourites, Jordan Hicks and Hyun Jin Ryu, who were two diamonds on the mound for us last season. With those departures, the Blue Jays didn’t bounce back by signing or trading for a talented pitcher whatsoever, leaving us with the same bullpen as last year just with two less stars. Behind starting pitcher Jose Berrios, the squad has  been able to get it done pitching wise at times, as on the season they currently hold an average 4.30 ERA which is so bad that it is the 22nd worst in the league but doesn’t reflect the Blue Jays bullpen at all. Star pitcher, Chris Bassitt came out of the gates slow but has been slowly able to pick it up during his third start of the season, but he still takes accountability for his teams and his own performance.

“To be honest with you, I’ve been pretty disappointed in our starters so far. Obviously, this is my third start and two of my starts were terrible, in my opinion. I’m no help to the problem.The biggest thing for us is getting our starters going. I’m so confident in all the guys we have. The first 10-11 games have been pretty rough for us outside of Berrios.” said Bassitt.

The Toronto Blue Jays have been having a less than ideal start, but the season is nowhere near over. Star batters, Vladdy and Bo Bichette have not been successful though lately, as they are both swinging under .300 which you don’t typically see from those all star calibre players. The young duo combined for five total all star game nods, but with how they are playing this season, I don’t expect it at all. The only Blue Jays player I can see maybe getting the nod is Jose Berrios who has truly been carrying us hard with dominant outings on the mound, and even Justin Turner has been a great acquisition, as he has the highest batting average on the team with .306 and also leads the crew with his on base percentage, with .390. Give the Blue Jays some time and some better training and they could easily turn their boat around with the talented roster they hold.

Vancouver needs basketball

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Let me tell you, I love Vancouver sports so much. You already know that we have the Vancouver Canucks who are currently in the playoffs, and just pulled off an impeccable 3-1 comeback to become one win away from advancing to the next round, if you didn’t know, the AHL affiliate of the Canucks, the Abbotsford Canucks, picked up a huge in overtime as well to advance to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, and the Vancouver Warriors have had one of their greatest achieving season, leading the entire National Lacrosse League with the highest attendance growth in the league.

But now I think it is finally time that Vancouver brings back a team we only had in the early 2000’s, the Vancouver Grizzlies. If you saw one of their games in person then maybe you wouldn’t be the biggest fan, since the owner was egregiously terrible. But, when the NBA hosts exhibition pre-season games down here in Vancouver, everyone and maybe even including yourself, were sure to attend. Heck, I even went to a game back in 2017 when Kawhi Leonard was making his debut as a Toronto Raptors, and the Rogers Arena was going crazy all throughout, from start to finish.

Earlier this year, a poll was taken by Metro Vancouver residents on if they thought that having a basketball team would be ideal, and 59% of voters agreed it would be a good or even very good idea leaving you and I to only think that time will tell and we should get an NBA team. Fewer than 6% were against the idea, so why don’t we have a team again? NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned around a year ago that a relocation could be very likely, but was mainly mentioning Las Vegas and Seattle as prime destinations, but you know what I have to say about that? I think it’s pretty lame that those are the cities mentioned, as they already both have gotten NHL teams within the past 6 years, and Vegas is also getting the relocating Oakland Athletics, so I think that it is due time for Vancouver to get basketball.

But, do not worry at all because what I am about to say will make you feel a bit of joy. Adam Silver has had talks about the possibility of an expansion team coming to Canada, with Silver saying Vancoiver and Montreal would be prime contenders to be the Canadian counterpart to the only other Canadian team in the league, the Toronto Raptors. Vancouver basketball history does not tell the whole story though, as you may or may not know, the Grizzlies were not performing well at all with terrible marketing under terrible management and even now commissioner Adam Silver was aware.

“There was a moment in the league where prospects seemed down in terms of the team. Attendance was down, ratings were down, so I understood from an economic standpoint why the team owner wanted to move the team.” said Silver

The Vancouver Grizzlies would only call this place home for six years, until the inevitable happened and the team had relocated to Memphis. Fans were betrayed and hurt, especially by former owner, Arthur Griffiths. He had once promised the city that basketball will stay in Vancouver and that basketball belongs here, but that promise would later be defunct as the team would be sold and become referred to in the past tense. That was a different era and a different time though, as when Adam Silver speaks on the possibility of Vancouver getting an expansion team, he would be totally for the idea of Vancouver basketball; “In retrospect, I wish we had a team in Vancouver right now. I think that we do have regret…we were a bit ahead of our time,” Silver said.

Success wanes, but not entirely at times. When you look at the Toronto Raptors current position in the league, you would not be pleased as they sit near the bottom of the eastern standings, missing the playoffs and play-in tournament entirely. Yet, at one point in time, the Raptors were not just a championship calibre team, but the championship team. As you and more than most Canadians probably know, the Raptors won the championship in 2019,  cheating aura all around Vancouver.

Why did I mention the Raptors and their ups and downs you ask? Simple, it shows that the Canadian market is more than wide open and even though the Raptors are currently not succeeding, they were at a point in time, as every team and their city has to go through their triumphs.

Adam Silver has always been for creating a great fan experience, and just doing whatever would please fans to an extent. We have seen multiple different innovations and systems come from the Adam Silver era, such as the play-in tournament and this year’s inaugural in-season tournament, and Vancouver could be next when it comes to Silver’s everlasting development of the NBA. “Over time, given the development of the sport in Canada, there’s no doubt that at some point we’ll look to see whether there’s an opportunity to put a second team in the country. Based on what we’re seeing now in terms of the interest that we could sustain it in Canada.” said Silver.

One of the biggest problems that come with Vancouver possibly getting an expansion team, is who would actually want to own the team? The price tag is really hot right now for an NBA expansion, sitting at a hefty amount of roughly two and half billion dollars which would be too much, even for current Canucks owner, Francesco Aquillini. He commented back on the possibility back in 2018, but it was shot down as he was not trying to overpay, and now the possibility gets lower and lower, as the price tag continues to run up in price. It feels like everything is going up in price you know? Canucks tickets, the price of an NBA expansion team, and the worst of all, gas prices. 

Vancouver residents are more than ready for another sports team and we are ready to bring the noise. Even if the team does not succeed at first, it’s nothing new to Vancouver sports fans as the Canucks have failed and failed, over and over, but look at them now, shining on the biggest stage of them all after all those defeats the team and us fans had to witness. Toronto Raptors have already been classified as Canada’s basketball team, but let us just pray that Vancouver will be able to assist in being one of Canada’s basketball teams. We have seen the attendance growth within the Vancouver Warriors organization as they led the league, and we can easily see a future with Vancouver basketball doing the exact same thing.

Many NBA players are Canadian, with some of the best players in the league today, being a part of the Canadian population. At the end of the day, the league is not opposed to running it back in Vancouver and bringing an expansion team to the big city, but the big question will remain, who will own the team, and you’ll just have to wait and see. Vancouver only has one of the major four sports leagues, and I think it is now time to make it two and I believe we are all in agreement on this one.

Seattles’ Greatest Band Ever

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I love music so much, so much that I listen to almost every genre, except country. I listen to it a bit but not too much. But, I have always had a guitar drum sized hole in my heart for alternative rock. There is a certain band that I have listened to for awhile, but have gotten into more as of late, and that band happens to be, The Foo Fighters. On Evolution, we love to play the Foo Fighters!

The band was formed in Seattle all the way back in 1994 by former Nirvana member, David Grohl and the band was originally just him but he now carries on through as a lead vocalist as well as a guitarist. Grohl has been in the music game ever since he was 17 and started out as a drummer for the punk rock band ‘Scream’ and eventually became the drummer for the famous band Nirvana after scream had disbanded back in 1990. Nirvana has made instant classics but it was not until 1994 when the late great Kurt Cobain passed away, in 1994. Nirvana would later disband and that led Grohl to go into a deep depression and ended up going into isolation for several months and ending up leaving Seattle entirely.

“I was still in Seattle, and I just felt, ‘I gotta get out.’ I [had to] go somewhere where I could just disappear and sort through my life, and try to figure out what to do next… I was winding around these country roads – so beautiful – and I was finding peace… and I came upon this hitchhiker, and I was considering picking him up, and I saw that he had a Kurt Cobain T-shirt. And to me that meant ‘You can’t outrun this thing, so it’s time … to push through and find some sort of continuation.’ So I flew home and I immediately started recording those Foo Fighter songs.” said Grohl

While Grohl was in the band Nirvana, at times he would write his own songs on his own time and practice them. He would take his guitar alongside his pen and paper and get creative, but was always too shy to share them with lead singer Kurt Cobain and the group, as he always left in awe with Cobain’s songwriting and singer abilities. Grohl would actually book studio time to record covers and demos and would eventually release the album full of demos under an alias name in 1992. 

When the band Nirvana had sadly been put to the past, you might have wondered what would be next for Grohl, and I think he was wondering too. He was aware of his music and songwriting abilities, so he knew that many bands would be interested in him. You may not know this or even believe it but it was rumoured that he was offered a spot in the band Pearl Jam and he was also very close to accepting the position for drummer in the band Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Grohl commented on the opportunity by saying he was supposed to join the other band but it did not work out. He would go on to do what he said “nobody expected (him) to do” and that was going on to sign with a record company and work on 15 songs. He would play every instrument involved in each song and was obviously the lead vocalist as well. Grohl was so dedicated that he ended up finishing an album’s worth of material in only five days, can you even believe that? Wow.

When Grohl was solo under the name Foo Fighters, he hoped to remain anonymous and release his productions in a limited manner. You may be wondering how he even ended up choosing the name Foo Fighters, and it was actually a term that was used back in World War Two as a term for ‘unidentified flying objects’ which I find pretty interesting. Band names are always so interesting with a fascinating name chosen behind them, and who would have thought that the Foo Fighters would have been a term from the War! Well, unless you were involved with the war to hear the word often, then you would know it but other than that, it is a great name in my opinion but Grohl said that “it was the stupidest f*cking name ever”. 

Grohl would go into his recruitment phase when it was time to tour and he thought the band could use a few members to join the Foo Fighters. He would go on to recruit bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith who are both from Seattle as well, and were formerly a part of a band known as Sunny Day Real Estate. If you are wondering if anyone else from Nirvana jumped ship over to join Grohl and the Foo Fighters, you would be right because touring guitarist Pat Smear would hop on over and join Grohl as the second guitarist in the band.

In 1997, is when the famous and one of the band’s most notable members, Taylor Hawkins would join the crew after William Goldsmith’s departure. Hawkins was already part of another band that Grohl thought was bigger than the Foo Fighters, as he was a part of Morissettes touring band. If you guessed that Grohl was wrong, you would be right as Hawkins would volunteer to join the band himself after Grohl ringed him up, looking for potential candidates to be their drummer. Hawkins has dreamed of being a part of a rock band and not just a solo act, so this was an easy yes for him as you would imagine. Hawkins’ voice has been used for all different soundscapes, as he was the lead vocal on a cover of one of the greats, Pink Floyd’s songs, as well as the song being featured on the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack.

Taylor Hawkins was so dedicated to the rock band that even when Guns N’ Roses called him to be their drummer, you already know that he turned down the offer but still had some consideration. Hawkins had his fair share of ups and downs though, as back in 2001 he had overdosed on heroin, which left him suffering a coma for over two weeks. On March 25th, 2022, Hawkins was ready to play a show but would later on complain of chest pain. Emergency services would go on to visit him in his room, but would sadly find the famous drummer unresponsive. Colombian authorities would go on to test what was in his system and it was a lot. He had ten substances in his body at the time of death, including opioids, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and THC. If you love rock, then this was a sad day for all. In 2023, his son Shane would take the stage with the band, behind the drums, and play at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert. You need to see it.

The Foo Fighters have had great success and would go on to release eleven studio albums during the time, and their time is still now as their last release was in 2022 but they are currently on tour. The Foo Fighters have won a whopping total of fifteen grammy awards with five of them being best rock album of the year, classifying them as one of the best rock groups in history. The band was also announced as the first ever recipients of the Global Icon Award at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. If this entices you to check out their music then please do! You really can’t go wrong with the Foo Fighters. 

Offensive Overload

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The first round of the 2024 NFL draft has officially come and gone. Whether your favorite team drafted one of the many offensive college players early in the first round, or did not have a pick at all, I will be giving you a breakdown of the biggest winners and some of the biggest losers from Thursday’s huge event.

Which of your favorite players landed in the top ten? It had to be an offensive player because that was all that was selected in the top ten, you can’t tell me that is not insane. For the fourth time in history, we saw three quarterbacks get consecutively taken with the top three picks, as Caleb Williams went to the Chicago Bears with the first pick, coming off a Hesiman trophy season, Jayden Daniels was selected to the Washington Commanders, and I don’t know about you but I think Drake Maye who was selected third overall to the New England Patriots will be looked back on as a huge pick up, I really enjoy his playstyle and with the right weapons, the Patriots can cook with him.

Adding to the history of this amazing round one, those quarterbacks alongside Michael Penix Jr, Bo Nix, and J.J. McCarthy was also selected within the top twelve picks, leaving us fans to witness the most quarterbacks drafted in the first 12 picks,and tied for most in the opening round of the draft. This was just one of many records that were broken, set, or tied, in the first round of last night’s NFL draft. Adding to the quarterbacks already making history, if you didn’t know, this was also the most quarterbacks drafted in the first eight picks, with a total of four being selected.

If you are a USC fan then rejoice! The reason being, as Caleb Williams was taken with first overall pick in the draft, this would mean that USC has produced the most first overall picks with six, breaking the tie between them and three other colleges. Caleb Williams is involved with even more history, as he and Jayden Daniels were both Heisman Trophy winners, who were selected with the top two picks and if you didn’t know, the last time that happened was almost a decade ago, in 2015. Adding on to one of your favorite quarterback records, Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers from LSU were the first LSU quarterback and wide receiver duo selected in the top ten in the common draft era.

Now there is a reason you read the title ‘Offensive Overload’ because the amount of offensive players taken in the first round was absurd. The draft kicked off with fourteen consecutive offensive players being taken which doubles the previous streak of seven. That is the longest streak in NFL history for either side of the ball, jeez. If you thought that was it, then you would be wrong as the previous record for most offensive players taken in the first round was a three way tie with nineteen, but that number was absolutely smashed out of the park, as 23 offensive players were taken in this year’s draft. The offensive side of the ball was very powerful in this year’s draft, even breaking a defensive record for it being the first time that there was no defender selected in the top ten of the draft.

The receivers came out to play as there were a total of seven selected in the first round which ties the previous record. The receiver run started with Marvin Harrison Jr. going to the Cardinals at four followed by Malik Nabers (Giants), Rome Odunze (Bears), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars), Xavier Worthy (Chiefs) , Ricky Pearsall (49ers) and Xavier Leggett (Panthers). I told you this was an offensive overload.

Now let me tell you about some of the biggest winners from the first round. Starting off, it easily has to be the Minnesota Vikings. If you are a Vikings fan then you should feel ecstatic, as the team were involved with two trades during the night. The trade with higher implications, is when they chose to move up and select J.J. McCarthy. It was like the scene out of Braveheart as they kept going hold it, hold it, hold itttt and then pulled the trigger to move up after patiently waiting for the right time. I think this pick is great for the Vikings (even though I am a Packers fan) because he fits their scheme perfectly and is gifted with great assets in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addsion, and T.J Hockenson to help him kick off his rookie season with the Vikings. You need to tune in to see this kid play, he will more than likely be the starter, so be ready. 

The next of the winners batch, is another team in the NFC, and it is the Arizona Cardinals, They were able to land one of the best players available in this year’s draft, with Marvin Harrison Jr. He is easily number one at his position, and if you did not know, his dad, Marvin Harrison, was a former Super Bowl Champion and is a Hall of Famer, he has the records and I think his son can carry through and deliver as well. He is given a decent quarterback to kick off his career with Kyler Murray. We have already seen what Murray can do with a player like Harrison, as he has put on a show when DeAndre Hopkins was on the Cardinals. 

Now onto the losers of the draft, please look away now if you are an Atlanta Falcons fan, as you were probably looking away from your T.V. last night as well. They decided that with the eighth pick in such a star studded draft pool, that they would draft quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. Now don’t get me wrong, he is a really talented player who has played in championship level games, but this is not the right fit for him at all. The Falcons already have Kirk Cousins inked up for the next four years, and Penix is already 25. This is just a waste of money and not what you need when there are many other options available. It turns out that current Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, was not aware that the team would be drafting a quarterback prior to the pick, and he was left in shock. Sorry again if you are a Falcons fan because that is just rough.

Lastly, I have to give it to the San Francisco 49ers for losing the Super Bowl and now losing the draft. The thing is, the 49ers drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick and the only clip I ever see of this guy is just one good catch. It is impressive but it really can’t be your only highlight. Pearsall is a second round talent if I’m honest and the 49ers probably could have drafted him later on, but oh well, if you are a Niners fan, I really have no idea how you feel about this pick, but this is a C- pick in my opinion.

Well there you have it, that was my breakdown on the historic first round of the NFL draft. Comment on this post or let us know on X at evolution1079 what you think of your favourite team’s first round draft pick, if they even had one. 



WWE Is Changing!

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The WWE aka World Wrestling Entertainment is one of the biggest pulls on television today by being one of the longest consecutive running TV shows in history since 1993. Whether you would tune in after a long day of work on Monday by putting on Monday Night Raw, or you were celebrating the fact that it is finally the weekend and enjoying your Friday with Friday Night Smackdown, WWE always found a way to entertain us. It sure as hell entertained a young me and still does till this day. How could you not like a show that is on every week with long term storytelling?

Ever since Vince McMahon had stepped down as chairman and CEO of the WWE after a former employee filed a lawsuit for trafficking and sexual abuse, WWE has been better than ever. It has been a breath of fresh air ever since that evil man was out and his son in law would eventually take over, Paul Levesque aka Triple H. The legend of the game, Triple H has delivered week in and week out by putting on banger after banger and each story is told to perfection. He has already gave us one of the best Wrestlemanias of all time with Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia just a couple of week ago, and gave us a legend filled main event with special appearances from all time greats, John Cena and The Undertaker. 

One of the best moves that Triple H has made ever since taking over full creative control, was bringing back the illustrious WWE draft. I have written articles on the NFL draft just because I absolutely love any sports draft, except baseball only because the players drafted don’t even touch the major league field for around three to four years. Anyways, the WWE draft is back this Friday on April 26th and I will be tuned in with my other screen next to me showing the Canucks playoff game. Got to support the Canucks always you know?

I was wondering if the draft would end up coming back for the 2024 year, and I was happily right as the topic of this year’s Draft came up during Levesque’s appearance on “IMPAULSIVE” with Logan Paul, as the WWE United States Champion asked if he could switch to “Raw” when it hits Netflix. “Yeah, I’m sure we’ll see people float all over the place. In a month, there’s a thing called the Draft so that’s when you can switch around and make moves and it’s all open to giving the best shows available on all things,” said Levesque.

 

If you don’t know exactly how the WWE draft works, I will fill you in and let you know. The draft first took place over twenty years ago in 2002 and we see Smackdown stars head to Raw, or the other way around. We also get to see some major call ups from the developmental brand, NXT, which are always my favorites as it gives some lesser known stars with big skills, the opportunity to shine on the biggest stage of them all. The rumor is that the super stars actually are not aware of where they will be drafting, leaving a shock and excitement aura around their reactions. If you are a big fan of WWE like myself , then you have to remember back in 2002 at the inaugural WWE draft, when the Undertaker was drafted to Monday Night Raw with the first pick by Ric Flair. Undertaker got absolutely livid and it was awesome, scripted or not scripted.

 

The rules alongside the talented superstars available have been announced for the two day event and one major takeaway from it right away, is the fact that champions will be staying on their respective brand and show. That means WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, WWE Women’s Champion Bayley, United States Champion Logan Paul, and WWE Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Grayson Waller will all be staying on Friday nights, while World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest, Women’s World Champion Becky Lynch, Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, and World Tag Team Champions The Miz and R-Truth will all be calling Monday Night Raw home. The only champions that do not apply to this, are the Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Kabuki Warriors as they i

More about the rules though, for night one of the WWE draft on April 26th, there will be four rounds giving the brand 16 picks. Then on Monday’s Raw there will be six rounds, totalling 24 picks. Monday’s Raw will feature six rounds of draft picks being announced. Each round will consist of the brands making two picks apiece for a total of 24 picks (12 for Raw and 12 for SmackDown). Raw will get the first pick on Monday, with Smackdown getting the first pick on Friday. The rosters will not be able to move at all once May 6th hits, as the rosters will be locked.

A couple of interesting takeaways came from the announcement of the WWE draft superstar pool. One being that C.M. Punk would be a part of the pool and could be drafted on Monday night. If you did not know, Punk would make his long awaited return to his hometown of Chicago, on November 25th of last year, at Survivor Series. He would make his in-ring debut at the Royal Rumble this year, but would sadly end up tearing his tricep by taking a DDT from Drew Mcintyre and I don’t know about you, but watching that hurt my tricep.

Another interesting takeaway would be the fact that the Judgement Day are available to be drafted, except for Rhea Ripley due to her injury, and Damian Priest as he is a champion who will be protected. On the last edition of Monday Night Raw, we saw Damian Priest claim that he does not need The Judgement Day, but The Judgement Day needs him. Could you see the big faction maybe splitting up on draft day? I think it could be a great move, as it would mean Finn Balor would become the leader once again, and be able to run the tag team division with J.D. McDonough while Dominik Mysterio is sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

 

Roman Reigns is not featured in the draft pool, but the rest of The Bloodline is, including Tama Tonga and actually Paul Heyman is eligible too so who knows, you might see Paul Heyman finding a new guy to manage soon, who knows! Maybe Jey and Jimmy Uso will get drafted to the same brand and run back the uneventful twin versus twin fight that happened at this year’s mania. I can’t wait for the draft to commence on Friday and end on Monday, it is gonna be so huge. First I get to watch the NFL draft and then just the next day after is the WWE draft, how perfect is that honestly. The WWE draft kicks off this Friday and of course I will be watching but are you going to be watching? Is your favorite superstar going to end up on a new brand or even maybe your favourite NXT superstar will finally get the call up they rightfully deserve, you just have to wait and see!



NHL’s new team is buzzing

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Well well well… It has finally happened. The now former team known as the Arizona Coyotes are taking their roster talents down to Salt Lake City. The Arizona Coyotes have been playing a very depressing college arena that only holds around four thousand people. Who bought the team you ask? It was bought by Smith Entertainment Group who paid between 1.2-1.3 billion for the franchise. Ryan Smith leads the purchase as he is an owner of another Salt Lake sports team, the Utah Jazz. Smith and his wife Ashley have also announced that the team will share uniform similarities with their Utah basketball counterpart, the Jazz.  If you are a Coyotes fan then you are probably in the middle of how you feel about the big move, but in my opinion, I have never liked this move more.

How did the team even end up playing in a college arena you ask? It’s simple. Bad management. The Coyotes were kicked out of Arizona due to the fact they could not finalize a long term lease. The small capacity that Mullett Arena holds would not have been enough to stay there for another year, after they called that place home for two years. Voters in Tempe rejected three different propositions that included the construction of a two million dollar entertainment district, and once that happened, it was like watching an old building collapse after standing on barely anything for so long. Owner, Alex Meruelo, was killing Yote fans and leaving them high and dry. I swear before the move to Utah was announced, Meruelo had put out the blueprints for a new arena in both Arizona and Phoenix, saying “hockey belongs in Arizona”. Well that may be true, we will just have to wait and see.

Before we get too much into the logistics of the new Utah hockey club, I’d like to destress some Coyotes fans real quick. The Arizona Coyotes and their franchise is not dead nor ended. If the opportunity arose for a new expansion team in the NHL, Arizona will have first bid on being that team. Alex Meruelo has all the rights to the Arizona Coyotes for the upcoming five years, including their likeness and their logo , so we’ll just have to wait and see if they eventually make their return. The franchise will remain inactive but we have all seen teams such as Minnesota and Winnipeg have made their return just like the Arizona Coyotes plan to do as well.

With this being the plan for Arizona, this means that they will put a hold on their franchise records as they are treating the move to Utah as beginning as an entirely new franchise, fresh and from the start. Shane Doan is a former Coyotes legend with his son now playing on the team as well. Doan was asked about the move and felt like he wasn’t the best person to ask the question to. “I think I’m probably the worst person to ask,because I’m always the eternal optimist and so I’m going to assume that it’s going to. I’m viewing this as a chapter that’s closing. It’s not the end of the book. Hopefully, something like that happens, but I mean, that’s not my job to worry about.” said Doan.

There have been mixed emotions from players across the Coyotes franchise but they will embrace their new home down in Utah. Players received a warm welcome when landing in Utah as they were greeted by over 100 local kids that would chant the words “Go Utah! Go Utah!” and that was already a slight tell into the love and praise they would get down in Salt Lake. Coach Tourigny summed up the situation in the perfect way.

“We’re 70 people who got traded the same day and we’re going to the same place,” coach André Tourigny said. “I think all of that creates some magic. I think we’ll just be tighter with that. When you want to win championships, you need to go through the trenches together. We went through some trenches this year.” said Tourigny. During Wednesday, April 24th, the whole team attended a fan celebration at their new home, the Delta Centre. It was a free event and the crowd was packed and buzzing. The players were in awe and each took a chance on the mic to greet the Utah fan base and get them pumped up. If this was any indication on how the barn was buzzing during the season, then the former Coyotes now Utah players, will be absolutely dialed in and put on a show for their new fanbase. More than twelve thousand fans attended the event and that is already three times more than what their former arena’s capacity was.

The team’s nickname has been a big pondering thought as of late, but now we have some information on what it looks to be. Owner Ryan Smith announced they would be using a march madness style bracket in order to find the perfect name for the team. Following that announcement he would go on to file eight trademarks under the Utah name. I will tell you the names and you let me know which you seem to find fitting. The Utah Venom, Utah Blizzard, Utah Ice, Utah Mammoths, Utah Fury, Utah Outlaws, Utah Yetis, and easily my least favourite, the Utah Hockey Club. Please oh please just do not go with the Utah Hockey Club, I just find it absolutely terrible and we saw the reaction the NFL had with the ‘Washington Football Team’ and it was nothing but a bunch of backlash. Utah already has a good rep going for them, and I hope they do not cost themselves at all. At the end of the day, I think the team should go with the Utah Ice. Basic, but rightfully fitting.

Owner of the team Ryan Smith, will proudly represent the Utah fan base and let everyone know how impactful Utah sports and events truly are. “The one thing I do know about Utah is, people show up,” Smith said. “We just had the NCAA Tournament here for basketball, and the entire arena was full. It’s just different. It’s just different here. I mean, [the Jazz have] 291 straight sellout games at the Delta Center. I think every concert that’s come into town has sold out. It’s just what we do. We show up. I have a lot of faith in the people of Utah.” said Smith.

Everything seems to be falling into place for Utah and their new hockey team. They have so many young stars of the next generation like Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse. They both didn’t know too much about Salt Lake before making their departure for the landmark, but they already love it with Crouse saying the beautiful mountains reminds him of Canada. The team has been building its way to the future as they hold 20 picks in the first three rounds over the next few years. Time will tell how this franchise will turn out, whether it be the Utah Venom, or even the Utah Hockey Club, it should be pretty electric. Ryan Smith says there is no other sport like hockey, and he is absolutely right.




Receivers galore

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I am back with the second part of my NFL draft preview. I couldn’t all just put it in one part with how many stars are available this year. This is my favourite time of the year so I really have so much to tell you, this is easily one of my favourite sports drafts due to how many stars go in late rounds! One of the quarterbacks who played in the Super Bowl this year was actually the very last pick in the draft or as they like to call it ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ and that did not let that stop him and carry on to be a Super Bowl calibre quarterback. The top prospects around the collegiate world will gather in Detroit for the NFL draft and it all kicks off on Thursday April 25th and will end on Saturday, April 27th. I don’t know about you but I will be watching probably every round (except for when the Canucks play obviously).

In this article, I will be focusing on another offensive position, that being wide receivers. I would talk about the defense but with this draft loaded class, it’s rumored that it could be the most offensive players taken in the first round EVER. The wide receiver class is so loaded that if there were not so many outstanding quarterbacks in this year’s draft, then a couple of these receivers could easily find themselves taken in the top five picks.

If you were to ask any Indianapolis Colts fan, who their best franchise wide receiver was of all time, the easy answer for them is former Super Bowl champion, Marvin Harrison. He dominated the league back in his day and was a fan favourite, and now that his time has passed, it is now his sons time to shine on the biggest stage of them all. Marvin Harrison Jr will look to continue his fathers legacy on the field. The 6 ‘3 Ohio State Buckeye receiver played in all 13 games last season and participated in the famous Rose Bowl in which he set a record for the most receiving touchdowns in the Rose Bowl with three.

 

Marvin Harrison Jr has been dominant all throughout his collegiate career and one of the best wide receiver prospects we have seen in quite a long time. Despite a slender frame and being lengthy, he maintains his strength as he benches over 300 pounds. Harrison basically checks every box teams are looking for at receiver, combining elite speed and length with technical skill as both a route runner and catcher and it also doesn’t hurt that his dad is in the Hall of Fame, giving a slight boost to his name. He really checks each box of every team’s needs, you could see some movement happen on draft day in order to trade up and select the young standout receiver. Ohio State has produced some of the best NFL players and today we could see the same with Harrison, as he was also the first player in school history to have two 1,000 yard receiving seasons. Harrison will need to work on his push off speed in order to compete with today’s speedy NFL cornerbacks.

 

Harrison is not the only star calibre wide receiver available in the draft, as the LSU Tigers have standout receiver, Malik Nabers. In 2022, Nabers would go on to lead the SEC conference in receptions with 72 while also ranking second in receiving yards with a total of 1,017 yards. In the following year he would be put on the First Team All SEC which is a pretty huge accomplishment in my opinion and I think you would agree after hearing some of these stats. He would go on to set the school record for receptions with a whopping total of 189 and then he would go on to set yet again another school record for total receiving yards with a grand total of 3,003. Damn. He is the next big thing coming out of the LSU locker room though, I easily expect him to find himself in the top ten of the draft. 

 

Nabers is a smaller guy but has shown that he can beat bigger defenders with his hand fighting and quick movement off the ball. His grab and go ability to catch short passes then easily create long plays out of them is fantastic to watch, it is really a work of art. Nabers is a field-tilting speed merchant with big-play talent and elite production and he has rare, explosive traits that help him separate both before and after the catch. On his weak side though, he can get himself into big free open spaces but at what cost? He does a little too much route running for it and it ends up being a little too late and the quarterback is either on the ground or the ball is already thrown.

 

Continuing on the theme we have of immaculate receivers, let me tell you about one of my favourite receivers available this year, his name is Rome Odunze. He played for the Washington Huskies for his entire collegiate career and was a fan favoruite down there for the fans as he led the FBS with a school record for receiving yards, amassing over 1,600 yards. Jeez. He was the captain of the Huskies squad and he and Michael Penix Jr had a crazy connection. They even made it all the way to the National Football Championship but fell short to J.J. McCarthy and his Michigan Wolverines. 

 

Odunze has a lot to prove when he enters the big stage, as he is slightly injury prone and will be competing against many talented NFL cornerbacks in the big leagues. Odunze occasionally gets hung up on physical press at the line and he will need to continue to develop his release package to keep corners guessing. His route running is unrefined at times; he’ll juke back and forth at the stem of his route and end up running right into the defender. He will need to continue to develop more discipline and nuance in his cuts and footwork. Nabers was also the Offensive Skill Player of the Year, which is a pretty impressive feat. If he works on his attention to detail while route running, he could develop really well. You can trust him to catch the ball though, as he will always fight for it and go up to make an impressive catch.

I truly can’t wait for the draft to kick off as I will be sitting in my chair watching the whole thing relaxing. Free agency was already such a buzz with so many movements, but what’s in store for us to witness when the NFL draft begins? We just gotta wait and see. Where are you gonna end up watching the draft? Are you going to watch all of the days? You know I will be as I just may have been counting down the days for a while now, I think I really just miss football. Be ready for next Monday the 29th though, as I will be breaking down the results of the draft and we will take a look at the biggest winners and losers of the draft.





Quarterback Qunandrum

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It’s finally time for one of my favourite events for each sport, the draft. No matter what sport it is, I always tune in just to see where the young prospects may land, and especially I tune in to see if my favourite team managed to land a valuable prospect. I enjoy the NFL draft a bit more though, as even though it is a total of seven rounds, there are so many stars that have been made from the late rounds. Think of Tom Brady. Not even a question that he is the greatest of all time, but did you know he was drafted in the second to last round? Insane. It’s hit or miss and you never know if your team will be able to uncover a hidden gem. 

For the first time ever, the draft this year will take place in Detroit. Starting on Thursday April 25th, and will conclude on Saturday, April 27th. If you didn’t know, this year’s draft looks to be a little bit different, as it seems to be like we might see the most offensive players drafted in the first round then we ever have. Heck, we could even see the top three picks to kick off the night, all ending up being quarterbacks. That is how stacked the offensive prospects are. It gets even better because I think this is just funny, that the Carolina Panthers traded away this year’s first round pick and it ended up being the number one overall pick. Look away now Panther fans because ouch…

There are more than thousands of college graduates that will be available this weekend for the star studded event, and look to fulfill their dreams by becoming a NFL professional football player. There could be many quarterbacks drafted early, with the highly potential first pick, former Heisman trophy winner, Caleb Williams. Williams has been rumoured to be the first pick for months now and now we will most likely see it happen tomorrow. He has put on a show for the USC Trojans and for a brief time in Oklahoma, but in the past 2 years of his career, he has thrown a total of 72 touchdowns and 8,000+ passing yards.

Caleb Williams is legit, at least in my opinion he is. He has got the stats to prove it and if you watched any of his game film then you would be left in awe. I talked about his passing stats, but this guy has the agility of a leopard. He set the school record for USC for the most rushing yards in a single season by a quarterback with 382 rushing yards and picking up double digit touchdowns, with ten. Williams will more than likely be the first overall pick and be rocking the navy blue and orange, Chicago Bears uniform. His ability to keep his team in the game when there is high end pressure is immaculate but his hero-ball mentality can be costly at times and put him in a pickle. The one contrast of that though is his ability to remain calm with his eyes and arm in the pocket, waiting to create, instead of just forcing it.

Moving on to the other quarterbacks available in this hefty stock of the draft, the next pick will be J.J. McCarthy, at least in my opinion. McCarthy is the quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines who is coached by very talented and now back to being an NFL head coach, Jim Harbaugh. They are coming off a huge win, as they beat the Washington Huskies in the National College Football Championship 34-13. McCarthy came out of high school as one of the best five star recruits, but it wasn’t till last year where he really proved doubters wrong.

 

McCarthy was able to pick up some shiny goldware as last year he was able to become the Big 10 Quarterback of the year and was also a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, but fell short to who i was just talking about earlier, Caleb Williams. You can truly trust McCarthy with the ball in his hands and to remain in control, as he set a school record for the lowest interception percentage with 1.64% and set the school record by completing 67.6% of his career passes. He is a true iron man as in the season where they picked up the National Championship, he started every single game leading up to it. He needs to be careful that he doesn’t stay too long in the pocket as he tends to not be able to air out the ball fully and his scrambling ability is mediocre.

 

The last quarterback that I will be talking about is Jayden Daniels of the LSU Tigers. I know that Drake Maye and Bo Nix are out there too, but in my opinion, I feel like Jayden Daniel’s ceiling is way above the rest of them. Daniels is coming off an impressive season as he was able to launch 40 touchdowns. During the combine, he was able to land first place in the athleticism test, showing off his skill set to the NFL scouts in attendance. Daniels played a total of five years during his collegiate career, and he wasn’t just a tiger during his career, but he also spent a majority of time down in Arizona State as a Sun Devil.

Daniel’s is another quarterback that has a Hesiman trophy under his belt, as he grabbed that during his 2023 season. He was also another of the finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, but he was cut short of picking it up. He led the entire FBS with 11.7 passing yards per pass attempt and even led in yards per rush with 8.4 and that’s the first instance since 1996 that someone led the FBS in both of those categories. If you thought Williams was agile, this guy is just built differently. He led all quarterbacks with a school quarterback record with a total of 1,134 rushing yards (now you know why his average is so high because wow) and it gets better as he is the only FBS quarterback in history to throw for 12,000 yards and rush for over 3,000 in his career. He is a speed demon on the field, but he will have to hit the weight room in order to improve, as he is a liability with a smaller frame, leaving his durability to be low.

Whether it be the Bears, Patriots, Commanders, or even the Broncos, any of these teams could select one of these talented quarterbacks. Luckily if you are the Chicago Bears though, you get first choice at any of these talented young prospects. Where are you gonna end up watching the draft? Are you going to watch all of the days? You know I will be as I just may have been counting down the days for a while now, I think I really just miss football. Free agency was already such a buzz with so much unexpected movement, so what’s in store for the draft? We will just have to wait and see. Be ready for next Monday the 29th though, as I will be breaking down the results of the draft and we will take a look at the biggest winners and losers of the draft.



The Canucks season of success

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The Vancouver Canucks have had a surprising season, but not in a bad way like they usually do. Every single expert analysis or anyone to do in the sports world, had the Canucks finishing near the bottom of the league. They were expected to be the bottom of the barrel and not anywhere close to even making the playoffs. Boy, were they ever wrong about that.

Canucks fans were skeptical heading into this year’s season, as even when it seems like we have the right assets, we fall short every year. But sometimes all you need is a year’s time and you’ll be the next big thing, and that is exactly what happened to the Vancouver Canucks. Last year, they were barely able to crack the .500 win percentage, landing themselves 6th in the division at a sad, just sad record of 38-37-7. Were analysts and doubters wrong for second guessing the Canucks? Probably not. But that was until this season when they finally got the respect on their name that they deserve. All you needed to see to know the Canucks were serious contenders, was their home opener with the absolute obliteration of the Edmonton Oilers, defeating them by a whopping 7 goals.

For a long time, the Canucks stood tall at the tippy top of not just their respective division, but the whole entire league. The Canucks were genuinely the best team in the league, led by the best coach in the league, Rick Tocchet. By the end of the season, they slid down the standings ever so lightly, with the major reason being the fact that our star goal-tender and Vezina trophy candidate, Thatcher Demko, had suffered a rough injury that would end up putting him on the long term injured reserve, sidelining him until the playoffs began. The Vancouver Canucks still were able to manage coming out on top of the Pacific division, to win their first Pacific division title since the realignment. They finished with an astonishing record of 50-23-9.

Halfway through the season at the all star game break, the Canucks were 33-11-5 and already only 12 point outs from matching their previous point total. From considered as a contender for the #1 pick, to consider as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, the Canucks were back and better than ever. Arguably one of their more impressive statistics at the halfway mark was the fact that they were 29-0-1 in games that they were leading after the initial first two periods. Let alone, being the only team with 25 or more wins under that stat category as well. At the halfway point, they were leading the league in goals scored in the first period, but by the end of the season they had fallen down to 6th in the league, hich is still pretty impressive if you ask me. The Canucks also found their way in regulation often, as they were tied for third in the league for the least amount of regulation losses this season, with 23.

The signings during the offseason and the mid season trade inquiries were a big part of the Canucks success this year. During the time off, they put pen to paper with Ian Cole, Carson Soucy, Casey DeSmith, and Teddy Blueger. All of these role players have done their part in some way, even when injuries collide with them, they still find a way. Casey Desmith was a huge part of the Canucks ability to maintain the one seed in the Pacific division. DeSmith had to step when the team needed him most, after Vezina trophy candidate Thatcher Demko suffered an unlucky injury close to the mid season mark. DeSmith stepped up and did what he could and picked up 12 wins in 29 games with a .896 save percentage and a 2.89 save percentage. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story though, as he was a big motivator for the squad. Arturs Silovs, who is a young up and coming goal-tender within the Canucks organization, also made some late season appearances and picked up a point in each of his 4 games played, with three of them being much needed wins.

At the trade deadline, we saw how serious and how dedicated the Canucks were to winning and continuing their path to the cup. They made slime bigger moves by shipping out Andrei Kuzmenko, and bringing in Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames. He has been a difference maker for the Canucks this year to a great extent. At times, he is not fully playing his best hockey and got caught in some droughts, but once he heats up, he is on fire for awhile and not just for himself and his point totals, but his ability to create plays in tricky scenarios has been magnificent. The Canucks also brought in another member of the Calgary Flames, the big man, the enforcer, Nikita Zadorov. He has been huge for us defensively, laying out his body whenever he can but his mind can get the best of him and he has his slip ups. But him, Dakota Joshua, and Conor Garland on the same team has been a treat to watch as they are some of the grittiest enforcers that we have in the league, even with Garland being a bit tinier than the others. I would say Tyler Myers is also a huge enforcer for us but he is also very costly for the Canucks as well.

The Canucks clinched their playoff spot, and you guessed it, that means Vancouver playoff hockey is so back. It was set in stone that they would be talking on the wild card team, the Nashville Predators in the first round series. At the end of the regular season, Head Coach Rick Tocchet commented on the upcoming playoffs. “Looking forward to it, it’s going to be a fun time for the guys, I want them to enjoy it…It’s going to be exciting… Our fans have been noisy this season so (they’re) just gonna amp it up another level” said Tocchet

The upcoming series with the Nashville Predators have high stakes as does every playoff series, but the Canucks want to prove themselves. Roman Josi vs Quinn Hughes is a huge defensive matchup as they are two of the highest acclaimed defenders in the league. Rick Tocchet spoke to the media about the two stellar defensemen and how their battle will look.  

“They are the same (player), they drive play, they both have the puck on their stick a lot, they both can defend because of that. They are a fourth forward out there, they both break the puck out very well and they walk the blue line REALLY well…In one series you got two of the best defensemen in the league. I’m sure they are game planning for Hughes just like we are game planning for Josi…they are that good.” said Tocchet.

The Vancouver Canucks are ready to slay the dragons once again by taking down the Nashville Predators. As I am typing this outro though, it has been announced that Thatcher Demko is injured and could possibly miss the rest of the playoff series. Casey DeSmith will be playing between the pipes and carry over his success from the regular season, over into the playoffs.

 

Factions are falling apart

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The Triple H era of wrestling is in full swing and he has changed the outlook on professional wrestling for the better. Vince McMahon is out of creative control after he announced he would be stepping down, late last year but he is now officially done with the WWE after he received a bombshell lawsuit from a former WWE employee, accusing the former chairman of sexual abuse and trafficking. As a big fan of wrestling since I was a kid, I am very pleased that he is out, not just because of his dirty and disgusting behavior behind the scenes, but his terrible decision making when it comes to giving superstars a push to the main event, or just releasing stars that had no business being let go. The Triple H era of WWE has changed everything for the better.

The April 23rd edition of Monday Night Raw was a banger, and Triple H delivered big time. Whether it was one of the four tag teams/factions that split up or had a moment, the new WWE Women’s Champion, the return of the ring general Gunther, and even a World Tag Team Championship match, it was a great episode of Raw. It has only been two weeks since Wrestlemania in Philadelphia concluded and it left fans in awe. Now we get to see all the aftermath that falls out after this historic event. This edition of Raw was also the final episode with their current roster, as the long awaited WWE Draft returns this Friday on April 26th to Friday Night Smackdown. Could these tag team/faction mishaps or breaks up, alter their relationship at the draft by being sent to different shows? I don’t know about you but the draft is one of those things that will always pull me in, so you know I will be tuned in this Friday.

Starting off in reverse order, as I will tell you about the main event which was the battle royale for the vacant Women’s World Championship and if you haven’t watched WWE in recent times, then you may be wondering why the championship is currently vacant, and I’ll tell you why. Liv Morgan had a backstage segment two weeks ago, where she began the Liv Morgan revenge tour. She found the current champion at the time, Rhea Ripley,  and attacked her, injuring her shoulder in the process. Her plan was in motion and all she needed to do was win the battle royale in the main event of Raw.

The favourites heading into the match were Nia Jax, Liv Morgan, and Becky Lynch. The women began to eliminate one another by tossing them over the top rope until only one remained. The final three were standing in the ring, and you guessed it, it was the three favourites. Nia Jax is the irresistible force and one of the strongest competitors today, so Lynch and Morgan plotted together and combine their strengths in order to toss Jax out of there, and they did. It was now the final two and Morgan looked to be inching towards winning the title. They battled it out on the ring apron and Morgan even looked to have won it after she hit the codebreaker, knocking Lynch backwards until Lynch caught Morgan with an up-handle slam, as Morgan hit the floor. There it was, Becky Lynch is now a seven time champion and she looks to keep the title warm, before Rhea Ripley eventually returns.

Now a quick rapid fire section, highlighting some of the smaller events on such a huge card. Sheamus came out with his original theme song to confront the Scottish sociopath Drew McIntyre. It was a mic battle for the ages, as Sheamus would berate Drew with insults, until Drew would start poking fun at Sheamus and his weight gain since his return. That followed with Shinsuke Nakamura coming out to battle the Irishman Sheamus. It was a grueling match that saw Sheamus come out on top as Drew would watch from ringside. It seems like Sheamus versus Drew is the direction they’re heading in.

World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest would come out to confront the hype energy superstar in Jey Uso. They would battle on the mic for a while until it was announced that it would be Priest vs Uso at Backlash in France for the World Heavyweight Championship and that looks to be a slobberknocker. That wasn’t the only time we saw Priest that night, as he would come out to attack Andrade and Ricochet, stating that he does not need the Judgement Day, but they need him.

The theme of the night was tag teams turning on eachother. After the championship match between D.I.Y. and Awesome Truth was over, Gargano would shake the hands of their allies congratulating them on their win, but Ciampa had other plans as he would shake his head, and not even acknowledge the champions and walk out of the ring. Are we really about to see Ciampa turn on Gargano for what seems to be like the 100th time? Time will tell I guess…

It gets better though, as after Chad Gable’s heel turn on Sami Zayn last week, he looked to address the WWE universe on why he did what he did. He got in the ring with Alpha Academy and one by one would berate them. He would call Tozawa a loser letting him know he is worthless. Shifting his attention to Maxxine Dupri, letting her know she is pretty as a princess. How nice, right? Yeah no. He would go on to call her dumber than a bag of rocks, ouch. Even his loyal tag team partner was a target of his verbal attacks, giving him the title of the biggest disappointment of them all. They all took the verbal beating and would pledge to the olympian. I honestly like the direction they are taking with a heel Gable, if executed properly, this could be huge.

Gunther and imperium would make their return after suffering a heartbreaking and historic loss to Sami Zayn at Wrestlemania a couple of weeks ago, and it felt weird seeing Gunther without any gold around his waist. The New Day would serenade them with a little diss track, reminding Gunther that he is no longer a champion. They would have a quick match which resulted in The New Day coming out on top, as imperium would fall down and down faster then they ever could of thought Gunther would snap and attack his fellow members of imperium leaving everyone in a state of shock. Ludwig Kaiser would console Giovanni Vinci in the ring for a while, but the moment was getting a little too long, something was going to happen and I knew it. Kaiser would throw Vinci into the barricade and attack him. Another faction or tag team has lost itself.

This all seems to be a slight set up for the upcoming WWE draft and we will just have to wait and see how everything unfolds. We are also getting closer and closer to another international premium live event which will be Backlash in France. Some matches have already been announced, but we will wait and see if any other announcements come out.