ORLANDO, Florida: An estimated 75,245 fans packed the Camping World Stadium for WrestleMania 33 on Sunday.
The annual WWE event proved a success with fans as the card left a lasting impression for all those in attendance.
James from Manchester, England told Arab News that WrestleMania is an amazing spectacle. ” I enjoyed the Randy Orton-Bray Wyatt match,” said the fan from Manchester.
Juwaid from India said that coming to WrestleMania was his childhood dream and he was happy to experience it with his friends. ” I loved the Undertaker Roman Reigns match. It was the match I came here to see.”
Matias from Munich, Germany, said WrestleMania was amazing. “I was disappointed to see Chris Jericho lose tonight.”
Chris from Wisconsin said that he always comes to WrestleMania weekend for the past three years and was having the time of his life.
“I’m here to see all the matches I can’t really say I have a favorite one.”
The PRW show opened with the king of the cruiserweights Neville retaining his title against Austin Aries. The final moments of the match saw Neville kick out of a two count and Aries followed by putting him in an STF. Neville gouged the eye socket of Aries, but the referee did not stop the match. Neville followed up with the Red Arrow for the win.
Mojo Rawley won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy.
Kalisto, Simon Gotch, and Heath Slater were the first three participants to be eliminated. Strowman and Big Show continued to eliminate anyone who came across their path early on. The remaining talent ganged
up on Big Show and Strowman, but Strowman then eliminated Big Show. Strowman was eliminated next, and the two early favorites to win were both out already. After a series of fast-paced eliminations, the final four were Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn, Mojo Rawley and Killian Dain. Dain quickly eliminated Zayn. Jinder and Mojo brawled in front of Robert Gronkowski from the New England Patriots. Jinder threw a drink at Gronkowski, and Robert hopped over the fan barricade. The security stopped him, but it appeared to have been a mistake and the referees ran over and called out security. Gronkowski got in the ring and speared Jinder. Mojo high-fived Gronkowski before he left the ring. Mojo eliminated Dain after a series of running punches, and it was down to Mojo and Jinder. Jinder tried to suplex Mojo outside, but Mojo blocked it and hit a running forearm on Jinder to knock him down for the elimination. Mojo celebrated with Gronkowski after the match.
Dean Ambrose retained his intercontinental title against Baron Corbin. The final moments of the match saw Corbin get frustrated and started throwing elbows at Ambrose. Corbin went for the End Of Days, but Ambrose escaped and hit the Dirty Deeds for the win.
The show kicked off with Aj Styles defeating Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon. The final moments of this fast-paced bout came to an end when Shane went up the top rope for a Shooting Star Press, but AJ rolled out of the way and Shane crashed on the ring. AJ followed up with the Phenomenal Forearm for the three count.
The next bout was for the US championship, which saw former friends turned enemies Chris Jericho defending against Kevin Owens. Owens powerbombed Jericho onto the corner of the ring apron and rolled Jericho back in the ring to win the championship.
Next was a fatal four-way elimination match for the Raw women’s title with Bayley defending against Nia Jax, Charlotte and Sasha Banks. The final two participants were Bayley and Charlotte. The match’s final moments saw Charlotte go for a moonsault off the top on Bayley but Bayley rolled out of the way and covered her for a near-fall. Bayley went to the top but Charlotte caught her in mid-air and slammed her. Charlotte went for the Figure Four and Figure Eight but Bayley broke the hold. Charlotte continued working on Bayley’s knee and went for a spear in the corner, but Bayley moved. Bayley followed up with the flying elbow drop off the top rope for the win to retain.
The bout that followed was the triple threat ladder match for the Raw brand tag team title. The match was set to be Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defending against Sheamus and Cesaro and Big Cass and Enzo Amore. However, The New Day came out to announce that the match is now a Fatal Four Way with a massive surprise that made all the fans in the Camping World Stadium cheer as they saw the return of Matt and Jeff Hardy to the WWE.
The match ended when Jeff Hardy climbed a ladder that is nowhere near the title, and hit a huge Swanton Bomb on Cesaro and Sheamus through the ladders. Back in the ring, Matt grabbed the title belts for the win, and The Hardy Boys are now the Raw Tag Team champions.
John Cena and Nikki Bella defeated the Miz and Maryse in a mixed tag team match. After the match, John proposed to Nikki Bella and she accepted.
Seth Rollins beat Triple H after Stephanie McMahon grabbed Rollins from behind and Triple H went to hit him, but Rollins ducked and superkicked the multitime world champion who bumped into his wife causing her to fall off the apron through a table. Triple H was furious and turned around to Rollins, hitting him with a Pedigree for the win.
The WWE title changed hands when Randy Orton hit an RKO out of nowhere to defeat defending champion Bray Wyatt . Orton celebrated with the WWE World Championship in the ring before he left.
Brock Lesnar beat Goldberg after executing 10 German suplexs, then hitting the F-5 for the win. Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman celebrated with the WWE Universal Championship in the ring.
Naomi defeated Alexa Bliss, Natalya, Carmella, Mickie James, and Becky Lynch after performing a suicide dive on everyone at ringside, then back in the ring she locked defending champion Alexa into submission to win the Smackdown women’s title.
Roman Reigns defeated The Undertaker with a spear. This match marked the end of the legendary career of the deadman from Death Valley
Fans go gaga over WrestleMania 33
Fans go gaga over WrestleMania 33
Inter beat Como to keep in touch with leaders Atalanta
- Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas, slipped a spot to 16th and sit just one point clear of the relegation zone
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan saw off Como 2-0 on Monday to stretch their unbeaten run in Serie A to 11 games and move back to within three points of leaders Atalanta.
Defender Carlos Augusto headed in from a corner early in the second half before Marcus Thuram wrapped up a fourth successive league win with a thumping finish in stoppage time.
Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer made a crucial save on the hour to deny Nico Paz an equalizer as Simone Inzaghi’s side showed signs of weariness at the San Siro in what was their third outing in a week.
Thuram’s goal was his 12th of the season and sent him level with Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui for the league lead.
“Marcus is a high-class player who always trains well and has adapted very quickly to the way we play,” said Inzaghi.
“You have to congratulate Como for coming here and giving it their all, but we stayed focused and showed great maturity.”
Third-placed Inter are a point behind Napoli but have played a game less than the top two teams after their match with Fiorentina was called off at the start of December following Edoardo Bove’s sudden collapse.
Reigning champions Inter visit lowly Cagliari this weekend and could put the pressure back on Atalanta, who are away to Lazio in the late game on Saturday.
Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas, slipped a spot to 16th and sit just one point clear of the relegation zone.
Fiorentina lost more ground in the title race after falling to a 2-1 home defeat by Udinese.
Moise Kean’s early penalty gave Fiorentina the lead as they sought to shake off last weekend’s loss to Bologna that snapped the club’s eight-match winning streak in Serie A.
However, Udinese equalized shortly after half-time through Lorenzo Lucca and former France international Florian Thauvin curled in the winner from outside the area.
“The most important thing for me is not the goal but the victory. These are three important points against a very strong team,” said Udinese captain Thauvin.
Udinese stayed ninth and are eight points off the European places.
Complete lineup for February UFC event in Riyadh announced
RIYADH: Organizers confirmed on Monday the complete list of fighters for the UFC Fight Night event in the Saudi capital on Feb. 1.
Israel Adesanya versus Nassourdine Imavov is the main event for the second UFC event held in the Kingdom.
The card features Dagestani fighter Said Nurmagomedov (18-3-0) will face Brazilian Vinicius “Lok Dog” Oliveira (21-3-0), while Tajik Muhammad Naimov (11-3-0) squares off against Australian Kaan Ofli (12-3-1).
In another bout, American Terrance McKinney (15-7-0) will clash with Denmark’s Damir Hadzovic (14-7-0), and Austrian Bogdan Grad (14-2-0) will meet Brazilian Lucas Alexander (8-4-0).
Highlighting Arab representation, Egyptian Hamdy Abdelwahab (5-0-0) will take on American Jamal Boggs (11-4-0), while Bahraini Shamil Gaziev (13-1-0) faces a tough challenge against American Thomas Petersen (9-2-0).
The excitement continues as Americans Jordan Leavitt (11-3-0) and Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady (15-4-0) battle it out, and Russian Sergei Pavlovich (18-3-0) faces Surinamese fighter Jairzinho “Bigi Boy” Rozenstruik (15-5-0).
Dagestani Ikram Aliskerov (15-2-0) will take on Brazilian André Muniz (24-6-0) in a blockbuster bout.
Adesanya, the Nigerian-born New Zealander, is one of UFC’s all-time greats, making a return after a title fight against Dricus du Plessis earlier this year. He is determined to reclaim his dominance with a decisive victory over Imavov.
In June the UFC hosted the first ever event in the Kingdom, bringing the premier fighting championship to Saudi fans of MMA.
Tickets are available for the event at the anb Arena on Jan. 3.
Saudi striker Saleh Al-Shehri out of remainder of Gulf Cup after injury in first match
- Loss of the player, a standout performer recently, after picking up a muscle injury in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat by Bahrain is a significant blow
KUWAIT CITY: Saudi national team striker Saleh Al-Shehri has been ruled out of the remainder of the 26th Gulf Cup after sustaining a muscle injury during the Green Falcons’ opening match against Bahrain on Sunday.
Head coach Herve Renard made the decision to send Al-Shehri home from the team’s training camp after medical reports confirmed the injury will require treatment and rehabilitation.
Saudi Arabia suffered a 3-2 defeat in the match against Bahrain. The loss of Al-Shehri, a key player and standout performer for the team in recent months, will be a significant blow for the squad as they attempt to get their Gulf Cup campaign back on track against Yemen at Jaber Stadium in Kuwait on Wednesday.
During a training session on Monday evening, Renard divided the squad into two groups, with the players who started on Sunday focusing on recovery exercises in the gym while the remainder of the squad trained on the pitch at Al-Nassr Club Stadium.
Moves afoot for Saudi cricketers to host Sri Lanka’s stars
- ‘We plan to bring our cricketers for a friendly match with Saudi team,’ Sri Lanka envoy says
RIYADH: With the popularity of cricket in Saudi Arabia growing by leaps and bounds, do not be surprized if you see Sri Lankan cricketers playing with the Saudi team in the near future.
The Sri Lankan ambassador in Riyadh, Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad, in an interview with Arab News on the 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries, said: “We have very cordial relations and, importantly, have taken initiatives to further elevate our bilateral ties in all areas of mutual interest, one of them is cricket.
“We are in touch with the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation. So we will work with them in the future, to organize bilateral matches, cricket matches between the two sides, the Sri Lankan team and the Saudi team,” the envoy told Arab News.
“We are planning to have the kind of bilateral ties in which the cricket team can visit. So we are working on that. We have initiated some talks. I met SACF Chairman Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud,” Ajwad said.
The SACF chairman has also visited Sri Lanka for cooperation in cricket, he added.
“We will bring our cricket stars here, to start some kind of a friendly match. Maybe we can work on that to mark the occasion as we are celebrating 50 years of our diplomatic ties,” the ambassador said.
"All these projects are in our plan. Of course, we are having a list of items to celebrate this milestone in our bilateral relations,” he added.
Sri Lankan cricket star and former captain Kumar Sangakkara was in NEOM as part of the second season of the NEOM and Rajasthan Royals’ cricket program, he said.
“He was in NEOM. So in the future we will interact like this, bringing Sri Lankan cricketers to the Kingdom,” he added.
Indian cricket star and former captain Rahul Dravid, who is head coach of the Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals, also attended the NEOM cricket program.
The Red Sea city of Jeddah last month hosted the TATA IPL mega auction at the Abadi Al-Johar Arena that attracted a galaxy of international cricket stars and the celebrity owners of the IPL franchises.
The SACF described the TATA IPL mega auction as “a historic sporting achievement in Jeddah.”
On X, the IPL posted: “TATA IPL partners got to experience ‘TATAIPLAuction’ in Jeddah like never before,” describing the event as “a historic moment in the TATA IPL Auction.”
Pakistani cricketing legends including Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar also visited the Kingdom in the recent past and held meetings with the SACF chairman to discuss the development of cricket and ways to cooperate.
Game Changers Falcons crowned champions of World Tennis League season 3
- Game Changers Falcons beat TSL Hawks 20-16
- Coach John-Laffnie de Jager lauds team’s spirit
ABU DHABI: Game Changers Falcons clinched the World Tennis League season three title with a hard-fought 20-16 victory over the TSL Hawks at the Etihad Arena on Sunday.
Despite losing the first two sets — women’s doubles and singles — Game Changers Falcons staged a remarkable comeback, dominating the men’s doubles and singles to claim the title.
In a rematch of the season opener, Game Changers Falcons’ Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia began strongly, breaking the opening serve of the match against the TSL Hawks’ Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva.
Despite their stellar performances in the league stage, Sabalenka and Andreeva looked unsettled early on. However, they mounted an impressive comeback as they recovered from a 0-5 deficit to level the score at 5-5.
Rybakina and Garcia then managed to break serve again to regain the lead, but a series of unforced errors allowed their opponents to force a tie-break.
In the tie-break, Sabalenka and Andreeva found themselves trailing once again but displayed remarkable composure to turn the tables and clinch the women’s doubles set 7-6.
Teenage sensation Andreeva carried her remarkable form into the women’s singles against Rybakina. She broke Rybakina’s second and third serves to gain the upper hand and comfortably close out the set 6-2, extending the TSL Hawks’ overall lead to 13-8 in the match.
In the men’s doubles, Game Changers Falcons’ Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov dominated the entire set against the TSL Hawks’ Sumit Nagal and Jordan Thompson. They broke Nagal’s serve twice to maintain the lead and sealed the set 6-2. This win narrowed the overall game tally to 14-15, setting the stage for a thrilling men’s singles.
Rublev held his opening serve to level the overall game tally at 15-15 before winning three consecutive games to take an 18-15 lead. While Nagal managed to pull a game back, Rublev closed the men’s singles set 6-1 to help his team clinch the title 20-16.
“I’ve done team events for a while, and I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have really good people on the team,” Game Changers Falcons coach and captain, John-Laffnie de Jager, said at the post-match press conference.
“They get along well, they’re professional, they show up and at the end of the day, they perform. First time when we played against the Hawks, we were behind, we came back from that point to win it and the same happened tonight.
“So, the format is great, because you are never out and always have a chance to win it. It was an awesome campaign for us, and everybody enjoyed it.”
Game Changers Falcons’ Garcia said: “In tennis it’s not very often you have an opportunity to play in a team setup, and I really enjoyed it. I had a great time knowing a bit more about everyone in the team and looking forward for more fun next year.”
