For the first time since May 27, 2024, Becky Lynch has returned to action in a WWE ring. Lynch returned as Lyra Valkyria's mystery tag team partner in a championship match against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez at WrestleMania 41 on Sunday.
THE MAN is BACK at #WrestleMania! pic.twitter.com/IMDqYl7buv
— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2025
It was unclear if Lynch would ever make her return to a WWE ring, as her previous contract with WWE had expired, and there was no definite answer as to whether she'd signed another contract with the company or not.
Not only did Lynch make her return, but she and Valkyria were victorious and became the new women's tag team champions.
With the win, Valkyria is now one half of the women's tag team champions as well as the women's Intercontinental Champion.
Say hello to The Man and Lyra Two Belts! #AndNew #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/7zXGKXXO1e
— WWE (@WWE) April 21, 2025
The next upcoming Premium Live Event for WWE will be WrestleMania Backlash in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 10, and it would not be a surprise to see a rematch between the two teams.
In the grand scheme of things, Lynch is one of the best wrestlers in the world, and it is great to see her back in the ring where she belongs.
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On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers extended their winning streak to 11 games, and a key part of the team's momentum is a player who is in the National League MVP race. The red-hot Brewers entered Tuesday night facing one of the biggest threats to their winning streak, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Milwaukee torched Skenes for two home runs and four earned runs in 4.0 innings pitched. Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn added extra damage in the sixth inning with a three-run home run that increased Milwaukee's lead to 12-0. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Vaughn is in the NL MVP race after his home run on Tuesday night. "Andrew Vaughn suddenly in top 10 NL MVP discussion with another 3-run HR, giving him 32 RBI since joining the Brewers," Nightengale posted on X. "He is the gift that keeps on giving from the White Sox. They are about to go 24-4 since his arrival." Vaughn has helped the Brewers overrun and then take a commanding lead on the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Following their 14-0 win Tuesday night, the Brewers extended their lead to 7.5 games over the Cubs for first place. Vaughn is turning out to be a steal for the Brewers, as Milwaukee only gave up veteran pitcher Aaron Civale and cash considerations for the first baseman on June 13. While Vaughn might have a case to be in the top 10, he has much work before he becomes a legitimate contender for the NL MVP. Per FanDuel, Los Angeles Dodgers star slugger Shohei Ohtani leads the race with -20000 odds. Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber is second with +1800 odds. Those two players have been more consistent this season, whereas Vaughn has come on strong since leaving Chicago.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could still add another wide receiver before the start of the regular season, and it appears Aaron Rodgers has his eyes on a former All-Pro at the position. While appearing on the "Club Random Podcast", which is hosted by Bill Maher, free agent Odell Beckham Jr. said that he's had some conversations with Rodgers about potentially joining the Steelers. “I love him, and we’ve had conversations,” Beckham said. “I won’t say that it’s not a possibility and I won’t say that I haven’t had any communication.” Rodgers and Beckham have long been fond of one another, though they have yet to play on the same team throughout their illustrious careers. When the Cleveland Browns released Beckham in November 2021, Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers immediately jumped to the front of the list as a top landing spot. Beckham opted not to head to Wisconsin, though, and instead signed with the Los Angeles Rams. That decision paid off, as the team won Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals while he recorded 593 yards and seven touchdowns across 12 total games. The issue, however, was that Beckham tore his ACL in The Big Game. He visited teams during the 2022 campaign while recovering from his injury as a free agent, though he didn't end up playing that year. There was plenty of buzz surrounding the possibility of Beckham joining Aaron Rodgers for the latter's first season with the New York Jets in 2023, but the former proceeded to sign with the Baltimore Ravens. The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro was released by Baltimore last offseason, and despite having another chance to team up with Rodgers, he agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins instead. While Beckham is no longer the play he was when he first entered the league as a first-round pick with the New York Giants in 2014, for whom he logged 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns in 59 games before being traded to the Browns in March 2019, perhaps there's still something left in the tank. He did finish 2024 with just nine catches for 55 yards and no touchdowns in nine contests with the Dolphins, but signing him would come relatively cheap, and having him play alongside Rodgers in Pittsburgh would make for quite the story.
It has been a busy offseason for the Denver Nuggets as they have reshaped their roster around their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Denver began their offseason by trading Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson in a trade that not only landed them a three-point sharpshooter in Johnson but also helped free up cap space. With the extra cap space, the Nuggets signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency and they also acquired Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings. By making these moves, the Nuggets have been able to upgrade their bench, which was a massive issue for them last season. While the Nuggets clearly had the goal to upgrade their depth this offseason, one of their key players from last season will reportedly not be returning next season. Russell Westbrook not expected to return to Nuggets According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Russell Westbrook is set to sign with a new team this summer in free agency as he will not be returning to Denver. “It appears that Westbrook, who spent the first 11 years of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, will play for his sixth franchise in seven seasons. He won't be returning to the Denver Nuggets after a roller coaster season in which Westbrook finished seventh in the Sixth Man of the Year voting,” MacMahon wrote. This is a massive report by MacMahon, but also one that is not a major surprise as it appeared as though the Nuggets were not interested in bringing back the former NBA MVP. Of course, Westbrook played a key role for the Nuggets last season both off the bench and in the starting lineup, though his minutes were cut at the end of the season after Denver fired former head coach Michael Malone and replaced him with David Adelman. With Westbrook now unlikely to return to Denver for next season, MacMahon mentioned in his report that the Sacramento Kings are viewed as the favorites to sign him, though there should be other teams that also show interest in adding the veteran guard to their roster next season.
The quarterback battle for Notre Dame is set to come to an end shortly, and it might be a surprise considering how the national media predicted the race to finish. Per Eric Hansen of On3, head coach Marcus Freeman is set to name the starting quarterback by Sunday when he meets the media. The Irish are still letting the quarterback battle play out until then, but it appears sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey is the favorite to start at Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Minchey has shown improvement in numerous areas throughout camp, and he has the edge on freshman quarterback CJ Carr in what is believed to be the final week of the competition. "As of Wednesday, the line between 1 and 2 remained blurred," Hansen wrote. "The tiebreaker may eventually go to Minchey, per the source, because of his ability to be a true running threat and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s preference to have that element to put pressure on opposing defenses. "But he also has a preference for QBs who can transcend adversity, and the training camp phase was choreographed to test precisely that. While both contenders responded persistently in a manner that defies their inexperience, Minchey has been exceptional in that regard." Throughout the summer, ESPN writers such as Bill Connelly and Mark Schlabach have written as though it were a forgone conclusion that Carr would win the battle in training camp. However, Minchey appears to be a natural fit for how offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock likes to scheme against a defense. He helped dual-threat Jayden Daniels earn a Heisman Trophy in 2023 and took Notre Dame to a national championship appearance with Riley Leonard. The battle isn't over, but the edge appears to be running Minchey's way.
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