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After not appearing on TV for months, have we seen the last of AJ Styles as his WWE contract expires rather soon?
When WWE purchased WCW, they brought in a bunch of wrestlers. Those who were not signed had to look elsewhere. Then, TNA was formed and it allowed a bunch of ex WCW wrestlers to join. One of those was AJ Styles, who opted not to sign with WWE back in 2001. Styles became a regular in TNA and the face of the promotion. Therefore, when he departed after being lowballed and went to WWE, it was a huge loss.
In the beginning, Vince McMahon did not see much in Styles. The crowds reaction changed everything and he became a main event superstar. For years, Styles has been teasing retirement and it might not be too far away. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp noted how the WWE contract of AJ Styles expires at the end of 2024 or early next year.
AJ Styles Has Not Been On WWE TV For Months
We have not seen Styles since Clash At The Castle in early June. On that day, Cody Rhodes made Styles quit. After the win, Rhodes got some revenge by hitting his opponent with the steel steps. Since then, there has been no signs or clues of Styles returning. The OC remains on TV in a limited role, just without their leader.
He did work for Pro Wrestling Noah about week after his last WWE match. Styles would defeat Naomichi Marufuji in his debut for the company. With his style of wrestling, AJ cannot keep that going for much longer. In fact, he has stopped certain moves as the risk is too high. So, do you think AJ Styles will sign a new WWE contract or is this the end?
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Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Dolphins humiliated by Lions at joint practice
Joint practices have revealed some problems for the Miami Dolphins with a few weeks to go before the regular season. Tua Tagovailoa started against the Chicago Bears in Sunday's preseason game, wanting to show improvement after having a bad showing during the Dolphins' joint practice in Chicago on Friday. Tagovailoa did play better, going 5-of-6 passing for 27 yards and led the Dolphins to the Chicago 1-yard line before the offense was stopped on downs. A few days later, Tagovailoa and the offense had another poor performance at their joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, Miami couldn't score in the red zone against a motivated Lions defense during Wednesday's practice. "Dolphins offense just ran 16 or so plays in the red zone vs. the Lions and didn’t score until the final play (between the second units)," Pouncy posted on X. "Miami’s first-team offense didn’t score in the 7-8 plays vs. Detroit’s first-team defense. It was ugly. Lions’ D is having a day." Pouncy's observation of the Lions manhandling the Dolphins was universal among beat reporters covering the Lions and Dolphins, with The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner calling it the most "lopsided" practice he'd witnessed covering the NFL. Last week, Omar Kelly of the Miami Sun Sentinel said Miami folded when the Bears defense began to whip on the offense. The accusations of the Dolphins being a soft team are going to continue until they decide to fight back in joint practices or against opponents in the regular season. When healthy, the Lions have a fierce defense. So Detroit having the edge isn't a surprise, though not being able to score during 16 plays in the red zone is a concern. Miami doesn't appear to have found an identity, and that could spell doom for the season if it doesn't get it figured out before Week 1.
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Destroys DeShon Elliott With Great Use Of Massive TE Darnell Washington
When the Pittsburgh Steelers first made it clear they were recruiting Aaron Rodgers to be their quarterback for the 2025 season, Steelers safety DeShon Elliott did not like the idea. Coming off the 2024 season, Elliott took to social media to troll the move, suggesting the team should leave Rodgers behind at the retirement home. The comment drew plenty of attention from fans and media, raising questions about how Rodgers would be received in the locker room. While many saw it as playful banter, it still highlighted some skepticism about the move. A few weeks later, Elliott and Rodgers crossed paths and had an awkward exchange. Reports indicated that while the initial meeting was tense, the two were able to talk things through and move forward without lingering issues. Rodgers focused on preparing for his first season in Pittsburgh, while Elliott shifted his attention back to anchoring the secondary. Both men made it clear that the incident would not be a distraction heading into the season. According to Steelers insider Jeff Hathhorn detailed on 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday, Rodgers has been making a strong impression during training camp. He has been especially effective at using tight end Darnell Washington to create mismatches against the defense. Washington’s size and reach have made him a dangerous target, and Rodgers has been able to exploit that advantage in practice. Elliott has often been on the receiving end of those plays, a reminder that Rodgers still has the ability to challenge even the most confident defenders. "I think Aaron Rodgers is the first quarterback that really knows how to use Darnell Washington," Hathhorn said on Wednesday on The Fan. "We see another alley-oop to him, and he just schooled DeShon Elliott. I mean, just physically with his size put himself in a position where there was no way that anybody else was gonna make the play but him. Those types of things I think we're starting to see with the offense." While it was just a handful of plays where Rodgers was getting the better of Elliott, it is still encouraging to hear that the four-time league MVP is finding ways to involve Washington. When the Steelers drafted the 6'7" tight end, many knew what he would bring to the offense in terms of physicality and elite blocking ability. The bigger question was what he could contribute in the passing game. Washington has not been heavily involved as a receiver in his first two seasons, but when targeted, he has left Steelers fans wanting to see more. He has been targeted just 35 times in his NFL career, but with Rodgers now in town, many expect he could surpass that number in the 2025 season alone. Steelers Have An Elite Tight End Room For The 2025 Season His combination of size, strength, and catch radius could make him a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses if the Steelers choose to utilize him more frequently through the air. It sounds like Rodgers is already putting that formula together. Of course, the only challenge for Washington is that the tight end room is already loaded. The Steelers have Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and Washington, giving them one of the deepest and most versatile tight end groups in the league. The trio should provide Rodgers with multiple high-quality options in both the passing and running game, setting up the potential for a dominant 2025 season. When Rodgers first got to the Steel City. He made some big comments about how impressed he was with Washington. At one point, pundits didn't think Washington needed more targets, but Rodgers views it differently. Do you want to see Rodgers target Washington a lot in the 2025 season?
King of New York: Pete Alonso breaks major Mets all-time record
Pete Alonso is now the New York Mets' all-time home run king. With his opposite-field, two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, Alonso clubbed the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career, moving him into sole possession of first place on the team's all-time list. He moved two home runs ahead of the previous record-holder, Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the team between the 1983 and 1990 seasons. Here is a look at his record-setting home run. Later in the bottom of the sixth inning, Alonso hit his 254th home run: Along with the all-time Mets home run lead, Alonso is also the Mets' single-season home run leader with 53 home runs during the 2019 season. Strawberry congratulated Alonso on breaking his record: His home runs on Tuesday were his 27th and 28th of the season. It is a big deal for Alonso because there was some doubt this past offseason about whether he would have a chance to set this record. Even though he was close, the uncertainty around his future, given his free-agent status, created a lot of questions about where he would play. Ultimately, the Mets re-signed him to a two-year, $54 million contract that includes an opt-out clause following the 2025 season. That opt-out will again create some uncertainty about his future, but it is pretty clear Alonso still has a lot of power left in his bat. Whether he returns to the Mets or goes somewhere else, he will remain the franchise's greatest home run hitter for the foreseeable future. He is now on top of the record books for the single season and career.
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