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Amidst his hiatus from the company, a reclusive former WWE Champion has made a rare public appearance.
Brock Lesnar was photographed backstage at a Ward Davis concert on Friday. Davis performed in Tsuut’ina, Canada, and appeared backstage with The Beast after the show.
Davis shared a photo with him and Lesnar on his Facebook page with the caption: “Dude, I get to meet some cool ass people. Brock Lesnar came out to the show last night. He broke four of my ribs when he put his arm around me for this picture.”
Ward Davis shared a pic with Brock Lesnar from his concert in Tsuut’ina Canada on 11/08/24
— Vick (@Vick_8122) November 10, 2024
“He broke four of my ribs when he put his arm around me for this picture.” pic.twitter.com/TffkkZrsJQ
Lesnar, a seven-time WWE Champion, three-time Universal Champion, and the winner of the 2002 and 2023 Royal Rumble, is notoriously private in his personal life, and rarely participates in interviews or the media in general. It is another rare sighting of Lesnar in public while he is on hiatus from WWE.
Lesnar has not appeared on WWE programming since August 2023 in a losing effort to Cody Rhodes at that year's SummerSlam. Original creative plans rumored to be set were to see Lesnar return at the 2024 Royal Rumble to set up a feud with Dominik Mysterio, and then a match with the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Gunther, at WrestleMania XL. Howver, after being implicated in Janel Grant's lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE, Lesnar was removed from all creative plans. Bron Breakker took his rumored place in the Rumble, and Sami Zayn faced Gunther in a winning effort on Night 1.
Currently, there are no reported plans to bring Lesnar back onto WWE programming.
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Browns HC confirms Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders whispers
A previous report suggested that the Cleveland Browns want to start 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel at quarterback for this coming Saturday's preseason game at the Philadelphia Eagles over 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders as long as Gabriel is healthy enough to play at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. While speaking with reporters ahead of Wednesday's joint practice involving the clubs, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Gabriel began the day on track to start Saturday's contest. "The plan was always to give both of those guys a start in the preseason, so we’ll see how it shakes out," Stefanski explained, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Neither Gabriel nor backup Kenny Pickett played in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday as they continued to recover from lingering hamstring injuries. Sanders received the bulk of the meaningful reps in that game and completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win over Carolina. While Gabriel is doing 11-on-11 work during joint practices this week, Pickett remained relegated to 7-on-7 drills as of Wednesday. That said, FanDuel Sportsbook continued to list 40-year-old Joe Flacco as the betting favorite at -310 odds to be the Browns' starting quarterback for their Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals as of Wednesday. Pickett was at +360 odds, followed by Sanders at +1060. Gabriel was a +1800 underdog to get the nod for the Cincinnati matchup at that time. Gabriel began Wednesday as the Browns' unofficial QB3 ahead of Sanders. Meanwhile, Sanders did not get any reps in the opening few periods of the Browns' joint practice with the Eagles on Wednesday morning after suffering an oblique injury. Earlier in the month, the former Colorado star missed some practice time due to arm soreness. Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Stefanski added that he wants "to get through" Thursday before he finalizes his plans for the Philadelphia game. Unless Gabriel experiences a setback ahead of the weekend, it seems he will receive an opportunity to silence critics while serving as Cleveland's temporary QB1 against the Eagles.
Six NBA players most likely to be traded
NBA teams won't assemble for training camp until September, but some players may not be on those teams for long. Here are six NBA players likely to get traded in the upcoming season. 1. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz Some NBA teams go all-in. The Utah Jazz have gone all-out, ditching veterans Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins this summer. Their lone remaining high-priced player is Lauri Markkanen, a 2023 All-Star who has four years and $196M left on his contract. He had a down year in 2024-25, playing just 47 games and dropping to 19 points per game, but the Jazz were also holding Markkanen out so much that they got fined. Markkanen's shooting would fit on nearly any NBA team, and he's still only 28 years old. The Jazz have amassed a lot of future draft picks, but many of them aren't great — pick swaps with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, and a 2027 Los Angeles Lakers first-rounder. Trading their Finnish superstar could get them a huge return, especially if NBA teams are seeing him dominate in EuroBasket exhibition games. 2. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors It seems like a foregone conclusion that Jonathan Kuminga will resign with the Golden State Warriors and equally inevitable that the Warriors will then try to trade their 22-year-old forward. The only holdup is that the restricted free agent and his team can't agree on a new contract. The Warriors need to get something back for their former lottery pick, but they also need to preserve his salary slot. Kuminga and his agent couldn't work out a sign-and-trade this summer, but once free agents who signed this summer can be traded Dec. 15, far more trade options will open up. Kuminga doesn't want to be on the Warriors. The Warriors don't want to guarantee him playing time. The breakup looks like it's coming. 3. Anfernee Simons, Boston Celtics In a year where the Boston Celtics have dramatically slashed their payroll in Jayson Tatum's absence, they have a huge incentive to deal Anfernee Simons, the guard acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in the Jrue Holiday trade. Getting rid of Simons gets them under the luxury tax, which is worth tens of millions of dollars, while also keeping the Celtics out of penalties for repeatedly being a tax team. It all depends on whether the Celtics will settle for the financial savings or hold out to get assets back for the impending free agent. But Simons is almost certainly headed somewhere. 4. P.J. Washington, Dallas Mavericks P.J. Washington was a huge part of the Dallas Mavericks' run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Unfortunately, he plays the same position as the guy the Mavericks just took with the No. 1 pick in the draft, Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks also have Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and the newly-extended Daniel Gafford. Washington and his expiring contract are now expendable. 5. CJ McCollum/Khris Middleton, Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards took on McCollum and Middleton in trades in the past year, moves that were primarily made to shed the long-term salaries of Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma. But even though those players were both born in 1991, they should still be able to contribute to winning teams in 2025-26. The Wizards may value their veteran leadership, but they also have a roster full of recent draft picks who need playing time — and you can never have too many future draft picks.
Steelers' Free Agent Addition Shaping Up To Be A Disappointment After Several Weeks Of Training Camp
Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there are doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
Scout shares big prediction about future of Mets' Nolan McLean
Before the New York Mets blew a six-run lead en route to an embarrassing 11-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves (52-68) on Wednesday, it was learned that they would be promoting promising pitching prospect Nolan McLean. McLean will start Saturday against the Seattle Mariners (67-54) in New York. For an article published on Thursday, Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com reached out to a rival scout to inquire about McLean's potential at the MLB level. "McLean will be a good, consistent big-league starting pitcher for a long time," the scout told Gomez. Per Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News, McLean’s 10.0 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate is the highest among Mets' Triple-A starters, which is likely why McLean was promoted before fellow prospect Brandon Sproat. "I think this is the correct call," a scout told SNY's Andy Martino about the Mets' decision. "Saw [McLean] and Sproat a few weeks ago and thought McLean was a tick ahead … overall stuff, command, control, mound presence. McLean is a very good athlete." McLean will now be tasked with stabilizing the Mets' pitching staff, which has played a considerable role in the club's recent spiral from a 45-24 record on June 12 to 64-56 as of Thursday. As SNY's Phillip Martinez noted, 2025 All-Star David Peterson began the fourth inning Wednesday with a 6-0 lead. He then surrendered four walks and two hits before being pulled for reliever Reed Garrett, who gave up a grand slam to Braves' Michael Harris II. "It’s frustrating," Peterson said after the defeat about the struggles Mets pitchers have endured over the past two months. "We’re not holding up our end, and we need to do better. [Fixing it] starts with analyzing the performance and turning the page and moving on to the next one." The 64-58 Cincinnati Reds could soon take possession of the third and final National League wild-card spot from the Mets. It remains to be seen if McLean can help the Amazins do more than win a couple of games. "[McLean is] very athletic," the scout told Gomez. "He features a sharp and sudden slider, commands everything, is smart with aptitude, and has an advanced feel for it all."
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