ANWA champ Carla Bernat Escuder leads Kansas State to first NCAA tournament berth

The John Cena retirement tour: Which opponents could be on deck?

Yahoo

an hour ago

Yahoo

The John Cena retirement tour: Which opponents could be on deck?

The John Cena heel turn has come and gone, extinguished in a burst of color, like the end of winter in Narnia. Will the experiment prove to be a stain on the Cena retirement tour? Thankfully, there are enough dates left on the calendar that WWE really should be able to turn this around, particularly if the crowd reactions for Cena at 'SmackDown' and SummerSlam are anything to go by. When it comes to the next steps for the 17-time champion, the roster isn't short of worthy opponents, plenty of whom have history with Cena. And with at least three PLEs on the calendar — as well as a rumored special Saturday Night's Main Event in Cena's home state — there's enough time to spin a proper narrative and give us something to help extinguish the memories of WrestleMania 41. As for what that might look like, here's what we know is happening before Cena retires in December, as well as some likely (and less likely) options for the coming months: Logan Paul Those who follow the backstage politics of WWE will know the promotion has been keen to do John Cena vs. Logan Paul for a while now — at one point it was considered for last year's WrestleMania XL. Cena's big heel turn in March presumably forced it to put any plans on ice, with the creatives choosing to have the two heels team up at MITB instead to face Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. With the deck finally reset, it's back to the original plan, as Cena and Paul meet at Clash in Paris in Cena's first singles match since dropping the Universal Championship. For all his prodigious in-ring work and superstar quality, it's still a big pat on the back for 'The Social Media Megastar' to be one of the few non-legacy names chosen to get his time with the GOAT of WWE. Then again, no one ever went broke betting on Logan Paul getting big opportunities in WWE. No doubt the two of them will deliver an enjoyable match at Clash itself, but I'd be surprised if the feud continues after their respective planes take off from France. Brock Lesnar After that ending to SummerSlam we all know this one is happening. We also know from his big promo on last week's 'SmackDown' that John Cena feels more than ready to take on 'The Beast' in what will be their first singles encounter since 2014. As for when the match is actually happening, we're still in the dark. Given Brock Lesnar hasn't always been that keen on traveling internationally — purely as a personal preference — the overseas shows were always unlikely, with Paris now off the table entirely. Indeed some reports say Cena vs. Lesnar will take place at an unconfirmed U.S.-based PLE in September. Given the massive reaction to their interaction at SummerSlam, perhaps there's a case for stringing this one out beyond that. Having 'The Beast Incarnate' hovering over Cena like a television show-style 'big bad' — perhaps emerging again after Cena beats someone else in September to deliver another F-5 — could help build anticipation for their eventual showdown. Gunther If the reports are to be believed, WWE has its eyes set on Gunther to serve as Cena's final opponent, with the match taking place at a special SNME (yet to be confirmed) in Massachusetts just before Christmas. On the face of it, you can't fault the plan. Who better to provide that final match than one of the most ferocious competitors — and a proudly old-fashioned wrestler too — on the current roster? It's certainly the kind of thing that would add to the prestige around Gunther: a man who likely has a good 10 years, at least, as an upper-card star. That said, we know WWE likes to mislead the fan base (and the media) with these supposed leaks. And does it really make sense to give Cena exactly the same final match as Goldberg — given the latter happened just two months ago? AJ Styles Given the focus on going 'one last time' with Cena's classic opponents, it's probably still more likely this match happens than not — even if we haven't yet seen any teases that the WWE is planning on doing Cena vs. Styles. Another dance between two of WWE's most accomplished stars of the 2010s would merit a spot on any of the remaining PLEs. Then there's the fact that Cena is also set for a one-off appearance on 'Raw' (probably his last appearance on that particular show before retirement) in Massachusetts in September: Could that be the moment that we get Styles vs. Cena? Who else might we see? After the colossal shock of the Lesnar return, we probably shouldn't rule out another unexpected opponent for Cena. He and Seth Rollins obviously have history, even if the latter has his hands full right now. Could they battle one last time? We also know Cena likes putting over the younger talents (don't forget his most recent singles matches pre-2025 were against Austin Theory and Solo Sikoa). With that in mind, maybe we should keep an eye on the likes of Bron Breakker and Dom Mysterio, either of whom could put on a future classic with babyface Cena. The chances of seeing Edge, Batista and The Rock feel like very remote possibilities right now (albeit for different reasons), certainly for any kind of in-ring stuff. But might they show up in some form in the final stages of the retirement run? We are literally dealing with wrestling history here, after all. Finally, it might be nice to see some kind of encounter with the Wyatt Sicks, given Cena has said himself how much he enjoyed working with the late Bray Wyatt. An actual match would almost certainly be overkill, but a spooky backstage interaction could be fun, particularly if it had a callback to the Firefly Fun House. What dates will Cena be working? According to WWE and the man himself, Cena has another 11 dates to go until he hangs up those boots in December. Although we obviously shouldn't discount the possibility that there's a secret plan to add an extra date, particularly given we're still expecting that last SNME to be announced. Either way, here are the shows that we know Cena will be appearing at: Aug. 22: 'SmackDown' (Dublin) Aug. 29: 'SmackDown' (Paris) Aug. 31 – Clash in Paris Sept. 5: 'SmackDown' (Chicago) Sept. 15: 'Raw' (Springfield, Massachusetts) Oct. 11: Crown Jewel: Perth (Australia) Nov. 29: Survivor Series (You can maybe add an asterisk on Crown Jewel: Perth as Cena isn't actually listed on the WWE website. However, he is named on the stadium's ticket sales platform. In the event that he isn't working that show, Perth might not be too happy about it …) That leaves four dates to go, with more likely candidates being: Sept. 20: WWE PLE (at least if reports are correct …) Oct. 10: 'SmackDown' (Perth, Australia) Nov. 28: 'SmackDown' (TBA, but likely San Diego, given Survivor Series) December TBA: 'SmackDown,' pre-SNME episode December TBA: special episode of SNME (Boston)

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at No. 3 Texas

Yahoo

3 hours ago

Yahoo

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at No. 3 Texas

College football officially begins this month. Now that it's August, there are less than two weeks until Kansas State and Iowa State meet in Dublin to begin the 2025 regular season. And since the season is quickly approaching, we're rolling out our preseason Top 25. Next up in our rankings is the No. 3 team, and the rest will be revealed in the coming days. (All odds are from BetMGM.) Previously: Nos. 11 through 25, No. 10 Miami, No. 9 Alabama, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 7 LSU, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 4 Oregon No. 3 Texas 2024 record: 13-3 National championship odds: +475 Odds to make College Football Playoff: -310 2024 in 100 words The Longhorns started the season 6-0 in a stretch that included a convincing 31-12 win over Michigan and an even more convincing 34-3 win over Oklahoma. However, those teams weren't close to being playoff contenders. Texas got its first dose of Georgia on Oct. 19 when the Bulldogs just bullied the Longhorns' offense in a 30-15 loss. Texas then won five more games to make it to the SEC title game and face … you guessed it, Georgia. The Bulldogs again got the better of the Longhorns in a 22-19 win without Carson Beck for the second half. Even so, Texas won two playoff games to advance to the national semifinals, where it lost 28-14 to eventual champion Ohio State. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The quarterback Arch Manning What is there left to say about Arch Manning before the season begins? The buildup to his first season as Texas' full-time starter is unlike anything we've seen in recent college football history. Manning is the Heisman favorite at +600 despite throwing fewer than 100 career passes in college football. Many of those passes came early in the 2024 season after Quinn Ewers suffered an oblique injury. Manning sent the hype machine into overdrive immediately after he replaced Ewers against UTSA when he was 9-of-12 passing for 223 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing three times for 53 yards and a score. He started the next two games for the Longhorns as Ewers recovered and one was better than the other. Against Louisiana-Monroe, Manning's first college start was pretty pedestrian. He was 15-of-29 passing for 258 yards and 2 TDs and 2 interceptions in the 51-3 win. He was much better the next week against Mississippi State. Manning was 26-of-31 for 325 yards and two scores against the Bulldogs while also rushing six times for 33 yards and a TD. There was a moment in the first loss to Georgia where it looked like Texas coach Steve Sarkisian could be making the switch from Ewers to Manning late in the second half. Georgia's relentless pressure had put Ewers and the Texas offense into a funk and Sarkisian inserted Manning into the game. A spark didn't happen. Manning was 3-of-6 for 19 yards and fumbled with 25 seconds to go to set up a Georgia field goal and a 23-0 halftime lead for the Bulldogs. With Ewers off to the NFL, the time is now for Manning. And it sure looks like this will be the first of two seasons as Texas' starting quarterback given what his grandfather Archie said to Texas Monthly. Arch, meanwhile, said at SEC media day that he's learning to become more of a vocal leader now that he's the starter. 'I think as much as it wasn't always easy, those two years I kind of feel like I got a lot of respect from the team,' Arch said of his two seasons as a backup. 'Now being more of a vocal leader, they know it's coming from a place of love. When I get on someone, they know I'm not just being a turd.' Non-QB to watch WR Ryan Wingo The Longhorns lose their top three receivers from 2024 in Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm and Isaiah Bond. All three each had more than 500 yards receiving and combined for over half of Texas' receiving TDs. Enter Wingo, who played a significant role as a freshman. Wingo had 29 grabs for 472 yards and two scores and was also used as a changeup on wide receiver runs. He had five carries for 100 yards thanks to a big 55-yard dash in the Week 2 win over Michigan. The former four-star recruit will team with DeAndre Moore Jr. on the outside while five-star freshman Kaliq Lockett could also push for playing time. Best position group Linebackers Anthony Hill leads the position group after he was everywhere in 2024. Hill had 113 tackles, eight sacks and an interception as the leader of Texas' defense. He should again be the team's leader in tackles and an All-American candidate. Liona Lefau is also back after he had 63 tackles last season and Jelani McDonald should step into a bigger role after he had 33 stops as a true freshman. Behind Hill and Lefau, Texas also has a ton of depth at the position. This was an easy choice on what could be a stacked defense. Biggest game Oct. 11 vs. Oklahoma No, we're not forgetting about the Week 1 showdown at Ohio State or the Week 12 game at Georgia on Nov. 15. Both of those games are massive and worthy of inclusion as the biggest game of the year. But it's conceivable that Texas could lose both of those road games and still be in the thick of the SEC title race and the playoff race. Losing to both Georgia and Oklahoma will complicate Texas' road back to the SEC championship game. The Oklahoma game also comes in the middle of a four-game stretch that doesn't include a home game. Texas plays at Florida on Oct. 4 before the annual game in Dallas and then plays at Kentucky and at Mississippi State over the following two weeks before a home game against Vanderbilt. Oklahoma should be much improved in 2025 and give Texas a much better game. Winning is imperative for bragging rights and Texas' hopes of a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Why Texas is No. 3 For all the attention that will be paid to Manning and the Texas offense this season, the biggest reason for Texas' ranking is its defense. Just ask Sarkisian. 'This is probably the deepest and most talented defense that we've had, and we've made incremental growth on the defensive side of the ball now through four years,' Sarkisian said at SEC media days. 'And we're going to need to do that again. I think championships are won on the defensive side of the ball, and we've got a defensive football team that we're very excited about.' That defense could be what gives Texas the edge in Week 1 against the Buckeyes, even if the Longhorns are slight underdogs. Whoever starts at QB for Ohio State will also be very inexperienced, and the Buckeyes have far more turnover on the defensive side of the ball than the Longhorns. Texas gave up just over 15 points per game in 2024 and that number should be similar in 2025. Opposing offenses averaged 283 yards per game — only Ohio State and Indiana allowed fewer yards a contest. This is a well-rounded football team that should be going for a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff.

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at Texas

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Yahoo

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at Texas

College football officially begins this month. Now that it's August, there are less than two weeks until Kansas State and Iowa State meet in Dublin to begin the 2025 regular season. And since the season is quickly approaching, we're rolling out our preseason Top 25. Next up in our rankings is the No. 3 team, and the rest will be revealed in the coming days. (All odds are from BetMGM.) Previously: Nos. 11 through 25, No. 10 Miami, No. 9 Alabama, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 7 LSU, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 4 Oregon No. 3 Texas 2024 record: 13-3 National championship odds: +475 Odds to make College Football Playoff: -310 2024 in 100 words The Longhorns started the season 6-0 in a stretch that included a convincing 31-12 win over Michigan and an even more convincing 34-3 win over Oklahoma. However, those teams weren't close to being playoff contenders. Texas got its first dose of Georgia on Oct. 19 when the Bulldogs just bullied the Longhorns' offense in a 30-15 loss. Texas then won five more games to make it to the SEC title game and face … you guessed it, Georgia. The Bulldogs again got the better of the Longhorns in a 22-19 win without Carson Beck for the second half. Even so, Texas won two playoff games to advance to the national semifinals, where it lost 28-14 to eventual champion Ohio State. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The quarterback Arch Manning What is there left to say about Arch Manning before the season begins? The buildup to his first season as Texas' full-time starter is unlike anything we've seen in recent college football history. Manning is the Heisman favorite at +600 despite throwing fewer than 100 career passes in college football. Many of those passes came early in the 2024 season after Quinn Ewers suffered an oblique injury. Manning sent the hype machine into overdrive immediately after he replaced Ewers against UTSA when he was 9-of-12 passing for 223 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing three times for 53 yards and a score. He started the next two games for the Longhorns as Ewers recovered and one was better than the other. Against Louisiana-Monroe, Manning's first college start was pretty pedestrian. He was 15-of-29 passing for 258 yards and 2 TDs and 2 interceptions in the 51-3 win. He was much better the next week against Mississippi State. Manning was 26-of-31 for 325 yards and two scores against the Bulldogs while also rushing six times for 33 yards and a TD. There was a moment in the first loss to Georgia where it looked like Texas coach Steve Sarkisian could be making the switch from Ewers to Manning late in the second half. Georgia's relentless pressure had put Ewers and the Texas offense into a funk and Sarkisian inserted Manning into the game. A spark didn't happen. Manning was 3-of-6 for 19 yards and fumbled with 25 seconds to go to set up a Georgia field goal and a 23-0 halftime lead for the Bulldogs. With Ewers off to the NFL, the time is now for Manning. And it sure looks like this will be the first of two seasons as Texas' starting quarterback given what his grandfather Archie said to Texas Monthly. Arch, meanwhile, said at SEC media day that he's learning to become more of a vocal leader now that he's the starter. 'I think as much as it wasn't always easy, those two years I kind of feel like I got a lot of respect from the team,' Arch said of his two seasons as a backup. 'Now being more of a vocal leader, they know it's coming from a place of love. When I get on someone, they know I'm not just being a turd.' Non-QB to watch WR Ryan Wingo The Longhorns lose their top three receivers from 2024 in Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm and Isaiah Bond. All three each had more than 500 yards receiving and combined for over half of Texas' receiving TDs. Enter Wingo, who played a significant role as a freshman. Wingo had 29 grabs for 472 yards and two scores and was also used as a changeup on wide receiver runs. He had five carries for 100 yards thanks to a big 55-yard dash in the Week 2 win over Michigan. The former four-star recruit will team with DeAndre Moore Jr. on the outside while five-star freshman Kaliq Lockett could also push for playing time. Best position group Linebackers Anthony Hill leads the position group after he was everywhere in 2024. Hill had 113 tackles, eight sacks and an interception as the leader of Texas' defense. He should again be the team's leader in tackles and an All-American candidate. Liona Lefau is also back after he had 63 tackles last season and Jelani McDonald should step into a bigger role after he had 33 stops as a true freshman. Behind Hill and Lefau, Texas also has a ton of depth at the position. This was an easy choice on what could be a stacked defense. Biggest game Oct. 11 vs. Oklahoma No, we're not forgetting about the Week 1 showdown at Ohio State or the Week 12 game at Georgia on Nov. 15. Both of those games are massive and worthy of inclusion as the biggest game of the year. But it's conceivable that Texas could lose both of those road games and still be in the thick of the SEC title race and the playoff race. Losing to both Georgia and Oklahoma will complicate Texas' road back to the SEC championship game. The Oklahoma game also comes in the middle of a four-game stretch that doesn't include a home game. Texas plays at Florida on Oct. 4 before the annual game in Dallas and then plays at Kentucky and at Mississippi State over the following two weeks before a home game against Vanderbilt. Oklahoma should be much improved in 2025 and give Texas a much better game. Winning is imperative for bragging rights and Texas' hopes of a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. Why Texas is No. 3 For all the attention that will be paid to Manning and the Texas offense this season, the biggest reason for Texas' ranking is its defense. Just ask Sarkisian. 'This is probably the deepest and most talented defense that we've had, and we've made incremental growth on the defensive side of the ball now through four years,' Sarkisian said at SEC media days. 'And we're going to need to do that again. I think championships are won on the defensive side of the ball, and we've got a defensive football team that we're very excited about.' That defense could be what gives Texas the edge in Week 1 against the Buckeyes, even if the Longhorns are slight underdogs. Whoever starts at QB for Ohio State will also be very inexperienced, and the Buckeyes have far more turnover on the defensive side of the ball than the Longhorns. Texas gave up just over 15 points per game in 2024 and that number should be similar in 2025. Opposing offenses averaged 283 yards per game — only Ohio State and Indiana allowed fewer yards a contest. This is a well-rounded football team that should be going for a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff.

ANWA champ Carla Bernat Escuder leads Kansas State to first NCAA tournament berth

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Comments

Related Articles

The John Cena retirement tour: Which opponents could be on deck?

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at No. 3 Texas

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at Texas

ANWA champ Carla Bernat Escuder leads Kansas State to first NCAA tournament berth

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Comments

Related Articles

The John Cena retirement tour: Which opponents could be on deck?

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at No. 3 Texas

College football Top 25: The Arch Manning era begins in earnest at Texas

Get Started Now: Download the App