Snap Stories

Despite her rumored move to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, WWE officials reportedly believe Sasha Banks will return to WWE at some point.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE officials do expect Banks back in the future, although it is unclear when since the two sides are far apart on money in negotiations.

Meltzer (h/t James Holder of Inside The Ropes) previously reported this week that Banks had talks with WWE about a return, but they could not come to an agreement because Banks wanted pay comparable to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, while WWE didn't offer anything close to those numbers.

Per PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, Banks is expected to appear at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on Jan. 4, which would be her first appearance outside WWE.

Meltzer (h/t Ian Carey of F4WOnline) confirmed Johnson's report and noted that Banks' deal is with NJPW and not something that was negotiated through WWE.

He added that Banks negotiated her release from WWE over the summer, but it was agreed upon that she wouldn't do anything in wrestling until the start of 2023.

Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE prior to an episode of Raw in May because of dissatisfaction over how they were being booked as WWE women's tag team champions.

WWE stripped Banks and Naomi of their titles and suspended them, and they haven't been seen on WWE programming since then.

The issue with Banks and Naomi occurred under the leadership of Vince McMahon, but he retired in July, and a new power structure came into existence. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan share the CEO role, while Stephanie is also chairwoman, and Triple H is head of creative.

There was some thought that Banks would be able to work things out with Triple H since he signed her and helped build her into a star in NXT, although the two sides apparently have yet to come to an agreement.

For now, it looks like Banks is destined for NJPW and a potential feud with IWGP women's champion Kairi, but the door is seemingly open for her to return to WWE.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

The Minnesota Twins won big in free agency on Friday with the official signing of coveted catcher Christian Vázquez. They also reached an agreement with outfielder Joey Gallo.

Vázquez, who is fresh off his second World Series win, reached a three-year agreement with Minnesota earlier in the week.

Gallo is joining on a one-year deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Minnesota's new additions come in shortly after former Twins shortstop Carlos Correa agreed to join the San Francisco Giants.

According to The Athletic's Dan Hayes, Minnesota offered more in annual salary, but it wasn't enough for a franchise that hasn't won a playoff series since 2002.

What's next for the Twins as they look to return to contention in the American League? According to Hayes, Minnesota may turn to the trade market—with Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda and Luis Arraez drawing interest.

Per Hayes, Arraez is a player Minnesota would "consider dealing as part of a package for a prominent pitcher."

If Arraez is available, the New York Mets would be wise to make a run at him.

The Mets—who are loaded in the pitching rotation after adding Koudai Senga to a group that also includes Jose Quintana, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander—are reportedly looking to move a pitcher of their own.

"The Mets are listening to trade offers on Carlos Carrasco," Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote. "They believe the rise in free-agent prices, notably for starting pitchers, will make Carrasco an appealing piece at one year and $14 million for all of those shut out of the pricey market. Think teams such as the Twins, Royals and probably at least five or six more."

Would a package that includes Carrasco interest the Twins? That's debatable. Like Gray and Maeda, Carrasco is set to be a free agent next year, and the 35-year-old probably isn't considered a "prominent" pitcher.

However, Carrasco is a solid starter who went 15-7 last season. If the Twins believe they're building a strong playoff team, they could be interested. Carrasco's $14 million salary for 2023 is reasonable.

New York would undoubtedly have to include more in a trade offer for Arráez, who is under team control through 2025. but it's absolutely worth an exploratory inquiry. Arráez, the reigning AL batting champion, would be an ideal fit for the Mets.

New York favors an offense that plays for contact rather than power. The Mets ranked second in batting average last season (.259) but only 15th in home runs (171). Adding a combination of power and efficiency to the lineup would be ideal, which may be part of the reason why the Mets were also interested in Correa before he joined the Giants.

According to Hayes, Andy McCullough and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Mets' plan was to play Correa at third base.

Arraez, a utility infielder, could slot right in at third, and while he might not possess the power of Correa (only eight home runs in 2022 versus 22), he'd still provide a huge offensive boost.

En route to the batting title, Arraez hit .316 with 49 RBI. He was more efficient than Correa in both BA and on-base percentage (.375 versus .366).

Of course, the question isn't whether Arraez would be right for the Mets, it's whether they could possibly pry him from Minnesota. Carrasco could start the conversation.

According to Hayes, McCullough and Rosenthal, catcher James McCann and third baseman Eduardo Escobar could also be made available, and possibly others: "The Mets may also have to explore interest in top prospects like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos."

The Mets owe it to themselves to find out exactly what Arraez would cost. Franchise owner Steve Cohen has shown that he's unafraid to spend big on win-now moves, and adding Arraez is exactly the sort of deal that could help bring New York its first playoff series win since 2016.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving made his first career game-winning buzzer-beater in Friday's thrilling 119-116 victory over the Toronto Raptors, but the original plan wasn't for him to take the shot.

Nets star forward Kevin Durant revealed to reporters after the game that head coach Jacque Vaughn had drawn up a play for him during the team's final timeout, but he suggested that the ball should go to Irving.

"He was already cooking, so I didn't want to get in his way," Durant said. "We kept finding him late in the game. He made some big shots, and I was just like, 'Jacque, I think Ky should take this one."

The suggestion from Durant paid off, as Irving drilled a step-back three-pointer over Raptors guard Fred VanVleet to propel Brooklyn to its fifth straight win and ninth in the last 10 games. Durant explained that he knew Irving would get a good look at the basket "especially" because he was being guarded by VanVleet.

"I'm not saying he's a bad defender, but they're the same size," he said of the 6'2" Irving and the 6'0" VanVleet. "He didn't have a 6'9" [Scottie] Barnes or a 6'5" guy on him that had size, so I felt he could get whatever he want there, and I also felt like they wasn't going to run and double him either at the top of the key because he obviously could just beat that. So they let him play one-on-one, and it was a special, special shot."

Irving finished with a team-high 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting, his third 30-point performance in his last four games. The 30-year-old is now averaging 25.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season.

"It just comes with the trust that we're building here," Irving said of his game-winner. "Jacque had a play call that we were about to go execute, and me and K had some dialogue and we decided to run the play for me. A good matchup versus Fred. We just got the better of him that one time."

After some early-season tumult—most notably during Irving's suspension for promoting an antisemitic film and initially refusing to apologize—the Nets appear to have found the form necessary to be a contender in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn will go for its sixth straight win Sunday against the Detroit Pistons (8-23).

A soccer match between rivals Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in the Australian A-League was abandoned after fans stormed the pitch.

According to ESPN's Joey Lynch, fans planned on jointly walking out of the game in the 20th minute in protest of the Australian Professional Leagues' (APL) decision to sell the hosting rights of the men's and women's grand finals to Sydney for the next three years. Things took a turn when fans started throwing lit flares onto the field.

City goalkeeper Tom Glover reportedly had a flare land near him on the field and attempted to throw it back into the stands toward Victory supporters. Glover's actions "led to a host of fans storming onto the pitch," per Lynch.

In the ensuing fracas, Glover was hit in the head by a bucket filled with sand, which was needed to extinguish the flares on the field. He had blood coming out of his head as his teammates tried to remove him from the melee. Club officials said afterward that he received stitches and is believed to have suffered a concussion.

As players and coaches left the field while the invasion continued, fans attacked the goals and sponsor boards before being ushered off the pitch by members of Victoria Police's Public Order Response Team. According to Victoria Police, 150 to 200 Victory fans stormed the field. No arrests have been made amid an ongoing investigation.

"The Melbourne Victory fans who stormed the pitch, resulting in the assault of a player, a referee and a member of match day broadcast staff, should be subjected to the strongest possible sanctions," a statement from players union Professional Footballers Australia said. "We acknowledge the courage of players, club staff and referees who came to the aid of each other in circumstances that no one should ever be exposed to."

In addition to Glover, referee Alex King was also hit by the bucket, which caused a gash in his head. The game's referee coach was pushed into a fence during the chaos, and a camera operator appeared to be hit by one of the flares thrown onto the field.

Victory released a statement condemning the actions of the fans who stormed the pitch.

"The club would like to formally apologise to Tom Glover, match official Alex King and the camera operator as well as all players, officials and those who witnessed the appalling behaviour," the club stated.

This marks the first time that an A-Leagues match had to be abandoned because of violence.

The latest crop of collegiate talent to enter Major League Soccer will be determined on Wednesday.

The 2023 MLS SuperDraft takes place before the holiday season this year. The latest draft picks will have over two weeks more than most previous selections to get accustomed to their new squads.

Expansion side St. Louis City SC holds the first overall pick in the draft.

St. Louis has a few intriguing options to choose from at the top of the draft class.

The draft holds less meaning with each passing year in MLS because of the influx of academy talent at most clubs. They can identify and develop their own talent instead of relying on the older college talent pool.

The draft has produced a few solid players recently. United States men's national team players Matt Turner and Daryl Dike were draft picks in the last five years.

The full selection order for all three rounds can be found here on the league website.

Draft Preview

St. Louis City SC has a few top-tier names to choose from with the No. 1 overall pick.

San Diego State forward CJ Fodrey could fill in some depth up top, as could Syracuse's Nathan Opoku. J.C. Ngando out of UNC Greensboro is one of the top midfield options.

St. Louis has mostly signed defenders and midfielders in preparation for its first MLS season. A forward to provide depth behind Nicholas Gioacchini and Klauss could help them.

Fodrey was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and earned an invite to the MLS combine, which hosted 44 college players.

He was responsible for seven goals and four assists at San Diego State last season. His overall chance creation could intrigue the expansion side that needs to fill depth everywhere to compete on a busy MLS schedule.

D.C. United, Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes will all be looking for depth as well in the top four. The Houston Dynamo can say the same with the fifth pick.

Most of those teams will go by the best player available strategy.

DC could stay local and select Maryland forward Joshua Bolma. Opoku, Ngando, Oregon State midfielder Joran Gerbet and Washington midfielder Kalani Kossa-Rienzi are among the other names expected to be heard in the top five at some point.

There are 29 picks in the first round now that St. Louis joined the league. The gap in talent in between the first pick and the 30th overall selection could be massive.

A majority of the players selected on Wednesday will either be MLS depth pieces or added to USL rosters to continue to develop in their young careers.

It is rare nowadays for all top-five picks to be successful in MLS because of how deep the rosters are and the preference for younger academy talent at most clubs.

Projection

1. St. Louis City SC - CJ Fodrey, F, San Diego State

2. DC United - Joshua Bolma, F, Maryland

3. Colorado Rapids - JC Ngando, M, UNC Greensboro

4. San Jose Earthquakes - Nathan Opoku, F, Syracuse

5. Houston Dynamo - Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, M, Washington

One of the greatest wrestlers of all time is set to return to a WWE ring soon.

Sixteen-time world champion John Cena announced that he will be teaming with Kevin Owens to take on Sami Zayn and WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a tag match on this year's final episode of Friday Night SmackDown on Dec. 30.

Cena's return to the ring will mark the 20th consecutive year he's competed in a WWE match since his debut in 2002. The 45-year-old has not yet wrestled in 2022 after successfully transitioning into a career as a full-time actor.

After his acclaimed appearance as the Peacemaker in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad, Cena starred in a spin-off series based on the character that debuted in January on HBO Max. The series received positive reviews and was renewed for a second season a month after it premiered on the streaming platform.

Cena is also set to reprise his role in the Fast & Furious franchise for the 2023 film Fast X, which is in post-production and has a release date of May 19. He had debuted in the franchise in F9 last year as Jakob Toretto, the younger brother of the main character Dominic Toretto, who is portrayed by Vin Diesel.

The last time Cena wrestled was at SummerSlam 2021 in a championship match against Reigns, which he lost. This past June, he returned to Monday Night Raw to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his main roster debut.

Cena's partnership with Owens is a fun pairing, considering Owens made his WWE debut by sparking a rivalry with the legendary performer in 2015. Owens has been engaged in a feud with Reigns, Zayn and the rest of The Bloodline for months now, so adding Cena to the mix is an exciting way to close out the year.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).

After a tournament that featured stunning upsets, unpredictability right up until the semifinals and inspirational performances from underdog teams from Morocco and Croatia, the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament final features two teams expected to reach this point as Lionel Messi leads Argentina against Kylian Mbappé and defending champions France.

Prior to the titanic showdown between two of the sports premier stars is the closing ceremony.

This year's ceremony is themed "A Night to Remember" and "will reflect on the tournament through music and poetry," according to FIFA's official website.

Information

Date: Sunday, December 18

Start Time: 8:30 a.m. EST

Location: Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar

Touting a ceremony that "will last 15 minutes and reference the world coming together for the 29 days of the tournament" with its performances, FIFA announced the performers Friday afternoon.

American-Nigerian singer and songwriter Davido and Japanese R&B singer AISHA will perform, "(Hayya Hayya) Better Together," off of the official World Cup soundtrack, while Puerto Rican singer Ozuna will pair with Gims, a Congolese-French rapper, for "Arhbo," also off of the tournament's playlist.

Finally, "Light the Sky" will be performed by an all-female lineup that includes Canadian Nora Fatehi, Emirati and Yemeni singer Balqees, Rahma Riad of Iraq and Morocco's Manal.

Davido's performance will mark the first time an artist has both opened and closed the World Cup ceremonies. He previously performed at the 2022 World Cup Draw.

The ceremony precedes a game that could see one of two historic feats.

Either Messi wins the World Cup that has eluded him throughout his legendary career or Mbappé leads France to a rare achievement of back-to-back titles, which has not been done since Brazil won the trophy in 1958 and 1962.

The only other team to do so? Italy in 1934 and 1938, emphasizing just how difficult an accomplishment it is and the history that awaits France if it can overcome a tough opponent.