Browsing: advice

Jelly Roll has revealed the advice Charlotte Flair gave him while he was training for his in-ring debut.

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on his INSIGHT podcast, Jelly Roll revealed that he couldnâ€t hide the fact that he was hurt while training at the WWE Performance Center for his in-ring debut at SummerSlam. He then revealed the motivational advice he got from current WWE Womenâ€s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair.

“Charlotte Flair told me this. It was so cool when she came back from her injury. You got to remember, Iâ€m at the PC suffering, so everybodyâ€s having to watch me just limp around. Iâ€m clearly not able to hide the fact that Iâ€m hurt.â€

“Charlotte gave me the best advice. She walked over. She said, ‘Baby, Iâ€m gonna tell you something. When I came back from my injury, it bruised my back. Iâ€ve wrestled my whole life, youâ€re fine.†And I was like, Thank you.â€

Jelly Roll Also Revealed How He Learned The Technical Aspects Of In-Ring Competition

Jelly Roll then spoke about how he was told many athletes drop out prematurely due to the intense training, and how he was taught the technical aspects of competing inside the ring.

“Iâ€ve never done nothing this physical. So Iâ€m like, dude, am I way weaker than I thought I was this whole time? And Iâ€m just like, mad soft. Then theyâ€re like, No, dude, and they started telling me about how many athletes drop out. Athletes that are getting paid good money to train there every day. So they kind of put me through that for like, an hour and a half.â€

“Youâ€re just holding the middle rope, swinging back. And theyâ€re showing you how to tuck your chin and not throw your head. You wake up the next day with a pulsating headache all the way down through your neck and spine and forehead. And they tell you exactly where the headache is going to be, and when I woke up the next morning, and they said, ‘Tell us how you feel tomorrow and the day after, if this is what you want to do.†I text them two days later and said, ‘Iâ€m all in.†They were like, ‘How sore?†I was like, ‘Pretty sore, but not sore enough to detour me.†Well, thatâ€s step one.â€

Read More: Jelly Roll Reveals The Rockâ€s Reaction To Him Competing In WWE

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The former Gunners attacker is a unique voice when it comes to breaking into the first-team picture at an early age, having signed for Arsenal from Southampton at the age of 16.

Walcott was named in the England squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, just months after his Highbury move and on reflection believes everything was thrust upon him at once.

Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo ahead of punditry duties on Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the UEFA Champions League this week, Walcott says the current crop of young players coming through at the Emirates Stadium is ‘exciting’.

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“I look at it really differently as well, because when I came to the club, I couldn’t relate to any of the players because of my age gap. And I look at Max [Dowman] coming through, and you see Ethan [Nwaneri], a couple years older, and maybe not even that, Myles [Lewis-Skelly] again, [can] all relate, probably doing the same things together away from the game.”

Walcott’s speed and unpredictability made him a difficult customer for defences, particularly when given space to run in behind. He still regards his assist for Emmanuel Adebayor in a 2008 Champions League tie versus Liverpool as ‘my goal’ having dribbled almost the length of the pitch and past several Reds players before laying it on a plate for the Togolese striker.

Theo Walcott skips past Xabi Alonso (Image credit: Getty Images)

“That’s an assist,” Walcott tells FFT. “You know, when you see players, like Reece James touched it to [Neto] the other day, and that’s an assist. Okay, I suppose it touched you last but when I look at assists, that goal, dribbling past those players – and when you see Saka, and he goes past you and he cuts it back to someone or whatever – they’re the real assists for me.

“That goal I can still re-live it constantly in my mind. I can just picture all the players that are running after me, the players that missed the ball, and [Steven] Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano, and Adebayor’s dance, the slap I got from Cesc Fabregas still hurts to this day, but it was great.

“A lot of people are, ‘Oh, Theo Walcott’s decision-making at times’, but those people may not be able to run as fast as that. Everyone has different attributes, and they make decisions their own way. And I don’t think there would have been any other player to do [that].”

Arsenal host Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night with Walcott featuring pitchside alongside presenter Alex Aljoe and comedian Jack Whitehall.

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Six-time All-Star Blake Griffin was a double-double machine during his NBA career. It’s a score he avoids now that he spends more time on the course.

GOLF: As a fairly new convert to golf, what’s one piece of advice that you might give other newbies trying to improve their game?

Blake Griffin:Good question. Here’s something I learned early in my career in basketball: It doesn’t matter what you do in the first quarter; it’s what you do over the course of the game. The same is true of golf. It’s what you do over the course of your round. You can have a great drive and then shank the next shot. Things are never as good as they seem or as bad as they seem. You just got to ride the wave, and that’s what I like about golf.

G: Solid take. Now that you’re retired from the NBA [since 2023], what’s one place you’d like to play and finally have the time to get there?

BG:I’ve played at a lot of cool places, but I’ve heard Bandon Dunes is great. I would like to go up there and check it out.

NBA star, collegiate golfer J.R. Smith says this golf advice helped him the most

By:

Jessica Marksbury

G: Where are you playing most of your golf now?

BG:I’m a member at Lakeside Golf & Country Club in L.A. I got a good group of guys I play with regularly, but we like to get out to other spots too.

G: Speaking of travel, the NBA has some long road trips. Do you ever wish you’d played golf back then when you’d see teammates slip out on an off day to get in a round?

BG:My man, being on the road in the NBA means you got to find your own way. That’s what I tried to do.

G: You’re famous for once jumping over a car in the slam dunk contest, which you won. What golf landmark would be cool to jump over? The Swilcan Bridge? Rae’s Creek?

BG:[Laughs] I don’t think I could jump over anything now. That was a long time ago, man.

G: Besides the 8AM Invitational, what are some of the other celebrity tournaments that you’ve had the chance to play in?

BG:I played in Tahoe — the Edgewood tournament [American Century Championship]. There were like 20,000 fans a day. That first day, I was so nervous. I was like shaking over practice putts, you know. Like, even when I wasn’t about to hit the ball, I was still nervous.

G: In general, are there shots on course that you’re more nervous about?

BG:Like, anything. I don’t even want to say it. Once I say it, it’s going to be out there. Okay, any shot between 65 to 85 yards. Don’t know why.

G: Golfers have been known to enjoy putting a few dollars on their matches. Keeps things interesting. How big a wager makes you nervous?

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  Victoria MatiashOct 17, 2025, 02:00 PM ET

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  Victoria Matiash is a contributing writer for fantasy hockey and betting at ESPN. Victoria has been a part of the fantasy team since 2010.

Trust me, it’s never too early to compile trade candidates, especially not in light of how many fantasy managers panic prematurely every single year. Five shots and zero points through four contests? I guarantee, no matter how rich the history or reputation, that player will be volleyed via trade to others in leagues everywhere. Having access to the cold data offered by ESPN Fantasy’s background transaction numbers, I can assure you as much. You should see some of the big names being shifted back and forth already.

With that view, in such cases of hasty hysteria, here’s a quintet of underperforming big names to target via trade. Plus, a handful of over-rostered figures that show less promise of turning matters around.

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Elias Pettersson, F, Vancouver Canucks: I know, I know. As Yogi Berra would suggest — also popularly mined as a title for many serial television episodes — it certainly does feel like déjà vu all over again. But not in the light and bouncy fashion Mr. Berra communicated, especially for Canucks fans. With two assists on four shots through a quartet of contests, Pettersson is underwhelming once more. After last season’s drama-flavored thud of a campaign, the center’s fantasy managers and frustrated Vancouver fans alike have every right to feel irritated.

So why try to snag him for your own fantasy squad? Because the ceiling remains high. Still only 26 years old, Pettersson is three years removed from 102 points and two from 89. On Sportsnet radio this week, former Canuck Jannik Hansen put forward that the club’s top center has to be better for Vancouver to go anywhere this year. He’s right. So while a trade for No. 40 could fall terribly flat, the gamble still makes sense if your fantasy roster is middle-of-the-road. Who cares about finishing fifth?

Alex Ovechkin, F, Washington Capitals: This guy is no stranger to sluggish starts. The NHL’s leading scorer earned only two goals in his first dozen games two seasons ago and still ended up with 31. He potted all of two in his first seven last year, then rolled for 44 in 65 games. With sights set on 900 and well beyond, Ovechkin isn’t winding down his career with a whimper. Fully recovering from a minor injury suffered in camp, and shooting on net more often, will help.

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Artemi Panarin, F, New York Rangers: Maybe he’s still a bit banged up after suffering a pair of minor injuries in training camp. Perhaps ongoing contract negotiations, and related trade talk, are more distracting than either side would like to admit. Either way, a pair of assists on 13 shots through six contests isn’t going to cut it. On the upside, the Rangers’ top power play, including Panarin on the point, looks pretty good. They won’t be hovering near an 11.8% success rate much longer. Plus, the 33-year-old can’t be hobbling too badly when logging more than 21 minutes per game. Panarin hasn’t paced out at less than a point per game since his second season in 2026-17, averaging 1.27 between then and now. The Rangers face the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames this coming week. Toss out an offer.

Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers: It hasn’t been a pretty opening for the Oilers’ top defender. Never mind the point drought to date, Bouchard’s been far from brilliant otherwise, serving as a well-rounded calamity in Thursday’s thoroughly earned loss to the Islanders. Nevertheless, we’ve seen such shaky play from the gifted offensive-defenseman before. As long as he’s logging heavy minutes, earning quality chances with the club’s best up front and anchoring Edmonton’s top power play, Bouchard will start steadily denting the scoresheet again soon enough. As fellow blueliner Mattias Ekholm put it, “I’m pretty sure we’ll see a different Bouchard on Saturday.” Fantasy managers might consider lobbing a reasonable offer for the top-10 blueliner before he gets back in scoring gear.

Editor’s Picks

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Darcy Kuemper, G, Los Angeles Kings: Big breath please, the sky isn’t falling in L.A. as some might suggest. Essentially losing their past three games by a single goal (the Pittsburgh Penguins added an empty-netter), the club can largely blame a shoddy special teams’ effort, and in Thursday’s case, uninspiring netminding by backup Anton Forsberg. Promisingly and fortunately, the Kings’ 5-on-5 play is starting to appear solid. Once they clean up other matters, the ship will right itself in southern California again. Also, nominated for the Vezina last year, Kuemper finished in the top three in ESPN Fantasy standard leagues. How far to you expect the guy to fall? If your goaltending corps lacks fantasy pizzazz, chase L.A.’s No. 1 down via trade while he recuperates from a minor lower-body injury.

Trade away

Carter Verhaeghe, F, Florida Panthers:We often become too influenced by a player’s accomplishments in the postseason. Following up an impressive run the year before, Verhaeghe’s 23 points in 23 games this past spring went a long way in helping the Panthers secure their second straight Cup. While appreciably clutch, an irrelevant sum in the regular-season fantasy sphere. Collecting 20 goals and 33 assists (-14) in 2024-25, the Florida winger averaged only 1.6 fantasy points per game in ESPN standard competition. Now the team is without top center Aleksander Barkov (months), Matthew Tkachuk (many weeks) and blueliner Dmitry Kulikov (months). In trying to fill another roster need, try to mine Verhaeghe’s name value and playoff reputation for a reasonable return.

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Carter Verhaeghe stuffs one home on the power play

Carter Verhaeghe gives the Panthers the lead with a close-range finish.

Frank Vatrano, F, Anaheim Ducks:He’s averaging 12:35 on the third line, seeing essentially zero time with the extra skater (35 seconds total thus far), and “leading” everyone with a team-worst minus-4. Vatrano’s 37-goal/60-point 2023-24campaign was a long time ago now. Sure, try to trade the guy and best of luck. There are still likely better options for the grabbing on your wire.

Brock Faber, D, Minnesota Wild:Without question, Faber is a heck of a hockey player, one any NHL team would relish to have on board. But rookie Zeev Buium is currently anchoring the Wild’s top power play, while Jared Spurgeon patrols the second. So unless the defender starts blocking a lot more shots than is his habit, fantasy managers should consider putting him on the block. Good chance another manager will feel enticed by his rookie output of 47 points (2023-24) and current robust 86.2% rostership in ESPN Fantasy leagues.

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Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders:Of course, the Islanders play their best game of the season when backup David Rittich is in net. The three losses preceding Thursday’s 4-2 win against Edmonton, in which Sorokin looked far from fantastic — and worse, terribly unconfident — were wildly different tales. It’s one thing to enjoy the advantage of shaking off feelings of doubt and uncertainty behind a well-oiled machine. Sorokin is a great goalie, who doesn’t feel great at present, playing for a definitely not-great team. You decide how patient you want to play it here.

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Chelsea Green may not have shared the ring with John Cena, but that doesnâ€t mean the Cenation Leader canâ€t impart his wisdom to the WWE SmackDown star when it comes to building her brand outside the squared circle.

In a new interview with Deanna Barnert of Womanâ€s World, Chelsea Green revealed that sheâ€s been exploring opportunities outside WWE and shared how John Cena has been helping her carve a niche beyond the company.

“Iâ€ve been auditioning for role after role, and trying to dabble in the hosting space as well,†she said. “Iâ€m trying to start at the bottom and not cut corners. I want to do it the right way and gain respect within film and TV—not get there because I had it handed to me on a WWE silver platter.

“My husband and I go on double dates with John and Shay, every couple months, and the knowledge that comes out of him is incredible. He totally has my back and if I just continue to touch base with him, Iâ€ll continue to get those little bits of information and advice that are so crucial when youâ€re on this journey of trying to figure out what you want to do next.â€

John Cena reacts to Matt Cardonaâ€s WWE in-ring return

John Cena and Matt Cardona go way back. Cardona, then known as Zack Ryder, was part of a major storyline in the early 2010s that also involved Cena, Kane, and Eve Torres.

Cardona made his first WWE NXT appearance in over five years this past Tuesday, taking on Josh Briggs in singles action. Despite putting up a strong fight, he was unable to defeat the former NXT UK Tag Team Champion.

Cena acknowledged Cardonaâ€s NXT return by dedicating an Instagram post to him, which prompted a response from the former “Belt Collector.†Fans will have to wait and see whether Matt Cardonaâ€s WWE return was a one-off.

Also read: Killer Kross Says One Of John Cenaâ€s Final Matches Should Be Against This Former WWE Superstar

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WWE’s latest united duo has recalled receiving advice from multiple legends, including The Rock.

Last week, on the October 9th episode of SmackDown in Perth, fans witnessed Aleister Black unite with real-life wife Zelina Vega for the first time on WWE television. In the main event of the show, Black defeated Damian Priest before coming together with Vega.

Recently, appearing in an interview with Robbie and Carly, Vega and Black opened up about their personal and professional life, before recalling some of the great advice and mentorship they received from some of the industry’s legends.

Sharing how The Rock helped Vega come out of a dark phase in her life, the former women’s United States Champion said,

“Every year I had a tryout, and it was always like, youâ€re too small or youâ€re too this, or not enough of this. By the time I had that conversation with him [The Rock], I was like, I think this is it, I think Iâ€m done, Iâ€ve reached my end with this, and heâ€s like, just give me three days, Iâ€m working on something, and thatâ€s when he called me and told me and said, ‘I want you to be my Divas Champion, I donâ€t just see you as a girl who is part of WWE or just a girlfriend, or just a brown girl, youâ€re the girl. So Iâ€d like you to be my Divas Champion.’â€

“So Iâ€m like, what the heck is that. That was the craziest call I ever had. I think when it comes to that, itâ€s cool to look back and feel there was a reason I was on this path.â€

Aleister Black further opened up about receiving advice from The Undertaker, Paul Heyman, and a few other legends.

“Terry Taylor, William Regal, Robbie Brookside, Hunter himself. Undertaker is someone who, he graciously took time to sit me down and talk to me about a bunch of stuff, kind of give me his perspective on certain things. To be honest, there are so many great minds, even like Paul Heyman, obviously Paul was always a big proponent of me and still is and will give me great feedback and Iâ€m very thankful to these gentlemen to be in my corner the way they are.â€

H/t 411mania

WWE Couple Aleister Black And Zelina Vega Open Up About Their Married Life

In the same interview, the couple also shared insights into their married life,

Aleister Black: “I think in order to be successful in any discipline, you have to be completely absorbed in it. And also, our school is attached to our house, our training center is attached to our house, so weâ€re always busy with wrestling. Sure there are other things we do, but for the most part, we are very good at having the wrestling but then also saying, alright, now weâ€re gonna do so and so, has nothing to do with wrestling. We have a normal life outside of being professional wrestlers or working with WWE.â€

Zelina Vega: “Our 10 cats help with that.â€

In other news: Jon Moxley has been hailed as AEW’s locker room leader.

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University of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders offered some fatherly advice to his son, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, before undergoing surgery to alleviate blood clots this week.

In a video posted on Well Off Media’s YouTube account (beginning at the 16:35 mark), Deion strikes up a FaceTime conversation with Shedeur while in his hospital bed, awaiting surgery:

Deion stressed the importance of making the safe, smart play, saying, “Checkdown, checkdown, checkdown. Don’t be scared of that checkdown. Everybody else using it.”

Shedeur played four collegiate seasons under Deion with the first two being at FCS Jackson State and the final two being at Colorado.

Collectively, Shedeur posted a 36-14 record as the starter at the two schools, and in his final college campaign at Colorado, he completed 74.0 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions en route to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Sanders was widely expected to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board and a likely first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but he experienced one of the most shocking falls in recent memory, dropping all the way to the Browns at No. 144 overall in the fifth round.

At the start of training camp, Sanders was one of four quarterbacks battling for a roster spot in Cleveland, but through attrition, he is now up to No. 2 on the depth chart.

The Browns traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders before the season started, and on Tuesday, Cleveland traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel took over as the Browns’ starting quarterback last week, and with Flacco out of the picture, Sanders has moved into the backup role by default.

It is unclear if or when Sanders will get a chance to see some game action this season, but he is now one injury or a couple of poor Gabriel performances away from getting on the field.

If and when that happens, Shedeur would perhaps be wise to take his Hall of Fame father’s advice on taking what the defense gives him.

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Carolina Panthers veteran running back Rico Dowdle had a breakout performance in Sunday’s win over the Miami Dolphins.

Dowdle, who got the start in place of Chuba Hubbard while he sat out with a calf injury, totaled 234 yards from scrimmage to help lead the Panthers to a 27-24 victory. He racked up 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries while adding three catches for 28 yards.

According to Fantasy Pros, Dowdle is rostered in just 53 percent of ESPN fantasy football leagues. It can be expected that he will be a popular waiver-wire target this week, but managers should proceed with some caution.

ESPN’s David Newton noted that Panthers head coach Dave Canales classified Hubbard as day-to-day with the expectation that this isn’t a long-term injury. Hubbard led Carolina with 217 yards on 53 carries through four games, while Dowdle had only 83 yards on 28 carries in a backup role.

Once Hubbard is back in the lineup, it can be expected that Dowdle’s volume could see a significant drop-off. Calf injuries are tricky to gauge, so there’s a chance that he sits out a bit longer to ensure that he’s fully healed.

If you were smart enough to have Dowdle on your roster already, perhaps now would be the time to sell high in hopes of acquiring a top-tier player with a better outlook for the rest of the 2025 season.

Making the right move with Dowdle could go a long way toward helping your team compete for a playoff spot later this year.

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With her feature-film debut in A House of Dynamiteset to be released on Oct. 10, Angel Reese received some advice about acting from some of her co-stars.

Speaking to Desiree Anello and Julia Moore of PEOPLE, Reese explained that Idris Elba, who plays the President of the United States in the film, gave her some words of wisdom to help calm her nerves before they started shooting.

“Stay confident. Be yourself. Have fun,” she said of Elba.

Reese went on to say she spent time “shooting baskets” with the Emmy-nominated actor.

The two-time WNBA All-Star also said rapper/actor Common has pushed her to get an acting coach after she suggested doing more onscreen roles in the future:

“I want to get an acting coach. I was talking to Common—he’s overseas right now shooting season 2 of Silo—and he was telling me, ‘You got to hire an acting coach.’ So I’m going to hire an acting coach. I model already, so it’s like adding to the résumé. I’m young right now, so I’m going to do it while I’m young.”

IMDB lists Reese’s role in A House of Dynamiteas “WNBA star.”

Per Chris Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter, Reese appears in a cameo during the final chapter of the film that is divided into three parts:

“There’s a little bit of a lead-up to her cameo as Elba’s character, the President of the United States, is briefed in the White House that the next item on his agenda is an ‘Angel Reese‘ thing. The action picks up as the president visits Liberty Arena where Reese is waiting on the basketball floor with a group of girls. Elba’s character then shoots some hoops and shares how sports have changed his life. Reese engaged with Elba and the young women until the president was abruptly pulled away to deal with a developing catastrophe.”

The premise of the film involves government officials trying to determine the source of a nuclear missile launch that is targeting the United States. Kathryn Bigelow, who won Oscars for directing and producing The Hurt Locker, directed the film.

A House of Dynamitehad its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. It will be released on Netflix on Oct. 10.

The film marks Reese’s acting debut. She previously appeared on the 2024 Amazon docuseries The Money Game: LSU about the impact of NIL on college athletics.

Reese recently wrapped up her second season in the WNBA. She averaged a career-high 14.7 points per game, along with 12.6 rebounds per contest in 30 starts for the Chicago Sky.

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After losing in the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons, Minnesota Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards sought advice from one of the greatest NBA players of all time.

Per ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, Edwards revealed that he had the opportunity to speak with the legendary Michael Jordan through a mutual connection this offseason to learn how to take the next step in his game.

“[He helped me with] getting to my spots, pulling up, shooting over the defender,” Edwards said Monday during the Timberwolves’ media day.

The 24-year-old added that he received a tip that could help his post-up game this season.

“I think the best tip that he gave me is that most people lean on people in the post with their [butt], and he does it with the top part of his back,” Edwards said, pointing toward his right shoulder as he talked. “So I think I learned that from him.”

Edwards has drawn comparisons from Jordan throughout his young career because of his scoring prowess. He averaged a career-high 27.6 points in 2024-25, but many feel that he still hasn’t yet reached his full potential.

It sounds like Edwards is bringing a new mindset to the 2025-26 season, and the advice from Jordan should help propel him to new heights. However, he made it clear that his relationship with the Hall of Famer is still growing.

“We don’t really have the relationship y’all think we’ve got right now,” Edwards said. “It’ll come.”

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