Browsing: Champion

AEW

Athena’s reign as your #ForeverChampion remains intact as she defeated Persephone in the second match of what was billed as a double main event. It was also the third women’s title match on the card.  Â

The champion was accompanied by the newest M.I.T. member, Diamanté. Billie Starkz, who lost a shot to become the inaugural Women’s Pure Champion in the opening bout, was nowhere to be found. In the early moments of the match, Athena sent Persephone to the mat and then slapped her in the back of the head before celebrating. She teased her with a test of strength when she got slapped in the face. Persephone attacked her on the outside. Diamanté distracted her so that Athena could jump on her from the steps.

Persephone spent a majority of the match focusing on Athena’s back. They fought again on the outside. Persephone threw her on top of the announce table. She put her back in the ring and kicked her as Athena tried to get to her feet. They hit stereo clothesline and both women went down. They exchanged blows from their knees before eventually getting to their feet to slug each other. Athena kicked her in the face. Persephone sent her to the mat with a big boot.

Athena dove through the ropes onto Persephone. She went for another one, but was caught and tossed overhead. Persephone set up for a powerbomb, but Diamanté pulled her down. Persephone responded by taking her down and took both women down with a dive. Persephone sent Athena into the ring and landed a shotgun dropkick and pinned her for two. She continued focusing on Athena’s back by hitting it repeatedly and putting her in a Texas Cloverleaf, but Athena eventually made it to the ropes.

Athena survives Persephone to remain ROH champion

AEW

Athena sent Persephone into the ropes and hit a leg hook after a springboard moonsault. Athena flipped Persephone over, but Persephone went for Razor’s Edge. Athena had her on her shoulders, but Persephone grabbed the rope. Persephone went for Razor’s Edge, but Athena reversed into a Koji Clutch. Persephone got to her feet, but Athena rolled through. Persephone rolled her up, but the champion got out. Athena covered her and went back to the Koji Clutch, but Persphone got to the rope. Athena kicked her hard in the chest while telling her she didn’t belong her. Persephone suplexed her and hit the Northern Lights twice, before hitting a fallaway slam. Persephone speared Athena, but didn’t cover her. She connected with Razor’s Edge for 2.99. Persephone pummeled Athena’s head and stomped her repeatedly in frustration. She went up top, but Athena suplexed her and followed with the O Face for the win.

After the match, Diamanté and Starkz celebrated in the ring with her. Athena is five days away from being champion for exactly three years.

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Tomorrow night at Ring of Honor Final Battle, several championships will be put on the line. Per ROH owner Tony Khan, Nick Wayne’s ROH World Television Championship will not be one of them.

On the ROH Final Battle media call, Khan addressed the lingering injury to Wayne’s foot, which he first sustained in August. Khan admitted that he and other officials initially expected a full recovery for Wayne by the time Final Battle came around on December 5. As with life, though, an unpredicted curveball emerged.

“I’ll be honest, the timeline on this particular injury changed, which is the nature of injuries,” Khan said. “You can expect when somebody recovers, but when it’s a bad injury, it can take longer … Nick Wayne got hurt in the ring. It’s not his fault. We thought he would 100% be back for Final Battle. I’m not allowed to bet money, but if I was allowed to bet money, I would have bet money that Nick Wayne would be back for Final Battle. He’s not, but I would have to be honest, at Death Before Dishonor, I did not know that Nick Wayne would not be back by now. I didn’t know that a few months ago that was going to be the case or we probably would have crowned an interim TV Champion for when he is back.”

Despite the setback, Khan is hopeful that Wayne is now “close” to returning to in-ring action after breaking his foot. Wayne’s last match came on July 31 when he successfully defended his title against Willie Mack on the Ring of Honor YouTube special (aired August 15). His last physical interaction occurred on the August 13 edition of “AEW Dynamite” as Christian Cage knocked a chair out of his hand with Spike, the nail-filled bat.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ROH with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Elden Campbell, the all-time leading scorer in Clemson basketball history, who went on to play 15 seasons in the NBA and won a ring as part of the 2004 Detroit Pistons, has died at the age of 57.

Clemson and the NBA confirmed his death. No cause of death has been given.

Campbell was a 6’11” big man known for his easy-going style off the court — his nickname was “Easy.”

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On the court, he scored 1,880 points for the Clemson Tigers, a university scoring record that still stands today. He came to Clemson as Horace Grant’s backup, but by his senior season, he and Dale Davis formed a formidable frontline that led the Tigers to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

“I am deeply saddened to learn of Elden Campbell’s passing,” Cliff Ellis, Campbell’s head coach at Clemson, said in a statement released by the university. Elden was a great player for four years, especially in 1989-90, when he was a major reason we won Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship. He went on to a 15-year career in the NBA and won a World Championship. But most of all, Elden was an outstanding, giving person. This is a sad day for the Clemson family.”

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Campbell with the No. 27 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft.

That coming season was Magic Johnson’s last in the NBA — Campbell was on the Lakers’ team that lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals — and from there Campbell was a key part of the Lakers teams between the Showtime era and when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal came to town. He is still third on the Lakers’ all-time blocked shots list.

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After that, Campbell played for the Hornets, Sonics, and then was part of the 2004 Detroit Pistons championship team, a season where he played in 65 games, primarily off the bench.

For his career, Campbell averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks across the 1,044 games he played.

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December 1, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Anna Hursey and coach John Murphy have been reflecting on an amazing World Youth Championships campaign which saw the Wales and GB teenager win three medals.

It was one of each colour for Anna as she won the Womenâ€s Doubles title with Germanyâ€s Mia Griesel, took Mixed Doubles silver alongside Iulian Chirita of host nation Romania and claimed a historic singles medal, a bronze.

Anna said: “It was personally amazing to win a medal in the singles and extremely special to get to a final with Iiulian in Romania in front of a home crowd. It was very special to be world champion with Mia.

“There were a lot of tough moments and a lot of close matches. In the singles I just tried to prepare for each match the same and warm up the same and just to think that itâ€s any other match.

“In the doubles it was important for both pairs to talk to each other, try to encourage each other and have trust in each other.

“For example, in the Womenâ€s Doubles I think there were a lot of tough times and we were 2-0 down, so I think in this moment we just tried to fight for every point and tried to believe that we could win. We played a lot better after 2-0 but it was a very hard match.â€

Coach John Murphy was in Annaâ€s corner throughout and he detailed some of the preparation and thought which went into the tournament.

“It was one of the major goals for Anna in 2025, along with the European Youth Championships and European Under-21s. We planned everything around that,†he said.

“Weâ€d earmarked them as Championships where she could have a major impact and after focussing on the Paris Olympics last year, it was a good year to bring her back to her age category and target these events, and it was good for her as an athlete to know those were the events we were targeting.

“A crucial thing for Anna was she had a good rest at home after Star Contender London as sheâ€d been on the road for a while.

“But we know she plays well when she does tournaments back-to-back, so we had a build-up at the (Vila Nova de Gaia) Feeder Portugal and Star Contender Muscat, where she had one of her best ever wins, against Elizabeta Samara.

“So she was fresh for having the time at home but also sharp from the tournaments, so that was a real positive going into the Worlds.

“Sheâ€s also improved her stamina and physicality in the last 12 months, so to get to get on the podium in three events is due to a lot of discipline and how she works, prepares and rests.â€

Murphy said discussions with doubles partners Chirita and Griesel started last year and plenty of preparation had gone into those events, both in the practice hall and in playing events.

It was the first round of the Mixed which acted as a catalyst for the rest of the event as Chirita & Hursey got past Chinese pair Wen Ruibo & Zong Geman, coming from 2-0 down to win.

Hursey & Griesel also had tough moments, not least in the final when they trailed 2-0 but turned it around to beat Zong Geman & Qin Yuxuan.

“The big turning point for me was in the Mixed Doubles,†said Murphy. “We had a tough draw against probably on paper the favourites. When you can survive and win a match of that level, it elevates your tournament and I think from that moment she was full of confidence.

“The Girls Doubles final, they were a little bit nervous at the start and got a little bit anxious, but they relaxed after being 2-0 down and having a good start in the third gave them that belief again. Nothing changed tactically, it was more about belief and momentum allowing them to execute the tactic.â€

John was also keen to acknowledge the huge contribution of the coaches from Germany and Romania – Lara Broich and Madalin Ionescu respectively.

And he said two other members of the GB delegation – Under-15 athlete Kacper Piwowar and coach Carlo Agnello had also played a key role, not just in the practice hall but by providing support in other ways.

“We’re a small team,” he said, “especially when you look at the huge delegations from some countries, so it was important to have that team element.”

The results also serve as both a credit and a spur to the GB performance pathway, based at the Elite Training Centre in Sheffield.

Murphy said: “First and foremost, itâ€s a great result for Anna and Wales, but itâ€s a great result for the GB programme too.

“The work sheâ€s put in – sheâ€s one of the most committed athletes. Itâ€s a good message to the other athletes coming through the pathway that if youâ€re doing the right things, special results are possible.â€

Anna added: “Iâ€d like to thank the programme for all the support theyâ€ve given me and all the daily work theyâ€ve done with me. Without that, results like these wouldnâ€t be possible.â€

From Romania, Anna and John are heading to China for a five-week training bloc.

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WWE

Former NXT Champion Trick Williams and fellow WWE star Lash Legend announced their engagement with a touching video on Friday, shot at their family Thanksgiving dinner. Legend posted the video to her Instagram account, sharing the intimate moment with her followers. Â

The footage shows family members enjoying dinner, as well as various clips of the couple dancing, before Williams gets down on one knee to propose to a visibly emotional Legend. The video then focuses in on the massive ring and the smiling couple surrounded by their family on the couch.Â

“A million times YESSSS!!!” Legend captioned the video, alongside multiple ring emojis. She wrote that she was getting emotional all over again.

“If you know me, you know I don’t play about my man!” she wrote. “I love him more than words could ever put together. So honored blessed and thankful to spend the rest of my life with my handsome bestie @trickwilliams_wwe”

Exactly when the couple began dating isn’t publicly known, but they were first involved romantically on screen together in “NXT” in March 2024 when Williams was briefly feuding with Noam Dar of the Meta Four. Legend went to join in on an attack on Williams by Dar and Oro Mensah, but Williams intercepted her slap and planted a kiss on her in the middle of the ring. A few months later, on the “Supernova Sessions,” Legend “accidentally” called Williams “babe,” alluding to their real-life relationship.

While the former-two time NXT Champion and one-time TNA Champion remains on WWE’s developmental brand, Legend was recently called up to “WWE SmackDown.” She’s set to make her first WarGames match appearance alongside Nia Jax, the Kabuki Warriors, and Becky Lynch on Saturday.

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Former WWE star Killer Kross wants top Judgment Day member to become WWE Champion.

Killer Kross, formerly known as Karrion Kross, has now shared his thoughts on Finn Balor. Speaking to Square Family Wrestling, Kross opened up on Balor and heaped him with praise and the desire to see him win the World title.

“Heâ€s really, really tough. I donâ€t know what his current weight is, obviously, heâ€s on the lighter side but Finn hits harder than most heavyweights, and heâ€s tougher than most heavyweights. Guy is a complete freak of nature and heâ€s one of my favorite opponents Iâ€ve ever had in my entire career. Heâ€s really, really good.”

Despite his immense talent, ‘The Prince’ is yet to climb the top of the ladder and has found hope from Kross, who believes he ‘deserves it’.

“Heâ€s really underrated and I hope Finn becomes world champion again because he deserves it.“

Balor and Kross share a vivid history, having faced each other in singles action in 2021. However, both times, Kross defeated Balor for the NXT Championship.

Balor has now been away from a World title for nearly a decade. At SummerSlam 2016, Finn Balor defeated Seth Rollins to crown himself the first-ever Universal Champion. However, he had to soon relinquish the title following a shoulder injury.

Also, in the same interview, Kross opened up about the time he first met his wife Scarlett Bordeaux.

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WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Maxxine Dupri has opened up about her in-ring debut story.

A couple of years ago, Maxxine Dupri joined forces with Chad Gable and Otis as a part of The Alpha Acamedy. Predominantly a vocal character, Dupri made her in-ring debut back on the July 3rd episode of RAW against The VIking Raiders. Despite her victory as a part of the team, Dupri recently recalled about ‘blacking out’ during the bout. Speaking to Huge Pop!, she said,

“My favorite thing is when people would say to me, at a meet and greet, like, ‘oh, I just love how you like are able to play this like character that doesnâ€t know how to wrestleâ€, and I always say, ‘I am honored that you think Iâ€m that talentedâ€, I wish I knew exactly what I was doing and every mistake and every moment was a joke and I was in on the joke, but no, my first match in front of an audience was on Monday Night Raw.“

“Like, that was crazy. I actually- I remember nothing. I completely blacked out. I was so nervous, I almost threw up after because I donâ€t think I took one single breath for four minutes straight. Like the math was probably a minute, but Iâ€m saying four minutes, like at the time the music hit, like I stopped breathing,” she continued.

“I was like, I donâ€t know whatâ€s happening, but I have to survive this. It was crazy. Itâ€s just, itâ€s been a beautiful thing getting to go on that ride with the WWE universe. Obviously there was moments where I wish I was more advanced and like could have more control in certain scenarios, but thatâ€s just part of my story.â€

Despite her lack of experience when compared to the WWE locker room, Maxxine Dupri has come a long way. She recently defeated Becky Lynch to crown herself the reigning Women’s Intercontinental Champion.

Maxxine Dupri addresses her WWE Championship win

Earlier this month, just days after Championship win at the Madison Square Garden, Maxxine Dupri reflected on her victory. Sharing the vlog on YouTube, Dupri said,

“I dunno how we got here. I think I saw my whole life flash before my eyes in that moment. The sound of the crowd was the best thing that Iâ€ve ever experienced in my whole life. It was so electric and I think I finally understand when people are like, this is addicting. Iâ€m fiending for it already. New York was, like, the best place for this to happen. I couldnâ€t be happier, I canâ€t believe this is real life.â€

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Nov 27, 2025, 12:50 PM ET

Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time major champion and one of golf’s most gregarious characters whose career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died, according to a longtime colleague. He was 74.

A cause of death was not immediately available. Brian Naugle, the tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston, said Zoeller’s daughter called him Thursday with the news.

Zoeller was the last player to win the Masters on his first attempt, a three-man playoff in 1979. He famously waved a white towel at Winged Foot in 1984 when he thought Greg Norman had beat him, only to defeat Norman in an 18-hole playoff the next day.

But it was the 1997 Masters that changed his popularity.

Masters and U.S. Open champion Fuzzy Zoeller was one of golf’s most gregarious characters and great champions. But his career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke he made about Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters. Chris Condon/PGA TOUR/Getty Images

Woods was on his way to a watershed moment in golf with the most dominant victory in Augusta National history. Zoeller had finished his round and had a drink in hand under the oak tree by the clubhouse when he was stopped by CNN and asked for his thoughts on the 21-year-old Woods on his way to the most dominant win ever at Augusta National.

“That little boy is driving well and he’s putting well. He’s doing everything it takes to win. So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not serve fried chicken next year. Got it?” Zoeller said.

He smiled and snapped his fingers, and as he was walking away he turned and said, “Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.”

That moment haunted him the rest of his career.

Zoeller apologized. Woods was traveling and it took two weeks for him to comment as the controversy festered. Zoeller later said he received death threats for years after that moment.

Writing for Golf Digest in 2008, he said it was “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life.”

“If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way,” Zoeller wrote. “I’ve cried many times. I’ve apologized countless times for words said in jest that just aren’t a reflection of who I am. I have hundreds of friends, including people of color, who will attest to that.

“Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.”

It marred a career filled with two famous major titles, eight other PGA Tour titles and a Senior PGA Championship among his two PGA Tour Champions titles.

More than winning was how he went about it. Zoeller played fast and still had an easygoing nature to the way he approached the game, often whistling between shots.

He made his Masters debut in 1979 and got into a three-way playoff when Ed Sneed bogeyed the last three holes. Zoeller defeated Sneed and Tom Watson with a birdie on the second playoff hole, flinging his putter high in the air.

“I’ve never been to heaven, and thinking back on my life, I probably won’t get a chance to go,” Zoeller once said. “I guess winning the Masters is as close as I’m going to get.”

Zoeller was locked in a duel with Norman at Winged Foot in ’84, playing in the group behind and watching Norman make putt after putt. So when he saw Norman make a 40-footer on the 18th, he assumed it was for birdie and began waving a white towel in a moment of sportsmanship.

Only later did he realize it was for par, and Zoeller made par to force a playoff. Zoeller beat him by eight shots in the 18-hole playoff (67-75). Zoeller’s lone regret was giving the towel to a kid after he finished in regulation.

“If you happen to see a grungy white towel hanging around, get it for me, will you?” he once said.

He was born Frank Urban Zoeller Jr. in New Albany, Indiana. Zoeller said his father was known only as “Fuzzy” and he was given the same name. He played at a junior college in Florida before joining the powerful Houston golf team and then going pro.

His wife, Diane, died in 2021. Zoeller has three children, including daughter Gretchen, with whom he used to play in the PNC Championship. Zoeller was awarded the Bob Jones Award by the USGA in 1985, the organization’s highest honor given for distinguished sportsmanship.

Frank “Fuzzy” Zoeller, winner of the Masters and U.S. Open, has died at the age of 74, according to multiple reports. A cause of death was not immediately available.

Zoeller, who hailed from Indiana and played collegiately at the University of Houston, is the last player to win the Masters in his debut in the event. He earned his green jacket in a three-hole playoff over Tom Watson and Ed Sneed in 1979.

“I’ve never been to heaven, and thinking back on my life, I probably won’t get a chance to go,” Zoeller famously said. “I guess winning the Masters is as close as I’m going to get.”

Zoeller went on to win 10 PGA Tour titles, including another major triumph at the 1984 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. He won the championship in an 18-hole playoff over Greg Norman, the day after he infamously waved a white towel in surrender on the 18th hole thinking he’d lost the tournament.

“Fuzzy was one of a kind,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said in a statement. “We are grateful for all he gave to golf. I hope we can all remember his unmistakable joy.”

Zoeller continued his excellent play on the Champions Tour, winning twice on the senior circuit, including a title at the 2002 Senior PGA Championship, in which he prevailed over Hale Irwin and Bobby Wadkins by a single shot.

Despite his success on the course, Zoeller’s reputation off the course was scarred after he made racially insensitive remarks about Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters. Speaking immediately following Woods’ record-setting win at Augusta National, Zoeller said, “You know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not serve fried chicken next year.”

Zoeller later apologized for the gaffe. He would go on to receive death threats over his remarks and in 2008 wrote that the incident was “the worst thing I’ve gone through in my entire life.”

“If people wanted me to feel the same hurt I projected on others, I’m here to tell you they got their way,” Zoeller wrote. “I’ve cried many times. I’ve apologized countless times for words said in jest that just aren’t a reflection of who I am. I have hundreds of friends, including people of color, who will attest to that … Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.”

Zoeller’s wife, Diane, died in 2021. He is survived by his four children, Sunny, Heidi, Gretchen and Miles, as well as multiple grandchildren.

WWE fans were robbed of seeing a first-time World Champion being crowned owing to an awful domino effect.

In a sit-down interview with Shane Douglas, Ken Anderson (fka Mr. Kennedy) looked back on arguably the highest point of his career. At WrestleMania 23, he won a stacked Money in the Bank Ladder Match that featured major players in the game like Edge, Randy Orton, and Booker T, among others.

One month later, Vince McMahon intended to have Mr. Kennedy cash in on The Undertaker. Unfortunately for him, he got injured, rendering it impossible for him to carry the World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown. Little did Anderson know at the time that this was as close as he was getting to holding the prestigious title.

WWE Kept The Storyline, But Replaced Ken Anderson With Edge

Meanwhile, The Undertaker had a bicep injury, and after WWE found out about it, Vince McMahon planned to have Ken Anderson cash in on him. Michael Hayes gave Anderson a call and had him fly to McMahon’s office.

According to the former Mr. Kennedy, Batista walked out of the former WWE CEO’s room and embraced him and patted him on his back. McMahon then told the former Money in the Bank winner that the plan was to cash in on The Undertaker after the Deadman narrowly defeated Batista in a Steel Cage match, and someone comes out and beats him to a pulp. This turned out to be Mark Henry.

Meanwhile, Batista and Ken wrestled in an 8 Man Tag Team match, when Anderson noticed “something pop” in his triceps.” He was taken to the hospital after the show. Stephanie McMahon called him the next day and informed him that he tore his triceps off the bone, he needed surgery, and that he would be out for 8 to 10 months.

Ken Anderson recalled that The Undertaker losing the World Heavyweight Championship via Money in the Bank cash-in was set in stone. As Anderson was no longer fit to continue, WWE brought Edge in. The two had a match on Monday Night RAW, where The Rated-R Superstar defeated Ken in a short match, just so that the change was explained in kayfabe.

I remember thinking at the time like, ‘There isn’t any other way you could get the title off of him? It has to be this way?’ I got a YEAR to cash it in. Even if I’m gone for 10 months, I can come back and cash it in. But I just, ‘Okay. Whatever. Business is business,’” Ken Anderson said.

WWE Misdiagnosed Ken Anderson’s Triceps Injury

After dropping the MITB briefcase to Edge, Anderson met Dr. James Andrews, a renowned orthopedic surgeon who had treated many athletes.

Andrews told him it was not a tear and that “everything was intact.” He had to do another MRI, and he found out it was a hematoma.

It was just a large hematoma, which is just a bunch of broken blood vessels. And [Andrews] informed me, ‘You’ll be back in a month.’”

But by then, Edge had already cashed in on The Undertaker on May 8, 2007, and became the World Heavyweight Champion.

Ken Anderson concluded by reflecting on his later years in WWE, stating that while he has had opportunities to contend for the World Title, he never came close to winning the belt.

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