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Braun Strowman claims thereâ€s “no problem†with Paul Heyman—but based on his new interview and the paper trail on X/Twitter, it sure doesnâ€t sound like the full story.

On the October 21, 2025 episode of TMZ Inside the Ring, Strowman finally addressed his online back-and-forth with Heyman, but his explanation directly contradicts what actually happened.

“I gotta stop you right there. I keep getting this ‘tweeting with Paul Heyman.†I never even talked about Paul or acknowledged Paul. I donâ€t know why he got so upset and came at me with thinking that I was a kid — especially because he gets to see my face every commercial break on SmackDown. And letâ€s be for real, if anybody knows about me having a show about ordering everything on the menu, youâ€d think Paul would know.â€

Except… Strowman did mention Heyman. On October 7, he posted an old clip of himself destroying Roman Reigns in 2017—complete with ambulance footage and stretcher shots—to clap back at Heymanâ€s recent RAW claim that Reigns has “never been beaten so badly he had to be stretchered out.†Braun didnâ€t stop there. He added a direct insult aimed at Heymanâ€s appearance:

“yea ok Oswald Cobblepot!!â€

The “Penguin†reference wasnâ€t subtle, and it didnâ€t go unanswered. On October 8, Heyman responded with pure venom masked in faux-respect.

“Dear Mr. Strowman,
Your post was brought to my attention. I have nothing negative to say about you, nor to you sir. In fact, I am actually relieved and indeed celebratory to learn youâ€re still alive, something most of us didnâ€t realize and even fewer cared about.
With Love and Respect,
Paul Heyman.â€

Rather than fire back with more insults, Strowman flipped the moment into a PR opportunity. On October 9, he responded:

“Morning Paul,
Thank you for such a thoughtful, kind, caring note but Iâ€ve been quite busy and just getting started. Why donâ€t you tune in to #EverythingOnTheMenu premiering 10/24 on @usanetwork following @wwe #Smackdown. Stay well my friend! Hereâ€s a preview:â€

He attached a promo for his upcoming USA Network show Everything On The Menu, using Heymanâ€s sarcasm to shine a spotlight on his brand. But back to the interview. Strowman insisted it was all misinterpreted and that he never even meant to stir anything up.

“I have no idea. I guess I struck a nerve or something. I donâ€t know. I didnâ€t deliberately, intentionally mean to talk to him or any of that stuff. Maybe heâ€s just sensitive or something. Or maybe he misses me. Thatâ€s probably what it is. People wait and hear struggling a little bit and they realize that when the monsterâ€s on TV, it draws ratings. So, who knows? I have no problems with nobody. Iâ€m my own man. I can handle business how I need to handle business.â€

Still, claiming he “never acknowledged Paul†just doesnâ€t line up with whatâ€s been posted. The original “Cobblepot†tweet, the callback to their 2017 feud, and the subsequent shade from Heyman suggest Braun knew exactly what he was doing. If anything, Strowmanâ€s version of events looks like strategic backpedaling—playing it cool while continuing to get his name out there and promote his new show.

Is Braun Strowman trying to play innocent while stirring the pot? Drop your take in the comments and tell us what you really think.

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Dallas Mavericks minority stakeholder Mark Cuban denied the organization ran afoul of any NBA rules when it re-signed Dirk Nowitzki in 2014.

Appearing on the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, Cuban called it “nonsense” that a production company he co-owned purchased a documentary about Nowitzki for way above market value as a way to circumvent the salary cap.

Cuban was once again a guest on Torre’s podcast to push back against the idea Los Angeles Clippers team governor Steve Ballmer knowingly paid star Kawhi Leonard through a sponsorship deal with Aspiration.

Starting at the 1:23:15 mark of the episode, Torre pivots to what some fans labeled a “sweetheart deal” between the Mavericks and Nowitzki in 2014.

The franchise legend took a massive pay cut as his salary fell from $22.7 million in 2013-14 to under $8 million the following year. Torre reported he turned down max offers from other teams, and his below-market contract allowed Dallas to land Chandler Parsons that summer.

Cuban asserted that Nowitzki “wanted Tim Duncan money,” a reference to how the San Antonio Spurs star took less toward the end of his run there.

The salary cap had remained around $58 million from 2010-14 and only rose to $63.1 million for 2014-15. At that time, aging stars such as Nowitzki and Duncan were incentivized to sign smaller contracts so their teams would have more flexibility to land other players.

This is where Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot comes in.

Magnolia Pictures, which Cuban co-owned, purchased the distribution rights, and some theorized the transaction was a way to give Nowitzki the money he had had on the table from other teams.

Torre confirmed the Magnolia deal actually totaled $100,000.

Even if the Mavs did violate NBA rules, it had little effect. They lost in the first round of the 2015 and 2016 playoffs, and then they missed the postseason altogether for three straight years.

But Torre and Cuban made it clear the conspiracy theories about Nowitzki’s 2014 return to Dallas were just that.

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Collin Morikawa admits the behaviour of American fans at the Ryder Cup “crossed the line†but he denies he was partly to blame for inflaming the atmosphere.

Two days before the event started at Bethpage in New York, the two-time major winner said he hoped the opening day was “absolute chaosâ€.

Once the tournament started, Europe’s players were subjected to abuse from the galleries and Rory McIlroy’s wife, Erica, had beer thrown at her. PGA of America chief executive Derek Sprague said he would apologise to McIlroy and the rest of the European team for the behaviour of the home fans.

Morikawa, who lost two and halved one of his three matches at the tournament, agreed USA fans had gone too far but denied any personal responsibility.

“I think we’ve taken what I said a little out of context. I think Ryder Cups are meant to have a lot of energy, right, and I think me saying the word ‘chaos’, I didn’t mean for them to be rude, right?,†he said. “So like that’s not on me, I believe, for me to take credit for people being rude. I think what I meant was like I wanted energy, right?

“You wanted people to be proud of the country, the countries they’re rooting for. I don’t think me saying one word, everyone listened – I don’t think I have the power to do that amongst people. I think fans can do and say what they want sometimes. It probably crossed a line out there so I would say there’s a line that needs to be drawn.

“But what’s so different and unique about golf is that we hear nearly everything what people say because people have access to be so close to us. I think you have to learn how to find that division of what’s appropriate and what’s not.â€

Morikawa was speaking before the PGA Tour’s Baycurrent Classic – which he won in 2023 – being hosted in Yokohama, Japan.

The tournament is already being affected by warnings about the incoming Typhoon Halong, with Thursday’s tee times brought forward by two hours.

“You just have to adjust a lot tomorrow and be ready really to hit any club off the tee because it’s going to play very different than what we’ve seen the first couple days,†added Morikawa.

Jamie Carragher faced an online backlash for his comments after Chelsea’s last-gasp victory over Liverpool on Saturday – but not from fans of his former club.

The Anfield legend said on Sky Sports that he ‘loved’ the exuberant celebrations of Blues boss Enzo Maresca following Estevao’s stoppage-time winner, which saw the Italian race down the touchline to hug his players.

You might think Liverpool fans would have grumbled at one of their own appearing to enjoy a painful defeat for their team, but the ire instead came from Arsenal supporters.

As Carragher hailed the scenes which greeted a win that sent Chelsea seventh in the Premier League, Gunners fans pointed to the Sky pundit’s comments following their side’s 3-1 win over Liverpool in February 2024.

Gunners fans accused Carragher of showing an anti-Arsenal bias for praising the scenes at Chelsea after slamming their side’s celebrations in 2024, but the 47-year-old hit back in the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.

Carragher, ranked at No.14 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best Premier League defenders of all time, said: ‘Arsenal beat Liverpool 3-1. The game was over with around 15 minutes to go, no last-minute winner and there was a bit of a celebration after the game. You were still behind Liverpool.

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‘[Against Liverpool on Saturday] Enzo Maresca reacted to a goal going in that second, in the last kick of the game in a game Chelsea thought they had no chance.

‘That’s a natural reaction at the end of the game – we’d all be like a lunatic, last-minute winner against the champions.

‘Arsenal were at a stage where you had a brilliant result, and we’re talking a few minutes after the game has finished and all the cameras are out – I was thinking ‘Woah, slow down’. It’s not a media narrative against Arsenal; it’s a last-minute winner.

Arsenal fans will hope they are the ones celebrating come May (Image credit: Getty Images)

‘I think Arsenal supporters online are a little bit touchy, with Chelsea not far behind. Arsenal have a big presence online, which is fine, there’s a huge fanbase, but you think the world is against you.’

Carragher’s comments are unlikely to appease Arsenal fans, but after the Gunners went top of the league on Saturday they will be hoping they are the ones celebrating come May.

Jamie Carragher was speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you bySky Bet

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Deion Sanders Jr. has poured some cold water on information that Eli Manning passed along about Travis Hunter’s practice “lore” when he was playing at Colorado.

According to Manning, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen informed him that Hunter only practiced with the defense and never with the offense during his time with the Buffaloes.

Sanders responded with a post on X, calling it a “lie” and stating that Hunter practiced “equally” on both sides of the ball.

After the Jaguars traded up in the draft to select Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick, details about his practice routine in college came out as the NFL club wanted to put together a plan for the two-way superstar.

The routine reportedly involved Hunter getting three days of practice with both the offense and defense from Wednesday through Friday during the season. He also designated rest days at Colorado on from Sunday through Tuesday each week.

Coen addressed the learning process for the coaching staff as they figured out how to manage Hunter’s workload during mandatory minicamp.

“We saw there was a span where maybe he practiced on offense. Let’s call it a Thursday because we didn’t do anything on the Fridays,” Coen told ESPN’s Michael DiRocco in August. “And then he had Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then Monday, he was on defense. That’s four days without doing anything on offense. Well, we learned that it was too long. That’s too long to kind of go without doing anything on maybe the other side of the ball, so we learned something there.”

Coen said earlier in the summer that the coaching staff needed to make sure that “every minute” Hunter was in the building was “accounted for and trying to make sure that we maximize his time, our time so that we can ultimately get the best outcome.”

Entering the 2024 season at Colorado, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg noted Hunter split his time in meetings and practices with the receivers and defensive backs.

Colorado cornerbacks coach Kevin Mathis told Rittenberg the practice split for Hunter was probably around 70-30 in favor of the defense.

The Jaguars have used Hunter more on offense than defense so far this season. He has played at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps in each of the first five games. His defensive snap count has been under 40 percent in three of the first five games.

Hunter had his best receiving game in Monday’s 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs with 64 yards on three catches. He also recorded two solo tackles and a pass breakup on defense.

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Taylor Swift has denied a report that she turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon(starts at 18:21 mark), Swift explained there was no formal offer for her to perform at the event and her decision is not related to her fiancee, Travis Kelce, potentially playing in the game.

“This is nothing to do with Travis, he would love for me to do it. I’m just too locked in,” said Swift.

Swift went on to say that her representatives are close with Jay-Z and the other people with Apple Music in charge of putting together the halftime show, but they never had any real discussions about the event.

“Jay Z has always been very good to me. Our teams are very close. They sometimes will call and say how does she feel about… and that’s not an official offer or a conference room conversation. We’re always able to tell him the truth, which is that I am in love with a guy who does that sport on that actual field.”

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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Chelsea and Manchester United both maintained their unbeaten starts to the Womenâ€s Super League season, although the defending champions†100% winning record was brought to an end by an entertaining contest between the top two.

The result extended Unitedâ€s agonisingly long wait for a first WSL victory over Chelsea but they will have taken great encouragement from their performance, on a night when both teams created plenty of chances to win and the home side showed they may well have the qualities to mount a serious title challenge.

For a game played between the teams with the two best defensive records in the WSL last term, and which had conceded the fewest goals so far this season before kick-off, the game began in a surprisingly open fashion as both attacked early on. The contest opened at such a fast pace that it could easily have been 2-2 inside the first six minutes, with Hannah Hampton saving with her feet from Elisabeth Terland, Catarina Macarioâ€s effort being blocked by Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park firing narrowly over the crossbar and then Aggie Beever‑Jones following suit when she looked certain to score.

Chelsea did then provide the goal the early flurry of attacks had threatened, as Wieke Kaptein met Macarioâ€s clever back-heeled pass and slotted in a neat, clinical finish low into the corner, as the hosts conceded a league goal for only the second time this season.

Manchester United had lost 10 of their previous 11 WSL meetings with Chelsea, but this confident version of Marc Skinnerâ€s team were unwilling to roll over. Inspired by the dribbling of Park, who seemed determined to skip her way past as many defenders as possible and was the driving force of her teamâ€s adventurous play, they continued to create chances and they were soon level when Anna Sandberg scored her first goal for the club. She could hardly have caught her strike any sweeter, angling her foot perfectly over the ball to arrow a half-volley powerfully past Hampton from just outside the area.

The game was played amid Storm Amy, which brought swirling rain and gusts of wind, and started with a minuteâ€s silence following the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, with the home side also wearing black armbands as a mark of respect.

Additionally, both sets of teams joined together in a circle pre-match against racism at the start of Black History Month, in a week when the Peterborough player Kira Rai suffered racist abuse. The England and Tottenham forward Jessica Naz was the victim of racism online nine days previously.

Wieke Kaptein gave Chelsea an early lead. Photograph: Steve Taylor/PPAUK/Shutterstock

This was the ground where Chelsea clinched last seasonâ€s title, with a 1-0 victory in a game that had been fairly even. This looks like a much-improved United team since then, though, and they continued to threaten in the second half, with Fridolina Rolföâ€s deflected effort looping on to the top of the bar before Parkâ€s swerving effort flew narrowly over. Melvine Malard, on as a substitute, dragged a low shot wide with 21 minutes remaining.

Skinner had said on Wednesday that he wanted his team to be brave and “show Chelsea that you can beat themâ€, and they certainly seemed to respond to his rallying cry as they continued to play with intensity and attacking intent, while Chelsea remained dangerous at the other end too, with Beever-Jones going close.

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Such was the extent of the test Chelsea were being presented with, there was even a rare moment of frustration from Sonia Bompastor, with the Chelsea coach shown a yellow card in the second half after she bemoaned a free-kick decision against her team.

Chelseaâ€s Sjoeke Nüsken bent an effort just wide of a post as the visitors began to search for a late winner, and Alyssa Thompson was almost able to race through on to a loose ball inside the penalty area but she was tackled by the quick-thinking United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who also dived low to her left to keep out a Keira Walsh shot moments later.

Guro Reiten had a shot blocked in stoppage time, as late Chelsea pressure grew, but in the end a draw was a relatively fair result and sets the weekendâ€s action up nicely before the other two title contenders, Manchester City and Arsenal, go head-to-head on Saturday. They will be hungry to capitalise on Chelsea and United sharing a point, with City able to close to within a point of the leaders if they win.

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The WNBA pushed back on the idea it’s intentionally stalling in negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement with an Oct. 31 deadline only weeks away.

A league spokesperson told The Athletic’s Ben Pickman the narrative is “not accurate.”

“We continue to negotiate in good faith and remain focused on delivering significant increases to salaries and benefits for players while building a league that can thrive for decades for the benefit of all,” they said. “We already have several meetings scheduled with the WNBPA to move this forward and get it done in as timely a manner as the Players Association wishes.”

Those remarks were in response to WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson saying the WNBA and its team owners “look to be trying to play the only card they have, and that is running out the clock.”

Regardless of the details behind it, the lack of progress between the WNBA and players’ union is impossible to ignore.

The two sides met in July to touch base and perhaps work toward a firm agreement. The WNBPA came out of that discussion saying the league’s proposal “fails to address the priorities we’ve voiced from the day we opted out: a transformational CBA that delivers our rightful share of the business we built, improves working conditions, and ensures the success we create lifts both today’s players and the generations that follow.”

Months later, it doesn’t look like the situation has changed much.

Chicago Sky forward Elizabeth Williams, who’s the union secretary, told Sportico’s Eric Jackson in August she was “cautiously optimistic about striking a bargain prior to the deadline but that it’s “probably not going to happen.”

Los Angeles Sparks star Kelsey Plum, a WNBPA vice president, provided an even more grim picture to The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant in September.

“There’s been multiple proposals that have gone back and forth, and neither is close,” Plum said. “It feels almost the more that we have presented, the further away we are, which is just unfortunate. But at the end of the day, I think it’s just about the principle of not budging. And we have leverage, we have unity, we have a common goal, particularly in salary, and we’re just not where we want to be.”

The stunning statement from the Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, who’s another union VP, on Tuesday only heightened the tensions. Collier told reporters the WNBA has “the worst leadership in the world,” and she called WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to task for what she believes is the league’s unwillingness to address big issues.

Engelbert said in a subsequent statement that her “focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players and the WNBA.”

But Collier’s statement has led some people outside of the WNBA to say Engelbert should resign.

A league spokesperson had to refute a report from Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal that Engelbert may step down once a new CBA is in place.

At the very least, it’s looking less and less likely the WNBA and WNBPA find common ground before Oct. 31.

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Richard Masters, the Premier Leagueâ€s chief executive, has denied that the English top flightâ€s transfer spending is damaging European football, arguing instead that it “breathes life†into rival competitions.

Masters made the claim as he took stock of the Premier Leagueâ€s global position and laid out plans for its growth. Noting that Englandâ€s elite clubs had a “bigger share of the worldâ€s best players†from this summerâ€s record-breaking £3bn spending, Masters said: “Seven of our clubs were net recipients in lots of inter-Premier League transfers. But a lot of that money does percolate out of the big European leagues, a substantial portion of that, and breathes life into their own transfer markets. So I donâ€t see how itâ€s suffocating [the European game].

“I think there is a clear juxtaposition between the amounts of money being spent on the Premier League and the other leagues. But I think thatâ€s a good thing. Provided itâ€s within the rules, itâ€s a good thing. It shapes our competition. And itâ€s an indication that our clubs want to drive supporter interest, and itâ€s the interest in the audience which drives our media values.â€

The Premier Leagueâ€s financial dominance has long been underpinned by its media revenues and Masters, who was speaking at The Summit, part of Leaders Week London, said the competition had seen 27% growth in revenues “term on term†in international markets. He defended the longstanding model of selling deals to broadcasters in individual markets but said the Premier League was also “stepping towards†launching its own one-stop digital broadcast service, with a revamped Premier League Productions set to open new studios in the capital.

“Premier League Studios is opening up in Olympia next summer,†Masters confirmed. “So weâ€re putting ourselves in the supply chain, the content supply chain, principally to serve our international broadcast partners and so that we have stronger control over the content.

“But it also gives us the option to go forward, and we have also relaunched our digital platforms this summer with the objective of getting closer to fans. So weâ€re stepping towards that optionality. I donâ€t think there will ever be … a switch-on-switch-off moment for the Premier League.â€

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On the subject of the 3pm blackout, by which UK broadcasters are prevented from showing live games played at the traditional Saturday kick-off time, Masters said the Premier League remained committed to it for “a certain foreseeable futureâ€. But he argued there was no room to further grow broadcast offerings without a shift in the policy. “Our current domestic broadcast arrangements means that we are now essentially licensed to the outer limit,†he said.

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A former WWE star blasted a journalist for spreading fake news and set the record straight about her in-ring career.

After her shocking departure from TNA, Gail Kim became a huge topic of conversation in the wrestling world and the media. A major rumor was that Kim had reached out to AEW several times for an opportunity after being released by the Nashville-based promotion.

On those lines, a journalist tweeted the following:

In the least breaking news, Gail Kim contacted several people about an opportunity at AEW at some point, longer than a couple weeks ago. No one reached out to her,” wrote B.J. Berthel.

In response to the journalist’s tweet, Kim clapped back and pointed out the integrity of the reporter:

I donâ€t know you but this is a perfect example of someone lying and has zero integrity. At least when I say what I say, Iâ€m saying what I feel and am truthful and will defend myself with facts. ZERO INTEGRITY here.”

I donâ€t know you but this is a perfect example of someone lying and has zero integrity. At least when I say what I say, Iâ€m saying what I feel and am truthful and will defend myself with facts. ZERO INTEGRITY here. https://t.co/kBqNE8PbTM

— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) September 28, 2025

In another tweet, Gail Kim had the following to say about her interaction with AEW and her in-ring career:

The real news about what happened with AEW since people will lie etc. I was saving it for interviews but oh well itâ€s now.I got one text from AEW when I was terminated from TNA. It was from Sonjay [Dutt] and inquiring more about whether I wanted to wrestle. Iâ€m retired. End of story.”

The real news about what happened with AEW since people will lie etc. Iwas saving it for interviews but oh well itâ€s now.I got one text from AEW when I was terminated from TNA. It was from Sonjay and inquiring more about whether I wanted to wrestle. Iâ€m retired. End of story.

— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) September 28, 2025

Gail Kim Doubles Down On Retirement, What Does The Future Hold For The Former WWE Star?

Gail Kim has wrestled for major American promotions such as World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

In TNA, she was the inaugural and eventually record-setting seven-time Knockouts Champion and a one-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Madison Rayne. In WWE, she won the Women’s Championship in her first match.

According to various reliable media outlets, Kim may continue in the wrestling industry, but in what capacity bears watching. As she has confirmed, the former Women’s Champion has no interest in returning to the ring as a competitor. But her creative contributions to TNA have received positive feedback because she always pushed for a better show.

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