Browsing: Fans

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H†Levesque didnâ€t get a free pass during his post-show appearance at the 2025 WWE Crown Jewel event. As he addressed the audience live, fans took over the segment with chants that were impossible to ignore—even if Triple H tried to.

During his on-camera remarks, the crowd broke out chanting for Edge and even sang his entrance theme, Metalingus, while Triple H continued talking. Despite the interruption, he never addressed the chants or even reacted.

That wasnâ€t the only message fans had for WWE. The chants escalated throughout the segment and included: “We want Edgeâ€, “MJF!â€, “Fck off Saudiâ€* and “We want Maniaâ€

The Edge chants come at an awkward time for WWE. Adam Copeland—better known as Edge—is still under AEW contract and has made it clear in past interviews that he wonâ€t be a free agent anytime soon.

Back in April 2025, Copeland revealed that his AEW deal runs until well into 2026, which shuts down any immediate hopes of a return to WWE programming. Fans clearly havenâ€t given up hope, though. The reaction during Crown Jewel sent a message loud and clear—even if Triple H wasnâ€t ready to answer it.

Do you think Edge will return to WWE before his AEW deal expires, or are fans wasting their energy? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

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“All’s well that ends well” as they say, but during the entire Game 4 on Thursday night it felt to me like a game the Dodgers would lose as soon as the bullpen got to the mound, because they were not hitting worth a darn. L.A. scored because of an unforgiveable bases-loaded walk to tie and a throwing error for the ages by the Phillies pitcher for them to win. Losing last night would’ve sent them back to Philly with their heads way down to play in cold weather, with rainstorms brewing. Yes, their season could’ve easily been over by Saturday night.

So I don’t yet see them as a “dominating team” and am holding my breath while waiting for their luck to maybe run out. That said, I’ve really enjoyed their 2025 season … so far.

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Doug Weiskopf
Burbank

Andy Pages hits a broken bat comebacker to the Phillies pitcher and that play turns into the winning run. With that the Dodgers advance in the playoffs. Yet, one of the first thoughts that came to my mind had to do with Kirk Gibson hitting his walk-off home run against the Oakland A’s in the 1988 World Series and two Hall of Fame announcers with their calls. Vin Scully saying “In the year of the improbable, the impossible has happened!” And Jack Buck saying, “I can’t believe what I just saw!” Either call would have fit Thursday night at Chavez Ravine. What an ending!!

Chris Sorce
Fountain Valley

I am happy for the Dodgers. I have been a fan since I was 11 (1955 World Series vs. Yankees). I just wish that Game 4 would have ended differently. It could have ended with Andy Pages getting a base hit, or either Trea Turner or Bryce Harper making an error. I feel badly for relief pitcher Orion Kerkering. This will possibly scar him for his entire career. Certainly the Phillies fans will never forgive him (see Bill Buckner and the Red Sox fans — it was Billâ€s manager who put him at first base, but the fans never saw it that way). I hope Orion gets traded by the Phillies and has a nice career.

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John Vitz
Manhattan Beach

Anyone still believing the Dodgers donâ€t have a decent bullpen, please call Roki Sasaki. My only question is what took us so long to realize it!

Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates

Best headline of the year: A Game of Thrown.

Keep up the great work!

Billy Groak
Fullerton

Momentous moment

Replays and close-ups that watching on TV provides canâ€t compare with the excitement of being present. But once in a while there is a moment that only TV captures. Jerry Neuheisel was experiencing such a moment in UCLA’s upset of Penn State and his father Rickâ€s exhilaration over the joyful moment.

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Richard Agay
Los Angeles

According to the headlines, photos and first 12 paragraphs of Ben Bolch’s story, playcaller Jerry Neuheisel nearly single-handedly masterminded the Bruins upset win over the Nittany Lions. The interim head coach, Tim Skipper, was eventually mentioned merely as an afterthought. This is akin to attributing a ship’s safe passage through rough seas to the first mate, not the captain. Let’s hope that Coach Skipper is not relegated to attention only after a UCLA defeat.

Dave Sanderson
La Cañada

Championship coaching

So Lakers coach JJ Redick keeps harping on championship habits, championship communication and championship shape, even making a veiled swipe at Luka Doncic at the end of last season saying not everyone was in “championship shape.†Can someone tell me, what does Redick know about being in championship shape? He never won an NBA championship. He ought to get himself in championship coaching shape so he doesnâ€t make the same rookie mistakes he made against the Timberwolves in last season’s playoffs.

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Danny Balber Jr.
Pasadena

Charge it

Any offensive coordinator who has the ball on the one-yard line and throws a pass should be fired on the spot. Any team, no matter whether it’s Pop Warner, high school, college or pro, that can’t score from the one with four downs doesn’t deserve a touchdown. Somebody wrote last week that the Chargers were the Clippers of football. They weren’t lying.

Luis Cruz
La Mirada

Time for change

Is anybody else watching the WNBA finals between the Las Vegas Aces and Mercury Phoenix? The arena seats are not full and ticket prices seemed to have dropped. Could it be because of the lack of action from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, or maybe due to inconsistent officiating, or perhaps many star players injured, or being fined for speaking out about these issues all season? Sure, players are asking for more pay, but what they are really asking for is fairness and a change in the system at the top.

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Joan C. Fingon
Ventura

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Email: sports@latimes.com

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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It took 15 innings, but for the first time in 25 years, the Seattle Mariners are headed to the American League Championship Series after a 3-2 Game 5 win over the Detroit Tigers in Friday’s AL Division Series.

With the bases loaded, Jorge Polanco singled to right in the bottom of the 15th, driving in the walk-off run and sending the longest-tenured Mariner, J.P. Crawford, across the plate, propelling Seattle to the ALCS.

No. 2 Seattle will now face the No. 1 Toronto Blue Jays, who have been awaiting their opponent since defeating the New York Yankees 3-1 in the ALDS on Wednesday.

Luis Rivas finished 1-of-3 at the plate with one RBI, Mitch Garver added a RBI and Polanco drove in the game-winning run. Jonathan Naylor, Crawford and Polanco each crossed home plate once.

Mariners ace George Kirby set the tone with a dominant outing, recording six strikeouts over five innings while allowing three hits and one earned run.

The Mariners and their key players thrilled fans with a historic walk-off win in the 15th inning.

Seattle struck first as Garver hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Josh Naylor, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead after two innings.

Starter Kirby was pulled after five innings, at the top of the sixth after allowing a double to Báez, just before Carpenter came to the plate. Reliever Gabe Speier entered and immediately gave up a 411-foot, two-run home run, putting the Tigers ahead 2-1.

Seattle’s Rivas singled in the seventh, driving in a run to tie the game at 2-2 and sending the home crowd into a frenzy that carried into extra innings.

After holding Detroit scoreless in the top of the 10th, Seattle’s Victor Robles reached second on a double with no outs, but the Tigers escaped and ended the threat.

Seattle faced a tense moment in the top of the 12th, as Eugenio Suarez made a perfect throw to prevent a Detroit run at home plate. After an intentional walk to Carpenter loaded the bases, the Mariners managed to escape the inning unscathed.

Polanco’s 15th-inning RBI sealed the Mariners’ victory to send them to the ALCS.

Game 1 of the ALCS is scheduled for Sunday, with first pitch set for 8:03 p.m. ET.

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Tuchel is well known for being direct and sometimes confrontational in his quotes.

In August he apologised for describing midfielder Jude Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as “repulsive”, saying he used the word “unintentionally”.

Tuchel has made friends and enemies at many of the previous clubs he has managed: Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris St-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Is this a cultural thing – and Germans are more direct than English fans are used to – or just a Tuchel thing?

German journalist Constantin Eckner believes it is the latter.

“That has nothing to do with Tuchel being German,” he said.

“That’s just how Tuchel thinks and acts. He is very direct, blatantly honest and can be annoyed by certain things.

“He rarely holds back, and is in a sense the new Jose Mourinho, who similarly speaks his mind during press conferences and post-game interviews.”

Eckner says some of this comes from Tuchel being used to club football. This is his first international job, starting it at the beginning of 2025.

“It certainly is a deviation from the way Gareth Southgate behaved during his tenure,” the journalist said.

“Also, I think Tuchel is not yet used to home crowds being that reserved, which can happen at international games.

“During his time as a club manager, the home fans were usually buzzing. Even Mainz had a great home game atmosphere.”

After the quotes on Bellingham which were heavily critised, Tuchel said: “I thought I had a little more credit with you guys [media] that I do all this in my second language.”

But this instance is not a case of using the wrong word.

Eckner said: “In a way, people have to live with Tuchel being this direct. His command of the English language is very good.”

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Iâ€m a bit late to this, but worth flagging this miss from Beto earlier this week. Guinea-Bissau were trailing Ethiopia 1-0 in their World Cup qualifier but created a golden opening in the 89th minute, only for the Everton striker to fluff his lines at the back post.

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This explainer from Andy Martin is a very nice run down of where we are globally with World Cup qualification. Twenty of the 48 places at the tournament have now been filled, including co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA.

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Perhaps we should start with Scotland. Ewan Murray was our reporter at Hampden and was brutally honest about how fortunate the home side were to take a crucial victory over Greece.

If Scotland make it to the promised land of next summerâ€s World Cup, they will glance back at this as a crucial evening. There must also be laughter to accompany reflection.

No sane observer could claim Steve Clarkeâ€s team deserved to prevail here. Lewis Ferguson and Lyndon Dykes sealed the win. Dick Turpin sprang to mind. Someone, somewhere appears to be smiling on Scotlandâ€s bid to play in a World Cup for the first time since 1998. The Scots, who had just 31% possession, are now in an excellent position in Group C. A playoff spot could be secured on Sunday evening, when Belarus visit Glasgow. Greece, who next travel to Denmark, need snookers.

“Football is a 90-minute game and you have to make sure you come out of it with a positive result,†said Clarke. “Maybe 3-1 flatters us but we did enough to win the game. It is a big win for us. Results are the only thing that qualify you for a tournament.â€

This is how Group C looks after that result. Had they lost, a play-off place could be slipping out of reach. But now, automatic qualification to the World Cup remains a very real possibility.

Photograph: Uefa.comShare

Preamble

You could hear the collective sigh emanating from the Football Association HQ last night as Thomas Tuchel decided that the best way to dissect Englandâ€s excellent 3-0 win over Wales at Wembley on Thursday night was to criticise the home fans that had parted with their hard-earned money and alternative evening plans to attend an international friendly.

The stadium was silent. We didnâ€t get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didnâ€t let them escape. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, itâ€s sad because the team deserved more support today.

I stand by this statement. We cannot do more than being 3-0 in a derby. I would have wished for a bit more support in phases where it gets difficult. In the second half to get behind us, there was a bit too much support for Wales. It could have helped us to regain energy, but it is what it is and that is it.â€

Hmmm. How odd, picking a fight when there was almost none to be had. Anyway, weâ€ll have lots of reaction from Wembley, including the actual football, as well as the eight other World Cup qualifiers around Europe (including Scotlandâ€s crucial victory over Greece at Hampden) and preview the eight further qualifiers coming this evening.

Letâ€s get to it.

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The No. 4 Chicago Cubs evened the series with a 6-0 home win over the No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Division Series, forcing a decisive Game 5 after falling behind 0-2.

The winner of the Cubs and Brewers series will advance to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday 3-1, in the National League Championship Series.

Cubs ace Matthew Boyd had a standout performance, pitching 4 2/3 innings with six strikeouts while allowing just two hits and no earned runs.

Ian Happ had a big Game 4, with three RBI while carrying a .115 batting average. Kyle Tucker went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Matt Shaw added an RBI on 2-for-3 hitting and Michael Busch launched a home run on his only at-bat of the night.

Boyd and the Cubs thrilled MLB fans by forcing a Game 5 against the top team in the National League.

The Cubs started strong in the bottom of the first, as Happ launched a two-run home run, driving in Nico Hoerner and Tucker to take a quick 3-0 lead over Milwaukee.

In the bottom of the sixth, Shaw singled in Carson Kelly for another RBI, extending Chicago’s lead to 4-0.

Tucker crossed home plate for the second time of the night with a 414-foot solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, pushing the Cubs’ lead to 5-0.

Adding insult to injury, Busch launched his fourth postseason home run, a 401-foot solo shot in the eighth inning, extending the Cubs’ lead to 6-0.

The series will return to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Saturday, with first pitch set for 8:08 p.m. ET.

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Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles dropped a tough one on the road Thursday night, falling 34-17 to the New York Giants for their second straight loss and a 4-2 record.

After opening the season 4-0, the Eagles lost their first game to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, then suffered a disappointing road loss to the one-win Giants on a short week.

Jalen Hurts completed 24-of-33 passes for 283 yards and one touchdown, adding another score on the ground while throwing one interception. He connected with Dallas Goedert for a touchdown, with Goedert finishing with 110 receiving yards.

On the other side, Giants rookie Jaxson Dart went 17-of-25 for 195 yards, throwing one passing touchdown and adding a rushing score, connecting with Wan’Dale Robinson for a touchdown. Running back Cam Skattebo powered in three touchdowns, rushing for 98 yards on 19 carries.

Fans criticized Hurts and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles for the disappointing loss and their use of the tush push on Thursday.

The Eagles opened the game with a 3-0 lead on their first possession but allowed the Giants to score on their first two drives, falling behind 13-3 before responding with a touchdown to close out the first quarter.

Both teams found the end zone once more in the second quarter during lengthy drives, with the Giants taking a 20-17 lead into halftime.

Philadelphia struggled to generate offensive momentum after the break, while New York put together a nine-play drive for the only third-quarter score, extending their lead to 27-17.

The Eagles’ struggles persisted in the fourth quarter, beginning with a three-and-out and followed by an interception that set up a quick Giants touchdown, extending the lead to 34-17 with 9:41 remaining. Philadelphia was unable to respond offensively, fumbling on their final possession of the game, and the score held until the final whistle.

The Eagles will aim to snap their skid with a lengthy break, returning to action on Oct. 19 on the road against the Minnesota Vikings.

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An error in the 11th inning led the Los Angeles Dodgers to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series to advance to the National League Championship Series.Â

In the 11th inning with the bases loaded, Andy Pages hit a grounder back to pitcher Orion Kerkering, who bobbled the ball but still had time to make the play at first. Instead, his throw sailed wide of home plate, allowing pinch runner Ha-Seong Kim to score the game-winning run.

The Dodgers will face the winner of the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers matchup with the Brewers currently leading that series 2-1 in the NLDS.

Mookie Betts went 1-of-4 at the plate with one RBI. Freddie Freeman added a hit, and Kim scored the winning run as a pinch runner.

Los Angeles ace Tyler Glasnow had a stellar game, pitching 6.0  innings, with eight strikeouts with two hits with and no earned runs.

Dodgers fans praised the team, thrilled to see their championship repeat hopes stay alive.

After a scoreless start, the Phillies broke through in the seventh when Nick Castellanos doubled to drive in a run and give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers answered in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with two outs before Mookie Betts drew a walk to bring in the tying run.

With the score tied 1-1, the NLDS went into extra innings, where the disastrous 11th-inning play sealed the Phillies’ fate and allowed the Dodgers to take Game 4 at home.

The Dodgers will await the winner of the Brewers and Cubs series for the start of the NLCS on Oct. 13.

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The Philadelphia Phillies avoided elimination with an 8-2 road win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

Kyle Schwarber starred, hitting two home runs and going 2-of-4 at the plate with three RBI.

Trea Turner went 3-of-5 with two RBI, while Brandon Marsh and J.T. Realmuto each added a RBI, with Realmuto also hitting a home run. Bryce Harper went 2-of-4 at the plate with one run scored.

Meanwhile, Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw, pitching in relief, struggled, allowing four earned runs over 2 innings, giving up two home runs on six hits and five runs, posting an 18.00 ERA. Starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched four innings, allowing three earned runs and one home run, with a 2.53 ERA.

Schwarber and the Phillies uplifted fans by avoiding a sweep and forcing a Game 4.

The Dodgers struck first with a Edman home run in the bottom of the third, but the Phillies quickly halted their momentum, scoring eight unanswered runs.

Schwarber launched a 455-foot homer in the fourth to spark the rally, followed by an RBI from Bohm and another from Marsh that brought Bohm home.

Philadelphia piled on in the eighth with two more home runs — a 407-footer from Realmuto and a 368-foot two-run shot from Schwarber. Turner added a two-run RBI as the Phillies built a commanding 8-1 lead after eight innings.

Dodgers second baseman Edman drove in his second RBI in the bottom of the ninth to score their second run, but a Shohei Ohtani flyout to right field sealed the game, marking all three wins in the series on the road.

The National League Championship Series is set to feature the victor of the Dodgers and Phillies matchup against the winner of the Chicago Cub and Milwaukee Brewers showdown. Milwaukee currently holds a 2-1 edge in its series.

The series will remain in Los Angeles for Game 4 on Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 6:08 p.m. ET.

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Mark Briscoe (photo by Jared Walsh @jjwalsh22)

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

Mark Briscoe is someone that is impervious to being booked poorly given his charisma and connection with the crowd. Mark and his brother Jay were relegated to only appearing only in Ring of Honor under Tony Khan after he purchased the company in 2022 due to Jay posting anti-LGBTQ tweets on Twitter while he was a member of the original ROH roster. The tweets upset a Warner executive and Mark and his brother were banned from AEW TV and PPV.

Not long after Jayâ€s death, Mark was allowed to appear on AEW TV for the first time. He got a shot at the ROH World TV Championship held by Samoa Joe. The match took place at the ROH Supercard of Honor PPV on March 31. Mark had a ton of momentum heading into the match and the storyline for the match even revolved around the spirit of Jay Briscoe being in the ring with Mark as he challenged Samoa Joe for the title, but somehow the call was made for Mark to lose the

This isnâ€t meant to be an exhaustive look at how Mark Briscoe has been booked in AEW, but he hasnâ€t been allowed to succeed at his maximum potential by AEW COO and booker Tony Khan. Mark appears on AEW TV frequently and every time he cuts a promo backstage or makes an appearance in a singles match, he lights up the TV screen with his charisma and connection to the crowd.

Markâ€s connection with the fans may dwindle a bit from time-to-time when Mark is put on the backburner by AEW, but since wrestling is a fan service first, why is someone so beloved by fans as Mark is not put in the position to succeed in AEW whether it be for a major title or secondary championship.

Anyone that watched Mark Briscoeâ€s appearances on social media following his brotherâ€s death saw the grace with which he handled the terrible tragedy. Mark handled the situation with a grace that I would not expect from anyone that had lost their brother. Mark almost seemed to be comforting the fans in one video that was shown on social media following Jayâ€s death that I remember fondly talking about how Jay was in a better place now and he was going to move forward with his wrestling career knowing that Jay was always with him.

It is impossible not to feel a connection with Mark if you see him cut a promo on TV with his enthusiastic delivery tinged with his signature southern accent. Mark recently got a huge victory over MJF in a Tables & Thumbtacks match at the All Out: Toronto PPV in September. He beat MJF clean and sent him packing from the company from a storyline standpoint.

A win over MJF should be huge for anyone that beats him in AEW. Mark seemed primed for big things, but before All Out: Toronto ended, Mark tipped his hand at what was to come next for him. It wasnâ€t a shot at Hangman Page and the AEW World Hvt. Championship. It wasnâ€t even a shot at Kyle Fletcher and the TNT Championship, it was hyping up the return of Orange Cassidy and his Conglomeration stablemates.

Mark teased the return of Orange Cassidy backstage on the same night he beat MJF and heâ€s been a hype man for The Conglomeration ever since then on TV. Orange Cassidy, who had been out for months with injury, even got a shot at Kyle Fletcher and the TNT Championship before Mark was rewarded from a storyline standpoint for his win over MJF.

Mark is so popular that Tony Khan can easily build him back up and give him his big moment as a singles wrestler if he wants to, but why keep teasing the fans. A win over MJF is about as big as can get in terms of a launching point for a wrestler, so why have him beat MJF and then fade to the undercard with The Conglomeration? Only Khan knows the answer.

Mark leaning heavily into comedy and being goofy on TV after beating MJF in a serious match to end a serious feud is a disappointment because it felt like it was time for Khan to pull the trigger on something bigger for Mark as a singles wrestler. He is a wrestler that would almost certainly draw interest from the AEW fanbase on TV and PPV. Unfortunately it feels like AEW is not going to deliver that big moment for Mark anytime soon.

You can contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow him on X @SR_Torch and on Bluesky @SeanRadican.

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