Browsing: Legend

England captain Ben Stokes with coach Brendon McCullum. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Australian cricket legend Ian Healy has cautioned England about the crucial nature of the Perth Test in the upcoming Ashes series, predicting a potential 3-1 series loss if England fails to win the opening match at Perth starting November 21. England enters the series with minimal preparation, having only one three-day warm-up match scheduled at Lilac Hill Park from November 13-15. England has not won an Ashes series since 2015, with recent series in 2019 and 2023 ending in 2-2 draws. Their last Test victory in Australia dates back to 2011. “England will win a Test… (But) you will see how you look when you’re underdone in Perth – I hope England watch it. It was swinging and bouncing. All the batsmen were playing outrageous shots and getting caught. England, watch out, you’re doing the same thing,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast. Healy expressed concerns about England’s preparation and their understanding of the Optus Stadium surface. “They’re coming in underdone, and our fast bowlers looked fresh and sharp last night (in the ODI against India). Are England going to win a Test? Yes, but I think it will be close, maybe 2-2. Perth is the most important Test. If England loses in Perth, they will lose 3-1. Win in Perth it’s 2-2,” he added. Healy also discussed his preference for the Australian batting lineup, suggesting Marnus Labuschagne as opener. Labuschagne, who faced challenges in recent years leading to his exclusion from the West Indies series, has shown promising form with four centuries in five innings across List A and Sheffield Shield matches for Queensland. “I’m very happy with Marnus’ form, he’s back. Marnus can open and he’s happy to go wherever selectors want him. I’ve got him at 1 and Khawaja at 2. Konstas comes in when Uzzie retires,” Healy stated. England’s last Ashes victory in Australia came during the 2010-11 series, which they won 3-1.

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Grace Wood & Adam LaverYorkshire

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Dickie Bird’s funeral cortege passes the umpire’s statue in Barnsley

Cricketing stars from Yorkshire and beyond were among the mourners who gathered to say farewell to legendary umpire Dickie Bird at his funeral earlier.

The Barnsley-born son of a miner was 92 when he died “peacefully at home” on 22 September, according to Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

The service at St Mary’s Church in Barnsley was attended by former England cricketers Sir Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan and was followed by a private family-only cremation and a wake at the town hall.

Well-wishers gathered at the statue of Bird on Church Lane where the funeral procession paused for a moment of reflection.

Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

Dickie Bird died on 22 September aged 92

The invited guests also included Yorkshire chair Colin Graves and former director of cricket Martyn Moxon, the sports commentator John Helm and the ex-sports minister Richard Caborn.

Sir Geoffrey and Graves both gave eulogies and a poem by local poet Ian McMillan was read out.

Sir Geoffrey made sure the colourful character of his friend of almost 70 years shined through.

“I first met Dickie Bird when I was 15, at the time I was playing cricket for Hemsworth Grammar School,” Sir Geoffrey said to a packed church.

“He called me Gerald for years.”

He added: “Surprisingly with all the nerves he had as a batsman, he became a great umpire because he could channel all that nervous energy into good decisions.

“Dickie was refreshingly different. Eccentric but fair. It would be hard to find anyone who didn’t like him.”

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Sir Geoffery Boycott paid tribute to his old friend Dickie Bird

Bird officiated in 66 Tests and 76 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals, between 1973 and 1996.

He began as a player, batting for Yorkshire and Leicestershire before an injury cut short his career in 1964.

Bird was awarded an MBE in 1986, an OBE in 2012 and the Freedom of Barnsley in 2000.

In 2009 he was immortalised by a statue in Barnsley that depicted him raising his index finger to indicate a batsman was out.

At Yorkshire’s home ground, Headingley, he paid for a balcony outside the dressing room for the players to sit and watch the game. Both the balcony and a clock at the ground bear his name.

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Dickie Bird retired as an umpire at the age of 65 after a career spanning 30 years

Former England and Yorkshire cricketer Ryan Sidebottom said Bird was so committed to Yorkshire cricket that he would be on the pitch even for county matches he wasn’t umpiring.

He said: “He’d be out looking at the wicket and wandering around. But it looked like he’d just come in from a night out, like an 1980s John Travolta, because he had the full suit on with a large collar and tie and really fancy suits and flared trousers.

“We used to see him regularly with different suits, some naughty suits, some proper naughty suits.”

Bowler Sidebottom retired in 2017, after taking more than 1,000 career wickets, and he said Bird “absolutely loved” the sport.

“Great bloke and a lovely man who would do anything for Yorkshire cricket. He just loved Yorkshire, he was so passionate about the game and Yorkshire in general,” he said.

And it was love for Yorkshire, and its people, that chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Colin Graves remembered at his funeral.

“He had a reputation for not being the first at the bar, but he was a very generous man indeed,” he said, adding that almost 1,000 children had been recipients of grants from him.

Among the junior cricketers to have received financial awards from Dickie was Harry Brook – now an England international.

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Dickie Bird was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Leeds in 1997

Speaking to the BBC when he turned 90 two years ago, Bird said his secret to a long life had been his love of sport and exercise.

“I run, I go out down to the local football ground here in the local park and I lap around the ground. I feel that’s done me good.

“I’d like people, elderly people, if they could to just try and do a few exercises, move your arms, run on the spot, it occupies the brain.

“I’ll keep my exercises up as long as I can.”

As a young man, he played for Barnsley Cricket Club alongside Boycott and the journalist and broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson.

Dickie Bird shares secret to healthy life at 90

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Ray Parlour’s 13-year stint at Arsenal saw him rack up more than 450 appearances and score 32 goals as the ‘Romford Pele’ proved he was more than just a cult favourite in north London.

His everyman quality would serve him well with the fans, but as his career progressed, so did his leadership abilities as he became one of Arsene Wenger’s unsung heroes.

Parlour would hoist up nine major trophies with the Gunners – but which games meant the most to him?

“My professional debut. At that stage, you’re used to playing reserve games in front of 150 people, then you’re suddenly given your big chance. I made my debut at Anfield – such an iconic ground. You don’t get much more daunting than one of the best stadiums in the world. A few days before, George Graham told me I’d get my chance and, honestly, I just tried not to think about it too much, because I wouldn’t have slept with all the nerves and excitement.

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The Bron Breakker rocket to orbit and beyond is in place as WWE seeks emergency options in the wake of the Seth Rollins injury.Â

Look no further than Breakker’s rushed-feeling heel turn, spearing Rollins and taking the stable for his lonesome now that Rollins will miss a big chunk of time.Â

This wasn’t a typical WWE rushedfeeling, though. That word usage normally implies a negative atop the whole thing. This was rushedÂin a good way, with most fans likely more than happy to see this development happen so quickly.

This shocking spear out of the way, WWE can get to the good stuff by getting Breakker in the ring with one man:Â

Why not match the speed and lethality of each Breakker spear by keeping the pace of this booking? Why waste time on other feuds and risk ruining the momentum and rise of the next top WWE star by messing around with other stuff?

The mind simply wanders back to when WWE deployed Lesnar in a strategic way to boost Drew McIntyre to an unforgettable company-headlining act during the audience-less pandemic era. He sought out and crushed Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and kept that going for a long time and to this day remains a top dog.Â

WWE following almost that same exact blueprint for Breakker now wouldn’t exactly have fans complaining. Breakker gunning for him at the Royal Rumble and turning it into a ‘Mania feud that has a chance of main-eventing is about as no-brainer of an idea as it gets.Â

There’s also the Paul Heyman factor to help it along, especially if Rollins is out of the picture. One of the greatest managers of all time happens to be a snake known to throw out a betrayal or two while jumping ships. Who is to say that doesn’t happen here to especially get fans behind Breakker?

Heyman happens to be the best guy capable of squeaking out this proposed story for the longest stretch of time throughout the winter months, too. Getting stuck between these two and eventually picking a side would make for a fantastic “B” storyline behind the Bloodline stuff going into ‘Mania next year.Â

On the topic of Lesnar, it’s not like he’s got much else going on, anyway. WWE gave him that weird little squash match win over John Cena to, for whatever reason, really impress ESPN audiences during the company’s first PLE broadcast on that streaming platform.Â

Now, Lesnar should be strictly used to put over the next generation of stars. We’ve all seen in the past Cena talking about not wasting Lesnar’s Streak-ending win over Undertaker in subsequent feuds.Â

That logic applies here, too. Lesnar just crushed Cena in one of his final appearances ever. WWE can’t waste that by having him pick up more wins or pop up in a PLE-opener or whatever. The next match for the part-timer needs to be huge and, ideally, putting over Breakker big in front of a more casual ESPN-like audience at WrestleMania would be the perfect use of the rub from decimating Cena in one of the GOAT’s final matches.Â

Some of this just lines up all too well. If Rollins will indeed miss ‘Mania next year due to injury, it sort of backs Breakker and his stable into a corner, anyway.

WWE has a deep roster and there are plenty of ways they could go to compensate, but pivoting to a crowning arc for Breakker just makes too much sense. The fast rise via betraying Seth into dominating Lensar would make him bulletproof going into what top title he chases in the aftermath.Â

It’s a little easy to forget that Breakker is only 27 years old. At times over the past year, it almost seemed like WWE pumped the proverbial brakes with him a bit while letting him get some more reps.Â

But there’s something to be said for this break-glass-in-case-of-emergency scenario. WWE tends to do its best booking when shoved into a corner due to injury or otherwise, so there’s reason to believe that in-the-fire booking could produce something special on short notice here.Â

The main-event scene needs it, too. Rollins is out. CM Punk is, frankly, older. Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns feel closer and closer to part-time status while pursuing non-wrestling stuff. There are a swell of purgatory guys like LA Knight and Jey Uso, but they feel a tier below. Breakker feels near the top of that tier already and just needs a small boost.Â

Breakker-Lesnar has been one of those what if? Requested matches from fans, anyway. Given the circumstances, getting right to it by slowly building it up until ‘Mania next year is just too compelling an opportunity to pass up right now.

This isn’t what WWE originally had planned, no doubt. But Rollins exiting the stage opens up getting real, meaningful usage out of Lesnar while authoring a run for Breakker that can go down in modern pro wrestling history, if done well, which it should, given the presence of someone like Heyman to help it along.

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Jeff Jarrett’s lengthy pro wrestling career has positioned him on the opposite end of many of the greatest names in the industry, especially during his WCW days, where he captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on four separate occasions. During an episode of his “My World with Jeff Jarrett” podcast, the veteran was asked who he would vote for in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame for Mexican talent, and recalled how much respect he’s always had for one of his former peers.

“I think nine out of ten people would say… ‘Alright, who do you think Jeff [Jarrett] voted for?’ I think nine out of ten people would say: La Parka,” he proclaimed, before explaining how he views La Parka as a wrestler. “From a promoter’s point of view, in my opinion, what he had to overcome was… Not everybody can do that.”

Jarrett then clarified that he was talking about the original La Parka – known as L.A. Park today – who shared a locker room with him in WCW and competed against in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. “That’s the one that went to WCW, and danced, and had his own unique charisma; did so many things that were emotionally connecting with his audience,” he expressed. “Just a freaking phenomenal talent!”

Additionally, Jarrett also added that he worked with the second La Parka – who tragically passed away in 2020 – and noted how over the character was as the second incarnation compared to the first.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “My World with Jeff Jarrett” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Manny Ramírez is hoping to return to baseball in a coaching capacity.

“He wants to bring his greatness to teach the young guys,” his agent, Hector Zepeda, told Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who added that the former slugger has reached out to all 30 MLB teams about becoming a hitting coach.

That mirrors comments Ramírez made in late September during an appearance on Foul Territory.

“I just need the opportunity. To be honest, I spoke to Boston last year,” he said at the time. “We were talking a little bit and I know they hired a guy from Driveline Baseball. We were talking, but then we never got back to, like, getting serious about it. So, they never got back to me. So I never went back to them to see if it was really an opportunity.”

His credentials as a hitter are impressive: A .312 career batting average with 555 home runs, 1,831 RBI and a .996 OPS. While some of those numbers were perhaps inflated by PED use, there’s no doubt that Ramírez was born to hit.

Hitting and teaching hitting are not the same, of course. Plenty of amazing athletes aren’t great coaches for that very reason. Having innate gifts doesn’t always translate into understanding the underlying mechanics behind them, not to mention being able to communicate that understanding in a digestible way. But Ramírez is hoping to give it a shot.

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Jess Fishlock, widely regarded as the Wales Womenâ€s national teamâ€s greatest player, has announced she will retire from international football after this monthâ€s home friendly against Australia.

The 38-year-old is Wales†record goalscorer, despite predominantly playing as a midfielder, and their most-capped player, with 165 international appearances and 48 goals.

Perhaps even more significantly, she has played a talismanic role in the team for nearly two decades, frequently being the standout star, stepping up in their biggest matches and scoring memorable match winners. She was awarded an MBE for services to womenâ€s football and the LGBT community in 2018. She became Wales†first footballer to reach a century of caps in 2017.

Fishlock cemented her place in the Cymru history books when she scored Wales†first goal at a major womenâ€s international tournament in July, finding the net against France in St Gallen, Switzerland, during a group-stage defeat at Euro 2025.

“The Euros was the pinnacle of my football career; seeing the dragon on the world stage for the first time will be a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime,†Fishlock posted on social media. “To all the players and staff, past and present, diolch [thank you]. It has been an incredible journey.â€

After starting with Cardiff City, she has spent most of her career overseas, predominantly with the NWSL club Seattle Reign, whom she joined in 2013. She has helped Reign win three NWSL shields and was named as the NWSLâ€s MVP in 2021, making the NWSLâ€s “best XI†five times.

Fishlock won the Champions League with Lyon in 2019 during a loan spell, and has also had successful loans with clubs including Melbourne City and Reading. Her club career continues, with the NWSL end-of-season playoffs approaching.

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After Wales†exit from Julyâ€s Euros in Switzerland, Fishlock said she needed a “little time to think†about her Wales future and her decision comes before the squad announcement for Wales†home friendlies against Australia, on 25 October, and Poland, on 28 October.

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Veteran journalist Dave Meltzer has assessed The Rock’s portrayal of Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine,” and discussed whether the movie got things right about the MMA legend’s career.

A majority of movies based on sports personalities usually have some add-ons for cinematic effect, but Meltzer believes that the movie about Kerr was historically accurate. He drew parallels between “The Smashing Machine” and the pro wrestling movie based on the life of the Von Erichs, “The Iron Claw.”

“It reminded me a lot of the movie on the Von Erichs that I saw a couple of years ago. You know, I guess because they’re both A24 movies, they’re both sort of based on reality,” said Meltzer on the “Cinema Sidetrack” podcast. “This one was more historically accurate than the Von Erich movie, though. That’s the one thing I’ll say is that this is a very — as far as sports movies that try to recreate something, this was way more historically accurate than most, because most of the ones that I watch, I’ll look and I’ll go like, well, this didn’t happen here and this didn’t happen here. And this is like made up. And this is for dramatic reasons, but this movie was pretty much, you know, how it went down.”

Meltzer, while noting that he didn’t know Kerr personally, said that what was showcased in the movie actually happened in Kerr’s real life. He added that the film got everything right about his career, including events from the earliest parts of his life and career

“You know, they didn’t make up matches. They didn’t make up finishes. Right? They didn’t make up opponents. I mean, this was his, you know, his more famous early career fights. The tournament went exactly how it was,” he said.

The movie was a challenging one for The Rock, who recently claimed that he was scared to take on the role of Kerr and had doubts about whether he could pull it off.

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A WWE legend recently took action against a scammer who was impersonating him and trying to steal money from his fans.

The former WWE Tough Enough winner, Maven, shared his experience in a video posted on October 13, 2025, exposing how criminals use his name to trick people. He discovered that someone was leaving fake comments on his YouTube channel, including a WhatsApp number. The scammer pretended to be Maven and tried to get fans to contact them. So he finally decided to test the scammer by sending messages to see what would happen.

Hey guys, there’s a scammer here. It’s come to my attention that someone impersonating me has been leaving comments on this channel. And along with these replies, they’re leaving a WhatsApp number hoping to get engagement. But I’m here to tell you guys, that is not me. So avoid it. But I have to admit, curiosity is getting the better of me. So we’re going to make contact. We’re going to type a message out and we’re going to see what happens when I contact the number.” (0:00 – 0:32)

The fake Maven quickly responded to messages, trying to build trust with fans. Maven noticed several warning signs that showed this person was not American, such as poor grammar and writing phrases like ‘you are a big fans.’ This suggested the impersonator was likely from overseas, where English was not their first language.

Maven played along with the scam to gather evidence. He pretended to be a fan who had followed him since his WWE days. When Maven mentioned following him on Tough Enough since 2003, the scammer did not catch the mistake. Maven actually appeared and won Tough Enough in 2001, and any real fan would know this basic fact.

I sent in my last message as a reply from the fake Maven who asked, ‘How long have you been following me on YouTube?’ And I said, ‘Since the beginning, I followed you on Tough Enough back in 2003.’ Obviously, my Tough Enough season was 2001. Any maven would know that. The person wrote back, and here’s where the clue came in. ‘Oh, wow. You are a big fans’ – Plural, could be a typo, but it tells me that it’s more than likely someone overseas, someone who English probably or maybe isn’t their first language. And even if it is, they don’t use the grammar that we use here.” (1:41 – 2:24)

In other news: Seth Rollins†Injury Not Only Reason Behind Last-Minute WWE RAW Changes

$500 Apple Gift Card Demand By The Scammer For The WWE Star

The conversation took a darker turn when the scammer started asking for money. After chatting for about 22 minutes, the fake Maven asked for a $500 Apple gift card, claiming it was for a special VIP fan card and promised the victim would never have to pay for anything again.​

Maven was angry that someone would use his reputation to steal from his supporters. He explained that his fans work hard for their money and do not deserve to be tricked by criminals. The scammer kept pushing for the gift card even after Maven said he could only find a $200 card instead.

The WWE star then revealed his true identity to the scammer through a video message. He called out the impersonator for using his name and warned that the scam needed to stop immediately. Even after seeing the video, the scammer still asked where the gift card was, showing how desperate they were for money.​

Instead of giving money, Maven donated $500 to the Diva for a Day Foundation. This charity helps women fighting cancer by providing them with stress-free days of beauty treatments. Maven lost his mother to cancer in 2004, making this cause especially important to him.​​

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While sometimes the ratings and viewership numbers may seem to suggest otherwise, professional wrestling is still white-hot across the globe, with fans of all promotions, WWE, AEW, NJPW, TNA, and many more independents, soaking in all they can. Fans are also appreciative of the wrestling legends that grew the business into what it is today, as WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley can attest to. During an appearance on “Busted Open Radio,” Foley said wrestling is as hot as it’s ever been, and described an experience that had him feeling like he was part of an old school rock band.

“I had this unique experience in Ecuador, which I had last been in, in 1986 and I went to a convention and I swear I had a feeling of what it was like to be one of the Beatles at Chase Stadium in ’64,” Foley said. “Like, just a mass of humanity surrounding me and we had a tight circle of security and law enforcement around me to get to my table. Went through thousands of people screaming, girls crying, then I sat down and no one went to my table. Everyone stayed like 30 feet away and just watched me. It was the strangest thing because they were all super fans. Maybe the price was too high.”

Foley, age 60, is still active on the convention scene and has taken his one-man show, “40 Years of Foley” on the road, celebrating his four decades in the business. He recently revealed that physically, he is doing well, despite often being sore, but surgeries have helped him walk better in his day-to-day life.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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