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Browsing: Machine
Some day, second baseman Sam Antonacci will put up the numbers that force everyone to take notice.
He hit .515 with 14 home runs in his second year at Heartland, a Division II junior college in Illinois, but needed to transfer to Coastal Carolina to draw more than token draft interest.
After Antonacci produced a 1.027 OPS for the Chanticleers, the White Sox drafted him in the fifth round in 2024—but even they couldnâ€t honestly profess to see exceptional potential.
“Twelve months ago, we would all just have said, ‘Interesting player. He plays hard, et cetera.’ ” White Sox farm director Paul Janish said. “But he’s put himself on the map.â€
In his first full professional season, Antonacci posted a .433 on-base percentage that ranked fourth in the minor leagues, stole 48 bases and finished the year batting third for the Double-A Birmingham team that won the Southern League title.
“Oh wow, what a grinder, what a competitor,†said Birmingham manager Guillermo Quiroz, who has managed the Barons to back-to-back SL crowns.
The 22-year-old Antonacci has below-average raw power and an approach geared for contact. Such is his team-oriented, run-manufacturing nature that with a runner on third base, he chokes up on the bat, even when heâ€s ahead in the count.
His future defensive home is to be determined. The White Sox concede that Antonacci’s days at shortstop are all but over, and his below-average arm is not ideal at third base. His stolen base totals are impressive for a player with average speed, but his range at second base is middling at best.
The White Sox sent Antonacci to the Arizona Fall League to prove his mettle. He envisions many more worlds to conquer beyond Glendale.
“At the end of the day, I donâ€t want to be known as someone who played in the Arizona Fall League,” he said. “I want to be known as an all-star and a World Series champion.
“Thereâ€s a lot Iâ€ve got to work on to get to that point. Iâ€m ready to get after it.â€
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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.
The Rock commands a high price in Hollywood but reportedly took a major pay cut to star in A24â€s The Smashing Machine.
According to Anthony Dâ€Alessandro of Deadline, Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson took a massive pay cut to star in his latest movie. While heâ€s typically used to scoring around $20 million plus per movie, Johnson took only $4 million to star in The Smashing Machine.
Sources tell Deadline that Johnson even gave a portion of his pay to Emily Blunt and Mark Kerr. So, how much he earned for this movie is probably even lower than reported.
While there has been awards talk for The Rockâ€s performance in this movie, it didnâ€t bring fans to the movie theaters to see the film. The movie only grossed 5.9M on its opening weekend domestically, the lowest of Johnsonâ€s career.
The Rock wasnâ€t focused on box office earnings for ‘The Smashing Machineâ€
Fortunately, it appears The Rock isnâ€t too concerned about the box office earnings for this movie as he recently told The Guardian that he hasnâ€t thought about it once.
“You know, Iâ€ll share this with you. This is the first time in my career that Iâ€ve not thought about box office once. And I like that. I appreciate it,†The Rock said. “With the other films, the big ones, the four-quadrant movies, itâ€s pressurised.
“Sure, I love making the Jumanjis and Moanas. But thereâ€s something so freeing about this process. We want this movie to open well and hope a lot of people like it. But for that not to be the thing … What a difference.
“Itâ€s a scary time because so much effort and money goes into the opening weekend here in the States. Then itâ€s: ‘How will it hold up? What will it do internationally? Maybe we should change that scene because itâ€d play better in Asia …†I make all these big movies, and some have been really good and some not so good at all. But this was one for us.â€
READ MORE: The Rock Reacts To The Smashing Machineâ€s Underwhelming Box Office Opening
What do you make of this report? Are you surprised The Rock took such a large pay cut to film this movie? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
A new report from Deadlinehas revealed that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took a substantial pay cut for his new A24 drama, “The Smashing Machine,” a project he has been passionate about for years. The news comes as the film, a biopic about former UFC fighter Mark Kerr, experienced the lowest box office debut of Johnson’s illustrious acting career.
The film, which had a production budget of $50 million, grossed only $6 million in its opening weekend, falling well short of its projected range of $8 million to $15 million. According to the Deadline report, Johnson’s compensation for the film was a fraction of his typical asking price, and he even shared a portion of his earnings with his co-star and the man he portrayed.
“[Dwayne] Johnson took a $4M fee, significantly below his historical $20M+ paycheck plus points. Sources say he even gave a portion of his paycheck to Emily Blunt and [Mark] Kerr.â€
The film finished third at the weekend box office, behind a new Taylor Swift documentary and the war drama “One Battle After Another.” The $6 million opening was lower than the $8.5 million debut of his 2010 film, “Faster,” making it a new career low for the global superstar. Following the disappointing opening weekend, Johnson took to his Instagram account to post a message to his fans, acknowledging the box office results but remaining proud of the film and the story it told.
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This Weekâ€s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site today:
*Updates on Crown Jewel and WrestleDream, interest level , lineups and what could be added
*Notes on Tuesday’s AEW/NXT head-to-head battle
*Odds regarding upcoming big matches
*Tokyo Dome ticket sales and notes from Hiroshi Tanahashi and Aaron Wolf
*NXT No Mercy coverage
*New Japan Destruction in Kobe notes
*CMLL Noche de Campeones notes
*Fuerza Guerrera retires with a look back at his career
*Television ratings are crazy this week and what is the change
*One of the most impressive attendance streaks in history has ended
*CMLL’s focus on wmens’wrestilng in October
*Tessa Blanchard back in CMLL
*AAA goes head-to-head with CMLL featuring AEW and WWE stars on each show
*Saya Kamitani becomes double champion
*Go Shiozaki leaves NOAH
*King of Pro Wrestling shw final.zied
*Mistico vs. Bandido singles match this past week
*Bret Hart talks his career and we look back at what he said
*New wrestling documentaries
*European star may have cost himself his career with full details as to what happened
*MLW makes comment on WWE business on its TV show
*Upcoming TNA TV news
*Thoughts on Andrade’s return to AEW and what happened
*History of pro wrestling on the SuperStation
*Zuffa Boxing TV deal and notes on the promotion
*Dana White on 60 Minutes coverage
*How UFC went from almost dying to a $15 billion business, the moves it made and how Vince McMahon killed one of its biggest TV deals
*What happened with Wanderlei Silva’s boxing match after it was over
*Notes on stockholder lawsuit against TKO
*WWE top star to take time off for major movie role
*WWE headed to Japan for big shows
*Injury updates
*Updates on Edris Enofe and Jazmyn Nyx leaving the company
This Weekâ€s Back Issue
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Sunday Update
— My thoughts are that Friday’s Hall of Fame show with Phil Lions, John Muse and Ethan Tyler was maybe the best Hall of Fame show we’ve ever had, with the extensive look at overseas and some of Mexico. This was our second off three weeks of these shows. Garrett, myself and Paul Fontaine last night talked UFC, Hall of Fame and wrestling news. The Friday also has some ratings news stuff but we have a story up on the site that details the changes, comparisons with sports, news and entertainment properties and a lot more.
— After his quick UFC light heavyweight title win, Alex Pereira issued a challenge at heavyweight to Jon Jones. Pereira is now a three-time world champion with his quick destruction of Magomed Ankalaev in their bout last night in Las Vegas. Pereira was apparently going to challenge Jones in the ring, but because of the death of Arthur Jones, Jon’s brother, he asked for a moment of silence for Arthur Jones after the fight. Jones was very complimentary of that, obviously. It’s what UFC would have wanted as Pereira is a much better champion for business. However, Dana White was negative about that fight, feeling Pereira should stay at light heavyweight.
— White said he believes Pereira dislocated his toe or toes in the quick fight.
— JD Drake noted that he wrestled Sting in Sting’s last match ever in Charlotte, and then on Friday wrestled Steven Borden in the first match of his career in New York City.
–Right now Smashing Machine is estimated at doing $6 million this weekend, third behind Taylor Swift The Official Release Part of a ShowGirl ($33 million) and One Battle After Another (11.1 million). Garrett Gonzales talked about it on last night’s show. I’ll be watching it on Wednesday. The headlines haven’t been kind since they are based on Swift beating The Rock and Rock’s lowest opening weekend for a movie of his entire career. It was expected to do $20 million until the Swift movie was added for a debut, at which point it was estimated midweek to open at $10 million. So way below expectations. The per-screen number estimated at $1,793 is almost identical to the opening weekend of Iron Claw ($1,750) but Iron Claw was in fewer screens. Smashing Machine has publicized far heavier and Dwayne Johnson is the bigger star, but The Von Erichs, even if only huge in Texas in the 80s and other places the TV went, still are far better known than Mark Kerr..
— As far as major matches, I really didn’t hear much about anything as a must see past Bandido vs. Hechicero Friday night at Arena Mexico. There was nothing big from Japan. Dax Harwood vs. Kevin Knight from Collision was strong. Ultimo Guerrero vs. Mistico from last night’s MLW was strong as well. Jiri Prochaka vs. Khalil Rountree from last night’s UFC show was fantastic as a fight.
— Tony Khan said that Bandido will be wrestling Tuesday night after Friday’s Arena Mexico show. I’m actually not certain if that was an injury or just a storyline during the match. Bandido did leave the building in a sling and said his shoulder popped out but he put it back in. The doctor came out during the match, but it also played into the match story. Â
— AEW on Tuesday for a special night of Dynamite will be another two-and-a-half hour show. I guess the idea is that after NXT is over, that they’ll have 30 minutes. We’ll see if that works. Announced is Brody King & Bandido vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita with the new stip being if King & Bandido win, then the one who wins the fall will face Okada for the Unified title, but if Okada & Takeshita win, they get a tag team title match. Also Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Pac vs. Orange Cassidy, Hurt Syndicate vs. Ricochet & Gates of Agony in a street fight, Kyle Fletcher vs. Kyle OReilly for the TNT title and Adam Page and Samoa Joe face to face. It goes head-up with NXT which has a men and women’s Survivor Series match with teams TNA vs. NXT, the women’s match with Jordynne Grace as referee, plus Ethan Page vs. Mustafa Ali for the North American title and Hardys vs. DarkState, with the TNA vs. NXT tag titles at stake must be a winner. 4 1/2 hours of likely very good wrestling. NXT is on its regular night so they’ll almost surely have the higher rating.
Collision, taped Wednesday in Jacksonville, has Josh Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi, Toni Storm & Harley Cameron & Kris Statlander vs. Thekla & Skye Blue & Julia Hart, Megan Bayne & FTR vs. Kris Statlander & Jet Speed, Eddie Kingston vs. Mortos and The Acclaimed vs. Big Bill & Bryan Keith.
— As far as Google searches for the weekend, the only combat sports stuff related to last night’s UFC 320 show. In all, it did 1,180,000 searches. Arthur Jones had 50,000 with people wanting to know the cause of death. It hasn’t been revealed.
— On Friday’s PFL show there was a lot of controversy regarding the Usman Nurmagomedev vs. Paul Hughes main event. Most felt it could have gone either way and should have been 48-47 in either direction. Judge Hadi Mohamed Ali had the first four rounds for Nurmagomedov and 94-46. Judge Brian Miner has been criticized like crazy with people saying his 50-45 scorecard was ridiculous. Judge Daryl Ransom had rounds one, three and four for Nurmagomedov winning 48-47. MMA Decisions only had nine reporters scores, of which four were for Hughes, but all nine it had 48-47 either direction.
— The only controversial call in UFC was in the Jakub Wiklacz vs. Patchy Mix prelim fight. Judge Michael Bell had Wiklacz winning rounds one and two and a 29-28 score. Judge Ben Cartlidge had Mix winning two and three and a 29-28. Judge Derek Clearly had Wiklac z winning one and two and 29-28. Media scores were 71 percent for Mix.
— MLW from last night in Long Beach,CA: Mads Krule Krugger kept the MLW title over Mr.. Thomas, Matthew Justice, CW Anderson, Brock Anderson and Chris Adonis, Volador Jr. vs. Star Jr. in the Opera Cup, Satoshi Kojima b Bishop Dyer in the Opera Cup (Volador Jr. vs. Kojima is next round), Austin Aries b Paul London in the Opera Cup, Matt Riddle b Alex Hammersone, Shoko Nakaima b Himawari to keep the women’s featherweight title, Mistico b Ultimo Guerrero in the Opera Cup to met up Mistico vs. Aries.
— Priscilla Kelly and Killer Kross will be wrestling in MLW very soon.
— Mercedes Mone was announced for a show on 10/10 in Greve, Denmark.
— The LFG show comes down to the finals tonight with Penina Tuliaepa vs. Dani Sekslesky and Drake Morreux vs. Harlem Lewis. The show airs tonight at 10 p.m  Great Moments at 9 p.m. is about SummerSlam in the 2000s and 9:30 p.m. will be a show on The Undertaker.
— Black Gordman, on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, turned 89 today, making him one of the oldest living wrestlers. Terri Runnels turned 59 and Michael Paris, who is Joaqun Wilde of the LWO, turned 39. Â
— Brian Pillman died 28 years ago today. That seems so much less time than that to me. Antonio Pena died 20 years ago today. Lorraine Johnson, a member of the generally considered best women’s tag team around late 50s and early 60s with Penny Banner, died five years ago today at the age of 90. She’s also the mother of Baby Doll (thanks to Tony Richards)
— Mistico vs. Mortos is 10/26 at the Fox Theater in San Bernardino,CA.
previous story
The Smashing Machine brought in $6 million over its opening weekend.
The Mark Kerr biopic cost $50 million to make and finished third for the weekend behind Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl (a behind-the-scenes look at the making of her “Life of a Showgirl†record), which brought in over $33 million, and One Battle After Another, which brought in $11 million.
According to an article from Variety, The Smashing Machine’s opening weekend did the lowest of any in Rock’s acting career.
“Elsewhere at the box office, audiences couldnâ€t smell what The Rock was cooking,” wrote Variety’s Rebecca Rubin.
“This weekendâ€s other newcomer, Dwayne Johnsonâ€s R-rated sports drama ‘The Smashing Machine,’ cratered in third place with $6 million from 3,345 venues. Those ticket sales were below projections of$8 million to $15 million and marked a career low for Johnson, below his 2010 thriller ‘Faster’ ($8.5 million, not adjusted for inflation).”
The film is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 74 percent approval rating based on 223 critic reviews and a 78 percent audience score based on more than 250 fan reviews.
The Rockâ€s performance as Kerr has been well-reviewed. The movie follows Kerrâ€s journey in the early days of mixed martial arts. Our own Josh Nason covered the film on a recent episode of JNPO, which also features an interview with Bas Rutten. The episode is available here.
“The Smashing Machine†cratered with $6 million over the weekend. Those ticket sales were below projections of $8 million to $15 million. This marks the lowest debut of Johnsonâ€s career, below his 2010 thriller “Faster†($8.5 million, not adjusted for inflation). Ignominious… pic.twitter.com/BjeQmZUl68
— Variety (@Variety) October 5, 2025
previous story
The Smashing Machine premiere saw a shared moment between The Rock and former WWE star Baron Corbin.
The Rock is making a buzz in the Hollywood scene recently due to his newest film, The Smashing Machine.The A24 film is a sports drama that follows the life of mixed martial artist and former UFC Champion, Mark Kerr. The film is arguably a major change from Dwayne Johnson’s usual action films, and the change of genre has definitely benefited him.
The Smashing Machine is set to be released on October 3, and The Rock decided to celebrate the premiere with a former WWE star. In a recent Instagram post, former superstar Baron Corbin shared that the movie viewing the previous night was incredible, praising the main cast, like Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, along with A24, for “crushing it.”
The former Baron Corbin added that he has always been a fan of the documentary surrounding Mark Kerr, and The Smashing Machine did the former UFC Champion’s story justice. He then advised fans to watch the film, then watch the original documentary.
Iâ€ve been a huge fan of the original @markkerrtsm documentary, and this film did his story justice in the best way possible. Markâ€s journey is unbelievable, and heâ€s an amazing human being. If you havenâ€t yet, do yourself a favor: go see this movie, then go back and watch the original documentary.”
The Rock Invited Former WWE Star To The Smashing Machine Premiere
Continuing with his post, the now Bishop Dyer thanked A24 and The Rock for inviting him to the premiere, noting that he enjoyed every bit of his experience.
Big thanks to A24 and The Rock for having me out — I truly enjoyed every second of this experience. You canâ€t beat great people, a great film, and great food all in one night. Huge shoutout to my guy @chefjohncreger and @lotusroomnyc for filling our bellies (or as Mark Kerr would say, our tummies) before the premiere.“
In other news: The Rock Mentions Brock Lesnar While Making a Very Honest Confession.
There is a lot of awards buzz surrounding The Rock‘s upcoming movie, The Smashing Machine. However, the WWE Superstar isnâ€t thinking about what the film will do at the box office.
Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson recently sat down with The Guardian to discuss the upcoming release of The Smashing Machine. While discussing the potential box office of this movie, The Rock revealed why he hasnâ€t thought about that once.
“You know, Iâ€ll share this with you. This is the first time in my career that Iâ€ve not thought about box office once. And I like that. I appreciate it,†The Rock said. “With the other films, the big ones, the four-quadrant movies, itâ€s pressurised.
“Sure, I love making the Jumanjis and Moanas. But thereâ€s something so freeing about this process. We want this movie to open well and hope a lot of people like it. But for that not to be the thing … What a difference.
“Itâ€s a scary time because so much effort and money goes into the opening weekend here in the States. Then itâ€s: ‘How will it hold up? What will it do internationally? Maybe we should change that scene because itâ€d play better in Asia …†I make all these big movies, and some have been really good and some not so good at all. But this was one for us.â€
The Smashing Machine opens in theaters on October 3.
READ MORE: Adam Copeland Lands Another Big Movie Role
What do you make of The Rockâ€s comments? Are you going to check out The Smashing Machine when it hits theaters later this week? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comment section below.
Cricket scorecards often tell us the “what.†The “howâ€, defined by the poise in the crease, the timing in the cover drive and the quiet hum of self-belief, is harder to capture.
The crease has always been part stage, part classroom. Some players storm through it with noise, others treat it like a test of patience.
Pratika Rawal belongs to the second kind. She is a student before she is a star, her game built on the same balance and discipline that once carried her through school exams and basketball courts.
So, when she walked out in Rajkot in January, it didnâ€t feel like a youngster gambling on a big stage. It felt like someone solving a familiar problem with method and clarity.
Every step into position was measured, every shot an answer written neatly in the margins. By the time she raised her bat for her maiden century, she had turned an innings into a lesson. And when she carried on to 154 off 129 balls, that lesson became a statement.
It wasnâ€t the noise of a prodigy. It was the unveiling of a portrait: clean footwork, soft hands, and when the moment demanded, the precision to turn patience into power. It was a sense of a player arriving on her own terms.
Classrooms meet crease
Rawalâ€s story doesnâ€t begin with cricket dominating every waking hour. It begins in Delhi classrooms, at Modern School, where grades and games shared equal weight.
She scored 92.5% in her CBSE boards and later graduated in psychology from Jesus and Mary College.
Along the way, she also played basketball seriously enough to win gold at the 2019 School National Games.
That duality shaped her cricket. Basketball gave her agility and vision. Psychology gave her tools to navigate stress. Cricket became the canvas that tied it all together.
She admits as much in a BCCI video, almost as if speaking a thesis aloud: “Studying psychology helped me understand how we mentally process things on the field and off the field.”
Before every match she repeats a mantra, “You know you are the best, you can do this.” The self-talk may sound simple, but for her it is ritual, sharpening focus in the chaos of international sport.
Numbers become narratives
Since her debut in late 2024, Pratika Rawal has stacked up 767 runs in 15 ODIs, averaging north of 54. In the process, she sprinted past the 500-run mark faster than any woman before her.
Statistics donâ€t crown legends, but they sketch their outlines. And in Rawalâ€s case, the picture forming is hard to ignore.
At the top she partners Smriti Mandhana, and the chemistry is immediate. Mandhanaâ€s flamboyance pairs with Rawalâ€s calm, a balance that disorients bowlers.
Suddenly, opponents have two problems to solve instead of one, and Indiaâ€s batting feels less fragile. The effect is subtle but seismic.
Detours do matter
Her rise might read like an upward curve now, but there were dips. In 2023-24 she trialled for Railways and was overlooked.
Many players would stew on the rejection. Rawal went back to the domestic grind, piling up runs until selection became undeniable.
By the time Railways signed her, she had already toughened her mindset. That refusal to panic has become a defining trait.
“Her rhythm and focus set her apart,” recalls one of her early coaches, Sharvan Kumar from Rohtak Road Gymkhana. “Even as a teenager, she didnâ€t look rushed.”
That composure, born not from easy breaks but from detours and delays, has become Rawal’s quiet superpower.
Composure before fire
As India began their three-match series against Australia ahead of the World Cup run-up, Rawal once again showed her promise with 64 fluent runs at the top.
It wasnâ€t quite the match-winning knock India needed, but it was a reminder of the stability that she brings into the team.
She steps in where Shafali Vermaâ€s inconsistency once left gaps. Where many young players chase quick boundaries, Rawal first builds a foundation.
Her 154 against Ireland showed she can shift gears too, knowing exactly when to turn patience into acceleration. And beneath it all lies her greatest asset: temperament.
Pratika Rawal during her 154 against Ireland (Photo credit: BCCI Women/Twitter)
For a batting order that has long craved stability, Rawal doesnâ€t just bring shots – she brings calm before the storm.
Itâ€s not just about what she scores. Itâ€s about what her presence unlocks for the rest of the line-up.
Beyond the cricket
Cricket, for Rawal, is no separate chapter than life. The discipline of studying, the experience of being told “not yet†at Railways trials, the grounding of playing basketball and excelling academically – all of it adds up to the player she is.
She is as comfortable speaking about routines and mindset as she is about cover drives.
In a way, thatâ€s what makes her story resonate. She isnâ€t the archetype of a prodigy who sacrificed everything else for cricket. She is the student who learned across fields and classrooms and brought it all to the crease.
If India’s World Cup journey catches fire, Pratika Rawal may not be its loudest headline. However, she could very well be its axis – the one stitching innings, keeping chaos at bay.
And what stage could be grander for a WC debut than home soil, where every cheer carries familiar weight? Perhaps even the stage where she helps deliver the trophy India has long chased.
For now, though, the noise around her is mixed. After Indiaâ€s loss in the series opener, some voices have rushed to pin blame on her 64, as though steadiness at the top was the problem rather than the solution.
It is the reactionary chorus young players often face. However, Rawalâ€s entire journey has been about resilience.
The next match offers her the perfect canvas to prove once more why psychology and poise, as much as cover drives, may be her greatest weapons.
Cricket has its share of showstoppers. Rawal is something rarer: the player who makes brilliance look routine. And in a long tournament, that routine might be exactly what makes India dangerous.
The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson won big at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, ahead of the…