Browsing: planning

Drew McIntyre Reveals What He Was Planning Before 2017 WWE Return

Drew McIntyre was ready to go to Japan before his 2017 WWE return.

The Scottish Psychopath recently appeared on the No Contest Wrestling podcast. He talked about things such as his WWE debut as The Chosen One, winning the tag team titles with Cody Rhodes during his first run with the company and more.

The former World Champion also talked about his time away from WWE between 2014 to 2017. Drew McIntyre revealed that after ending his 2-year long TNA stint, he was ready to make the move to NJPW. A conversation with William Regal, however, changed his direction:

“In 2017, when I returned to WWE, I was ready to go to New Japan at that point. Thatâ€s where my head was at. I spoke to the right people to start having the serious conversations,

And Regal told me ‘Youâ€ve got to talk to him, talk to Hunter first, go talk to Paul firstâ€, and it was one minute into the conversation, I knew it was time to come back.â€

As things stand, Drew McIntyre has wrestled for promotions such as ICW, PWG and more, but he has never made an appearance for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Since returning to WWE in 2017, Drew McIntyre has had multiple world title runs. He’ll get the chance to extend this record further this weekend when he challenges Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed title at Saturday Night’s Main Event. You can check out the updated card for the show here.

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After John Cena, WWE Is Planning Something Huge For AJ Styles’ Retirement In 2026

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Over the past few months there were concerns about AJ Styles retiring soon. At the Crown Jewel pre-show, The Phenomenal One confirmed his decision while getting emotional. He cited that 2026 would be the end of his wrestling career for good.

Before making his WWE debut in 2016, AJ Styles had an exceptional career in TNA Wrestling. Recently, he faced John Cena at Crown Jewel, one last time. The two legends displayed the respect they had for one another, and Cena reflected it in a handwritten note that he made Alicia Taylor read out aloud before the match.

Styles had a WWE tryout in the early 2000s that didn’t work out. He competed on RoH and NJPW, where he joined the notorious wrestling faction, The Bullet Club – the current and former members of which are spread across promotions. In 2002, he signed with TNA Wrestling, a promotion he was associated with for nearly 12 years. In fact, at Slammiversary 2025 in July, AJ Styles returned to his former stomping grounds.

WWE Is Reportedly Planning A Big Retirement For AJ Styles

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, WWE is already rummaging up a mega plan for AJ Styles’ retirement. Sometimes, when wrestlers retire, the companies announce it publicly, or they make their exit quietly. In Styles’ situation, it seems backstage personnel have put on their thinking hats to make his retirement memorable.

His Crown Jewel match with John Cena came about after the WWE Universe took to social media to want to see a battle between the legends one final time. A few weeks ago, Styles indicated that a WWE official was out to get him, but there has been no development in that story.

On the upcoming edition of RAW, AJ Styles will team up with Dragon Lee to take on Finn Balor and JD McDonagh for the WWE Tag Team Titles.

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Football

Tottenham Hotspur planning £25m transfer raid on Thomas Frank’s former club: report

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping tabs on a player Thomas Frank already knows well with a view to a potential transfer move.

The Spurs boss made the move across London this summer after seven years at Brentford, having led the Bees to promotion from the Championship and successfully established them as a Premier League side.

Frank enjoyed a reasonably productive first transfer window at Tottenham, with Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons among the high-profile arrivals – and he could now look to Brentford to bring in one of his former charges.

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Tottenham set sights on Kevin Schade

Kevin Schade celebrates after scoring for Brentford against Manchester United, May 2025

Kevin Schade celebrates scoring for Brentford (Image credit: Alamy)

Journalist Florian Plettenberg writes that Tottenham are among a number of sides currently keeping an eye on Brentford forward Kevin Schade.

The Germany international enjoyed a standout campaign last season, appearing in every one of Brentford’s Premier League games and claiming 11 goals in the process.

Kevin Schade in action for Germany in 2024

Kevin Schade has four caps for Germany (Image credit: Getty Images)

Schade remains an important player under new boss Keith Andrews, who has shifted the 23-year-old to playing at centre-forward more regularly this season.

His only strike so far this campaign came as he opened the scoring in Brentford’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea last month.

At his age, there is seemingly a feeling that Schade’s best years are still ahead of him, with Plettenberg noting that he could be ‘one to watch’ when it comes to his transfer future.

However, as Frank will be well aware, getting Schade out of Brentford is unlikely to be easy, even if Tottenham were to wait until next summer – as has been reported.

In FourFourTwo’sestimation, Brentford are in a strong position to command a very hefty fee for Schade, if indeed they are willing to get him go at all.

Brentford have consistently been willing to drive a hard bargain for their best players, particularly when they still have plenty of time left on their deals.

Newcastle had to shell out £55m to secure Yoane Wissa on transfer deadline day, while Bryan Mbeumo commanded a £65m when Manchester United came knocking earlier in the summer.

Schade joined for a reported £25m in 2023 and his contract is not set to expire until summer 2028, which means come the end of this season, Brentford will be in what is generally regarded as the prime time to sell a player for maximum value.

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Basketball

Plaschke: Is LeBron James planning to retire? Maybe, and that could be a Laker mess

Of all the reams of words publicly spilled at Lakers media day Monday, only one really mattered.

When LeBron James was wrapping up his interview with the folks at Spectrum Sportsnet, host Chris McGee asked, “By the way, see you at next yearâ€s media day?â€

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James†laughing answer set the template for a season.

“Maybe.â€

So the Lakers should treat the next eight months emptying their assets and foregoing their future and playing with the desperation of a team trying to earn one last piece of jewelry for arguably the greatest player ever?

Maybe.

So should the fans here and around the league show up in droves and line up around the block for their last live look at a living legend?

Maybe.

Or, if everything goes wrong and things get ugly, should the Lakers and James willingly part ways through a midseason buyout?

Maybe.

No matter what happens, the fact that James didnâ€t reveal his intentions in his first public appearance since last spring means that this Laker season has the chance to be a murky maybe mess.

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Everybody knows where the Lakers stand, as Rob Pelinka said last week. He wants James to finish his career here.

“We would love if LeBronâ€s story would be he retire a Laker,†Pelinka said. “That would be a positive story.â€

But still nobody knows where James stands, and itâ€s not obvious, because, while heâ€s 40 and entering his NBA-record 23rd season, he looks young, and acts energetic, and Monday at the Lakers facility he was at his charming best.

“Just excited about the journey and whatever this year has in store for me,†he said.

Heâ€s probably not saying because he truly does not know. Next spring is a lifetime away. He doesnâ€t know how heâ€s going to feel. He doesnâ€t know how his basketball future could look.

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But because heâ€s not saying, this season could seemingly go one of three ways.

It could go the Kershaw Way. James could once again be one of the top players in the league but get worn down by the strain on his body and in the last weeks of the season he could call it quits. The Crypto.com crowd gets a chance to say goodbye and his Lakers teammates can use his retirement as inspiration for a deep postseason run.

Or, it could go the Kobe Way. James could decide in the middle of the season that heâ€s had enough and embark on a league-wide farewell tour, the sort that once brought the tough Kobe Bryant to tears.

Or, given the organizationâ€s recent sketchy history, it is entirely possible it could go the Typical Lakers Implosion Way.

LeBron James jokes with reporters as he arrives for interviews at Lakers media day on Monday.

LeBron James jokes with reporters as he arrives for interviews at Lakers media day on Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

James could spend the year making the Lakers dangle on that “maybe,†subtly fighting against the loss of his team leadership to Luka Doncic, passively aggressively chiding Pelinka to improve the roster at the trade deadline, even occasionally threatening to quit on the spot.

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Because it’s too tough to trade him and the Lakers donâ€t want to spend the bucks to buy him out, they spend the rest of the season dodging his barbs, then, simply let James†contract expire and watch him flee to home Cleveland for his swan song.

Three scenarios, but only two happy endings, and to make matters even more complicated, much depends not on James, but on the roster around him.

Are the Lakers going to be any good? Are you ready for it?

Maybe.

The Lakers only played 23 games with both James and the recently acquired Doncic last season, and they were 15-8 and grabbed a third seed and were acting like the best team in the NBA at one point before they disintegrated against Minnesota in the playoffs.

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They added Deandre Ayton for length, Jake LaRavia for defense, Marcus Smart for toughness, and a new body for Doncic, a formerly pudgy and breathless kid who has acknowledged his very adult transformation.

“Iâ€m in a better place for sure,†he said Monday.

Is that good enough to lead a team to a better place in the competitive West? Who knows?

Will it be good enough to convince James to ask for a new contract and stick around for yet another year? That doesnâ€t seem likely but then again, The Oldest Living Baller currently exists in the unlikely.

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The only certainty is that James is going to make this decision on his own time, in his own voice, through his own podcast or social media or heck, maybe another 30-minute TV special called, “The Last Decision?â€

How ever this plays out, heâ€s not saying anything now, which was obvious when he answered the first question at his media day news conference with dodgy utterances.

“I mean, I don’t know,†he said. “I mean, I’m excited about today, I’m excited about an opportunity to be able to play a game that I love for another season. And whatever the journey, however the journey lays out this year, I’m just super invested, because … I don’t know when the end is, but I know it’s a lot sooner than later.â€

He provided his most telling hint that heâ€s leaning into retirement when he talked about appreciating his final tours around the league.

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“Knowing that the end is soon, not taking for granted, you know, a Tuesday night in a city that maybe I don’t want to be in that night … let’s lock in because you don’t know how many times you get the opportunity to play the game or to be able to compete,†he said. “So there’s times where you wake up and you just feel like you just don’t have it. So those will be the days where I know I can lock back in real fast, like, OK, well, you won’t have many days like this, so let’s lock in and enjoy the moment, enjoy the rest of the ride.â€

Bronny and LeBron James pose for photos at Lakers media day as Rui Hachimura takes a selfie in front of them.

Bronny and LeBron James pose for photos at Lakers media day as Rui Hachimura takes a selfie in front of them. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

He was asked if, now that heâ€s played with son Bronny, would he stick around to play with his Arizona-freshman son Bryce? His answer was LeBron at his fatherly best.

“No, I’m not waiting on Bryce,†he said. “No. I don’t know what his timeline is. He’s his own young man now, like he’s down in Tucson. We’ll see what happens this year, next year, you know, but he has his own timeline. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.â€

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He was asked if his decision would be influenced by a chance to play with Doncic. His answer was LeBron at his jabbing best.

“Ah, nah. As far as how long I go in my career? Nah. Zero,†he said. “The motivation to be able to play alongside him every night, that’s super motivating. That’s what I’m going to train my body for. Every night I go out there and try to be the best player I can for him, and we’re going to bounce that off one another. But as far as me weighing in on him and some other teammates of how far I go in my career, nah.â€

It may be Luka Doncicâ€s team, but itâ€s still LeBron James†world, and heâ€s going to control his narrative down to the last syllables of the last sentences of his final goodbye.

And that donâ€t mean maybe.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Cricket

Glamorgan planning for ‘tough’ Division One, says CEO Dan Cherry

Sri Lanka seam bowler Asitha Fernando represented Glamorgan this year as an overseas player, and the county will look abroad again next season – as well as scouring the domestic market – as they aim to increase their pace options.

“We’ve been quite active in the market, albeit not with much success when it comes to fast bowlers,” said Cherry.

“But we’ve been talking to a lot of fast bowlers and it’s been really difficult here because not knowing that we’re going to be a Division One county until pretty late on has probably meant that we’ve missed out on a couple of options that we were looking at.

“But there are different ways and means of attracting that talent. Some will have Division One clauses in their contracts that if they’re not playing in Division One, that they may speak to other counties, so that is a route for us.

“Other counties use the loan market pretty effectively. And obviously overseas strategy will be really important to how we look at using overseas players to fill those gaps that we’ve got.

“We need more bowling depth to take us forward and some more pace in our attack would be helpful for us when we move up to Division One.”

With premium fast bowlers in demand, Glamorgan hope their newfound top-tier status will make them a more attractive proposition.

“It’s going to give us a huge opportunity to be more attractive to players from a recruitment perspective and also from a retention perspective,” Cherry added.

“So the best young talent that we’ve got coming through, Ben Kellaway, Asa Tribe and others, we want them to know that they can achieve all of the ambitions they want out of the game by staying at Glamorgan.

“Part of that is establishing ourselves in Division One and doing well in the future up there.”

On the subject of player retention, Cherry confirmed that Glamorgan are in talks over a new contract for batter Billy Root, whose current deal expires this year.

Kellaway and Tribe are among the players who have already committed their futures to the Welsh county.

“It’s fantastic. We’ve received some criticism, fair at times, that potentially we haven’t developed Welsh players over the last 10, 15, 20 years, but we are working really hard to do so,” said Cherry.

“Since taking over the pathway from Cricket Wales, you’re now starting to see the benefits of that.

“Ben would be a particular case in point of a young lad who’s come through the pathway, developed by Chepstow Cricket Club, Cricket Wales, Glamorgan, Cardiff UCCE and he’s now putting in fantastic performances for Glamorgan and Welsh Fire and we’re really proud of that.

“Hopefully there’s the ability now with the next batch of players we’ve got coming through – and some really exciting ones to look out for – that we can turn more of those players into the next Ben Kellaway, and we can create a real core identity of Welsh talent, mixed in with players from outside, high-quality overseas players. I think we’ve got an exciting future ahead.”

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Fifa not planning 64-team menâ€s World Cup despite Infantinoâ€s Trump Tower summit | World Cup

Fifa is not planning to expand the menâ€s World Cup to 64 teams for the centenary edition of the tournament in 2030, despite its president, Gianni Infantino, meeting a high-powered delegation of South America leaders to discuss the idea in New York.

Infantino met the Uruguayan and Paraguayan heads of state, the president of South American confederation, Conmebol, as well the presidents of the Argentinian, Uruguayan and Paraguayan federations at Fifaâ€s offices in Trump Tower, on Tuesday for the first formal discussions about a proposal that was raised informally by the Uruguayan Football Association at a Fifa Council meeting last March.

Fifaâ€s official position is that it will discuss World Cup expansion with all its stakeholders, and that it is duty-bound to consider proposals raised at council.

But behind the scenes there is scepticism about whether expanding the tournament to 64 teams is a viable proposition. Next yearâ€s World Cup will be the first to contain 48 teams, while the governing body has already broken with convention for 2030 by staging the tournament across six countries in three different continents.

Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina will host the first three matches in tribute to the competitionâ€s South American origins in 1930, before the bulk of the tournament moves to Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

Any decision to expand the World Cup would be taken Fifa Council, which meets in Zurich next month, with World Cup expansion not on the agenda.

“Gianni would not get that vote through Council even if he wanted to,†a Fifa source told the Guardian. “The overwhelming feeling around the table – and not just in Europe – is that 64 teams would damage the World Cup. Thereâ€d be too many uncompetitive matches and it would risk damaging the business model.â€

Conmebol would be the major beneficiaries of another expansion, with sources with knowledge of Tuesdayâ€s meeting disclosing that Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina claimed to have the capability to host all the group stage.

Expansion to 64 teams would mean more than 30% of Fifaâ€s 211 member associations would take part, as well as putting all 10 Conmebol in the frame to qualify, up from six direct qualifiers next year, plus the possibility of an extra place via an inter-confederation playoff.

The 64-team idea was first presented at Fifa Council last April, but prompted an immediate backlash. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin described it as a “bad idea†that would reduce the quality of the tournament and undermine the qualifying competition. The Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani, said: “They [Fifaâ€] can study all they want, but it just doesnâ€t feel right.†Significantly, both men are also Fifa vice-presidents.

As previously reported by the Guardian, Fifa is also facing calls from leading European clubs to expand the Club World Cup from 32 teams in 2029 due to the huge prize and appearance money on offer. Chelsea collected £85m for winning it this summer. Staging the new competition every two years is also being considered.

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A 64-team World Cup would feature 128 matches, double the number played at the most recent tournament in Qatar three years ago, and 24 more than next year. The World Cup has grown significantly in recent decades, increasing from 16 to 24 teams in 1982, growing again to 32 in 1998 before becoming a 48-team competition next summer.

Any decision to expand the World Cup would be taken by Fifaâ€s Council, which meets in Zurich next month, although the issue is not thought to be on the agenda.

Fifa declined to comment.

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