Month: July 2020

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Main photo by CWP Images’ Chris Wiles

Here’s five things you need to know about British wrestling this week:

1) Lion Kid faced Pastor William Eaver twice in the same night

XWA champion Lion Kid was forced to run a one-man gauntlet last Saturday at the Delphi Centre in Sudbury as he faced Pastor William Eaver twice in the same night to defend his XWA British Heavyweight title. The first match, opening the show, was declared a no contest after Eaver and his Congregation stablemates Tom Dawkins and James Castle attacked the champion before the bell and the referee refused to start with Kid lying injured.

XWA owner Dann Read then declared that, since Dawkins’ opponent for the night — Nick Aldis — had already competed earlier in the day for IPW:UK and that Eaver had hurt the champion, that the pair would have to work another match before their contests later in the show, and introduced The Quick & The Dead (Lance Lawrence & Voodoo).

Dawkins & Eaver triumphed in a thrilling match, and when the Pastor came back for another bite at the champion in the main event, he still came up short, despite Lion Kid receiving a legitimate injury.

Tom Dawkins attacks a downed Nick Aldis — photo by CWP Images’ Chris Wiles

The Congregation were all over the show, with Dawkins re-emerging late in the show to pin former TNA star Nick Aldis, and James Castle winning a brutal hardcore match against Danny Blaze, who had to agree to waive any indemnity on XWA’s behalf to compete. In addition, the first year rookie Malik beat Lord Gideon Grey, and the team of “Savvy” Sid Scala & Adam Maxted defeated Captain Rumbeard & Jerry Bakewell in an entertaining encounter.

Four matches were made at the show for the XWA’s next big Colchester event, on November 27th at the Charter Hall, including XWA Frontier Sports champion Doug Williams taking on MVP, James Castle facing Tommy Dreamer in an Extreme Anarchy Rulz match, Paul London flying in to fight Tom Dawkins, and the team of The New Pitbulls & Hornswoggle vs. Scala, Maxted & Gideon Grey. Tickets can be bought here.

2) Smooth was super in Rochester

Normally, appearances by Ring of Honor top prospect Lio Rush and Lucha Underground stars Shane Strickland, Jack Evans, and Angelico would take top billing, but last weekend IPW:UK ran its Super 8 tournament, a two-night, single-elimination competition with the best of the promotion’s regulars and some special guests.

In the first round of the tournament, held last Saturday at the Casino Rooms in Rochester, there were wins for Sammy Smooth, Clint Margera, Nick Aldis, and James Davis of the London Riots (over Chris Brookes, Dave Mastiff, Big Grizzly, and Scott Star, respectively), and they paired off on Sunday, with Davis beating Margera and Smooth defeating Aldis to make the final, where Smooth pinned Davis to lift the trophy.

Shane Strickland flies — photo by Turning Face’s Jim Maitland

Rush & Strickland teamed up to face Evans & Angelico on night one, with the winners getting a shot at IPW:UK Tag Team champions, The Swords of Essex, on night two. However, Scotty Essex gave Paul Robinson the night off on night one, and both Swords failed to appear on night two, and so Rush faced Strickland in an outstanding contest instead.

Evans & Angelico teamed again on night two and faced Pete Dunne & Chris Brookes (surely one of the most unlikable pairings in recent history?), while other tag team action saw the West Midlands team of Clint Margera & Dave Mastiff beat former IPW:UK Tag Team champions DnD.

DnD had been part of an eight-man match on night one, teaming with Maverick Mayhew & IPW:UK Women’s champion Tennessee Honey to beat Scotty Essex, The Ruckers & Amazon. Honey faced Mickie James (who beat Jetta on night one) on night two for her title, and lost, meaning that former WWE divas now hold two UK women’s titles — Melina, of course, won the Queen of Southside last weekend.

All the action will soon be available on IPW:UK On Demand, and the promotion return on October 22nd.

3) Silver won gold

“The Kid” Ethan Silver continued a strong 2016 by winning the four-way tournament final at Knockout Wrestling’s Road To Gold III. Silver defeated Bubblegum in his qualifier, and was joined in the final by Nightmare, Robert Sharpe, and Chris Ridegway. Ridgeway had earlier attacked Nightmare, and the two went at it in the final, with Silver emerging from the melee to claim the gold.

An emotional Silver receives his trophy

The other qualifiers saw Ridgeway defeat Drew Parker, Sharpe pin Ricky J. MacKenzie, and Nightmare dispatch Damian Dunne. After that match, Nightmare was attacked by ALP and Taylor West, and Ridgeway made the save before, as mentioned earlier, turning on Nightmare and declaring himself a hired gun. ALP continued his reign of terror in the show’s opening segment, announcing that Adam Rush had been suspended for his insubordination at August’s Unfinished Business.

Away from tournament action, Shaun Vasey defended the number one contender to the KOW championship against Rikki Kray, and will be looking to champion Dan Maloney before long. Kray blamed Sheriff Steele for the loss and the two will face off in a Sheriff’s Rules match at the promotion’s fourth anniversary show early next year.

4) Seven gets Wolfgang at Fear & Loathing

Last Sunday, at the Garage in Glasgow, Insane Championship Wrestling held the penultimate batch of TV tapings for their Friday Night Fight Club show before their big Fear & Loathing IX event at the Hydro next month.

The night was headlined by a non-title match between ICW Heavyweight champion Wolfgang and Joe Hendry, which ended when Davey Blaze attacked Hendry and the two fought to the back. Trent Seven, who had earlier lost to Blaze after Wolfgang had interfered, stormed the ring, tied Wolfgang up, and threatened to “knock the sh*t out of him” until Red Lightning granted him a title match at Fear & Loathing IX — in a steel cage!

Trent Seven celebrates with the fans — photo by David J Wilson

A second title match for the Hydro was also made at the tapings when Viper demanded she be involved on the show. ICW Women’s champion Carmel offered her a shot at the belt, and Kay Lee Ray insisted she be involved, too, making a three-way for the title on November 20th. The promotion’s secondary men’s title, the Zero-G championship, was also defended as Lionheart beat Lewis Girvan, and Zack Gibson and Andy Wild won qualifiers to be a part of the Stairway to Heaven match for that belt at the big show.

The show also featured singles wins for Joe and Mark Coffey (over Matt Cross and Massimo, respectively) and for Jack Jester and Kid Fite, who Red Lightning revealed would be the first two members of his team to fight Mark Dallas’ team for control of the company at Fear & Loathing IX.

ICW go on the road in a few weeks, with stops in Leicester, Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Sheffield, and Wolverhampton, and you can see Friday Night Fight Club on ICW On Demand, as well as on the Fight Network.

5) BT Gunn had a good weekend in Scotland (and other stuff)

ICW’s official training school — the Glasgow Pro-Wrestling Asylum — ran another of their showcase events last Friday, headlined by a title match from another of the school’s affiliates, Pro-Wrestling Elite.

That promotion’s tag team champions, the New Age Kliq of BT Gunn & Chris Renfrew, put their belts on the line against school graduates The Purge, who put up a brave fight but came away empty-handed. The show  — which also featured Viper, CS Rose, and The Rich Kids — saw wins for Lionheart and Wolfgang, although Stevie Boy suffered a loss in the opener, going down to Ravie Davie.

Airdrie Town Hall prepares for PBW — photo by David J Wilson

Also in Scotland, Premier British Wrestling promoted an event at the Town Hall in Airdrie last Saturday, which was main evented by a PBW Heavyweight title tussle between BT Gunn and Sha Samuels, with Gunn retaining his title after pinning the East End Butcher.

The show opened with a clash of the former Buckie Boys, as Stevie Xavier beat Davey Blaze, and also featured Lou King Sharp, Lionheart, Wolfgang, and Kay Lee Ray, as well as a Kenny Williams pinfall victory over Mikey Whiplash. PBW return on October 14th in Armadale.

Mika, the Polish Punisher, defied all fears of a Brexit by retaining his Kamikaze-Pro Live title at the promotion’s event at Rubery Social Club in south west Birmingham last Saturday. After beating Liam Doyle, the champion survived a 15-man over-the-top-rope battle royal to take the title into the company’s next show, Bank On It, on October 30th.

Earlier in the show — which also featured Sean Devine and the debut of David Scott Preston — Jim Hunter beat Hammer Heeley, and Palmer picked up a big win against former FWA star Brandon Thomas.

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A US drone strike in Yemen has killed a chief al-Qaeda bomb maker who once tried to down a plane over an American city on Christmas Day, US and Yemeni officials have said.

The Saudi-born Ibrahim al-Asiri was the lead bomb maker for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has become the organisation’s most lethal franchise. He had famously dispatched his own brother, Abdullah, in a failed attempt to kill Saudi Arabia’s interior minister in 2009 with explosives hidden in his rectum.

Asiri is believed to have manufactured the the bomb used by Umar Farouq Abdelmuttalib in an attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit in 2009. The explosives, sewn into Abdelmuttalib’s underwear, succeeded only in scorching the attacker, who has since been sentenced to life in prison.

Three Yemeni officials officials including an al-Qaeda-linked source confirmed Asiri’s death. A Yemeni tribal leader told AP he was killed in a by a missile fired from a drone as he stood next to his car. 

US officials say they are confident that Asiri, who had been mistakenly declared dead in the past, had been killed this time. A United Nations report last week also said he had probably been killed in 2017.

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Asiri was "probably the most sophisticated terrorist bomb maker on the planet. Incredibly creative, incredibly innovative," CBS quoted former CIA deputy chief Michael Morell as saying.

Asiri is believed to have been behind the attempt to place explosive laden printer cartridges on US-bound cargo planes in 2010. While his death may be a set back to Al-Qaeda, Asiri woud have passed on his bombing making expertise to aides. 

Many of AQAP’s leaders and mid level commanders have been killed in US drone strikes in Yemen. 

In a video released this week the group, which has retreated from several cities and towns it held in Yemen to UAE and Saudi forces, threatened further attacks on the United States. 

Toronto’s UFC 206 has had all kinds of troubles, losing two of its marquee fights in the weeks leading up to the show (Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson for the light heavyweight title and Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy).

As a result, UFC bumped up Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis to the main event slot, stripped Conor McGregor of his featherweight title, and awarded that belt to Jose Aldo. All of this so that Holloway and Pettis could fight for the interim title formerly held by Aldo and make this a “viable” PPV main event.

But Pettis missed weight, meaning that the title will only go to Holloway if he wins. The rest of the card is solid, if unspectacular. It’s not significantly better or worse than most PPVs, but the main event takes this card down a notch in the eyes of most people.

Kennedy will now face former TUF champion Kelvin Gastelum in his return to middleweight after he suffered from his own weight-cutting issues at 170. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and “The Immortal” Matt Brown should have a welterweight war in an attempt to add their name to the title mix while the rise of the Korean Super Boy continues as he squares off with long-time featherweight contender Cub Swanson.

On the prelims, a pair of hard-hitting light heavyweights meet in an attempt to establish a new contender in that division in Nikita Krylov vs. Misha Cirkunov.

After tonight, there are only two more events in 2016 for our panel to pick from and it’s still up for grabs (for everyone but yours truly).

Here’s our panel with the 2016 records in parenthesis. We’ve also added a running tally of the records of the favorites going into the fights and the panel consensus picks. Odds are courtesy of bestfightodds.com:

Josh Nason (70-43; .619) — Host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out, assistant editor WrestlingObserver.com, WON Twitter guy
David Bixenspan (68-45; .602) — Figure Four Weekly writer, podcast host
John Pollock (68-45; .602) — Fight Network analyst, Live Audio Wrestling co-host, MMA Report co-host
Ryan Frederick (66-47; .584) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC reporter, WON Twitter guy
Favorites (66-47; .584)
Dave Meltzer (66-47; .584) — Wrestling Observer founder
Consensus picks (58-44; .569)
Mike Sempervive (64-49; .566) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
Mike Sawyer (64-49; .566) — Tough Talk MMA
Front Row Brian (62-51; .549) – MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
Steve Juon (62-51; .549) — MMA Mania/Wrestling Observer writer, Angry Marks founder
Paul Fontaine (55-58; .487) — MMADraws.com founder, WrestlingObserver.com writer

> UFC interim featherwight title fight: Anthony Pettis (19-5) vs. Max Holloway (16-3)

Holloway is on a nine fight win streak, the longest in the division. There is no question that he’s earned a title shot and will likely get Aldo with a victor. Remember: only he can win the title tonight due to Pettis missing weight.

Pettis looked pretty good in his last fight, but not title contender good. t was questionable that he be put in a position to challenge for a title, if you can consider this a title. With him missing weight, he won’t have that chance and probably shouldn’t get a fight with Aldo should he win. Dana White has publicly said that Pettis should be fighting at 155.

This should be an exciting fight though as both guys usually deliver in the Octagon.

Pettis (+211 underdog) — Frederick, Fontaine
Holloway (-227 favorite) — Sawyer, Juon, Nason, Pollock, Bix, FRB, Meltzer, Sempervive

> Donald Cerrone (31-7) vs. Matt Brown (20-15)
WELTERWEIGHTS

This fight is a hardcore fan’s dream as both have a propensity for stealing the show and it would be a surprise if one or both fighters didn’t take home a post-show performance award bonus. Brown has been a perennial top 10 contender despite his mediocre record and Cerrone has looked better than ever since moving up from lightweight. If Cerrone wins, he’ll likely be in line for a shot at the welterweight title in 2017.

Cerrone (-271 favorite) – Juon, Frederick, Nason, Pollock, Bix, FRB, Meltzer, Fontaine, Sempervive
Brown (+246 underdog) – Sawyer

> Cub Swanson (23-7) vs. Doo Ho Choi (14-1)
FEATHERWEIGHTS

This is the classic gatekeeper vs. up-and-comer fight. Swanson has been around forever and always has resided just outside of title contention. However, he is still ranked fourth in the world.

Choi has stormed his way into the top 15 with amazing power. He looks like he’s a teenager, hence the nickname “Korean Super Boy” but obviously packs a punch as he’s finished his three UFC opponents in less than five minutes combined. Swanson is a big step up in competition but should he score another impressive finish here, he will vault himself into title contenders and the UFC could have a big star on its hands.

Swanson (+195 underdog) — Sawyer, Fontaine
Choi (-211 favorite) — Juon, Frederick, Nason, Pollock, Bix, FRB, Meltzer, Sempervive

> Tim Kennedy (18-5) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (13-2)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Kennedy is fighting for the first time in two years. He was originally supposed to face former champ Rashad Evans at UFC 205. That fight was moved to this show and then Evans was replaced by Gastelum when he couldn’t receive medical clearance for the fight.

Gastelum has famously had all kind of issues making weight at 170 so he moves up a weight class here. He did win The Ultimate Fighter at 185 so has experience at this weight class. This is a good matchup as both guys try to cement a position in that list of guys right underneath the big five contenders in the division. The oddsmakers have it as one of the closest fights on the card.

Kennedy (-127 favorite) — Juon, Frederick, Nason, Bix, Meltzer, Sempervive
Gastelum (+120 underdog) — Sawyer, Pollock, FRB, Fontaine

> Misha Cirkunov (12-2) vs. Nikita Krylov (21-4)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

The featured FS1 prelim has two guys that could fast become contenders in a relatively weak division. Both guys have finishing ability as evidenced by their combined 12 straight wins (seven for Cirkunov, five for Krylov) which have all come by KO or submission. Krylov was already called out last night by Corey Anderson, a top 10 fighter. Cirkunov was born in Latvia but lives and trains in Toronto so he should be the big crowd favorite. This fight is essentially a coin flip for the oddsmakers. 

Cirkunov (+101 favorite) — Sawyer, Juon, Pollock, Sempervive
Krylov (+105 underdog) — Frederick, Nason, Bix, FRB, Meltzer, Fontaine

**********

Action begins with the Fight Pass Prelim at 6:30 p.m. ET and moves over to FS1 for that portion of the prelims at 8 p.m. The main card is on PPV at 10. Ryan Frederick has ongoing coverage of the show tonight. While you’re waiting, check out the following content, also related to the show:

UFC 206 Betting and fantasy playbook
UFC 206 discussion on the Board, including Ryan Frederick’s extensive preview of the card, along with fighter notes

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Japanese immigration officials have been accused of forcibly removing a crying five-year-old boy from the lap of his Vietnamese mother before she was deported from the country.

The mother was among 46 Vietnamese deported by immigration officials in February for staying illegally in Japan, with members of 12 families reportedly separated as a result.

Nguyen Thi Loan Phuong, 46, told Kyodo News agency how her Japanese-born son, aged five, was tearfully removed from her lap in a room at Tokyo Immigration Bureau a week before she was put out on a chartered plane to Hanoi.

Speaking in a telephone interview, she said: “My son was crying. I still cannot forget his crying voice.”

Six months on, her son remains in Japan where he is being looked after by her Vietnamese refugee husband Hoang Van Hiep, 52, who is juggling childcare with night shifts at a noodle-making factory in Gunma Prefecture.

Ms Phuong, who was deported from Japan on one previous occasion, reportedly returned to the country eight years ago using her sister’s passport, before marrying her husband.

Mr Hiep told local media that returning to Vietnam to be with his wife was impossible due to his refugee status while their son only speaks Japanese.

“My wife certainly violated the immigration law, but she regrets it,” he added. “All I want is just to live with my wife and son.”

Japan is home to famously strict immigration laws, despite its rapidly ageing population and low birth rate fuelling growing concerns about the nation’s shrinking workforce.

The recent situation surrounding Vietnamese families has led to accusations of parallels with immigration policies in the United States, where the separation of thousands of children from parents recently led to global condemnation.

Motoko Yamagishi, secretary-general of the Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan, told the Telegraph that the departure of the Vietnamese in February was the seventh occasion the Japanese government had chartered a plane for the purpose of a mass deportation since 2013.

Highlighting how many were forced to leave behind families and established lives in Japan, she added: “We strongly protest against mass deportation using a chartered plane. We believe that the human rights of everyone living in Japan should be equally respected in this society.”

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1972 

Kansas City, Kansas:
– Danny Little Bear fought Harley Race to a draw in three falls 
– Bob Orton defeated Billy Howard

1974 

Minneapolis, Minnesota:
– AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens went to a no contest with Billy Robinson & Geoff Portz
– Baron Von Raschke beat Ric Flair 
– Greg Gagne beat Larry Hennig

1976 

Omaha, Nebraska:
– AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Chris Taylor 
– Jim Brunzell defeated Mad Dog Vachon

1980

Atlanta, Georgia:
– NWA World Champion Harley Race defeated Georgia Heavyweight Champion Austin Idol 
– Mr. Wrestling #2 defeated NWA World Champion Harley Race in a non-title lights out match

Minneapolis, Minnesota:
– AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel beat Mad Dog Vachon via DQ 
– Step Ladder Match: Dino Bravo beat Jerry Blackwell

1981

Madison Square Garden:
– Pat Patterson defeated Sgt. Slaughter in an alley fight

1983

Akron, Ohio:
– Tony Atlas defeated NWA Champion Ric Flair in a non-title match 

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1987

Lubbock, Texas:
– The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) defeated The RPMs in a tournament final to win the World Class Tag Team Titles

1991

Raleigh, North Carolina:
– Sam Houston pinned El Cubano
– Big Josh pinned Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker
– Brian Pillman pinned Dutch Mantell
– Dustin Rhodes pinned Black Bart
– Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong defeated Michael Hayes & Master Blaster (sub. for an injured Jimmy Garvin)
– Big Van Vader defeated Stan Hansen via disqualification
– Terrence Taylor pinned Bobby Eaton
– Sting & El Gigante defeated Barry Windham & WCW TV Champion Arn Anderson

1994 

Fukuoka, Japan:
– Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuji Nagata
– Tokimitsu Ishizawa & El Samurai defeated Shinjiro Ohtani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa 
– Akira Nogami, Takayuki Iizuka, & Osamu Kido defeated Akitoshi Saito, Michiyoshi Ohara, & Tatsutoshi Goto 
– Kuniaki Kobayashi, The Great Kabuki, & Kengo Kimura defeated Norio Honaga, Hiro Saito, & Shinichi Nakano 
– El Gigante defeated Tadao Yasuda
– Jushin Liger vs. Satoru Sayama (the original Tiger Mash) fought to a ten-minute draw
– Shiro Koshinaka defeated Yoshiaki Yatsu
– The Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior and Power Warrior) defeated The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles
– Rick Rude defeated Sting to win the WCW International World Heavyweight Title 
– Masahiro Chono defeated Yoshiaki Fujiwara
– Riki Choshu defeated Hiroshi Hase
– Shinya Hashimoto defeated Tatsumi Fujinami to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Title
– Antonio Inoki defeated The Great Muta

1995

Kingston, Tennessee:
– Bobby Blaze defeated D-Lo Brown
– The Dirty White Boy & Tracy Smothers defeated New Jack & Mustafa
– Steve Armstrong defeated SMW Heavyweight Champion Buddy Landel via disqualification
– SMW Tag Team Champions Al Snow & Unabom defeated Robert Gibson & Boo Bradley
– Steve Armstrong won a battle royal

1998

Indianapolis, Indiana:
– Fit Finlay won the WCW World TV championship from Booker T

2002

WWF Insurrextion: London, England:
– Too Cool (Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) defeated The Radicalz (Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko)
– Kane (with Paul Bearer) defeated Bull Buchanan
– Road Dogg (with Tori) defeated Bradshaw
– The Kat (with Mae Young) defeated Terri Runnels in an arm wrestling match    
– Showkishi and Rikishi defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley)
– Kurt Angle defeated Chris Benoit
– The British Bulldog defeated Crash Holly in a Hardcore match to win the WWF Hardcore Championship
– The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) defeated Edge and Christian via disqualification for the WWF Tag Team Championship
– Eddie Guerrero (with Chyna) defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWF European Championship
– The Rock defeated Shane McMahon (with Vince McMahon) and Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWF Championship

2013

ROH Border Wars: Toronto, Ontario, Canada:
– Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander defeated ACH and TaDarius Thomas
– Roderick Strong defeated Mike Bennett (with Maria Kanellis)
– B.J. Whitmer defeated Rhett Titus in an “I Quit” match
– S.C.U.M. (Cliff Compton and Jimmy Jacobs) defeated Kevin Steen and Michael Elgin
– Eddie Edwards defeated Taiji Ishimori
– Matt Taven (with Truth Martini and Scarlett) defeated Mark Briscoe to retain the ROH World Television Championship
– Davey Richards defeated Paul London
– Jay Briscoe defeated Adam Cole to retain the ROH World Championship

2014

WWE Extreme Rules: East Rutherford, New Jersey 
– Cesaro (with Paul Heyman) defeated Rob Van Dam and Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter)
– Alexander Rusev (with Lana) defeated R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a 2-on-1 handicap match
– Bad News Barrett defeated Big E to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
– The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista)
– Bray Wyatt (with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) defeated John Cena in a Steel Cage match
– Paige defeated Tamina Snuka to retain the WWE Divas Championship
– Daniel Bryan defeated Kane in an Extreme Rules match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

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A full-scale Syrian regime attack on Idlib would lead to a flow of refugees to Europe and “serious humanitarian and security risks” to the continent, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned. 

The Turkish leader has been mounting a public campaign to focus the world’s attention on the dangers of an attack on the rebel-held province, where around three million people are bracing themselves for an assault by Bashar al-Assad’s forces. 

In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Mr Erdogan said the international community “must understand their responsibilities as the assault on Idlib looms”.

“A regime assault would also create serious humanitarian and security risks for Turkey, the rest of Europe and beyond,” he said. 

Turkey is already sheltering more than three million Syrian refugees within its borders and has repeatedly said that it cannot take any more. 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been trying to stave off an attack on IdlibCredit:
Kayhan Ozer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Ankara has warned the EU it would not stop the new refugees from heading towards Europe, raising the prospect of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis. 

In an apparent effort to underscore Mr Erdogan’s warnings and threats, a pro-government newspaper published a map in Arabic showing how Syrian refugees might pass through Turkey and into Europe. 

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The map, published by The Daily Sabah, seemed meant to encourage Syrians to head to Europe and to focus the attention of the EU on a potential new wave of arrivals. 

Around 30,000 people have already been displaced by fighting in Idlib and the neighbouring province of Hama since Sept 1, the UN said. 

“There needs to be ways of dealing with this problem that don’t turn the next few months in Idlib into the worst humanitarian catastrophe with the biggest loss of life in the 21st century," said Mark Lowcock, UN undersecretary for humanitarian affairs. 

Mark Lowcock, a UN official, warns of disaster in IdlibCredit:
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

The UN has said around 800,000 people could be displaced if a full-scale attack is carried out. 

Russian and Syrian regime jets have already carried out intensive airstrikes while Assad’s forces have shelled the edges of rebel-held areas. At least two hospitals and two clinics have been put out of service by strikes. 

Meanwhile, the US-led coalition against Isil said it had launched the final phase of Operation Roundup, an offensive by Western-backed fighters to push the jihadists out of northeastern Syria. 

Ground troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led force, began moving against Isil remnants in the province of Deir Ezzor, the coalition said. 

The SDF fighters were supported by coalition airstrikes and artillery fire. Several SDF casualties were reported. 

Isil’s so-called “caliphate”, which once stretched through Iraq and Syria, has now been reduced to few small pockets of control around the Euphrates River.  

However, the jihadists are expected to continue waging insurgent attacks in both Iraq and Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 21 pro-regime fighters had been killed in an Isil ambush on Monday in southern Syria.

Le nouveau Premier ministre Jean Castex a annoncé mercredi 15 juillet une revalorisation de 100 euros de l’allocation de rentrée scolaire en septembre pour aider les parents aux revenus modestes.

Le Premier ministre Jean Castex a annoncé lors du discours de politique générale du 15 juillet une revalorisation “exceptionnelle” de

l’allocation de rentrée scolaire (ARS). Une aide financière qui permet d’assumer le coût du retour à l’école pour les parents d’enfants âgés entre 6 et 18 ans, et aux revenus modestes. Selon l’AFP, Matignon a annoncé que la revalorisation serait de 100 euros. “La solidarité nationale doit continuer à jouer à plein, pour éviter une crise sociale majeure et des drames humains, individuels, désastreux“, a déclaré le chef du gouvernement. Le plan pauvreté “lancé par le précédent gouvernement sera poursuivi et amplifié en fonction de l’évolution de la conjoncture“.L’année dernière, 3 millions de familles ont pu bénéficier de l’ARS. Distribuée tous les ans fin août, cette aide financière était fixée, pour la rentrée 2019-2020, à 368,84 euros pour un enfant âgé de 6 à 10 ans, 389,19 euros pour un enfant de 11 à 14 ans et 402,67 euros pour un enfant de 15 à 18 ans. 

Haas boss Guenther Steiner set the record regarding Haas’ future in F1, insisting that Romain Grosjean portrayal of the US outfit’s prospects was “wrong”.

Queried on Thursday in Hungary on his plans for 2021, Grosjean said his fate was linked to his team’s future in the sport beyond this season, which the Frenchman called “the elephant in the room”, suggesting that Haas’ own plans for 2021 were up in the air.

But Steiner took exception with the way his driver publicly spoke of the team.

    Grosjean: Haas’ hazy F1 future is ‘elephant in the room’

“I think his answer was the wrong answer,” Steiner told Sky F1. “Because he was asked what he is doing, and he spoke for the team. I think the elephant is in his room, not in our room.

“We know what we want to do, and if we are here or not, that will be just decided once we sign the new Concorde. Everything is on the way that this will happen.

“I’m still confident that we will be here. So I think the elephant needs to go out of the room, and into Romain’s room.”

©Haas

Rumors of Sebastian Vettel joining Racing Point in 2021 have led to reports about incumbent Sergio Perez possibly joining Haas next year.

But Steiner said the Mexican was just another driver with whom he would possibly speak to in the future.

“I think we need to, or in my position, you need to talk with everybody, as I always do,” said the Italian.

“I talk a lot, I talk a lot with a lot of people, and sure, I talked with Checo before in previous years. In the end, I’m talking with everybody and anybody.

“I respect Checo and what he is doing. I don’t know what his situation is with Racing Point, and I don’t want to add any more to this speculation that is going on at the moment, because I have no intelligence of it.”

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The 2015 edition of the MWCA All-State Academic Wrestling Team is a Senior-dominated group with a combined GPA of 3.48. “The focus of this award is to reward some special young men; student-athletes that can get it done in the classroom and on the mat. These guys certainly represent that ideal very well!” commented Dean Jennissen, MWCA All-State Academic Chairperson.

The 28 member team consists of 24 seniors and four juniors. Two student-athletes carry a perfect 4.0 GPA: Josh Tarum of St. Thomas Academy and Nik Borchert of Mille Lacs. 21 of the 28 wrestlers carry a 3.7 or better GPA. These guys are getting it done in the classroom!

Class A led the way with 13 winners, AA 8 and Class AAA, 7. Lakeville North, Detroit Lakes, Adrian and Jackson County Central each had two wrestlers selected to the team. The team also boasts five state champions led by Junior, Mark Hall with four titles at this point in his career. The team also has won over 4300 career matches with a combined winning % of an incredible 81%! These guys are getting it done on the mat as well!

“These young men are truly the ‘cream of the crop’ and a great example of the caliber of student-athletes we have involved in wrestling state-wide. I want to especially thank our dedicated coaches for nominating their wrestlers each year,” said Jennissen. “We had 153 entries; up 47 from last year!”

The 28 honorees will be awarded plaques at the River Centre in St. Paul during the State Tournament.

Junior or senior wrestlers are chosen based upon the following criteria:

  1. Cumulative GPA – 3.95 x 2 = 790 points
  2. Overall matches wrestled – wins and losses – 1 point per match
  3. Winning percentage – 77% = 77 points
  4. State Tournament Participation – 25 points per year
  5. State Tournament Placement – 1st (50 points), 2nd (40), 3rd (35), 4th (25), 5th (20) and 6th (10)

Interesting Facts about the MWCA All-State Academic Wrestling Team…

  • State Champs on the team are Skylar Hieronimus of Adrian, Austin Anderly of LeSueur-Henderson, Jordan Joseph of STMA, Mark Hall of Apple Valley and Alex Hart of Prior Lake.
  • Joey Majerus of Zumbrota/Mazeppa, Sam Bennyhoff of Mound-Westonka, Treyton Austvold of New London-Spicer, Nick Borchert of Mille Lacs and Dillon Card of Bertha-Hewitt-Verdale were all members of the 2014 MWCA All-Academic Team
  • Based upon the above criteria, this year’s highest point total was achieved by Mark Hall of Apple Valley.
  • There were 153 total nominees up from 106 the previous year… great job coaches! Can we find 200 wrestlers who deserve nomination next year? We can do it!

The 2015 MWCA All-State Academic Team:

106
Josh Tarum (12) St. Thomas Academy (AA)
Andrew Nissen (12) Blackduck/Cass Lake-Bena (A)
113
Skylar Hieronimus (11) Adrian (A)
Danny Franco (12) Pelican Rapids (A)
120
Joey Majerus (12) Zumbrota/Mazeppa (A)
Jared Goldsmith (12) Chatfield (A)
126
Paul Fitterer (12) Cannon Falls/Randolph (AA)
Austin Anderly (12) LeSueur-Henderson (A)
132
Sam Bennyhoff (12) Mound-Westonka (AAA)
David Flynn (12) Scott West (AA)
138
Treyton Austvold (12) New London-Spicer (AA)
Tony Lynn (12) Adrian (A)
145
Jared Willaby (12) Windom/Mt. Lake (A)
Nik Borchert (12) Mille Lacs (A)
152
Parker Jackson (12) Detroit Lakes (AA)
Colten Carlson (11) Willmar (AAA)
160
Paden Moore (12) Jackson County Central (A)
Lucas Westrich (12) Lakeville North (AAA)
170
Mark Hall (11) Apple Valley (AAA)
Luke Norland (12) Jackson County Central (A)
182
Jordan Joseph (12) St. Michael-Albertville (AAA)
Drew Sathrum (12) Kenyon-Wanamingo (A)
195
Tristyn Hanson (12) Lakeville North (AAA)
Chris Baumann (12) Simley (AA)
220
Dillon Card (12) Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale (A)
Jacob Filk (12) Hutchinson (AA)
Hwt
Alex Hart (12) Prior Lake (AAA)
James Huwe (11) Detroit Lakes (AA)