Well, the news reports that I've missed that I've watched on CNN lately such as lawmakers are getting tough on free speech regarding to the war on Gaza as it looks like that free speech does count as a political statement since both the FIA & ICC is since cracking down on them, just like the Ecuadorian government being on high alert in an effort to clamp down on organized crime since the gang leader had been escaped from prison which resulted violence & unrest spreading across the country (And there was an assassination on a prosecutor who carried the prosecutions of the members of organized crime while multiple arrests has been made to the thugs who held a TV studio up including the members & crew had been taken hostage) & Canada also have heightened security measures nationwide in wake of both antisemitism & islamophobia being spreaded about the war in Gaza, while ex-US president Donald Trump has dominated the state of Iowa, defeating the likes of other presidental candidates such as ex-South Carolina governor Nikki Haley & Florida governor Ron deSantis (Who later pulled out of the Republican presidental race as he endorses Trump who both won on Iowa & now New Hampshire caucuses, but I fear a rematch between Biden & Trump at this years US general election is on the cards) as part of his ambitions of defeating Biden to become president of the United States again at the US general elections whilst facing a court hearing regarding to his criminal charges that he's having regarding to his presidency by appearing in court multiple times (And what is my take on Trump? Well, he is a big fat liar, I'll tell you that, but he's lame & his personality is awful (But am I alright of saying this? Aren't I? See you soon, thank you (And let's hope that America doesn't turn into the country that started that terrible event unfolded 2 years ago which has since been going if Trump wins the election) while the US & the UK had launched an attack by carrying airstrikes to Houthi rebels who attacked US & Greek shipping vessels therefore triggering a war in Yemen in a country that has just been under attack (And the Emirates Team New Zealand America's Cup race boats & infastructre has been stranded in the Red Sea according to the report I saw in the newspaper such as the Whanganui Chronicle meanwhile people in Britain are facing fears of being called up to the armed forces if there is a possibility of World War III such as in the UK is being invaded by an enemy faction for example, just like the US government had announced a mass mobilization in 1967 when a war broke out in Vietnam by those Viet Cong forces according to the story that I did on my blog last year about the late great legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali thought that he wasn't going to be conscripted by the US Armed Forces as a result of his religious beliefs therefore stopping him from going to that war-torn country which resulted him being suspended for 3 years from boxing).
And the latest in the sport of rugby such as Welsh rugby player Louis 'Rees Lightning/LRZ' Rees-Zammit has called it quits of playing rugby to pursue a career in the NFL after playing 22 tests & scoring 14 tries for the Welsh national rugby team, just moments before Wales had submitted their squad for the upcoming Six Nations this year, but there's more further updates such as former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has now officially taken over from current Japan coach Eddie Jones as the new Wallabies coach (I thought it was going to be Brad Thorn to start with, but somehow they ended it up with Schmidt as he becomes the 3rd different Kiwi to coach for Australia after both Robbie Deans & Dave Rennie) starting in March hoping to transform the side's fortunes around following their disastrous campaign last year, especially the Rugby World Cup in which they did not make the knockout stages for the first time just like England in 2015 where they crashed out of their home World Cup.
And there is a wrestling related story about the best matches in Wrestlemania which is going to be included in the upcoming WWE 2K24 video game that I pre-ordered it already on the PS4 (I got the PS5 version once it had been released) as of today starting with 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan (Who is a famous Italian American wrestler just like both John Cena & Carmella (Wife of former wrestler turned commentator Corey Graves) up against his former protégé of the late great Frenchman of Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III in which the match was was the biggest imaginable for wrestling fans. It was the equivalent of John Cena vs The Rock or The Rock vs Hulk Hogan in that it was a passing of the torch scenario. Before Hogan, Andre was literally and figuratively one of wrestling's biggest stars and attractions. With Andre set up as the unbeatable giant and 'The Hulkster' betrayed the friend and protégé of the big man, WrestleMania 3 was set to be the biggest match in the history of the WWF/WWE. While it wasn't the best match on the card – that honor goes to Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat and the late great 'Macho Man' Randy Savage – it was the most memorable. It was a featured match in WWE '14, but now fans can recreate "the bodyslam heard around the world" when 'The Immortal' slammed the 500lb giant with WWE 2K24's slingshot gameplay features, then the clash between 'The Texas Rattlesnake' of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin who locked horns with Bret 'The Hitman' Hart at Wrestlemania 13 where it wasn't filled with memorable matches, but it did feature the iconic contest between Bret Hart and 'Stone Cold' in a Submission match. Despite being the villain, fans were starting to cheer for the take-no-prisoners persona of Steve Austin and slowly turning on Bret's clean-cut good guy. It was a believable grudge match led by two of the best at the top of their game. The match ended with a bloodied Austin refusing to submit Bret 'Hitman' Hart's Sharpshooter and passing out from the pain. This cemented 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin (Who had his first & last wrestling matches took place in his home state of Texas as he was involved in 3 showcase matches, celebrating 40 years of Wrestlemania in the WWE 2K24 game (Including the aformentioned submission match against Hart at WM 13 in 1997 in Rosemont, Illinois with Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee, then against his chief rival of The Rock in a no holds barred match for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania X-Seven in Houston, Texas prior to his alignment with his main adversary of Mr McMahon in which Austin triumphed in 2001, & of course his final ever wrestling match to date in the WWE was at Wrestlemania 38 in Arlington, Texas back in 2022 against the French Canadian competitor of Kevin Owens who idolised Austin (Who had his first wrestling match in 19 years in which he got finally beaten by 'The People's Champion/The Brahma Bull/The Great One' at Wrestlemania XIX in 2003 after dominating the first two at WM XV way back in 1999, then WM X-Seven in 2001) as a young kid as part of his influence of becoming a professional wrestler, also in a no holds barred match in which 'Stone Cold' prevailed 20 years after his last victory at Wrestlemania, against the nWo's Scott Hall at Wrestlemania X8 way back in 2002 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) as the unyielding BA of the WWE and transitioned 'The Excellence of Execution' into his new role as one of the top heels/villains of the company. Interestingly, the trailer didn't show Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee, but the generic ref used could be replaced later, as WWE 2K24 will feature Special Guest Referee Matches. As Shamrock is now working under a WWE Legends contract, fans are hopeful they could see the return of the former UFC champion in WWE 2K24. While the encounter between 'The Phenom' of the Undertaker & 'The Heartbreak Kid' of Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania, was a legendary match between icons as 'Mr Wrestlemania' and 'The Deadman' had both iconic matches at WrestleMania, but it was the match at WrestleMania 25 that fans view as being one of by far, the greatest matches of all time. Two of the greatest icons with styles that fit together to create the kind of chemistry in a wrestling match that kept fans on the edges of their seats from start to finish. Even though 'The Demon of Death Valley' had an undefeated streak at WrestleMania, the match wasn't predictable. Fans will get to recreate the match-up brimming with close calls, false finishes, and feats of athleticism from both men in WWE 2K24. But the showdown at Wrestlemania 39 billed as 'Decider in Hollywood' between 'The American Nightmare' Cody Rhodes & 'The Tribal Chief' of Samoan American Roman Reigns (Who is the current undisputed WWE Universal Champion as of today, but there has been an update as Rhodes (Who is the most recent men's Royal Rumble winner this year along with Bayley who is the winner of the women's Royal Rumble & is about to square off against Japan's Iyo Sky for the WWE Women's Championship at WM XL) will instead face Reigns for the championship at Wrestlemania XL in a title match billed as Cody Vs Roman II: Decider in Philly which is a rematch of last year & acts as the sequel to Cody Vs Roman: Decider in Hollywood (+ there is other matches taking place such as Aussie Rhea Ripley (The girl (Or sheila as its known back in Oz) who dominated against Nia Jax in a WWE Women's World Championship title match at Elimination Chamber this year in front of her adoring home fans in Perth, WA, Australia, & is one of 3 Aussie wrestlers alongside Indi Hartwell & Grayson Waller) defending her women's title crown against Irishwoman Becky Lynch (Who recently released an autobiography as the book reflects on her success in the squared circle throughout her decorated career & is one of the Irish representatives of the WWE along with her trainer Finn Balor (Part of the villanious tag team stable of the Judgment Day along with the Bloodline (Consisting of Roman Reigns, Roman's cousin & mentor The Rock (The most famous Samoan American celeb on the planet whose real name is always Dwayne Johnson), Solo Sikoa (Son of Rikishi & nephew of the late Umaga who uses his finishing move the Samoan Spike inspired by his late uncle), Jimmy Uso (Twin brother of Jey but one of the Uso twin brothers is married to a female African American wrestler Naomi) & their manager Paul Heyman who was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year) & Damage CTRL (Which consists of Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane & our own Kiwi Dakota Kai but they used to have Bayley who is no longer with the tag team stable) with the aforementioned Ripley then Damian Priest (Who was the most recent men's Money in the Bank winner last year), 'Dirty' Dominik Mysterio (Son of famous luchador Rey) & JD McDonagh (Who is Irish just like Lynch, Balor & Sheamus), Sheamus (The man known as 'The Celtic Warrior' who is best known as the ex-security manager & right-hand man of U2 lead singer Bono) & the aformentioned McDonagh) as well as SFR & 'The Visionary' of Seth Rollins (Who is still the husband of the woman known as 'The Man/The Irish Lass Kicker') who'll put his WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Scotsman Drew McIntyre (Who is Scotland's only recognized male professional wrestler as of today, but there's Nikki Cross, Alba Fyre, Piper Niven & Isla Dawn who are the other Scottish wrestlers as well, but all 4 of them are females, & there was the late great Canadian born wrestler of Scottish origin which is 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper who was legendary back in the day) along with social media superstar & entrepeneur Logan Paul defending his United States title against veteran wrestlers Randy 'The Legend Killer' Orton & Kevin 'KO' Owens & the Austrian wrestler of Gunther (The longest serving Intercontinental Champion of all time as he took over from the Honky Tonk Man) ready to put his Intercontinental crown on the line against Canadian Sami Zayn (Who has Syrian roots & is one of the Canadian wrestlers to appear in the WWE 2K24 game along with Kevin Owens, Maryse (Wife of The Miz who is recently retired as of today), Chelsea Green, Natalya as well as her father Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart & his brother of the aformentioned Bret Hart who is Natalya's uncle following Edge's departure to AEW where he competes under his real name of Adam Copeland) at the Showcase of the Immortals) as Cody Returns To The WWE To Face 'The Big Dog' For The World Title. The biggest wrestling story in 2023 involved Rhodes returning to WWE and his intention to win the belt his father never won from 'The Head of the Table'. It was a personal journey that fans could get behind, and those who followed Cody's career where he reinvented himself as a star in Japan, and AEW positioned him as one of, if not the elite/premium babyface/good guy in the company – the perfect opponent for the ultra heel Roman Reigns. Most expected Cody to take the victory & wrest the title from Reigns, and it was another rollercoaster match between two of the best in the company. Even though Cody's fans didn't get the result, it elevated him further as he continued his journey to finish his story and honor his family's legacy. Then it was at Wrestlemania 10 where HBK faced off against 'The Bad Guy' of Razor Ramon who was the WWF Intercontinental champion where it was considered one of the greatest ladder matches of all time. The iconic Ladder match between 'The Showstopper' and Razor Ramon at WrestleMania 10 didn't appear in the reveal trailer. However, the official WWE 2K social media accounts posted the image of a ladder, tagging 'The Icon/the Main Event' on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook. The teaser likely referred to the incredible contest between two of the best Intercontinental Champions in the 1990s. The match features iconic and exciting moments like Michaels' splash from the top of the ladder and more to be recreated in WWE 2K24's Showcase mode, while the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship match between Australian Rhea 'Mami' Ripley & 'The Queen' of Charlotte Flair (Best known as the daughter of a retired famous wrestler of 'The Nature Boy' Ric who defeated Ripley at WM 36 in 2020) at WM 39, which was a showstealing performance from two of the best at WrestleMania 39. The terrific match between 'Mami' and 'The Nature Girl' was easily one of the best matches on both nights of WrestleMania 39. It started slowly but in the right way and developed into an exciting contest that had the fans in the palms of their hands with false finishes and finishing moves. More importantly, it was a match that told a story in and out of the ring. Many fans consider Ripley vs Flair as one of the best women's wrestling matches in WrestleMania history, and it is hard to argue that point. It's a deserving match to be featured in the Showcase. But the battle between Bianca 'The EST of WWE' Belair (Wife of male African American wrestler Montez Ford) & 'The Empress of Tomorrow' Asuka (Who is Japanese just like both Japanese female wrestlers Iyo Sky & Kairi Sane, as well as both Japanese male wrestlers of Shinsuke Nakamura & Akira Tozawa) also at Wrestlemania 39 was a competitive match for the Raw Women's Championship as another notable match featured in the WWE 2K24 trailer was Belair vs Asuka at WrestleMania 39. It shows 'The EST' hitting 'The Empress' with the Powerbomb and the WrestleMania 39 Hollywood logo in the background. While it wasn't as decent as the Rhea Ripley v Charlotte Flair match, it was an entertaining piece of showmanship from both women. Bianca Belair's appearance in the WrestleMania Showcase shouldn't be surprising, as she's the cover star alongside 'Mami' on the Deluxe Edition of WWE 2K24. It was a good contrast of styles, with Belair's strength and athleticism matching well with the Asuka's cunning and technical ability. There are plenty of power spots, and the Empress's mist will likely play a part in the Showcase.
And finally in the sporting news flash front such as in the cricket where the young West Indies side who finally secured their famous win against Australia in the 2nd test at the Gabba in Brisbane for the 1st time since 2003, & for the first time on Australian soil since 1997 with the great Brian Lara scoring a ton which resulted in a comprehensive 10 wicket win at the WACA Ground, with Shamar Joseph (Who was retired out after Mitchell Starc was bowling by hitting him in the toe resulting in being trapped LB which was reviewed then Starc had overstepped, resulting in a no ball, but I thought the only way to get out of a ball is run out, & then all of a sudden, Shamar Joseph (The hero of the West Indies in the 2nd & final test) had to retire hurt but he had been retired out, then he made a miraculous recovery the next day from a broken toe after the doctors had been given him the all clear (For which I thought that he shouldn't play with an injury like that), just like Khawaja who was cleared to play in the 2nd & final test against the Windies after being felled by a bouncer in which he retired hurt when he failed a concussion protocol, but however he has recovered by getting over it since) providing the heroics as he took 7 for 68 in the second innings on day 4 (On the same day as the pride of Italy has a new tennis star, in the form of Jannik Sinner who defeated the heavily favoured Daniil 'Meddy' Medvedev, to win his historic first ever Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open (It took place a day after Aryna Sabalenka who retained her Australian Open women's singles crown against a Chinese opponent of Zheng Qin Wen (Who was the first Chinese player to reach the final since Li Na in 2014 where she won against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova as she became Asia's first ever Australian open champion, & the 1st to defend her women's singles crown at the Australian Open since her fellow countrywoman Victoria Azarenka in 2013 (That was the year after she won the title & the year before Li Na won it) during the final as Sabalenka again became the last woman standing), as well as the first Italian male grand slam champion since 1976 at the French Open with Adriano Panatta, after completing an incredible comeback from 2 sets down in an epic final for the ages (Well, I prefer Wimbledon last year that Carlos Alcaraz stunned Novak Djokovic in one of the greatest tennis matches that I have ever watched on television throughout my whole life, compared to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final between the AB's against our traditional Trans-Tasman foe of Australia was by far, the greatest rugby game I have ever seen on TV as well as race 10 of the last & most recent America's Cup in 2021 between the defender Emirates Team New Zealand against the challenger & champion of the Prada Cup, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, as the best yachting race I have ever watched on television & the World Test Championship final between India & New Zealand in the same year, as the greatest cricket match I have ever seen on TV) as well as he was awarded the standout player of the game for his performance during the 2nd test, then he was being awarded the standout player of the series in which the test series ended in a draw but the Aussies retain the Frank Worrell trophy which was overshadowed by Steve Smith scoring 91 not out when he carried his bat for Australia (Who went on to lose their 1st day/night test match in history after winning 11 in a row in which the undefeated streak was under threat going into the 2nd & last test against the Windies), the 1st male test cricketer to do so, since Tom Latham against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in Wellington in the Boxing Day test back in 2018 where he scored 264 not out as the Black Caps were all out for 578 during the 1st innings in which the test match resulted in a draw, but the most famous examples were Englishman Alastair Cook against Australia during the Boxing Day test in 2017 at the hallowed MCG in which he posted 244 not out when England were bowled out for 491 during the 1st innings which also resulted in a draw, then the recently retired Australian test player David Warner, who posted 123 not out where the Australians were all out for 233 in the 2nd innings against New Zealand who had won the test, at Blundstone Arena in 2011 in one of the most famous iconic test matches in history, in the aftermath of Doug Bracewell who knocked over Nathan Lyon to get their 1st win against Australia in a test match in 22 years)
So that is my 535th blog of the year 2024 (MMXXIV) & my 11th of this year, viva Ukraine & Palestine.
P.S. Do I have to die to hear you miss me?
Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye?
I don't wanna act like there's tomorrow
I don't wanna wait to do this one more time
One more time
One more
One more time
One more time
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