Ahead of Sunday’s WWE Battleground show, Graham Caygill looks over the card and makes his predictions for who he sees coming out on top in the matches.
Seth Rollins to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Brock Lesnar
A hard one to call and this is what makes it such a good main event. Lesnar starts as overwhelming favourite, and deservedly so, but this feels too early for the title change to happen, and with the former UFC man still having a part-time status, it is hard to believe the WWE would want to put the belt back on him and for him to disappear off TV screens for months again. Rollins no longer has Kane, or J&J Security with him, but whether it be Triple H or someone else, I expect outside assistance to help him stay champion, either by victory or by disqualification.
Roman Reigns to defeat Bray Wyatt
Wyatt should be a huge superstar in the WWE. Great in the ring, an unique persona, yet he is floundering in the mid-card thanks to losing regularly to Cena in 2014 and then having to singlehandely build his WrestleMania match with Undertaker, only to then take the pinfall to the veteran. This should be a good match but I do not see this as being more than simply filler for Reigns as he prepares for another tilt at the WWE title in the not too distant future.
John Cena to retain the United States title against Kevin Owens
Another difficult one to predict, but Cena’s US Open challenge has become a key part of Raw and the 15-time world champion has been consistently putting on great matches. I think there is still mileage for Cena in this, and I see him squeaking out victory over Owens. The performance of Owens since moving up to the main roster has been superb, and in many ways he does not need the US title given the momentum he has right now. Owens would make a great champion, but I think, with him still having NXT commitments, that the title stays with Cena for the time being.
Randy Orton to defeat Sheamus
Both men need the victory to find some momentum, with Orton hardly been used since losing his feud with Rollins for the WWE title, while Sheamus has done nothing of note since winning the Money in the Bank briefcase. Sheamus is the man with bigger things on the horizon thanks to the briefcase, so for that reason I think he can absorb the loss to Orton, who can use the triumph to help push him back up the card.
Prime Time Players to retain the WWE Tag Team titles against New Day
I was disappointed to see New Day drop the titles last month as they were great as the heelish champions who do not realise they are the bad guys. Prime Time Players have continued to have the ascendancy in this rivalry since then, which would hint at them dropping the belts, considering past WWE reverse booking logic, but I see them triumphing here and possibly setting up a stipulation match with the same opponents at Summerslam.
King Barrett v R-Truth
Both men are better than the fodder they have been given here with a feud over who is the real king. Barrett, who was the Intercontinental champion as recently as March, should be higher up the card, and he should be the one to come out of this with the win.
Intercontinental title picture
Ryback was due to defend his title in a triple threat with Big Show and Miz, but the match is off to due to an injury to an injury. It is possible the WWE may put the two challengers together in a match to help fill out the card, and if that happens expect Big Show to go over and remain a very real threat to Ryback.
WWE’s Battleground event will be televised on the WWE Network, which is available through OSN, on Monday morning in the UAE from 3am.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
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Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
