Brock Lesnar dethroned, John Cena reclaims title and Sting proves a WWE spectacle – Wrestlemania 31 predictions



The National's Graham Cagyill will be on the scene in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, March 29 for Wrestlemania 31. Below he offers his thoughts on how he expects WWE's grandest show to play out:

Roman Reigns to defeat Brock Lesnar and win the WWE world heavyweight title

A hard one to call. Lesnar announced this week he is staying with the company after ending speculation he might return to UFC. But this is Reigns’s night. The Royal Rumble winner has momentum on his side, and expect him to cause one of the major upsets in WrestleMania history by ending Lesnar’s near-eight-month reign as WWE world heavyweight champion.

Sting to defeat Triple H

Given that Sting is 56 do not expect an athletic showdown between two of the biggest names in sports entertainment. This is Sting’s first match in a WWE ring after a 30-year career and for that reason alone expect him to win this grudge match with Triple H. It should be one of the spectacles of the evening, even if it is not for the in-ring wrestling.

John Cena to beat Rusev to win the WWE United States title

Cena is out for revenge after being beaten, in questionable fashion, at Fastlane in February, and the 15-time WWE world champion will achieve it in San Jose, winning the United States title for the first time since 2004 and handing Rusev his first defeat in the WWE.

The Undertaker to defeat Bray Wyatt

The Undertaker’s winning streak at WrestleMania had become almost as important as the event itself, but at 21-0 it all came to an end in New Orleans last year when he was beaten by Brock Lesnar. The Undertaker has not been seen since, but he returns to take on Bray Wyatt. Despite Wyatt being younger and coming off a string of fine results, most notably beating Daniel Bryan and Dean Ambrose, it will be the Undertaker standing tall come the end.

Daniel Bryan to win the WWE intercontinental title in a seven-man ladder match

This is likely to be the most entertaining match on the card as the likes of Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan go for Bad New Barrett’s Intercontinental title, which is on the line. It is not a repeat of winning the WWE world heavyweight title, like he did 12 months ago, but expect the crowd to be given a feel-good moment as Bryan wins the intercontinental belt for the first time in his career.

Seth Rollins to beat Randy Orton

Rollins could be a factor in the main event as he still has the Money in the Bank briefcase, which entitles him to a WWE world heavyweight title shot at any time of his choosing. But he goes up against former Authority stablemate Orton, who has had the upper hand in the build-up. Rollins needs the win to restore his credibility after a number of high-profile losses, and he should get it here.

Damien Mizdow to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

The main narrative among the superstars taking part in this over-the-top-rope, battle-royal-style match, where up to 20 men will start the match, with the winner being the last man in the ring, is the growing dissent between The Miz and his assistant Damien Mizdow. Mizdow will stand on his own, throwing Miz over the top rope on his way to clinching what could be a career defining win.

AJ Lee and Paige to beat The Bella twins

A grudge match with AJ Lee having returned to pair up with her past nemesis Paige in an attempt to stand up to the Bella twins in this tag-team match. Nikki Bella’s WWE Divas title is not on the line here, and it is a good thing for her as expect AJ Lee and Paige to come through to triumph.

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Kill

Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal

Rating: 4.5/5

Company Profile

Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000

UAE ILT20

Marquee players:
Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Dawid Malan, Wanindu Hasiranga, Sunil Narine, Evin Lewis, Colin Munro, Fabien Allen, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Dushmantha Chameera, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Chris Jordan, Tom Banton, Sandeep Lamichhane, Chris Lynn, Rovman Powell, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mujeeb Ul Rahman
International players:
Lahiru Kumara, Seekugge Prassanna, Charith Asalanka, Colin Ingram, Paul Stirling, Kennar Lewis, Ali Khan, Brandon Glover, Ravi Rampaul, Raymon Reifer, Isuru Udana, Blessing Muzarabani, Niroshan Dickwella, Hazaratullah Zazai, Frederick Klassen, Sikandar Raja, George Munsey, Dan Lawrence, Dominic Drakes, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, David Wiese, Qais Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, James Vince, Noor Ahmed, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Navin Ul Haq, Sherfane Rutherford, Saqib Mahmood, Ben Duckett, Benny Howell, Ruben Trumpelman

UAE squad

Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.

CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFIER, ZIMBABWE

UAE fixtures

Monday, June 19

Sri Lanka v UAE, Queen’s Sports Club

Wednesday, June 21

Oman v UAE, Bulawayo Athletic Club

Friday, June 23

Scotland v UAE, Bulawayo Athletic Club

Tuesday, June 27

Ireland v UAE, Bulawayo Athletic Club

Confirmed bouts (more to be added)

Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez

Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.

Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars

MATCH INFO

Rajasthan Royals 158-8 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 143/7 (20 ovs)

Rajasthan Royals won by 15 runs

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos

Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside

Brief scores:

Everton 0

Leicester City 1

Vardy 58'

Abu Dhabi race card

5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige Dh110,000 1,400m

5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige Dh110,000 1,400m

6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed Dh180,000 1,600m

6.30pm Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m

7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m

7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 2,400m

Company Profile

Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government

Match info:

Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)

Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing

In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.

While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.

In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all). 

“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”

Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.

"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat


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