WWE World Heavyweight champion Kofi Kingston could lose his title to Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia. Image courtesy of WWE
WWE World Heavyweight champion Kofi Kingston could lose his title to Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia. Image courtesy of WWE
WWE World Heavyweight champion Kofi Kingston could lose his title to Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia. Image courtesy of WWE
WWE World Heavyweight champion Kofi Kingston could lose his title to Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia. Image courtesy of WWE

WWE Super ShowDown talking points: is Kofi Kingston the real target of Brock Lesnar's MITB cash in?


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Ahead of Friday's WWE Super ShowDown network special in Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, here are some final talking points ahead of the event.

Brock Lesnar to target Kofi Kingston for his MITB cash in?

Lesnar has vowed to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Friday night in Jeddah and it appears his sights are set on Universal champion Seth Rollins.

But will it be Rollins? There could be a swerve on the horizon where Lesnar does leave with gold around his waist, but rather than the Universal belt it is Kofi Kingston's World Heavyweight Championship title.

The clue may be in who said what. Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman promised Lesnar would cash in on Monday night on Raw.

Lesnar didn't, even though he beat up Rollins easily and if he had cashed in it would have been an easy win.

Lesnar said "Friday" when challenged by Heyman, which indicated he had Jeddah in mind for where he will hand in his briefcase.

But he did not say who on Friday he would do it against. Which opens the door for the swerve.

The scene is set. Kingston, believing Lesnar is after Rollins, wins his title defence in Jeddah against Dolph Ziggler, only to hear Lesnar's music post-match.

Sure enough he comes out, cashes in and beats a surprised Kingston to win the WWE World Heavyweight belt for the first time since March 2015.

Lesnar never lied. He can claim Heyman said Rollins but he didn't.

Kingston loses the belt in a way that doesn't hurt him and sets him up for a feud with the former UFC man, something he is very keen to happen.

Only time will tell, but the wording on Raw, when you think about it, makes this scenario very plausible.

Goldberg v The Undertaker to be under 10 minutes

Given the pair have a combined age of 106 this is unlikely to go too long.

Goldberg's matches are usually fast-paced and violent, and The Undertaker, despite a successful hip operation, is understandably not as agile as he used to be.

So playing to their strengths, and physical limitations, this should be a fast match.

Both men are plausible winners but the only guarantee is that either a Tombstone or a Jackhammer will happen in less then 10 minutes of the bell ringing.

Triple H v Randy Orton to be their best yet?

There is a strange thing about Triple H and Orton's rivalry. Despite it being 15 years in September since their first one-on-one match they have never had a truly classic match.

Whether it is their styles, or odd booking, they have not gelled together.

As Evolution stablemates they were tremendous together, but as world title rivals it never did click.

Arguably their best match was at No Mercy 2007 in a Last Man Standing clash was the most fun and that is what Friday's match will try and beat.

It is 10 years since their WrestleMania 25 main event and it will be interesting to see how the anniversary goes.

Triple H can still go, despite rarely competing these days, and Orton has seemed to have re-found some fire in recent months after a forgettable last couple of years.

Hopefully this can surpass previous encounters and give the Saudi audience something to remember.

The specs

Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder

Transmission: 7-speed auto

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0-200kmh 5.5 seconds

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On sale: now

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)

Revival
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Interscope

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World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m

Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rushbridger, Canongate

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Specs
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Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

Honeymoonish
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