AJ Styles cannot wait to entertain the UAE crowds at next month’s WWE Live Dune Bash Tour in Dubai.
Styles has been added to the roster listed to be in action on both April 14 and 15 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, along with Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, the New Day and Sami Zayn, along with many others.
It will not be the 38 year old’s first visit to Dubai, and he is eager to return to the emirate.
“Yeah I have been there before,” the American said when answering a question from The National during a conference call with other media outlets. “It is a beautiful place. The hotels are amazing. There are so many great things about it and I can’t wait for the opportunity to get back there.
“It is literally worth the plane ride to go and see something so beautiful so I am very excited to be over there again.”
• Read more: WrestleMania 32 predictions - Roman Reigns to win WWE title as Shane McMahon upsets the Undertaker
• Video: Cesaro on the WWE coming to Dubai, Daniel Bryan's retirement and his recovery from injury
Styles made his debut in the WWE, having garnered a reputation as one of the best workers in the business on the independent scene, at the Royal Rumble in January.
As to what the UAE public can expect from him next month, he added: “They don’t call me ‘phenomenal’ for nothing.
“I like to get in there, I have one gear, it is all or nothing with me, and I just want to have entertaining matches and give these people what they want, so if they want a bit of everything I can give them that.”
WrestleMania 32 is this Sunday at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a crowd of more than 100,000 expected to attend.
Styles will take on Chris Jericho in a singles match at the event, and it will be his first WrestleMania as a competitor.
Of his desire to be involved in the biggest WWE event of the year, Styles said: “I think if you watch one WrestleMania, and see the build-up that goes into it, how could you not want to be a part of WrestleMania?
As to if he has a favourite WrestleMania moment, he added: “There have been so many unbelievable matches that have been part of it that it is hard to pick one, but I have the WWE Network, I have seen all the matches and seen the Mania moments and I am just happy that I get to have one this year.”
Styles and Jericho have already met three times in singles matches, with Styles 2-1 up in victories, while they briefly aligned as a tag team, before Jericho attacked Styles after they lost to the New Day in a WWE tag team titles match.
“The feud is getting attention, so we must be doing something right,” Styles said of the rivalry with Jericho.
“We have had three matches before this, one-on-one, and then we had the tag match, and they have been great matches, and so hopefully to have another and have it on the biggest stage of them all is very special and I can’t wait for the opportunity to get in front of all those people at WrestleMania and put on a match they won’t forget.”
Tickets for the WWE Live Dune Bash Tour went on sale in February.
They can be purchased online from www.platinumlist.net and from UAE Exchange branches. Regular ticket prices start at Dh350.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
SPECS
Engine: 2-litre direct injection turbo
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Power: 261hp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: From Dh134,999
