Menu
The WWE gave us its 34th WrestleMania this past Sunday, from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event featured 14 (yes, fourteen!) matches in total, spread out over 7 (yes, seven!!), including a 2-hour kick-off show. WrestleMania has been called a lot of names over the years, the “show of shows”, the “granddaddy of them all”, the “showcase of the immortals” and without further ado, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of it, starting with the kick-off show. One of the biggest talking points from the kick-off show was the fact that John Cena had taken his seat among the crowd as a ‘fan’, as he promised, awaiting a response from the Undertaker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0OmeBN1mQY WWE’s kick-off show which was broadcast Live on YouTube. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal The action started with the now-annual, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, with plenty of under and mid-card talent vying for a WrestleMania moment. As you would expect with battle royals, the action was frenetic, chaotic, hard to follow and it wasn’t helped by extremely poor editing by the production team resulting in the fans watching at home missing a few eliminations. No earth-shattering moments here, one highlight though was Mojo Rawley sending former partner Zack Ryder flying out of the ring and out of the match. Goldust dabbing was another highlight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsDMVAPMCSA Mojo Rawley eliminating Zack Ryder The match came down to two former winners of the match, Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley, and ‘Woken’ Matt Hardy. Hardy looked to be outnumbered but suddenly the lights went out and appearing out of thin air was his old foe, Bray Wyatt. Wyatt helped Hardy eliminate Corbin and Rawley. Post-match, Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy then hugged it out and seem to have formed an alliance. Winner: Matt Hardy. Decent way of starting the action. A good moment at the end. This could be the fresh start Bray Wyatt needs. 2 ½*s/5 Cruiserweight Championship (vacant) -- Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali: Next was a great high-flying, fast-paced match, just the way the Cruiserweight division should be showcased. Both men deserved to be here and the story going in was two good friends fighting it out to see who the better man was. Mustafa Ali, of Pakistan-origin, came out to a particularly eye-catching entrance was, with an incredible ring attire, light coming out of the palm of his hand and an LED-mask on, looking like a cross between Iron Man and Sub-Zero. One of the spots of the night was a beautiful-looking Spanish Fly by Ali to Alexander from the top rope. However, there was a big negative from a production point of view as the WWE chose to run a video package for Ronda Rousey’s match later on during the Cruiserweight title match. What a way to damage the legitimacy of a division you have been attempting to build up for months now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW-xmCcz_g0 Spanish Fly move by Mustafa Ali On this night, Cedric Alexander was victorious and immediately after the pin, Cedric hugged his good friend on the mat in a moment reminiscent of Shawn Michaels hugging Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24, moments after ending his career. Winner: Cedric Alexander, new Cruiserweight Champion. 3 ½*s/5 WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal: Unlike the men’s battle royal, this one featured a host of NXT call-ups as talents such as Australian Peyton Royce, New Zealand’s Dakota Kai and India’s Kavita Devi just to name a few. The match started and immediately the despised Ms.Money-in-the-Bank, Carmella, was thrown out by everyone else. There was a moment when the entire NXT contingent squared off against their main roster counterparts and the crowd erupted with ‘N-X-T’ chants. Again, the production team was really having a bad day here with fans at home missing the elimination of fan-favourite, Kairi Sane, due to bad camera work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO9xNYk75T4 NXT superstars taking over the Women’s Battle Royal The final two (apparently) were Raw’s best friends turn bitter enemies, Sasha Banks and Bayley. Sasha extended a hand in an attempt to reconcile. Bayley accepted the hand before promptly flinging the former 4-time Women’s champion out of the ring. It looked like Bayley had won the match but Smackdown Live’s Naomi was standing behind her as she celebrated in the ring as the commentators gave the explanation that Naomi had never been eliminated and went under the bottom rope – another moment that we had missed thanks to the production team. Naomi hit her finisher, the Rear View, and threw Bayley out to have her second WrestleMania moment in successive years after winning the Smackdown Women’s title in her hometown of Orlando last year. Winner: Naomi There was a lot of potential here with a lot of new feuds that could have been built. Although it is not surprising that the match centred on the Bayley-Sasha storyline, Bayley could really have done with the win. Naomi didn’t need it, especially after last year’s triumph, while Bayley has been floundering in mediocrity ever since her ill-advised first title run with the Raw Women’s title. 1½*/5 Intercontinental Championship -- The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor: Rollins came out first with striking ring attire and blue contact lenses, looking like a white walker from Game of Thrones. Miz was next, alongside the Miztourage, but there was some character development for the A-Lister here as he promptly told Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel to go to the back and this was a battle he had to fight on his own. Balor came out last and, surprisingly, not in his ‘demon’ attire. However, Finn came out with a pro-LGBT message with the words ‘Finn For Everyone’ tagged along his entrance. The match was as you’d expect from these three workhorses, fast-paced, a lot of action and high spots galore. The action left you breathless at times and was an excellent exhibition of when three performers bring out the best in one another. The match ended with Balor hitting his patented ‘Coupe de Grace’ on the Miz before Seth came in and hit the ‘blackout’ stomp, first on Finn then the champion to win the title and become a Grand-Slam champion in the WWE. Winner: Seth Rollins, new Intercontinental Champion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-hRP4GouuI Seth Rollins post-match interview The match delivered in the ring, setting the benchmark and telling everyone who was to follow exactly what they were up against. I expected to see the Miz retain with his current ‘dedicating it to his newly-born daughter’ story going on and especially when he told the Miztourage to go to the back before the match. However, it wasn’t overly disappointing to see Seth complete his championship set as well. 4*/5 SmackDown Women's Championship -- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka: The champ came out first with her legendary father’s old music serenading her before it mixed with her own theme. Then it was the turn of the Empress of Tomorrow as the Japanese star made her way out with equal mystique. Asuka’s unbeaten streak versus the Queen’s title. Asuka targeted the champion’s shoulder while the Queen moved in on the challenger’s legs, eyeing up her Figure-Eight finisher later on. There was an insane spot where Asuka countered a moonsault by Charlotte into a modified Triangle Choke but the champion managed to escape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhqweg3Wtls Asuka and Charlotte fight The finish came with Charlotte countering another submission before hitting a jaw-dropping spear before locking on the Figure-Eight. Many in the arena did not expect to see a tap-out here but that’s exactly what happened. Expressions of shock could be seen on the faces of most fans as a second famed streak ended in New Orleans in four years. Charlotte, making Asuka submit to the Figure-Eight. Winner: Charlotte Flair, still champion. This was a great back-and-forth match with tremendous moves by both women, who were portrayed as equals. Post-match angle must be taken into account as Asuka got on the mic and, with her limited English, declared that tonight “Charlotte was ready for Asuka” before saying congratulations. The two women then hugged it out in an incredibly emotional show of respect. No, no, I’m not crying, there’s something in my eye. 4¼*/5. P.S. As Charlotte was making her way to the back and Asuka took in the adulation of the crowd in the ring, a referee came running out from the back towards John Cena, to inform him that the Undertaker had just arrived at the Superdome. Cena got up and run to the back as if he had forgotten he had an exam the next morning. United States Championship -- Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev: The lacklustre build to this match made it take a backseat in terms of importance for many fans, including me. The fan-favourite Rusev would have been the wise choice to walk out with the belt, completing a redemption story for him, four years after he lost the same championship to John Cena in the same arena. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTbb8fZUN8A Randy Orton RKO-spree In the end, it was 2017’s longest-reigning WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal, who, after a distraction by his mentee Sunil Singh, hit Rusev (what did you say the fans want?) with the Kalaas to get the win at WrestleMania. Winner: Jinder Mahal, new United States champion. Not even 13-time world champion, Randy Orton, could garner sufficient interest into this match. The match itself wasn’t bad but it just didn’t have the fans going for it unless whenever Rusev was involved. Hopefully, the US title is what Jinder needs to solidify himself as a solid mid-card ‘heel’. 1½*/5. Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H: I never thought these words would be coming out of my mouth but Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley was involved in the best match on a WrestleMania. This match had a decent build and it told the perfect story throughout the match. The cheap shots at Ronda before the match started, the constant underhanded tactics to prevent Ronda from getting the tag, everything just built up the anticipation to when Ronda would get her hands on Stephanie. Triple H had his now customary over the top entrance at WrestleMania alongside his wife. Kurt Angle came out to a chorus of ‘you suck’ chants which came out of love and from the bottom of every fan’s heart who was there at the Superdome. Non-wrestling fans will never understand why fans would chant ‘you suck’ at someone they absolutely adore. Anyway, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey came out to a decent ovation from the fans, clad in gear which was in tribute to the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aan7Vtcco0 Ronda takes it to Stephanie McMahon From the moment Kurt finally managed to get the tag to Ronda, the New Orleans crowd exploded as Rousey flung Stephanie into the ring from the ring apron before teasing locking on an armbar. She goes for it but Stephanie manages to block it. This part was a bit too much, a non-wrestler like Stephanie McMahon should not be able to block a submission attempt by one of the baddest women on the planet and former UFC champion. Triple H manages to get his wife out of that situation before finding himself face-to-face with Ronda. The crowd pops and Rousey unloads with a combination of strikes, fists and elbows, making the ‘Game’ cower in the corner. She then lefts Triple H up on her shoulder before Stephanie saves her husband and delivers a huge slap across Ronda’s face before, wisely, running out of the ring. Ronda runs after her but Steph manages to bounce Ronda off the post. In the ring, Kurt and Hunter’s interaction was standard with both men exchanging big moves and Angle eventually hitting the Angle Slam for a two-count. Kurt got ready for the Ankle Lock but Steph gets involved before Kurt grabs hold her. The crowd urges Angle to put Stephanie in the Ankle Lock but Trips is there to make the save. He hits angle with the Pedigree but Ronda comes in to break it up. Kurt and Ronda then turn the tables and the match sees a tremendous false-finish with both Triple H and Stephanie caught in Ankle Locks and Armbars respectively. Triple H manages to do enough, throwing Angle at his partner to save his wife as well. Absolutely riveting stuff. Kurt throws Hunter out of the ring and Ronda grabs Stephanie’s arm again. This time there is no escape as Steph immediately taps out, selling the Armbar superbly. Winners: Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey Where to begin, this match exceeded expectations in every way imaginable. Ronda Rousey exceeded everyone’s expectations in her first-ever match in the WWE. She did not look green, she gelled well with Kurt Angle and Stephanie played the perfect foil for her stardom. The story-telling in this match was what pro-wrestling is all about. 4½*/5 SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The Usos (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers: This was relatively short but very well-executed by everyone involved. The Usos, in their first-ever WrestleMania match on the main show in nine years, had an impressive showing alongside the New Day. However, this match was all about the rise and rise of the Bludgeon Brothers. Harper and Rowan have looked rejuvenated ever since being repackaged got the win that they needed. Plus, it was hard to connect with the crowd after the emotional roller-coaster they had just been through in the previous match but these three teams really did well. Winners: the Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan), new Smackdown Live tag-team champions Smackdown’s tag-division looks to be in safe hands. A solid 3½*/5 After this match, John Cena’s music rang out and the leader of the Cenation made his way out to the ring. However, he is interrupted by Elias who, after a decent pop from the crowd, decides this is a good time to sing a song. Cena is in no mood and dishes out an AA and that was all she wrote for Elias. Cena makes his way back up the ramp before, suddenly, his music stops and darkness descends upon the Superdome. The famous GONG of the Undertaker rings out. Light returns but only focused on the Undertaker’s ring attire lying in the middle of the ring. Suddenly, a flash of lightening hits the deadman’s gear and the lights go out once again. It returns to the ring attire not being in the ring anymore. Cena makes his way back to the ring as the Undertaker’s music plays out and out comes the deadman to a huge pop from the Superdome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1lhfMI8ejY Undertaker makes his way to the ring The Undertaker vs. John Cena: This was, wow. The match lasted less than three minutes and it was all one-way traffic. The Undertaker looked to be in the best shape has been in years. The Phenom took it to Cena early on, rolling back the years. Snake Eyes, then the Big Boot – which was sold terribly by the 16-time world champion, John Cena – before going for a Chokeslam, countered by Cena into a side slam. Cena goes for his signature 5-knuckle-shuffle but the Undertaker sits up and Cena sells this brilliantly by falling to the mat with a look of sheer fear on his face. Taker gets up and delivers a thunderous Chokeslam to Cena. The straps came down and the Undertaker signalled that the end was near for Cena. Tombstone Piledriver. One. Two. Three. Rest In Peace, John Cena. Winner: The Undertaker Looking back, you can see why the WWE did not advertise this match in advance. The fans would have been extremely disappointed if they paid money to see Undertaker vs Cena to only get a 3-minute squash match but, for what it was, it was a great exhibition of the Undertaker’s legacy and what he is all about. Major props to John Cena for doing the job the way that he did. No rating can do justice to the story this match told. Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn: This was Daniel Bryan’s first match back in three years but he was taken out early on by a Power-Bomb on the apron by KO before the match even officially began. Owens and Zayn, the two vile and ruthless heels, were at their best, picking apart Shane McMahon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bL7_9sZh6E Daniel Bryan unleashes on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens However, Shane, like the best wrestler in the world that he is (read: sarcasm), manages to fend off two young talents, making the tag to Bryan as the crowd serenaded him with “YES!” chants. The leader of the Yes-movement rides the wave of momentum, eventually hitting Zayn with his Flying Knee before locking on the Yes Lock to force the submission. Winners: Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon, Owens and Zayn stay fired from Smackdown One of my personal favourite moments from the match was Kevin Owens goading Shane "Money money money's not gonna save you now", that was absolutely hilarious. Kevin and Sami are absolutely gold on the mic and in the ring. Expect to see them on Raw on Monday. 3*/5 Raw Women's Championship -- Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax: Alexa comes out with Mickie James by her side but Nia soon takes care of that, attacking Mickie before the match even begins, making her a non-factor. Alexa is shocked by the new developments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OBOoPT1GLw Funny moment as Nia scares Alexa The crowd pops during a funny moment early on when Nia screams out of anger in the face of Alexa and she screams out of fear in return. Alexa targets Jax’s knee throughout the match to some success, keeping her down to her size. Nia eventually makes her comeback before picking Bliss up on the top turnbuckle and delivering a huge Samoan Drop for the win. Winner: Nia Jax, new Raw Women’s Champion This was a good, solid match with Alexa more than holding her own, exceeding expectations. Alexa’s expressions and selling are her strongest suit but many expected this to be a squash match but this was one of Alexa’s better matches and possibly Nia’s best since moving up to the main roster. That finish was also worthy of the WrestleMania stage. Alexa has now lost the Smackdown and Raw Women’s titles on two consecutive WrestleManias. 3½*/5 WWE Championship -- AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Nakamura makes a grand entrance and the crowd drinks it all in. Everyone has been waiting for this moment ever since WWE signed Nakamura in early 2016. The two men start off by one-upping each other before the match slows down considerably. This was not the match most people expected. It suffered under the tremendous weight of expectations. Make no mistake, this was a good match but it never really hit the heights we know both men to be capable of. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzkipV4oZ4 Nakamura and AJ go back and forth Nakamura goes towards his finisher towards the end of the match but Styles pulls out a terrific counter, reversing it into the Styles Clash for the victory. Winner: AJ Styles, and still the WWE Champion. The King of Strong Style had been threatening his ‘knee to face’ Kinshasa finisher ever since he won the Royal Rumble and but here, he couldn’t land it even once. Styles gets a decent pop after the match even though most people expected Nakamura to come out the victor, myself included. Shinsuke grabs the WWE title belt from the referee, gets on one knee and hands the championship to AJ in a massive show of res-wait, WHAT, NO! Nakamura gives Styles a low blow as the collective jaws of 70,000+ people drop to the floor. Shinsuke Nakamura turns heel! He then proceeds to give the stiffest-looking kicks to AJ, straight to his face, knocking him out of the ring before finally delivering a Kinshasa on the outside, albeit too little too late. Keeping the post-match heel turn in mind, this was a solid match but without the twist at the end, it would not have been 4*/5. Raw Tag Team Championship -- The Bar (c) vs. Braun Strowman & “Mystery Partner”: In the ‘cool-down’ spot between the two big title matches, Sheamus and Cesar, “the Bar”, defended their Raw tag-team titles agains Braun Strowman and a partner of Strowman’s choosing and what a partner he chose indeed! Strowman gets on the mic and bellows "(my partner is) not one person in the back, in the locker room. It's one of you, or one of you, or one of you! WHO WANTS TO BE MY WRESTLEMANIA TAG TEAM PARTNER?" The crowd are all into it as Strowman makes his way out into the crowd, looking for a tag-team partner. He reaches to the back of the stands and finds a 10-year old boy with long hair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKe0WEAI4eM Strowman goes searching for a partner Braun brings the kid to the ring with him and asks him his name. “Nicholas,” the kid says. The crowd cheer. This was adorable but seemed too far-fetched to be true. Braun makes the kid stand on the apron and takes care of business. Sheamus and Cesaro are getting destroyed and Nicholas offers his hand to Strowman and Strowman tags him in! Cesaro is unsure what to do but thankfully, Strowman tags himself back in and continues the destruction. Braun catches Cesaro and turns an offence into his Powerslam for the win. Braun Strowman and a 10-year old kid called “Nicholas” are your new Raw tag-team Champions! Winners: Braun Strowman and Nicholas, new Raw tag-team Champions This was something unique and all credit to WWE for trying it. But the Raw tag-team division has been in bad shape as it is so to have the champions defeated by one huge man and one tiny little kid seemed like a farce. However, how many of us have dreamed as kids of winning a WWE championship at WrestleMania? Exactly. This kid lived out a dream of so many and full marks to WWE for doing something out of the box. Many expected Elias, Samoa Joe among others to be Strowman’s partner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX68QDogUEU Strowman and Nicholas’ first photo-shoot as tag-team champions. This was all about the story, and less about the match. 2½*/5 Universal Championship -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns: The main event that no one wanted to see, Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns. Reigns is out first to a typical Reigns reaction. Brock is out next and it’s not much better. This could be Goldberg vs Lesnar at WM20 all over again. Lesnar puts on a Suplexing clinic early on, with belly-to-belly and germans galore, both in the ring and outside. Reigns manages to Spear Brock over the top of the announce table. Roman gets him in the ring before delivering another Spear for a two-count. Brock is incensed and counters another Spear by kneeing Roman right in the face. Brock hits an F5 early but Roman, predictably, kicks out. Brock picks him up again and hits the F5 again but Roman kicks out this time as well! Brock hits a THIRD F5, this is how many it took to end the Undertaker’s streak right here in this arena four years ago but Roman kicks out again! Brock just looked confused now and is screaming out in frustration. It should be added that the crowd is completely dead. There are “boring”, “CM Punk”, “this is awful” and “we want Nicholas” chants just to name a few. Lesnar now throws Reigns to the outside before delivering a thunderous, fourth F5, this time on top of the announce table. The Beast throws Roman back in the ring and delivers a fifth F5 but Roman kicks out again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyqSUL_23aE Lesnar is frustrated and takes off his gloves, does a full mount on top of Roman and starts elbowing him in the forehead. You could hear his elbow connecting with Roman’s skull. The challenger is busted wide open, there is blood everywhere. Lesnar, with Reigns’ blood all over himself as well, picks him up for another F5 but Reigns somehow wriggles out and delivers two spears, but it’s only a two-count! Roman goes for another spear but Brock counters and picks him up for the sixth F5 of the night and, finally, thankfully, this one is over. Winner: Brock Lesnar, and still WWE Universal Champion It took twice as many F5s to put down Roman Reigns than it did to the Undertaker at WrestleMania30. Let that sink in. Brock’s retention was a surprise since many believed him to be UFC-bound but apparently he has indeed signed a new contract, the length of which is still unknown. This was another chapter in WWE’s attempted coronation of Roman Reigns while Brock’s matches are growing repetitive and stale day-by-day. 3½*/5 This was WrestleMania 34, it had its ups it had its downs. My favourite moment was Shinsuke Nakamura’s heel turn along with seeing Stephanie McMahon get her come-uppance. However, for every Undertaker Tombstone Piledriving John Cena moment, there was a Jinder Mahal victory at WrestleMania too. This will not be remembered as one of the best WrestleManias of all time, not even close. The ending, with Roman simply making his way to the back, was uninspiring just like his main event clash with Brock. The WWE desperately needs some fresh impetus into their storylines with focus on the young, full-time talent.
0 Comments
WrestleMania is almost upon us, April 8th is the date, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, is the setting and all hands are on deck as far as WWE’s preparations are concerned. The event has been called a lot of names over the years, the “show of shows”, the “granddaddy of them all”, the “showcase of the immortals” and this year promises to live up to all those expectations with a stacked card full of dream matches and culminations to storied rivalries.
Without further ado, let’s get down to the nitty gritty and discuss the match card, the build-up and rumours going in to the biggest wrestling pay-per-view of the year. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: A host of undercard performers from both Raw and Smackdown will face off in what has now become a Mania tradition, the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Matt Hardy, fresh off his “ultimate deletion” shtick with Bray Wyatt, could be a dark horse if WWE are planning on giving him a push. Other contenders are former winners Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley from Smackdown. Corbin, who was in the WWE Championship match at Fastlane not so long ago, picked up the pin in a big 8-man tag team match five days before WrestleMania. If you believe the WWE creative team’s booking formula though, he might not be the one walking out as the victor on Sunday. There could be some surprise returns, legends making a one-off appearance and NXT rookies making their main-roster debut. WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal: After a controversial original name, the WWE eventually changed the name of this Battle Royal to something simpler. This should be on the pre-show as well. With the main-roster relatively thin, women from Raw, Smackdown as well as NXT could feature in this match. Same as the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, expect to see some legends of the past making their return as well. As far as contenders go, someone like Becky Lynch, who has been lost in the shuffle on Smackdown Live as of late, could really do with a big win at WrestleMania. However, many expected Sasha Banks and Bayley from Raw to have their own singles showdown on the show but with both being put in this Battle Royal, expect their feud to be the centre piece of the booking of this match. SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The Usos (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers: It really is astonishing when you think that the Usos have not had a match on the main card at WrestleMania ever since their debut in 2010. All that should change this year with what should be a hard-hitting triple-threat tag team match. The Usos and, seemingly eternal rivals, the New Day, had some blockbuster matches with each other in 2017 and with talented performers like Harper and Rowan added to the mix, this is another match that has the potential to steal the show. Expect to see the revamped team of Harper and Rowan as the Bludgeon Brothers take home the tag titles once the dust has settled. Raw Tag Team Championship -- The Bar (c) vs. Braun Strowman & “Mystery Partner”: Bruan Strowman teased that he could be teaming up with “Brains” Strowman on the final Raw before Mania in a comedic segment. However, that would have been a disappointment, much like Strowman has been used leading up to WrestleMania. Many are saying the WWE appears to have dropped the ball with Strowman, one of the biggest babyfaces in the company, in having him compete for only the Tag Championships at the biggest show of the year. Strowman really deserved a marquee match at Mania after the 2017 he had. The fans are apparently expected to forget the Strowman-Triple H storyline from Survivor Series back in November. Nevertheless, if his mystery partner can get even half the reaction the Hardy Boyz got at WrestleMania last year on their return, it should be deemed a success. Current rumoured favourites to be teaming up with Strowman are Elias, Mark Henry, Chris Jericho, Neville, the Big Show or Rey Mysterio. Cruiserweight Championship -- Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali: Two of the originals from the initial Cruiserweight division re-started by the WWE in 2016 clash on the grandest stage as former Ring of Honour (ROH) star Cedric Alexander takes on Mustafa Ali, an American of Pakistani descent. Ali, real name “Adeel Alam”, is the first wrestler of Pakistani origins to make it to the WWE main roster. Neither of Alexander or Ali has won the title before and, if given the time, they possess the ability to have a very frenetic, high-flying and enthralling match from start to finish, the kind of match that led to the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016 getting rave reviews from fans and journalists. However, despite all the good that has been done in the Cruiserweight division the last few weeks, this match will most likely be on the pre-show. Intercontinental Championship -- The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor: With injuries to Dean Ambrose, Jason Jordan and Samoa Joe taking them out of the mix, WWE have had to improvise with storylines and this triple-threat match with three workhorses is what they have come up with. Rumours had it that Dean Ambrose was supposed to turn heel by turning on Rollins (like the latter did to him four years ago), setting up a mouth-watering WrestleMania clash between the two before the lunatic fringe got injured. Then Jason Jordan was thrust into a tag-team with Seth before he too got hurt. Samoa Joe would have been another ideal candidate for the IC title match at Mania but, unfortunately, he too has been out since early January. This one should be another great match with lots of high spots. Expect to see a title change, however, though if Miz can pull out a victory out of somewhere, it would be a great feather under his cap. United States Championship -- Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev: Some really messy build-up here with a confusing story being told by 15-time world champion, Randy Orton, a former NXT champion, Bobby Roode and 2017’s biggest rags to riches story of Jinder Mahal. Many expected Roode to hold the title till WrestleMania before losing it to Orton, giving the Viper his “grand slam” collection of all available major title belts. However, the “glorious” one lost the belt to Randy at Smackdown Live’s Fastlane ppv in March, giving him a relatively short and lacklustre first reign with the US title belt. Now, with Jinder Mahal and, soon after, Rusev added to the mix, the build-up has lacked the steam you would expect from a high-profile title match at the biggest show of the year. Expect “Rusev Day” chants to be churned out all match long and if creative are feeling generous, we could see Rusev, a fan-favourite, getting crowned champion in a feel-good moment. Although the bout could end up on the pre-show but, knowing Randy Orton, the Viper might find a way to slither onto the main show. Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn: After the sensational announcement of Daniel Bryan being cleared to wrestle, the next natural step was having his first match back be at WrestleMania. Owens and Zayn have been “fired”, like that’s ever stopped someone from appearing on TV the very next day in WWE. The logic for this match is baffling and it is WWE at its best. Two of the four men are “unemployed” and yet they can appear and get a match on the biggest show of the year while other undercard and under-utilised talent do not get a match. Nevertheless, the story is set, the two Canadians have been playing the cold-blooded heels to perfection lately and the quartet of Bryan, Shane, Sami and Kevin should provide us a match with great story-telling. Shane McMahon had his own injury scare going into this match, having required a minor surgery a fortnight before. This match should have far-reaching consequences going into Smackdown post-WrestleMania. A heel turn from either Bryan or Shane would do wonders for the Smackdown viewership. Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H: This is another match for which the seeds were planted long before. At WrestleMania 31 in 2015, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey appeared in a special guest capacity alongside the Rock as the duo stood face to face with WWE’s biggest power couple, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. What followed was a WrestleMania moment in itself with Rousey giving the game a hip-toss out of the ring and nearly breaking his wife’s arm. Three years on and the former UFC Bantamweight Champions has signed a full-time contract with the WWE and is preparing for her first match on the grandest stage. Rousey made her debut at the Royal Rumble in January, confronting the Women’s champions of the two brands before another altercation with Stephanie McMahon the following night on Raw. Triple H and Kurt Angle’s involvement goes as far back as the Survivor Series ppv in November where the “cerebral assassin” Triple H double-crossed Kurt Angle, pedigreeing him to the mat wanting the glory all for himself. Angle warned him the next night on Raw that they would have problems if that ever happened again. Triple H didn’t listen and decked Angle once more on an episode of Raw in February. This led to Angle, as the General Manager of Raw, announcing a mixed tag-team match between himself and Rousey against Triple H and Stephanie. SmackDown Women's Championship -- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka: Charlotte Flair and Asuka never crossed paths while down in NXT with the “genetically superior”, Charlotte, leaving for the main roster before the undefeated Asuka started making her mark in the division. The two women are arguably two of the best workers in the division right now and the first-time aspect just adds to the uniqueness the match has to offer. “The Empress of Tomorrow” won the right to challenge Charlotte for her title after winning the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match back in January. Asuka, a member of the Raw roster, made the switch to the Smackdown brand in order to dethrone the Queen. Charlotte, meanwhile, will be hoping to become the first woman to defeat the Japanese star since her debut in the WWE in 2015. Raw Women's Championship -- Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax: Raw Women’s champion, Alexa Bliss, has been trying to use the powerful Nia Jax as a shield from the moment she joined the Raw roster. However, the two have since transformed into enemies after Bliss started taunting and bullying Jax over her weight and failure to end Asuka’s unbeaten streak. The final straw for Nia came when she discovered Alexa talking behind her back about how she never saw her as a friend and only as a tool to get what she wanted. General Manager Kurt Angle made the match official for Mania, with the two former on-screen best friends turned bitter rivals. The two are best friends in real life and should be looking to carve out a WrestleMania moment for themselves. A perfect example of good friends making better enemies in the ring. Universal Championship -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns: Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar, takes on Vince McMahon’s golden boy, Roman Reigns. After the break-up of the Shield in 2014, Reigns has speared his way to superstardom, main-eventing three WrestleMania’s in a row and he will make it four if this match goes on last on April 8th. Reigns’ ‘Road to WrestleMania’ was finalised when he won a 7-man Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in February to become the no.1 contender for Lesnar’s Universal Championship. Before that, Reigns was in the final two of the Royal Rumble match for the fourth time in five years at the Royal Rumble event before being eliminated last by fan-favourite, Shinsuke Nakamura. This will also be WWE’s fourth consecutive attempt at crowning Reigns at WrestleMania after previous unsuccessful attempts at getting him accepted by the fans. Brock and Roman have faced each other before at WrestleMania, in 2015, with Brock’s WWE World Championship on the line at the time. The match was marred by a spectacular cash-in by Money in the Bank briefcase holder and one half of Reigns’ former Shield brethren, Seth Rollins, who pinned Reigns to walk out of WrestleMania 31 the new WWE Champion. Lesnar and Reigns will be hoping they can settle their differences without any interference this time around. WWE Championship -- AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Like Brock and Roman, this will not be Styles and Nakamura’s first dance together at a showpiece event. However, their previous encounter came at Japanese promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year, WrestleKingdom, in 2016. That instant classic of a match was for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Nakamura walked out the victor that day with the two men showing respect to one another after all was set and done. Weeks later, the two had left Japan and signed contracts with WWE. The WWE have been teasing this dream match for months now with seeds being planted as far back as the Money In The Bank ppv when Styles and Nakamura abandoned pursuit of the briefcase after locking eyes on one another. The two have since, thankfully and cleverly, been kept apart up until the run-in to WrestleMania. Nakamura’s won the opportunity to face Styles for his championship by winning the aforementioned annual Royal Rumble match in January. The Japanese star immediately declared that AJ was his desired champion, rekindling their old rivalry in Japan, despite having the choice of jumping ship to Raw and challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. The former leader of the “Bullet Club”, AJ has had an injury scare with some fans worried they might not get to see their WrestleKingdom-rematch in the WWE. However, those fears seem to have been allayed as Styles has been cleared to compete in what has the potential to be the match of the night. The Undertaker vs. John Cena (I guess?): Technically, this is still not a match yet. However, unless you are extremely new to WWE programming, there is bound to be some sort of altercation the way that the build-up has been going. Cena has been incessantly calling out the Undertaker time after time in recent weeks but to no avail. Expect Taker to rise again and make a grand entrance at Mania. Last year’s WrestleMania appeared to be the Undertaker’s swansong but the Phenom is big for another bite at the big-match apple, i.e., John Cena. Rumours are swirling that the “deadman” persona died last year and this year we might see the return of Undertaker’s ‘Big Evil’, ‘American Badass’ persona which he donned from 2000 to 2003. Nevertheless, whichever Undertaker shows up, there should be no doubt that this is the last ride for the aging Phenom. With Wayne Rooney making history twice in one night, becoming the highest goalscorer in all competitions for Manchester United as well as the player with most away goals in Premier League history, I thought of listing my Top 10 Favourite Wayne Rooney goals. Be warned, this list represents my opinion and there will be a touch of emotion attached with almost every entry. However, there are some goals on this list which I did not personally watch live. Some of these came before I regularly started watching and supporting Manchester United. However, I could not resist but add great detail to those which I saw live and remember vividly. Goals scored at Old Trafford will be listed with (H) after the opposing team;s name with goals scored on the road will have a (A). 10) Athletic Bilbao (A), March 2012In the 2011/12 Champions League season, after being finalists in the competition the year before, Manchester United had been knocked out in the group stages by FC Basel. They finished 3rd and dropped down to the Europa League where they drew with Ajax in the Round of 32. The two traded away victories with United coming out on top on away goals. In the Round of 16, United were paired with a new opposition. A club they had never faced before in their 126-year history so far. Spain and the Basque Country's (El Pais Vasco) club, Athletic Bilbao. I have had the opportunity to see Athletic Bilbao's stadium in person and it is a sight to see. My immediate thought was of Wembley stadium (even though I've never seen it) without the arch. It is magnificent. The crowd is close to the pitch and they make a huge racket especially during important games of the season. Athletic Bilbao had totally outplayed Manchester United in the first-leg at Old Trafford, with only David De Gea saving the score from looking like a one-sided baseball match. United had lost the first leg 2-3 and went to Bilbao knowing they needed to win by two clear goals. The first-leg had made a Bilbao fan out of me which is why this goal makes my list, I was almost happy Bilbao were going through at the expense of ManUtd. They had absolutely deserved it based on their first-leg performance and they absolutely dominated the second as well, going 2-0 up by the hour mark thanks to, first, Fernando Llorente's brilliant volley (underrated, very underrated goal) and then Oscar De Marcos' finish. Llorente was really unlucky to get injured shortly after scoring the first goal and had to be brought off later in the first half. United had not looked capable of responding with anything before Wayne Rooney came up with a beautiful curler from 30-yards in the last 10 minutes to restore some pride to the United camp and bring the aggregate score down to a slightly more respectable 5-3. Atheltic really should've scored more than 10 goals over the two legs, considering the amount of clear-cut chances that they had. What made this goal special for me was not only the distance and technique but the fact that, after the goal, the Athletic fans rose up to their feet, recognized the quality of Wayne Rooney and gave him a standing ovation! Athletic Club de Bilbao has always been my favourite team in the Spanish 'La Liga' because of its policy of only fielding players with Basque Country nationalities, which greatly limits the pool of players available to them in any transfer market. Even then, they have achieved great success, reaching the final of the Europa League in this same season, only to lose out to Atletico Madrid. 9) Fenerbahçe (A), November 2016This was my first and, sadly, only Manchester United that I have had the opportunity to go see live for myself to date. This was always going to make my list! The match had the top-spot in the Europa League group riding on it and United came to Istanbul having dispatched of Fenerbahçe 4-0 in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford a couple of months back. The script of this match was almost in parallel to the Bilbao match in the above entry with Fenerbahçe going 2 goals up midway through the second half and United having it all to do to get anything out of the game. I was lucky enough to see three great goals from this fixture, first through Moussa Sow's overhead kick in the first-minute which sent the Fenerbahçe fans around me (dont ask, long story) delirious before Dutchman Jermain Lens' perfectly executed free-kick put the Istanbul side 2-0 up in the second half. United turned to their skipper in response and he delivered in similar manner to the goal at Bilbao, receiving the ball 30-yards from goal before unleashing one in the top corner of the Volkan Demirel's goal. Although the Turkish fans around me did not applaud like their Basque counterparts did four years previously, there was a pin-drop silence to be heard in the Şükrü Saraçoğlu stadium. The goal could not save United from a 2-1 defeat, however, as they finished second in their group behind Fenerbahçe. 8) Portsmouth (H), January 2007The FA Cup is really a magical tournament. In my 10 years of supporting the club, I have only been able to see Manchester United win it once, which was this past season, in 2016 (King Louis!). This match in the list came in my first full season of supporting and watching United matches regularly. I had heard even before I started watching regularly that the FA Cup was supposedly the oldest footballing competition in the world. So, naturally, I wanted to see United win the competition that year. In the 4th round, United were drawn with Portsmouth. Rooney scored an early goal in the first half before a second to round-off a brilliant performance and it is the second that makes the list here. Receiving the ball just around 25-yards away from goal, he turns brilliantly before seeing Pompey keeper David James off his line. Rooney goes for the exquisite and just delicately lofts the ball over the head of James into the goal. Old Trafford rose to salute a moment of sheer genius from their then-No.8 of Manchester United and all of his teammates rushed to congratulate a player with a unique talent. How much difference a year makes. In 2007, United went on to lose in the FA Cup final while their 4th round opponents would return again to Old Trafford in 2008, this time in the quarter-finals. This time, they would knock-out Manchester United thanks to a Sulley Muntari penalty past Rio Ferdinand in goal as Pompey went on to lift their first and, as of now, only FA Cup triumph. That match in 2008 made me a Portsmouth fan as well as they put up an extremely gutsy fight to eliminate United and I've always had a soft spot in my heart for them since then. 7) Bolton (H), March 2007Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are still the best duo I believe United has had ever since I started watching (start of 2006/07 season). There's been Rooney and RvN, Rooney and Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov and Rooney and RvP but seeing United when Rooney and Ronaldo were together and on song was like watching football from a dream factory. In March 2007, United were in a race with Chelsea for what was to be their first Premier League title since 2003 and, on this day, in their way were Bolton Wanderers. Roo and Ron absolutely tore the Trotters to shreds with three goals in the first 25 minutes, I believe, with the second one quite a beauty. It took the ball all but 13 seconds to reach the Bolton net from Manchester United's own penalty box. The only two players involved in the move were Ronaldo and Rooney. It was a great display of pace, control and sheer raw ability by the two monsters and masters of their craft. Rooney's finish - a cute dink over Jussi Jaasklainen - was just the cherry on top of what was a great move. 6) ManCity (H), February 2011Yes, this is THAT goal. And it comes this early on my list because 2010/11 was a time in my life when I watched the least amount of football ever since I started watching regularly. I did not see this match live. But what I remember distinctly from this season is Wayne handing in a transfer request in October, wanting to join Carlo Ancellotti's Chelsea. Anyway. This was Nani's year. He went on to be named United's Player of the Year for the title-winning 2010/11 campaign and many people seem to have forgotten how important a player he was in Sir Alex's team when both of them were at United. After scoring the first goal in this 2-1 triumph, he then provided the assist for Rooney's spectacular game-winning bicycle kick. He had had criticisms about his weight, his physique as well as his commitment to the club before this game - and he has had them since then - but this was the best way to shut up all critics. Dare I say, looking back, this goal seems like the turning point of Wayne Rooney's Manchester United career. He was already a club icon, but threatened by controversy surrounding his commitment to Sir Alex and the club. However, this goal put aside all doubts and set him on the path of legendary status, which he has duly attained since then. The goal was voted the best in Premier League history, enough said. 5) Chelsea (A), April 2011Manchester United drew Chelsea in Europe for the first time since their 2008 Champions League final in the spring of 2011 when the two sides met in the quarter-finals. Ever since I started watching football, Chelsea has been somewhat of a bogey team for United. I take that back, not just 'somewhat' but they most definitely have been United's bogey team from 2006 to 2017. Even just recently, the 2016/17 Premier League season. they dispatched United of 4-0 at Stamford Bridge so any kind of a positive result, forget a victory, at the Bridge for United were always hard work and seldom came by. So you can imagine the ecstasy any United fan must've felt when United managed a rare win in the Champions League at the home of their most biggest domestic rivals in recent years. Not sure when United's last win had been at Chelsea in any competition but they had most certainly not won there in the League since at least 2002-03. This result was a big deal. Patrice Evra's cut-back and Wayne Rooney's side-footed finish sent United into the second leg 1-0 up with a crucial away goal. Leading by example after his transfer request debacle, requesting a January move to Chelsea mere months ago, Wayne exorcised some demons by scoring the winning goal against the same club at such an important stage in the season. United would go on to win both legs and qualify for the semis. 4) Newcastle (H), April 2005This was the personification of Wayne Rooney in his younger days, in my opinion. Fiery temper, heart on his sleeve, passion dripping out of every sweat and a quite unbelievable volley from 25-30 yards coming out of absolutely nowhere. Newcastle had taken a shock lead at Old Trafford and Rooney was busy arguing with the referee about some decision he believed should've gone United's way while not even looking at the ball. 5 seconds later, the ball was hitting the roof of Shay Given's net and Rooney was immediately on the spot to pump it back in out of celebration. Even in his celebration, he seemed angry that the foul had not been given earlier. Typical Wayne Rooney, and he was still just a teenager in his first season at ManUtd, mind you. 3) Arsenal (H), October 2004We go even further back for this next entry and the day is Wayne Rooney's 19th birthday. Arsenal are the visitors to Old Trafford with a 49-game unbeaten streak. And what does Wayne do for his 19th birthday? Win one penalty and score one goal to end one of the most successful periods in the history of a club. What did you do on your 19th birthday? Albeit controversially, Rooney won the penalty for the first goal scored by Ruud Van Nistelrooy before converting Alan Smith's cross to put the result beyond doubt. You just have to watch that match again and listen to the decibel levels in the ground to know why this goal is on this list. Every one associated with United wanted them to end the streak that day. There was no way Arsenal coming out of that game 50 unbeaten. 2) Everton (A), April 2007If there's one thing that every fan loves from their club's players is a nice gesture towards the club's badge to indicate love and loyalty. Add that to the fact that goal comes against the player's old club just makes the moment more special. Then, add that to the fact that goal occurs to bring the team from 2-0 down to 2-3 up at the home of the player's old club, well, that just makes the moment unforgettable. United were at Goodison needing a positive result towards the end of the 2006/07 season with Chelsea hot on their heels. They went 2-0 down in the first half and the noise from London could be heard all the way to Merseyside. However, Wayne Rooney and co. had other plans as John O'Shea struck soon after the break to make it 2-1 before Phil Neville scored one against his current club and for his old club to make it 2-2 before Rooney, who had been booed all game, retrieved a cross on the left side, cut inside one man and slotted it into the far corner to put United 2-3 up after a hard-fought game. I remember absolutely jumping and shouting in joy when the ball went in and the moment was just summed up for me when I saw Rooney grab the United badge on his shirt and kiss it. For a young fan, what else do you want to see? Absolutely loved it. Just for good measure, United went on to score another through debutant Chris Eagles and win 2-4. 1) AC Milan (H), May 2007The match was built as the battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. And Wayne Rooney upstaged both of them. This is the simplest definition I can give you for this game and the best reason for this being No.1 on my list and my favourite goal from Rooney's career.
The stage was the first-leg of the Champions League semi-final. United were close to the trophy they would ultimately win a year later but they had had a long, tiring season. They would go on to lose in the FA Cup final to go with a long title-race that would go down to the final two games on the season and the result was that most players went without a lot of rest in the last stretch of the season. Nevertheless, United took an early lead through Ronaldo's header but Milan came back and in a 15-minute spell, they went 1-2 up at Old Trafford thanks to the genius of Kaka. For a long time, it was looking like the predictions of Ronaldo vs Kaka had come true and Kaka had won the first-leg. However, up step Wayne Rooney. United need a positive result and knew even a 2-2 might not be enough back at the San Siro in the return leg. First, a simple finish to make it 2-2 by Rooney before United upped the ante and tried to clinch a winner. Giggs slipped a pass through and Wayne's early shot surprised Dida at his near post and Old Trafford erupted. United had beaten a major European giant at the peak of their abilities. This was to be a false hope though as the long season caught up with United in the return leg, getting smashed 3-0 at the San Siro. Milan would go on to win the Champions League, beating Liverpool in the final (at least there was that), while United would be left licking their wounds and preparing another charge at Sir Alex's second European trophy which would arrive a year later. As explained, the reason for this goal being no.1 is simple. In my opinion, Wayne Rooney is one of the best all-round footballers to have ever lived. He can attack, he can defend, he's a team player, he can be everything you want him to be for your team and more. About how many footballers can you say that these days? For me, he is one of the most underrated players of his generation as players with more tactical freedom in their respective teams get more credit and more accolades. This match was the crowning moment of Wayne Rooney's goalscoring career as he upstaged two of the best players in the world at the time, one from his own team and one in the opposing side's, showing what he can do when void of other responsibilities. Only one Wayne Rooney! And I'm glad he plays for Manchester United. Four months ago, our journalism teacher informed us that for this course we would have to make our own blog and start writing. But for me, this goes far beyond four months. I had been meaning to create my own blog and start writing for a long time. This course came as an unexpected pleasant surprise to me. If I had a dollar for every time someone had said to me "you should start a blog", I would be a millionaire right about now.
With the course now over, we all have a choice. Either abandon our blogs, stop writing and keep moving on with our already hectic lives as university students or somehow manage to find the time to continue writing. For me, this is about pursuing a passion. Writing. From this moment on, this blog will stay active. I will try to keep churning out posts. The topics discussed will be football and pro-wrestling. Being a very big Manchester United and professional wrestling fan, this blog will hopefully become a treat for any football or wrestling fan. Thank you for following "Shah Says" for the past four months, and I hope I keep you interested enough that keep doing so. Lets have one final look at what was a very successful and highly entertaining football tournament, taking place at Bilkent University 2016/17 Fall semester. Hope you enjoyed the coverage of the tournament and enjoy this video. So I have decided to start my own podcast which will have its own episodes from time to time involving informal discussions regarding most things Bilkent and everything my life. Here go the first and second episodes of the podcast - first episode is thanks to my good friend and the organizer of the Pakistani Football League in Bilkent this semester, Alyy Haroon. He was also the Captain of his team, Lag FC, which participated in the tournament. In the second episode, we have Klajdi Hoxha, an Albanian student in Bilkent who finished top goalscorer of the tournament. Hope you enjoy! The final match of the Pakistan Football League Season 1, taking place in Bilkent in the 2016/17 Fall semester, just concluded one week ago on the 4th of December with Footy FC coming out victorious in a nail-biting final which went all the way to penalties! Goalkeeper Yawar Abbas was the hero as he made three saves in the shootout to help his team be the inaugral winners of the Pakistan Football League in Bilkent! 22/11/2016. One of the final League matches before the knockout stages would begin in the Pakistani Football League. This match would decide whether Footy FC finished top of the league and whether Lag FC would finish in 3rd or 4th position. With this victory, Footy confirmed their position as the winners of the League stage and booked a semi-final date against the same opposition in 5 days. The first-ever Pakistani Football League in Bilkent has lived up to expectations so far with many high-scoring games, upsets and controversies galore. There has been one team occupying the bottom position as the proverbial whipping-boys for the rest of the teams while the top five teams, BCFC, Lag FC, Footy FC, Adilaar FC and Jandaar FC, have been slugging it out for the top four positions and a place in the semi-finals. The tournament has seen many entertaining games to date, from one 6-6 draw to another 8-8 draw while controversy has also not been far away with some bad decisions from the referee (that would be me) and injuries to the players affecting the tournament. At the time of writing, this is how the teams shape up in the League Table and how the matches have gone up till now: And here are the Top 5 moments of the tournament so far: 5) Every KBH FC match so far:You would have received very good odds if you were a betting man and, at the start of the tournament, you placed a bet on KBH FC going on and winning the whole thing. Maybe even better odds than there were of Leicester City winning the Premier League last season. Sadly, this fairy tale is not coming true. Every match that the underdogs have been a part of up till now has involved all the fans sitting outside the football courts cheering them on. Their stubbornness in not knowing when they're beaten as they keep coming back, perhaps surprisingly, for more in their match has been a thing to behold in itself in this tournament. The sheer enthusiasm with which the team plays their games with every goal being cheered like a victory has been a treat to call as the referee. Led by their captain Abu Bakr Cheema and star player Usama Saqib, who has looked like a sad and lonely figure at times during their games, the team to their credit never gives up and keeps on playing till the final whistle. Despite being on the wrong end of multiple double-digit scorelines so far, they still show up to the next match with the same level of enthusiasm as before. 4) When The Favourites ClashFor every 11-0, 14-1, 11-4 scoreline that KBH has been a part of, there have been the odd 2-1 and 1-0 wins in the tournament as well. As neutrals, we all like to see goals but as a player, there is a different satisfaction to winning and winning while keeping a clean sheet. Whenever the favourites for the tournament have clashed, the games have been much more tight with less space on offer for attacking players. This has resulted in Footy FC's 1-0 win over fellow-favourites BCFC and BCFC's 2-1 win over one of the other pre-tournament favourites, Lag FC. Footy FC, captained by Abdul Hannan, and Lag FC, captained by the organizer of the tournament Alyy Haroon, have had the tightest defences, conceding only 14 goals in their 5 games so far. However, BCFC on the other hand have completed their 7 League games finishing with only 17 goals conceded so there's a chance the former two times could concede more than three goals in their remaining two games and BCFC might end up with the fewest goals conceded in the League. The race for the Best Defence award is well and truly on. 3) That InjuryFor every great goal and entertaining game, there is a reminder that football is still at the end of the day, a sport. And nothing is more important in the tournament than the safety of the participants. When Haziq Khan of Adilaar FC collided with Footy FC's goalkeeper Yawar Abbas in Footy's 8-4 victory, at first nothing looked serious. Football is, of course, a contact sport and collisions occur. However, after a while, neither did Haziq get up nor did he move. The match was temporarily stopped as everyone on the pitched helped the Adilaar player to his feet. He spoke of a burning headache which wouldn't go away so after the match, Haziq was taken to the Bilkent Main Campus Health Centre where the Doctors confirmed that he had suffered a mild concussion, putting an end to the player's participation in the tournament. Haziq has not featured for his team since then, leaving a reminder to us all that injuries can happen when you least expect them. What seemed like an innocuous collision with both Haziq and Yawar going for the ball, ended up with Haziq suffering from temporary memory loss and severe headache. This, by far, has been the scariest moment of the tournament so far. 2) The Red CardFootball is a passionate sport for both the ones playing and the fans supporting the team. Passion is something you would not want to kick out of any player. However, there is a fine line between being passionate and letting your emotions boil over in the heat of the game. There has been only one red card shown by me so far in the tournament and, sadly, it was to one of my close friends, and the organizer himself, Alyy Haroon, in his team, Lag FC's 4-4 draw with Jandaar FC. With the score at 3-3, Alyy, the captain and goalkeeper, while already on a yellow for showing dissent to a decision earlier, wandered out of his goal with the ball and lost possession. Jandaar FC's Yahya won the ball, although there was some physical contact after he touched the ball before tapping it into the open goal. Alyy did not like the decision and let the referee, that would be me, have it. After one too many choice words, I had no choice but to unfortunately give my friend a second yellow and a red. His team was now a goal down and their captain had just been sent off. Luckily for Alyy, and thankfully for me, his team managed to get a late equalizer and get a very important point from that game. After the game, Alyy came up to me and we agreed that what happened was in the heat of the moment. I have to admit, I'm a very passionate football fan and player whenever I play it and maybe if I was in his place, I'd have done the exact same thing. I know Alyy, he's a winner and he was only trying to lead by example for his team by coming out of his area and leading an attack. In the end, his emotions got the better of him. I have to admit, after every thing was set and done, after his team got a late equalizer and Alyy and I made up, I breathed a sigh of relief too. 1) The Goal That Never WasBeing a referee is a hard enough job as it is without the referee being too stuck up to accept a mistake. And that's exactly what I did in one match between Footy FC and Jandaar FC. With the game evenly poised at 1-0 to Footy FC, Footy striker and captain, Abdul Hannan, received the ball on the edge of the opposition area with a defender right next to him and the keeper to beat. The defender went to ground, making contact with the striker as he committed a foul. Me, the referee, with the whistle in my mouth, blew immediately without waiting to see the play develop. What happened next was Hannan regaining his balance just enough to fire a shot past the opposition keeper into the far corner. It all seemed to happen within a couple of seconds as Hannan celebrated but the Jandaar FC players claimed to have stopped after hearing the whistle. And that's really how it should've been. What followed next was one of the most stupidest instinctive, judgment calls I've made in my life, not just counting playing or refereeing in football games. I allowed the goal to stand as in my mind the whistle had not affected the shot and the keeper's attempt to save the shot. In hindsight, I shouldn't have blown the whistle in the first place and allowed advantage. Second, once I had blown the whistle, I should've stuck to my decision and brought the play back for a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. However, I chose the third, most stupid, option of allowing the goal to stand. Furthermore, I refused to listen to the advice of the organizer, Alyy, standing outside as the league scorer and my assistant referee, choosing to stick to my original decision instead of changing it again. After the match, my curiosity and regret got the better of me as I went online to a professional referees' website called AskTheRef.com, where I told them about the situation and what happened. In their reply, they cited one of the most famous controversial incidents in a high-profile game as an example for me. The 2006 Champions League final, Jens Lehmann's red card for a foul on Barcelona' Samuel Eto'o which could have been prevented had the referee let the play go on and allowed Ludovic Giuly to tap home into an empty net. Hopefully, there is less controversy and more entertainment to come as the tournament gets ready to enter its knockout stage! I have been a Manchester United fan since 2006. I remember my first full match like it was yesterday. United started the 2006/07 season with a resounding 5-1 win over Fulham thanks to goals from Louis Saha, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. United were 4-0 up inside 20 minutes and the team played some of the most sumptuous football I had ever seen. For me, it had always been a distant dream to be finally able to go and watch my favourite team play live and in person. When it finally became a reality on the 3rd of November, 2016, it was an experience I will never forget. Studying in Turkey has opened so many opportunities for me, many of which I take for granted on a daily basis. Being back in Pakistan, I would not be able to do, or have access to, most things that I have in Turkey. Last semester, from January to June, I had the opportunity to go and study in Barcelona, Spain. There I fulfilled another dream, getting to see the Camp Nou stadium, home of the European Champions (at the time), FC Barcelona. It also happened to be the scene of my favourite club, Manchester United's, greatest night in its history. 26 May, 1999, United faced German side Bayern Munich in the final of the European Cup at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium and thanks to two very, very late goals, won the tournament in dramatic fashion. So to be there, have the opportunity to sit in the stands and trying to visualize those moments reliving themselves in front of you was an overwhelming experience. Also, I got to see the world's best player (my opinion), Lionel Messi, mere 20 feet away from me, kicking a football. I could not believe my luck. Manchester United came to Istanbul to play Fenerbahçe in the Europa League, a competition befitting their current mediocre state, with all due respect to the competition. No matter what the occasion would have been, I was not going to let this opportunity pass. and no matter what you say or might have heard about Turkish football fans, they know how to create an atmosphere at a stadium. Before the match, I had bought the tickets a month in advance and despite some last-minute complications with the ticket, there was no way I was going to miss this game. Even if I had an exam the next day (which I didn't, luckily!), I would still have gone. And I would've missed my exam with no regrets. Yes, you read that right. I travelled to Istanbul from Bilkent, in Ankara, at around noon on Thursday with the match due to kick-off at 9 in the evening. I was travelling with my friend, Aish, and we bought our bus tickets on the spot and they ended up being very cheap, 30 Turkish liras per person to Istanbul is not that bad. Plus, we good seats in our bus so the journey ended up being not so bad. We reached Istanbul with almost 4 hours still to kick-off. We quickly reached the stadium and got the final process of our ticket done and, at last, we had our single-entry tickets in our hand. We went inside the stadium one and a half hour before kick-off. Before the match started, me and my friend ran into a fellow fan who responded in English to a question I asked in Turkish by saying that he did not speak Turkish. Surprised, I also continued in English and asked him where he was from? He replied saying Iraq. I then asked him who does he support, with a feeling that I already knew the answer. He hesitated for a second, scared I'm sure of who I might be or my motives for asking that question. He then answered "Manchester, but I have to sit with the Fenerbahçe supporters." I laughed and said to him "us too, bro, don't worry" and then to see the relief on his face once he realized I wasn't going to punch him for supporting Manchester United against a Turkish team was very amusing, to say the least. The noise at the Camp Nou in Barcelona was nothing compared to Fenerbahçe. Not for one minute of the entire 90 did I get to sit down and have a breather. Insane. Crazy. A TV screen cannot do justice to the hostile reception United received at the Şükrü Saraçoğlu stadium tonight. Nothing can compare to this experience. No tourists, no casual fans, just 30,000+ passionate, fanatic, crazy, my-type-of football fans gathered to support their favourite team. For all the talk about United's great away support, you couldn't hear a word from the away end tonight. Absolutely no regret about sitting with the Fenerbahçe fans. Nevertheless, it was a poor performance and it was very hard to keep acting like you were supporting Fenerbahçe instead of United. I was lucky to see three great, GREAT goals. Moussa Sow might just have won the Puskas Award. Wayne Rooney was the only one not intimidated by the atmosphere while others around him wilted under the pressure. You can go to Camp Nou, Bernabeu or even Old Trafford, I'm sure, but you will not find the type of atmosphere anywhere in Europe that Turkish fans in Istanbul bring to their stadiums. If I had to do this whole one-day trip to Istanbul again, I wouldn't change a thing. And I honestly don't know what I have done in my life to deserve this. |
About the AuthorAhmed Shah, 23, speaks English, Urdu, Turkish and Spanish. Aspiring journalist. Archives
April 2018
Categories |