Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Then There Were Roses by Leesia Champion Then There Were Roses by Leesia Champion. In an interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, UFC president Dana White said he believed UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is the greatest welterweight of all time. Usman has the longest win streak in welterweight history, and is tied with Tyron Woodley for title fight victories with four behind Matt Hughes’ nine and Georges St-Pierre’s twelve. White stated the reasoning behind his complimentary belief in Usman. “I just think that if you look at what this guy’s done, every time he fights, he looks better and better,” White said. “He’s literally fought everybody out there and now he’s going for a second run on these guys. And the fight with him and Colby Covington is one of the best fights I’ve ever seen.” While many would immediately point to Georges St-Pierre being the greatest welterweight of all time, White agreed with the fact that there are currently better contenders at the top of the division then there were when St-Pierre was champion. He also agreed with the notion that Usman could have been champion a long time ago had he been provided a title shot. Regardless, Usman will look to add to his legacy by successfully defending his title for a fifth time with a victory over no. 4 ranked contender Jorge Masvidal on April 24 at UFC 261. Usman and Masvidal headline UFC 261 on Saturday in a rematch. Usman defeated Masvidal at UFC 251 in July 2020, but Masvidal stepped in on extremely short notice and believes a full training camp will tip the scales in his favor. Iris (anime)

Iris (Japanese: アイリス Iris ) is an aspiring Dragon Master and a former traveling companion of Ash who debuted in In the Shadow of Zekrom! . In Pokémon Journeys: The Series , she was revealed to have became the Champion of Unova. Contents. In the anime. History. Pre-series. Iris was born and raised in the Village of Dragons and would spend her time as a little girl playing with the wild Pokémon that lived in the forest just outside the village. She had learned to be quite skilled in tree climbing, as well as tending and caring to different Pokémon. As revealed in A Pokémon of a Different Color! , she originally did not like Dragon-type Pokémon, believing them to be scary. One day, she had taken shelter from a rainstorm in a cave and found an injured Druddigon that was initially hostile to her. However, after she treated its foot, it returned the favor by saving her from a Scolipede. Since then, she liked Dragon-type Pokémon. One day, sometime prior to her journey, she met a wild Drilbur that had injured a Patrat and had stolen its food. Angered, she sought justice for what the Drilbur had done and challenged him. After countless defeats, she finally managed to outmaneuver the Mole Pokémon and get him caught in some vines dangling just over a cliff. After coming to his rescue, the two became good friends and began training together. After many victories against different types of Trainers, Drilbur evolved into an Excadrill. The two then got the opportunity to meet Drayden, a Dragon Master, who praised Iris for her skill in battle. When he asked who was teaching her how to battle she responded that she was teaching herself with the help of the Pokémon she had befriended in the village. Brimming with confidence, she then challenged Drayden to a battle. However, Drayden's Haxorus was more powerful than Iris had anticipated and Excadrill was easily defeated. After suffering defeat and becoming distrustful of his Trainer (due to Iris pushing him to keep battling even though he knew it was a lost cause), Excadrill then closed himself off from Iris, rarely opening up, and never showing emotion. Not long after those events, Iris left for Opelucid City to attend school at the Opelucid Academy. When she was not in school, she stayed with Martha in a dorm. These were very difficult times for Iris, though. She struggled in school, and failed to make any friends or interact with any of the other students at the academy. Iris also didn't feel compatible with the urban city life. She tried to take her mind off the city by climbing the radio tower for a view of the mountains, but always got into trouble with Officer Jenny. All of these hardships in the city made her homesick, so she often spent her spare time writing to her friend Shannon. Eventually, after losing a battle at school, Iris could not stand this life anymore and dropped out, returning to the Village of Dragons. Years passed, and Iris was called upon by the village elder. She was to start a journey with a newly hatched Axew and raise him to become a full- fledged Haxorus. She accepted this trial, and set off on her journey, hoping to someday become a Dragon Master herself. Pokémon the Series: Black & White. Sometime after setting off on her journey, Iris witnessed a storm caused by Zekrom during the events of In The Shadow of Zekrom! . She missed actually encountering the Deep Black Pokémon, and continued on her journey, eventually meeting Ash Ketchum the very next day when he accidentally tried to catch her, thinking she was a Pokémon after he saw her hair sticking out of the bushes and scanned it with his Pokédex only to detect Axew. The two had a rocky start, often finding reasons to argue and occasionally calling each other names. However they kept each other company and Iris even stayed to watch his first Gym battle in Triple Leaders! Team Threats! . After the battle one of the Gym Leaders, Cilan, had decided to travel alongside Ash, and noted that the three of them make a good team. So Iris decided to officially become their traveling companion. In The Bloom Is on Axew! , Iris decided she would begin using her new friends to help train her Axew, so she asked Cilan to battle her to help get her started. It was then that she revealed her Axew knew Dragon Rage but hadn't yet mastered how to use it. She later opened up to Cilan and Ash and told them about her hometown, and how she got Axew in the first place. After she finished her story, the group realized Axew had gone missing, and found him stuck in the horns of a Scolipede. They failed to calm the raging Pokémon, so Iris called upon her Excadrill for help. Unfortunately, Excadrill was still closing himself off from Iris, but Excadrill still took care of the Scolipede after Iris had saved Axew herself, when the Scolipede kicked him into a boulder. With everything calmed down, Cilan approached Iris and reassured her to do things at her own pace and not worry too much, and that someday Axew and Excadrill will become even more powerful and loyal to her. In A Home for Dwebble! , she revealed that she knows how to make herbal remedies to heal sick Pokémon when Cilan's Pansage got hit with a rock and caught a fever. This skill became quite handy throughout her journey whenever the group was low on medication and too far from a Pokémon Center. In A Night in the Nacrene Museum! , she claimed that she has an acute "sixth sense" when she felt the presence of a spirit haunting the museum. It later turned out to be a Yamask who merely wanted its mask returned to it. However, she was still sure in her abilities in Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest! , when the group got lost in Pinwheel Forest. Iris got separated from the group in Emolga the Irresistible! after Axew tried to befriend a wild Emolga who had narrowly avoided being smothered by Bianca who had been accompanying the group after Ash won his third Badge. The three of them end up being attacked by a swarm of Swoobat and eventually rescued by Ash and Pikachu. The Emolga had grown fond of Iris and accepted her as her Trainer, earning Iris another Pokémon. In Emolga and the New Volt Switch! , Bianca offered to battle the newly caught Emolga, however things didn't go as planned when they found out that Emolga was fairly lazy and used Volt Switch to avoid battles. This did not discourage Iris too much as she accepted the challenge of raising Emolga to hopefully become a skilled battler. In The Dragon Master's Path! , the group met a young girl named Emmy who was having trouble with her Druddigon. Iris noticed the cause of the Pokémon's rage was a wire wrapped around its ankle, and managed to calm it down by removing it. Impressed with her knowledge of Dragon- type Pokémon, Emmy formally introduced herself and admitted to being a novice. Iris then offered to train her in the ways of Dragon-type Pokémon, and revealed her dream of becoming a Dragon Master some day. In Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster! , Iris was challenged by Georgia, a Dragon Buster. Her Axew was easily defeated by Georgia's Beartic. Georgia criticized her for not owning more Dragon types and Iris decided to call on her Excadrill who still wouldn't obey her. Again, the battle resulted in a loss for Iris. She later explained that the resulting loss to Drayden when she was younger was what caused Excadrill to disobey her. However, Cilan soon pointed out to Iris that the loss wasn't the only factor and she might have missed how Excadrill was feeling in the heat of trying to win. After thinking for a while, Iris soon realized what he meant and realized that Excadrill knew it couldn't beat Haxorus, but she was so focused on the battle and trying to win that she failed to see it. She apologized to Excadrill and promised to try to be a better Trainer to him. This allowed Excadrill to finally open himself again to Iris, and after a night of re-bonding with her, he regained his confidence in both her and himself and learned Focus Blast. Iris re-challenged Georgia with Excadrill and the battle resulted in a draw. Iris competed in the Club Battle along with multiple other Trainers, including her rival, Georgia. Her first battle was against Jimmy Ray and his Watchog in Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! , which Iris easily won with her Emolga. She then battled against Stephan and his Sawk in The Club Battle Hearts of Fury: Emolga Versus Sawk! , which she also managed to win with Emolga. She then went up against Luke and his Golett in the next episode, using Axew. In the battle Axew learned Outrage, which he used to defeat Golett. In the final round, Iris went up against Ash and his Pikachu, while Iris used her Excadrill. After a long fight, Excadrill managed to defeat Pikachu, allowing Iris to win the tournament, along with a full set of Wings. In Baffling the Bouffallant! , Iris and Axew were separated from Ash and Cilan, along with Ash's Oshawott, Snivy, and Tepig, while in Boufallant territory. With their help, she helped treat an injured Boufallant that later came to their rescue when they were threatened by other Boufallant. The Boufallant then guided them out of the territory, and she reunited with Ash and Cilan. Her fear of the Ice type has been put to the test in some episodes, like in Caution: Icy Battle Conditions! , where she entered the cold Icirrus Gym and saw Ash facing Brycen's Ice-type Pokémon. Some time later, in Crisis at Ferroseed Research! , she had to command Georgia's Vanilluxe in order to escape the Ferroseed Research Institute as her Pokémon were unable to help. In Iris and the Rogue Dragonite! , after hearing a story of a Dragon type intentionally damaging a local power plant causing a blackout in Undella Town, Iris decided to investigate this herself. Later she encountered an unusually grumpy and hostile Dragonite that was just resting to recover from an injury. Upon seeing a mob of Trainers ready to take the Dragonite down, she decided to shield him until her friends found the footage proving that the whole situation was a misunderstanding. Iris happily accepted when the Dragonite offered joining her party. In the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, she decided to settle things with Georgia fighting her newly obtained Dragonite against the latter's Beartic. However, the Pokémon didn't take any of his Trainer's orders, continuing Iris's streak of disobedient Pokémon. Despite knowing the risks, Iris kept using Dragonite in all of the rounds. However, her over-confidence when Dragonite finally began obeying her was later her downfall when a single powerful attack put Dragonite in a rampage, leaving him vulnerable to defeat and eliminating her. After a long time away, Iris returned to the Village of Dragons in A Village Homecoming! . After having several flashbacks of her times in before traveling with Ash, she was given the chance to battle Drayden again, this time in a Gym battle. When they arrived in Opelucid City in Drayden Versus Iris: Past, Present, and Future! , Iris revealed her bad experience there. Once again, she got in trouble with Officer Jenny for climbing the radio tower. While Officer Jenny was questioning her, she met up with Martha again. After that she, Ash, and Cilan went to the Opelucid Gym to battle Drayden. Although she did improve, managing to defeat his Haxorus, she lost again. This time, however, her Pokémon didn't appear sad despite their defeat and after the battle she promised to get stronger. As a result, Drayden told the village elder to consider Iris as the future Opelucid City Gym Leader. Iris said goodbye to Ash in Best Wishes Until We Meet Again! when the group arrived in Kanto. She decided to head for Johto to have a battle with Clair at Blackthorn Gym. She and Cilan took the Magnet Train to Johto where they also split up so that Cilan could participate in Mr. Briney's Old Rod Fishing Rally. She briefly appeared in Ash's fantasy in The Dream Continues! . In BWS02, Iris battled Clair's Shiny Druddigon with her Dragonite, but lost. During the battle, she demonstrated her ability to read Dragon Pokémon's mind. She encountered a rampaging Gible in the city and saved him from falling from a clock tower. Thus gaining his trust, she read his mind to understand the reason behind his rampaging despite failing earlier. She later caught the Gible and decided to head towards the way they saw a Rayquaza flying. Pokémon the Series: XY. Iris briefly appeared in Cilan's flashback in XYS06. I Choose You! Iris made a cameo appearance in the ending credits of I Choose You! . State Of Women’s Wrestling (U.S.) – The Competition. Women’s wrestling is constantly one of the most hotly debated topics in the fandom. We decided to take a look at the state of women’s wrestling with a series of articles dedicated to analyzing the women’s divisions of each company/brand in the United States currently. In this edition, we will focus on the major players in the U.S. outside the WWE, specifically (AEW), , and Ring Of Honor with contributions from three separate LWOPW contributors. Check out part one where we took a detailed look at the women’s divisions in Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. IMPACT Wrestling – Provided By Philip Lindsey. Women’s wrestling has improved leaps and bounds over the last few years. That change in presentation and match quality arguably started with IMPACT Wrestling. The Knockouts Division has been the highlight of the company’s programming for some time now and the roster is in a great position heading into the second half of 2021. In 2019, and helped to push the company forward as two of its brightest stars. So, IMPACT has had an unenviable task as they attempt to rebuild in their absence. However, Deonna Purrazzo is an excellent champion to build around. The Virtuosa debuted on the June 9, 2020 episode of IMPACT! and immediately staked her claim to the Knockouts Championship. In the months that followed, Purrazzo and Jordynne Grace had a spectacular feud beginning at , where the former NXT signee claimed the title via submission. The two also made history when they competed in the first-ever Knockouts 30 Minute Iron Man Match in the main event of Night 2 of Emergence. Grace recently re-signed with IMPACT, keeping hold of the incredible young star to bolster the division. Thick Mama Pump is a fantastic in-ring competitor, who has wrestled all over the world. It would’ve been a colossal mistake to let her go somewhere else and succeed, especially when she seems so committed to improving the Knockout Division. A Cavalcade of Interesting Characters. The Knockout Division’s greatest strength at the moment is its wide array of distinct characters. It’s what separates the company’s women’s roster from others in the U.S. One could argue that NXT has set a new standard for high-quality matches featuring women. But IMPACT does a better job of utilizing the division’s screentime to showcase each woman’s personality traits. To that end, Purrazzo is possibly the most well-booked women’s champion in the country because her motives are clear. More importantly, she wins without an overreliance on distractions or outside interference. The Virtuosa is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world and although she uses heel tactics, the 26-year-old has proven she doesn’t need to on several occasions. Nevertheless, Kimber Lee makes for a suitable lackey. The current Shimmer Champion is also an underrated in-ring competitor with a beautiful Swanton Bomb. Then, there’s Susan, who has been a pleasant surprise as Purrazzo’s second companion after her alter ego, , returned at . Susan is the third persona Su Yung has taken on and they’re all drastically different. Susie is timid and non-threatening while Susan is somewhat of a curmudgeon dressed in business attire. It seems ludicrous on the surface but it works because Su commits to each persona with such conviction. Furthermore, it’s actually a brilliant way to use The Undead Bride as a special attraction. Meanwhile, Tenille Dashwood is hysterical as a self-absorbed Instagram model and has been a staple for the company since 2016. The Canadian wrestler could enter the title picture at any time and no one would bat an eye. Lastly, Taylor Wild e returned to the Impact Zone after 10 years and she hasn’t missed a beat. The former Knockouts Champion looks great and she seems poised to challenge Purrazzo soon. The Return of the Tag Division. In January, IMPACT revived its Knockouts Tag Team Championship at . At the event, Fire N Flava (Tasha Steelz & ) defeated Havok and Neveah to become the first women to hold the titles since 2013. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise because Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz have been wildly entertaining together. The duo has also delivered some great tag matches with Havok and Neveah, Team Sea Stars, and Grace and Rachael Ellering , who debuted on April 22. The two-time champions are the perfect team to reintroduce women’s tag team wrestling because they have such great chemistry. There is loads of potential here for the company and it has already done a good job making the titles feel like an integral part of its programming. However, its roster is admittedly thin, which brings us to our next point. A Lack of Believable Contenders. The only issue with the Knockout Division at the moment is that its champions have run through all of the credible contenders. This has exposed a lack of strong babyface characters to step and answer the challenge. Purrazzo is a dominant heel champion but she desperately needs a proper foil. It seemed like would fit the bill perfectly in the lead-in to Bound for Glory. Unfortunately, the Chicago native unexpectedly left the company and retired from pro wrestling. Her exit created a void that IMPACT has yet to fill and it’s a growing concern. As noted, Hogan and Steelz have a similar problem because they don’t have enough teams to work with. Kimber Lee and Susan could conceivably challenge for the titles at some point but that’s not a long-term solution. On the plus side, WWE’s recent releases could offer a fix to this conundrum as , Mickey James , and The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) will be available in July. They all would make great additions to the Knockouts Division and they have the star power to become key components in both ailing title scenes. All Elite Wrestling – Provided By Michael Sugue. The Women’s Division of All Elite Wrestling has come a long way since its inception. 2021 is set up to be the biggest year for the division yet. 2020 might not have been the best year as far as professional wrestling and the world goes but, it was the year to establish characters, introduce new faces as well as create opportunities that definitely improved the once struggling women’s ranks. Like with every beginning there are bound to be a few bumps in the road. But recently, AEW has treaded very much the right way to fix and showcase their division more. There is no shortage of star power in that Women’s locker room and not to mention the women that will inevitably be the company’s faces in the years to come. As previously mentioned, the year 2021 will probably be the best year the Women of AEW will have to date if this keeps up. So let us take a look and analyze deeper the state of the division and how it got to this point. What were the struggles as well as the fairly recent triumphs that made the All Elite Wrestling Women’s division what it is today? A Tumultuous but Hopeful 2020. The year 2020 was a rough year for professional wrestling. The global crisis has made it so no fans could be in attendance for some wrestling action for most of the year. The injury bug struck the AEW Women’s Division with injuries to big-time players like Dr. , D.M.D. devastating it’s already thin roster. Up-and-comers such as Kris Statlander would also be put on the shelf as she was rising to the cream of the crop AEW had to offer. Flight restrictions were also in effect so the Japanese Women of AEW were not able to compete for a division in need of such injection for much of the year. But it was not all bad. 2020 might not have been a great year but it put things into perspective. It was a way to unveil new stars as well as rebuild the heavy-hitters of the division. Britt Baker discovered herself in all of this turmoil. Baker became a constant highlight while having a broken nose and a knee injury. Baker would do the best mic work of her career in 2020 as she established herself as the top heel of the division allowing room for the other pieces to fall into place. The future of the Women’s division got even brighter with the entry of stars such as Anna Jay, Tay Conti, Serena Deeb , Leyla Hirsch , and, the amazing Thunder Rosa to name a few. With wrestling at a standstill, AEW had to think quickly on their feet. So they brought in stars from The Nightmare Factory such as Anna Jay. Jay was a natural right off the bat when she joined Dark Order . Not long after, a recently released Conti followed suit and in 2020 she did not disappoint. She proved that she belonged in this industry and is a future women’s champion. The NWA’s halt paved the way for stars such as Deeb and Rosa to mix it up with the women of All Elite Wrestling. Deeb brought in the calming presence and experience a veteran is expected to bring to a very young division. While Thunder Rosa blew everyone away and became a bigger star than she already was. We would be remiss not to mention the anchor of the division., the woman who held the fort down as things were seemingly crumbling. And that woman is . Shida constantly put up entertaining matches with anyone and everyone. Her contest with Thunder Rosa was one of the best this division has ever had in its short lineage. People don’t talk enough about how Shida was the glue that held this division for so long. She deserves so much credit for keeping it together this long in the midst of an injury crisis. and Nyla Rose were great champions in their own right but once Shida captured the gold, it really set the division on the right track. 2020 was a terrible year but it was a great setup for 2021. The Struggles. The AEW Women’s Division was rightly criticized early on. When Riho and Nyla Rose were the champion it seemed like it was just the two of them in the division getting any of the rare screen time. But as stated, 2020 was not particularly any better. It seemed like they didn’t know what to do with the women’s division. It truly felt aimless. They had great stars on paper but lacked the vision to execute and build up the division. Sure, the pandemic, as well as injuries, played a big part in that but it wasn’t the main reason. It was a lack of direction. Take the “AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw” which was an all-women tag team tournament for example. It ultimately went nowhere, because the division didn’t have tag team titles and they still don’t. Worst of all, it was relegated to YouTube rather than actually showcasing it on Dynamite which did not benefit the division at all. They had less exposure and ultimately went through a tournament with no payoff. That’s always been the issue for the division, when the tournament final took place on Dynamite the fans were unfamiliar with the performers. This wasn’t all the fault of the performers. It never was. It was just a lack of direction and plan for them. They had all the tools to back it up. But, One-off feuds and lack of builds will not further the progress of a division. So when 2021 rolled around, AEW finally took the leap of faith and finally put the pedal to the metal. The Dawning of a New Era. The “AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament” was the catalyst for such a seismic shift. Competitors from both the USA and Japan showed everyone what this division truly could do. It also marked the return of the Joshi talents to AEW. Returning established names such as Aja Kong, Emi Sakura, and the eventual tournament winner Ryo Mizunami was a breath of fresh air. The tournament brought new faces which excited Western Japanese wrestling fans with names such as VENY , Mei Suruga, and, Maki Itoh making their mark in their debuts. Mizunami coming out on top eventually set up a showdown with Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship at . This was another step in the right direction for AEW as these two battered each other and put on a show for everyone with Shida narrowly escaping the powerhouse Mizunami. The ball continued to roll for the division. “ St. Patrick’s Day Slam ” marked a hugely significant turning point for the Women of AEW. It was Thunder Rosa versus Dr. Britt Baker in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match. These two women absolutely annihilated each other as if their life depended on it. Neither woman was willing to give up. This match was huge because it was the first Lights Out match in Dynamite history. Not to mention the first-ever All-Women’s main event in Dynamite history. After the dust had settled, everyone was talking about this match. It sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world and put the AEW Women’s division on the map. The division finally has legs. And the Women of AEW finally have risen to the top after all the turmoil. The spotlight is shining so bright on these competitors and they’re not about to let up one bit. More names have emerged recently to shore up the emerging Women’s locker room with Jade Cargill , Red Velvet , and Legit Leyla Hirsch now in the fold. With Kris Statlander all healed up and ready to fight as well as the revival of or more popularly known as The Bunny , AEW is firing on all cylinders as of late. In recent episodes of Dynamite, fans have witnessed amazing contests like Shida versus Conti and Red Velvet versus Serena Deeb. Further fueling the fire of a very much inspired division. At the time of writing, Hikaru Shida and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. are about to have a showdown at the 2021 edition of Double or Nothing for the AEW Women’s World Championship. This is probably the biggest match this division will have. Fans may see this as a culmination but we beg to differ. This is just another step in the evolution of this burgeoning division. AEW has a long way to go still but, if we were to assess the state of this women’s division it’s absolutely on the right track as we speak. 2021 will bar-none be the best year that the AEW Women’s Division has ever experienced. So watch out because this division continues to prove why they are All Elite. Ring Of Honor – Provided By Alex Richards. The most interesting division to look at is Ring Of Honor’s newly relaunched women’s division. Kelly Klein leaving the company while Women Of Honor Champion left the division in a state of limbo, and now the women of honor division is no more, instead, we have the ROH women’s division with a brand new title on the way. We’ve been her before, ROH has previously tried to take women’s wrestling seriously but usually falls short and throws in the towel. But this time, with Jonathan Gresham reportedly leading the division, things feel different. Ever since debuting a women’s focused show Women’s Division Wednesday we have seen ROH showcasing some of the top unsigned women’s talents in the U.S. with names like Rok-C , Hyan , Trish Adora , Miranda Alize , and Max The Impaler making their mark on the division. If ROH can hold on to even a handful of these talents and bring back talents like Nicole Savoy then they will have the makings of a very goof division. What fills us with hope is that ROH has put effort into this rebuild, they have Bennett acting as the on-screen manager of the division putting together a star-studded tournament to crown a new champion, they’re also getting in exciting new talents and letting them get time to establish themselves rather than throwing them in the deep end. With international talent still on the way like Session Moth Martina and Kellyanne to add to the already impressive-looking division ROH has all the makings of one of the top women’s divisions in the United States. That’s without even considering the possibility of the Stardom partnership rearing its head again which could bring some of the world’s best women’s wrestlers to ROH. Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for the latest wrestling content. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Head on over to the LWOS Boards to engage in conversation with fellow fans! PSG and Man City Break Their Curse – Champions League Quarterfinals Recap Part 2. And then there were four. By Wednesday night of this week, each Champions League Quarterfinal matchup will have concluded, setting up the final four for the semifinals as we march closer and closer to crowning the King of Europe in what has been an exciting, unorthodox season thus far. Paris Saint-Germain (France) 0-1 Bayern Munich (Germany) – PSG advance on away goals after 3-3 aggregate score. Last week, PSG traveled to Bavaria in Bayern’s home stadium and took the match to them, winning 3-2 after playing some textbook shock-and- awe football. Heading back to Paris, Bayern were tasked with overturning their home defeat, needing to score at least two goals. Unfortunately for Bayern, their top striker and best player, Robert Lewandowski, was still out with injury, adding to a list of other injured Bayern attackers who also missed the match. PSG was not without their injury problems either, as their captain and strongest defender, Marquinhos, picked up a knock playing Bayern last week and could not return to fitness in time. The run of play was very similar to the first leg, seeing Bayern dominate possession and shots on goal while PSG waited for their chances on the counter. However, Bayern were missing much of the ferocity of the last match. PSG were able to comfortably play through Bayern’s high-press, as evident in the first half when the home team outplayed their opponents, creating numerous close opportunities. Neymar, in particular, had five extremely close chances, four of them coming in the first half. Unfortunately for him, one shot clipped the crossbar, another hit the post and the other two were saved by Manuel Neuer (who redeemed himself with a world-class performance today). Ironically, it would be Bayern who took the lead with a counterattack of their own after David Alaba’s powerful low shot was saved by Keylor Navas, but Lewandowski’s replacement, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, was able to bundle the rebound into the net. Going into the second half, Bayern continued to push for the elusive second goal, but their efforts proved futile as PSG stood firm. By the referee’s final whistle, PSG had enacted revenge on Bayern, who beat them in last year’s Champions League Final. Bayern Munich, the reigning champions, have been eliminated. Overall, Bayern fans will hard done because of the injury to Lewandowski, but truthfully, the Bavarian club created several excellent chances to score. Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman, in particular, were very wasteful on the wings. But ultimately, Bayern’s biggest weakness was their defensive frailties in the first leg, which PSG exposed expertly. As for PSG, this was a massive match for them. While they did not play beautiful-swashbuckling football, they played exceptionally smart— defending well and attacking at the correct times all while exposing Bayern’s weak underbelly. Their star players, such as Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria and Keylor Navas, stood up for their team when they were needed most. Finally, PSG has proved their Champions League pedigree. Despite spending millions of Euros in the transfer market, PSG had habitually failed in the Champions League knockout rounds. While they made the semifinals last season for the first time since 1995, it was under unforeseen circumstances following the pandemic, which forced the Champions League to move to single match knockout rounds. Even in that one-off match, PSG was almost eliminated by Atalanta, a team who is highly punching above their weight, before losing the final to Bayern. But now, PSG silenced the naysayers by professionally sending the reigning champions packing, and as it stands, PSG are the favorites to win the whole competition for the first time in their history. Chelsea (England) 0-1 Porto (Portugal) – Chelsea advance 2-1 on aggregate. After losing 2-0 in what was technically their home leg, Porto had their work cut out for them, needing to find two goals to at least tie the score. On the other hand, Chelsea were already in an excellent position to advance. In totality, the second leg of this matchup was virtually a mirror image of the first. Both teams played well, were very organized, and defended strongly but still carving out a few good chances. From the match’s beginning, Porto and Chelsea pushed each other to the brink, with neither team able to fully dominate. Following a back-and- forth run of play, the game started to get a bit choppy as tensions rose and there were numerous fouls. Then, with only a minute left, Porto snatched the win with a goal from Mehdi Taremi. However, it was too little too late, as there was no time left for Porto to score another. While it was only a consolation goal, it was a beautiful one, as a deep cross from Nanu found Taremi, who whipped the ball into the corner of the net with an outrageous bicycle kick. While Chelsea lost on the day, they now find themselves in the Champions League semifinals, which is a considerable achievement for a team that was in such terrible form only five months ago. Problems persist up top with their summer signings, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. However, manager Thomas Tuchel will find solstice in the fact that both Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic, who can operate as forwards, played wonderfully over these two legs. Porto, on the other hand, ends their Champions League campaign here. While Porto fans will be upset it has come to a close, they will also be immensely proud of their team, who played some great football throughout the year and finished with their star striker scoring arguably the best goal of the Champions League this season so far. Liverpool (England) 0-0 Real Madrid (Spain) – Real Madrid advance 3-1 on aggregate. In the other heavyweight matchup of this round, Real Madrid traveled to Liverpool, looking to defend their ephaptic 3-1 lead and fully aware that Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool has a record of historical comebacks. Right from kick-off, Real Madrid found themselves with their backs against the wall as Liverpool besieged their goal. But given their lead, Real Madrid knew all they had to do was batten down the hatches and absorb the pressure while waiting for a counter opportunity if necessary. Within the first few minutes, Mohamed Salah scuffed a shot in the box directly towards Thibaut Courtois in goal. Shortly after, James Milner’s floated shot forced Courtois into an excellent acrobatic save, conjuring flashbacks of his similar save against Neymar in the World Cup. Before the half ended, Liverpool had two golden chances on the right flank only a few minutes apart with shots from Georginio Wijnaldum and Salah again. But unfortunately for the Reds, Wijnaldum and Salah sent their shots flying over the bar. Real Madrid was not without their chances either, as a defensive mistake from Liverpool led Karim Benzema with a clear path to goal, but his low shot smacked off the post. Into the second half, Liverpool was unable to match the energy of the first 45, and their confidence waned as Real Madrid’s lead became more and more content. And despite having 15 shots and 11 corners, Liverpool had nothing to show for it when the referee blew the final whistle, ending the match 0-0. Liverpool did not have a whole host of clear chances, but (similar to Bayern in the other match) they had more than enough to reverse the tie, yet the lack of clinical touch among their forwards let them down. Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah were uncharacteristically hesitant in front of the goal, which ultimately was Liverpool’s issue today. While Liverpool has staged huge comebacks on the European stage against Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and even against Milan all those years ago, they were unable to repeat the feat today. Unlike PSG, who got revenge against Bayern, Liverpool could not avenge their loss to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League Final. Real Madrid did not play that great, but they did not need to as they did all the work in the first leg when they blew Liverpool away. While Real Madrid have experienced some inconsistent form this season and have not been all that memorable in terms of quality, they have a battle-hardened and fearless spine of the team, with players like Thibaut Courtois, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro and Karim Benzema, which can win you games nine times out of 10. Coming off their narrow win over Barcelona in El Clasico, Real Madrid are in the best form they have been in all season going into the Champions League semifinals. Borussia Dortmund (Germany) 1-2 Manchester City (England) – Manchester City advance 4-2 on aggregate. While the 4-2 aggregate score may look like a straightforward win on paper, it was anything but in reality. In England, Man City came away with the win, but it was by the skin of their teeth, as an injury-time minute goal from Phil Foden was required to seal the win in match that saw Borussia Dortmund score a valuable away goal through Marco Reus. The return leg was more of the same. Dormund is struggling to even remain in fifth place in the Bundesliga and will most likely not even qualify for the Champions League next season, yet they completely dominated Manchester City for the opening 20 minutes of the match. That was the same Man City who are top of the Premier League with an 11-point lead. The keeper, Ederson, was forced into numerous saves. Still, after a striking run from Erling Haaland and a deflected shot from Mahmoud Dahoud, 17-year-old Englishman Jude Bellingham was able to curl the ball past the fingertips of Ederson and into the net, sending Dortmund up 1-0 and 2- 2 on aggregate. However, Dortmund had the away goals advantage. As it stood, Man City was on their way to yet another quarterfinal elimination. Shortly after, though, City were able to regain their shape and take control of the match, even though they were still in panic mode. From then on, the Citizens flexed their attacking muscles, bombarding the Dortmund net with shot after shot. But Dortmund keeper Marwin Hitz was having an outstanding performance, and nothing was going in. The first half ended 1-0, leaving Pep Guardiola a very nervous man. Quickly after the restart, Man City were handed a lifeline after the referee ruled that the ball touched Emre Can’s arm in the box, meaning a penalty for the English side. While City have struggled with penalties in the past, there was no slip-up today as Riyad Mahrez cannoned the ball into the net, leaving Hitz no chance. From there on, City fans were able to slightly relax as they now held the lead again. Dortmund still did not back down, having a few close chances afterwards. With 15 minutes to go, Man City’s victory would be completely ensured, though, following a pinpoint near-post strike from Phil Foden—who once again stole victory away from Borussia Dortmund. As Borussia Dortmund end their Champions League campaign, they hold their heads high knowing that they gave their all. For a team that experienced a managerial change midseason and have been subpar domestically, they played some exciting attacking football on the European stage with the likes of the Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland (the latter of whom will definitely be the focus of endless transfer window drama this summer, as Dortmund will most likely not be playing in Champions League next season.) Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have finally broke their quarterfinal curse, qualifying for the semifinals for the first time since 2016 and for the first time with Pep as their manager. Despite utterly dominating the English Premier League in the past few seasons, Man City have fallen short at this stage and failed even to make the semis, four seasons in a row. Their round of 16 elimination to Monaco in 2017 was somewhat excusable, given it was Pep’s first season and he was still sorting out the squad; Man City’s quarterfinals elimination at the hands of Liverpool and Tottenham in 2018 and 2019 respectively can be chalked up to unlucky VAR decisions. However, last season’s quarterfinals, when Man City were undone by Lyon (a much weaker opponent) raised some serious questions about both Pep and his players, which no doubt was in the back of their minds this time around, possibly explaining why Man City had such a hard time overcoming Borussia Dortmund. Prior to this match, Man City were favorites to win the entire Champions League, and while they still obviously might, one has question the manner in which they just barely defeated Dortmund. But if Pep and the whole squad stay focused, there’s virtually nothing holding them back from winning everything in their path, including the first European crown in the club’s history. Monday Night Raw Recap: Raw 25 was fun, but a bit of a mess. The 25th anniversary edition of Monday Night Raw hit all the nostalgic notes it promised over the past few weeks. made his first televised appearance since WrestleMania 33, and inside the Manhattan Center, no less. D-Generation-X brought the band back together, and took Scott Hall (Razor Ramon) and the Balor Club along for the ride. Editor's Picks. Soon to be a father, has his priorities straight for 2018. In her words: on making history and breaking barriers. Chris Jericho sang a song and added to his list, The Dudley Boyz put Heath Slater through a table, the APA held an ever-growing poker game in the back, Christian brought back the Peep Show and the Boogeyman made a special delivery (spoiler alert -- it was worms). But the centerpiece of it all, which came in the opening 20 minutes of the show, saw Stone Cold Steve Austin arrive, hit a pair of stunners on Shane McMahon and one for the old boss, Vince McMahon himself, and leave covered in a cascade of beers. These were all special moments, but as fun and as memorable as they were, WWE fell into the traps of trying to please too many masters, trying to squeeze in as many legends as possible and trying to keep multiple balls in the air at the same time with a broadcast across two venues. There was some great nostalgia, some work put towards building up Sunday's pay-per-view and some intertwining of the old and new to give "the rub" to the next generation, but the end result was a bit clunky and imbalanced. The element of surprise -- the "anything can happen" atmosphere that helped power Raw through its first 25 years -- was a victim of the meticulous planning this show required, and that may have been the biggest letdown of all. Still, amongst that chaos, there was a lot to enjoy and moments that will be looked back upon fondly, including a historic win for The Miz. The Miz became an eight-time intercontinental champion with his victory over at Raw 25. Courtesy @WWE. Eight times an Intercontinental champion --The Miz beats Roman Reigns. The lone championship match on this Raw anniversary show was the long-awaited rematch between Roman Reigns and The Miz. Ever since Miz came back from shooting The Marine 6, he's held the mental over Reigns and was seemingly set up to fail in his quest to regain his coveted Intercontinental title. Not so fast, my friend. In a result that could be indicative of where Raw and Reigns in particular are headed going into the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, Miz played the numbers game flawlessly, hit a couple of cheap shots and a pair of Skull-Crushing Finales and defeated Reigns to become an eight-time Intercontinental champion. It's been said that styles make matches, and though they've clashed on a number of occasions, it's striking how well Miz and Reigns work against one another. Each and every Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel spot fit nicely within the match, and each distraction offered a separate, important moment for The Miz to do a different underhanded thing -- and that all added up to just enough to put Reigns away. While it was The Miz who declared for the on Monday, Reigns likely won't be far behind. This result will benefit all of the parties involved, really. The Miz will continue to chip away at the record for most days spent as Intercontinental champion, and with less than 100 days to go before he hits that mark, he'll likely do it in 2018. As for Reigns, he's free to make a beeline to and the Universal championship or, should Braun Strowman walk away from the Rumble with the title, Reigns can revisit that war instead. There's an Elimination Chamber match to come that will also change the trajectory of Raw, but the possibility of Reigns winning a second Rumble match in Philadelphia after the crowd booed him out of the building in 2015 is certainly an interesting possibility. Balor Club gets in on "too sweet" reunion. Since the Bullet Club co-opted the "too sweet" hand gesture a few years ago in New Japan Pro Wrestling, there have been a handful of small crossovers, be it inside of a WWE ring or some chance meeting on the road captured in a photo or two, between the originators of the symbol, "The Clique", and their younger counterparts. This just became ‘Too Sweet' as Balor Club entered the fray and threw ‘em up. But on Monday night, fans at the Manhattan Center and everybody watching Raw 25 got to see the largest such meeting as all of the living members of D-Generation-X came together with Scott Hall, and they collectively crossed paths with Finn Balor, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, now collectively known as Balor Club. Before they could finish the segment, The Revival came out to interrupt the party. Gallows & Anderson took care of business in fairly short order, in a match reminiscent of some of the short and sweet affairs of old school Monday Night Raw. Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson then became cannon fodder for the legend. There was a toothpick to the eye from Hall, some shake-rattle-n-roll from Jesse James, a fame-asser from Billy Gunn, an X-factor from X-pac, a superkick from , a pedigree from and, to put a nice bow on it all, a Coup de Grace from Balor to seal the deal. Of all the current talent on Monday night, no one benefited more from the presence of the legends than Balor did (and, by proxy, Gallows & Anderson faired pretty well in their own right). In just a few weeks, Balor Club has picked up a head of steam and it couldn't be happening at a better time of year for everyone involved. Hits and misses. The Undertaker, as he did on the very first Monday Night Raw, enters the ring at Manhattan Center. Complete with a Howard Finkel introduction!