WNBA Commissioner Lists New Cities as Expansion Possibilities; Goal to Have 16 Teams

The WNBA will consider Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, Nashville and South Florida as locations for expansion teams, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Monday ahead of the draft, per the Hartford Courant’s Emily Adams.

Denver, among other cities and regions, will also be considered for expansion teams, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

Engelbert said the WNBA has a goal of adding a new team by 2026 and wants to reach 16 teams by 2028. In October, the league announced its 13th team will play in the Bay Area, beginning in 2025.

The league originally had eight teams in its first season in 1997 but has since added four more. The two most recent WNBA teams are the Chicago Sky, who joined in 2006, and the Atlanta Dream, who joined in 2008.

Of the 12 current WNBA teams, five are associated with an NBA franchise: the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury and Washington Mystics. The Bay Area team coming in 2025 will be affiliated with the Golden State Warriors.

With that history, Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, Denver or South Florida could be prime candidates for expansion with NBA teams already in those locations.

But the WNBA could take a different route and expand outside an NBA market, giving a city like Nashville a professional basketball team.

The news of expansion comes ahead of a loaded WNBA draft night. Collegiate stars such as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese and Stanford’s Cameron Brink will begin their professional journeys Monday.

With so much talent coming into the league, it seems like the perfect time to expand and give players who otherwise wouldn’t make it to a WNBA roster in such a competitive field a chance to compete.

Cody Rhodes Finishes The Story, Ends Roman Reigns’ WWE Title Reign At WrestleMania 40

Cody Rhodes has officially finished his story and captured the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns, ending his multi-year title reign, during the main event of night two of WrestleMania 40. The stipulation of the match was Bloodline Rules, determined by Rhodes and former World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins losing in the main event of night one to The Rock and Reigns. The match rules let the likes of Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and The Rock interfere on behalf of Reigns, but Rollins dressed in SHIELD gear, Jey Uso, John Cena, and even The Undertaker came to Rhodes’ aid.

Reigns and Rhodes battled it out from the middle of the ring into the crowd, as anything was legal during the match. Multiple spears, Disaster Kicks, Superman punches, Cody Cutters, and more were hit during the battle. Rhodes was able to get the victory after hitting three Cross Rhodes in a row after Reigns was distracted by former SHIELD teammate Rollins.

Following his victory, Rhodes was joined in the ring by various babyfaces from the back, including Kevin Owens, LA Knight, Randy Orton, and more. His wife Brandi Rhodes, his mother and the family of the late Brodie Lee joined Rhodes in the ring as well. Rhodes got on the microphone following the match and thanked Bruce Pritchard, and asked Paul “Triple H” Levesque to join in as well, in celebration of what Rhodes called a new era, and the two shook hands and embraced. Rhodes continued to celebrate with various members of the roster. fellow WWE employees, and members of the crowd to end the show.

Bayley Beats IYO SKY For WWE Women’s Title At WrestleMania 40 While Philadelphia Sings

Rocking a new haircut and entering to a new theme song, Bayley hit the WrestleMania 40 stage ready to take care of business and win the WWE women’s title. Amid chants of “Hey, Bayley! Ooh! Aah!” she was able to capture her fourth world championship, defeating IYO SKY after an elbow drop that would make “Macho Man” Randy Savage proud and possibly the best-looking Rose Plant of all time.

Early in the match, Bayley was favoring her right knee after a dive to the outside gone awry, and SKY took advantage, working the leg throughout the match. Oddly, SKY’s Damage CTRL mates only accompanied her onto the WrestleMania stage and not to the ring, nor did they reappear at any point; perhaps that was a choice she’ll come to regret as her title reign is now a thing of the past.

After a series of varietal suplexes from Bayley, SKY locked in a crossface multiple times, but the challenger was able to avoid tapping out. Bayley then attempted a Rose Plant, to which SKY masterfully countered into a flip to the corner, but Bayley was able to regain the upper hand with a monstrous clothesline. From there, she ascended the ropes and landed the Savage-esque elbow, followed by the Rose Plant to secure the win and become new WWE Women’s Champion as Philadelphia erupted around her.

Damian Priest Leaves WWE WrestleMania 40 With World Heavyweight Title Thanks To CM Punk

The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 — with a little help from CM Punk, who was on commentary for the initial match.

Drew McIntyre won the World Heavyweight Championship from Seth Rollins in the night’s opening match with a Claymore Kick in a battle of finishers. McIntyre started off the match against Rollins hot, hitting the Claymore within seconds and attempting to pin the former champion. McIntyre and Rollins traded finishers and attempts at them throughout the match. At one point, Rollins was able to hit a Stomp from the Spanish announce desk to McIntyre’s head on the English announce desk. McIntyre was still able to pull out the victory and took the championship ringside to his wife. He then got in Punk’s face; Punk swept McIntyre — who was on top of the announce desk at that point — off his feet, took off his triceps brace, and started to beat the new champion down.

That’s when Priest’s music hit. The former Punishment Martinez ran down the ramp with the briefcase, hit McIntyre with it, rolled back in the ring, and cashed in, hitting the South of Heaven for the win. Priest met the rest of The Judgment Day at the top of the ramp in celebration, leaving Philadelphia the new World Heavyweight Champion one night after he and Finn Balor lost the Undisputed tag team championship in a six-team ladder match on Night 1.

Sami Zayn Ends GUNTHER’s Historic WWE Intercontinental Title Reign At WrestleMania 40

Sami Zayn defeated GUNTHER at WWE WrestleMania 40 to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The match took place immediately prior to the show’s main event and lasted just over 15 minutes, with Zayn’s wife seated in the front row, watching the action and cheering her husband on.

With his loss, GUNTHER’s Intercontinental Championship reign comes to an end at 667 days, surpassing the previous record by a significant amount. This is the fourth time Zayn has held the title. The WWE star previous captured the belt twice in 2020 and again in 2022.

Prior to the match, Zayn was shown backstage speaking first to Chad Gable, followed by his wife and son, and lastly with his longtime friend and former rival, Kevin Owens. As one would expect, GUNTHER spent much of the match in control, with Zayn serving as the underdog giving his all to stay in the fight. Just when it would look as though Zayn would start getting momentum, the Austrian would take charge and shut things down.

The longer the match continued, the more intense both men became, with Zayn taking the Intercontinental Champion further than any of his other recent opponents. Finally, a Helluva Kick led into a Brainbuster off the top rope before Zayn delivered two more Helluva Kicks, giving him everything he needed to end GUNTHER’s record-breaking reign.

GUNTHER first captured the Intercontinental Championship on June 10, 2022 after defeating Ricochet on an episode of “WWE SmackDown.” Since then, GUNTHER has feuded against and defeated Ricochet, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, The Miz, Gable, and more. Throughout that time, the Austrian has been backed up by his fellow Imperium members Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser.

Mark Briscoe Defeats Eddie Kingston, Wins ROH World Championship At Supercard Of Honor

The main event of ROH Supercard of Honor 2024 was an emotional one for everyone involved. On April 5, 2013, the late Jay Briscoe defeated Kevin Steen (now known as Kevin Owens in WWE) at Supercard of Honor VII to win the ROH World Championship for the first time in his career. Fast forward 11 years later, Jay’s little brother Mark, a man who has came close to winning the ROH World Championship on multiple occasions in the past, got his chance to dethrone the Mad King himself, Eddie Kingston.

Since defeating Claudio Castagnoli in September 2023, Kingston has done a lot with the ROH World Championship. He made it part of the now separated Continental Crown, he defended it nearly a dozen times against opponents from all over the world, and knew the meaning behind the date he was wrestling Briscoe on. To add to the big match feel, Briscoe walked out to his old entrance music, “Gimme Back My Bullets” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and was willing to put himself through hell in order to achieve the same destiny his late brother achieved 11 years earlier. Battered, bruised, and donning the crimson mask, Briscoe hit the ‘Jay Driller,’ his brother’s old finisher, to keep Kingston down for the three count and became the new ROH World Champion.

After the match, Briscoe was showered with streamers from the fans, and was congratulated by his family, who rushed the ring to put the new champion on their shoulders. The locker room also emptied and came to the ring to join in the celebrations, with stars like Jay Lethal and Matt Taven being unable to keep themselves from shedding a few tears. While Briscoe and Kingston went to war over the ROH World Championship at Supercard of Honor, they will soon be joining forces, as they are set to team up with Adam Copeland at AEW Dynasty to take on the House of Black on April 21.

Billie Starkz Turns Heel, Becomes Inaugural ROH Women’s TV Champ At Supercard Of Honor

The 17th annual Supercard of Honor is in the books and the 2024 edition of ROH’s annual WrestleMania weekend event saw a shocking twist in the match between Billie Starkz and Queen Aminata. Starkz and Aminata competed to become the first-ever ROH Women’s World Television Champion after going through a grueling 16-woman tournament. Aminata defeated J-Rod, Taya Valkyrie, and Red Velvet to get to the finals, while Starkz got past Robyn Renegade, Diamante, and Mercedes Martinez. The match was a back-and-forth affair, with both women having periods of dominance that could have led to a victory, but it was what happened at the end of the match that shocked everyone.

In the closing moments, Starkz performed a senton from the top rope, but landed awkwardly and immediately informed the referee that something was wrong with her neck. The match was temporarily stopped to check on Starkz, while Aminata stood in the corner looking very concerned. Doctors and ringside physicians got in the ring to help Starkz to her feet, as it seemed like the match was being called off and Aminata would win by default, with Aminata even holding the ring ropes open so Starkz could exit without hurting herself even more.

However, Starkz broke free of the doctors and attacked Aminata from behind, delivering a German Suplex, while still wearing a neck brace that was deemed meaningless at that point. Starkz locked in a sleeper hold and choked Aminata out to become the first-ever ROH Women’s World Television Champion, showing no remorse for the underhanded tactics that led to her victory. The 19-year old has been sitting under the learning tree of Athena over the past few months, and it seems like Starkz has found that mean streak her mentor has been looking for.

Roxanne Perez Dominates Lyra Valkyria, Wins WWE NXT Women’s Title At Stand & Deliver

Roxanne Perez is a two time “WWE NXT” Women’s Champion after tapping out Lyra Valkyria with a crossface at “NXT” Stand & Deliver. Perez targeted Valkyria’s injured shoulder, an injury she suffered at the hands of Perez weeks ago when she had to be stretchered out of the Performance Center. Perez dominated the former champion to start, beating down on her shoulder and going for multiple submissions.

Valkyria was able to battle back, but was not able to lift her challenger due to the injury. At one point in the match, Valkyria was hit with a Tornado DDT on the floor after Perez dove to the outside. Tatum Paxley also appeared ringside at one point to help her friend Valkyria when she was down in the corner, but did not interfere in the match, even when Perez went to stomp on the former champion’s arm. Valkyria was able to escape the stomp, but couldn’t capitalize again.

Perez attempted to get Valkyria into a crossface submission multiple times, and the two traded pin attempts back and forth. Perez was finally able to hit a Pop Rox, turning it in to another crossface attempt, this time locking it in. Valkyria attempted to get to the ropes, but Perez regained control. Valkyria tapped out in the middle of the ring, and Perez regained the “NXT” Women’s Championship clean.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson ‘looking forward’ to Philadelphia return: ‘I understand that city’

Doug Pederson’s quickly making his mark with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he’ll forever be linked to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Having navigated the Eagles’ first and only Super Bowl triumph, Pederson will make his return to the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday for the Jaguars’ Week 4 game against an undefeated Philly squad.

Pederson said Monday he’s looking forward to his return – no matter the reaction he receives.

“My wife and I, our family, we have a lot of great memories back there,” Pederson said, via team transcript. “I spent eight or nine years there, one with [former Eagles head] coach [Andy] Reid and then once obviously as the head coach and brought that city a championship and something to be proud of obviously.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back there. I understand that city, I understand that passion for football, but now I’m on the other side. It’s still a long way away. It’s seven days away or six days away, but we have to prepare this week like we have these last couple of weeks. But I’m looking forward to it, to getting back up there. It’s been a great place. We did a lot of good things there and I’m looking forward to hopefully the welcome.”

Over five seasons as Philadelphia’s head coach from 2016 through 2020, Pederson piloted the Eagles to three playoff berths, including a 2017 run to a Super Bowl win. A statue was subsequently erected of him and quarterback Nick Foles paying homage to the “Philly Special” play that keyed the franchise’s Super Bowl LII triumph.

Fired following the 2020 season, Pederson was dismissed from the Eagles right around the same time that the Jaguars began targeting Urban Meyer as their next head coach. As fate and a stunningly ill-starred 2021 season would have it, Meyer would last less than one season in Jacksonville, which eventually led to Pederson’s return as a head coach.

Down in Duval, Pederson led the Jaguars (2-1) to their best start since 2018 and in a note of head-scratching trivia is already tied for fifth all-time in Jaguars history for coaching wins. He is tied with Mike Mularkey (2-14), Mel Tucker (2-3) and, of course, Meyer (2-11).

“We are [feeling good], obviously the way we’ve won, the way the guys have come together to win, we’re healthy, relatively healthy as a football team,” Pederson said. “[There’s] still a lot of football ahead of us. You never look past the current week you’re in, the current situation you’re in, but I’ve been pleased with the direction, the leadership of the team, and where we are as a football team right now.”

Pederson’s successor in Philly, Nick Sirianni, captained the Eagles to a surprising playoff berth in 2021 and now has his squad off to a 3-0 start – its best since 2016, which was Pederson’s first year at the helm.

Now, Pederson, 54, is back for the first time as an opposing coach.

He’s hoping to get a welcoming reaction from the Philly fans, but, as aforementioned, he understands the city he’s returning to.

“It could be mixed,” said Pederson, who also played a season for the Eagles during his 10-year NFL playing career. “Listen, I have to get this team here ready to go and I’m not going to be concerned with that. You hope it’s a good one obviously for the things you did there, but I also know that crowd and they can be a little hostile and [I’m] looking forward to that too. Listen, understanding that and having been there and worked there, you just understand that it’s [how it is]. Even when I was there and we were winning games or losing games, you were still getting booed.”

Nets’ Simmons still has love for Philly: ‘Playing there was incredible’

Ben Simmons‘ tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t end on the best of terms, but the Brooklyn Nets guard still has a lot of love for the city where he began his NBA career.

“Philly is obviously a sports city. And my experience playing there was incredible,” Simmons said during a recent appearance on “The Old Man and The Three” podcast with former teammate JJ Reddick. “Like, for the most part, it was incredible. I had a great time. The fans are unbelievable. I still have an apartment there … I feel like I’m a part of Philly still.”

Simmons added: “It’s just unique. Even being in Brooklyn now, it’s completely different. This is a different experience for me. And, you know, I value that time I did spend in Philly because I was able to learn and grow in that city, and I got friends for life there. My brother lives there. I got family there. So yeah, Philly’s great. I think people have like a thought that I think that I hate it.”

Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 boards, 7.7 assists, and 1.7 steals over 275 appearances with the 76ers. The former No. 1 overall pick earned three All-Star nods, two NBA All-Defensive first-team selections, and Rookie of the Year honors during his tenure in the City of Brotherly Love.

Despite a collection of accolades and a versatile skill set, Simmons’ inability to space the floor wasn’t an ideal fit alongside co-star Joel Embiid. He notably struggled in the team’s second-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, passing up an open dunk late in the 76ers’ season-ending Game 7 loss.

Simmons requested a trade prior to the 2021-22 campaign and refused to suit up for Philadelphia, citing mental health as his reason for holding out.

Brooklyn acquired Simmons at the trade deadline in a blockbuster deal involving James Harden. However, Simmons didn’t play a game for his new club due to a lingering back injury. He underwent surgery for the ailment in May and is expected to be ready for training camp.