Sports
Ex-WWE star Donovan Dijak makes electric Major League Wrestling debut: 'Execution was flawless'
EXCLUSIVE: Donovan Dijak made his Major League Wrestling (MLW) debut Thursday night at the promotion’s Summer of the Beasts show in New York City.
The countdown to doomsday clock MLW had been promoting expired and out came the former WWE star.
The 6-foot-7 giant, flanked by manager Saint Laurent, entered the ring and began to take out anyone who dared to challenge him. He then proceeded to mock the bodies left in the ring.
Still buzzing from making his debut hours before, Dijak told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview he thought everything went great.
Donovan Dijak makes his mark in Major League Wrestling. (MLW)
“I was first sort of introduced to the concept a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “But, yeah, the execution was flawless. I was very happy with the presentation and everything that was kind of laid out for me beforehand.”
Dijak said he was impressed with the presentation he saw of himself on the video screen behind him as he walked to the stage, down the ramp and into the ring. He said parts of the video that were included in his presentation were filmed shortly beforehand.
“I was totally blown away with that turnaround,” he said. “The video looked amazing too for such a short turnaround. I thought that was incredibly impressive for it to be sort of TV ready within minutes. I was just super blown away. And then, of course, the execution of this match, with all the talent and then afterward, was just tremendous.”
It’s only been a few months since Dijak and WWE went their separate ways. Dijak had a tremendous run at NXT and was selected to “Raw” during the WWE Draft.
Since then, Dijak has been back on the independent wrestling circuit. Where Dijak landed Thursday isn’t just some rinky-dink operation. MLW has been in the pro wrestling landscape since 2017, headed by Court Bauer a former WWE writer.
Talented pro wrestlers have moved through the company, including Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, Lexis King (then known as Brian Pillman Jr.), Francine, Gangrel, Jacob Fatu, Karrion Kross (then known as Killer Kross), Konnan, Matt Cardona, MJF, Tajiri and several others.
WWE LEGEND ‘STONE COLD’ STEVE AUSTIN TEASES INTEREST IN WRESTLEMANIA 41 APPEARANCE: ‘I’D BE HAPPY TO’
The roster now includes established talents like KENTA, Matt Riddle, Satoshi Kojima, Mistico, Minoru Suzuki, Bobby Fish and The Andersons, among others.
It’s that type of prestige, along with the trust that was instilled in him, that appealed to Dijak. He told Fox News Digital he’s never been presented with a laid-out plan before – until now.
Donovan Dijak embraces the crowd at Summer of the Beasts. (MLW)
“This is the first time where I got really sort of a set in stone answer even before we began,” he said. “I’m 37 years old. I don’t have a ton of time left in my career to be kind of hoping and praying that my hard work goes rewarded.
“So, to know right from the get-go that this is going to be the presentation, this is how it’s going to look, and ‘We need you to fill your end of the bargain.’ Well, that’s something that I could really dive headfirst into because I know what I can bring to the table. The question mark in my mind has always been, ‘OK, is that going to be reciprocated in a fashion that helps me, elevates me.’ And sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes the answer is no.
“But to this level that is committing to me is further than I’ve ever seen that aspect of it. So, I’m very excited in that regard.”
Dijak wouldn’t divulge how many shows he’s committed to for MLW. Fightland takes place in Atlanta Sept. 14, followed by Slaughterhouse on Oct. 4 in St. Petersburg, Florida; Lucha Apocalypto in Chicago Nov. 9; and One Show in New York City Dec. 5. In between, MLW: Fusion can be seen on YouTube, beIN Sports and Fite TV+.
Dijak said he is looking to make a run at the MLW world heavyweight championship, which is held by Kojima.
“I’m going to continue what I always do and that’s have the best matches in the world and have the best match on any given night on any given platform,” Dijak told Fox News Digital. “That’s what I’ve done on every show that I’ve ever been on for the past decade of my career. That’s not going to change anytime soon.
“MLW is going to get that from me, and I think they know that they’re going to get that from me. And I respect that they recognize that right off the bat, and we’re going to go to work right away.”
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Sports
Lakers announce summer league schedule, roster
While veterans jockey for new contracts during free agency, young players are getting their tryout opportunities with NBA summer league games beginning this week.
First-round draft pick Cameron Carr and second-year forward Adou Thiero highlight the Lakers summer league roster that was announced Wednesday. The 16-man team will be coached by Lakers assistant coach Ty Abbott and begin summer league play Friday against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
The Lakers also face the Miami Heat (July 5, 1:30 p.m.) and San Antonio Spurs (July 6, 4:30 p.m.) in the California Classic before playing in the Las Vegas summer league from July 9-19. The Lakers play Oklahoma City (July 10), Dallas (July 11), the Clippers (July 14) and Chicago (July 16) in Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.
The Lakers traded up in the draft to get Carr, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Baylor, with the 24th overall pick. He will make his unofficial NBA debut, along with former Indiana State and Saint Louis star Robbie Avila. The 6-10 center became a bespectacled college basketball cult hero known affectionately as “Cream Abdul Jabbar” while leading Indiana State to the NIT championship game in 2024. He transferred to Saint Louis, where he was named Atlantic-10 player of the year as a senior when the Billikens won a school-record 29 wins.
Although he is entering his second season with the Lakers, Thiero will be playing his first summer league games. Persistent knee injuries hampered his rookie season. The athletic 6-7 forward averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 25 appearances last season. He said after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs that he wanted to improve on his three-point shooting during his second year. He attempted only five three-pointers during his rookie season, regular season and playoffs, making one.
Lakers summer league roster
Robbie Avila, C, 6-10, 240
Cameron Carr, G, 6-5, 190
Jon Elmore, G, 6-3, 190
Luke Goode, F, 6-7, 210
William Hickey, G, 6-4, 203
Arthur Kaluma, F, 6-7, 225
William Kyle III, C, 6-9, 230
Chris Mañon, G, 6-4, 212
Robert McCray V, G, 6-4, 188
AK Okereke, F, 6-7, 245
Chase Ross, G, 6-5, 210
Zhaire Smith, G, 6-4, 205
Peter Suder, G, 6-5, 215
Adou Thiero, F, 6-7, 234
Anton Watson, F, 6-8, 225
Jacari White, G, 6-3, 180
Sports
USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun receives controversial red card during Round of 32 match
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U.S. men’s national team star Folarin Balogun received a red card in the second half of their Round of 32 World Cup matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night.
Balogun was making a challenge on a ball when he stepped on an opposing player’s leg.
The U.S. men’s national team is down to 10 players for the rest of the match. If the U.S. holds their 1-0 lead, Balogun will have to miss the Round of 16 game.
Balogun scored for the U.S. in the first half.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Sports
Dodgers’ Will Smith won’t return before the All-Star break
SACRAMENTO — The first half of the season will conclude with Will Smith in the same place he has been for the last month: the injured list.
The Dodgers’ three-time All-Star catcher has been on the IL since June 8 because of what the Dodgers list as neck inflammation. Smith said he had been diagnosed with an inflamed disk.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he “just can’t see any world” in which Smith would return before the All-Star break, which concludes July 16.
“It’s certainly longer, I know, than all of us expected,” Roberts said. “But I don’t think it’s anything real, kind of affecting-the-season type thing.”
Roberts said Smith has not been able to accelerate his rehabilitation to the point of doing baseball activities.
Dalton Rushing, who has taken over as the Dodgers’ primary catcher in Smith’s absence, is batting .213 with one home run and 19 strikeouts in 18 games while Smith has been on the injured list. The Dodgers gave Rushing the day off Wednesday.
The Dodgers were 14-6 with Smith on the IL entering play Wednesday.
Also Wednesday, the team scratched shortstop Mookie Betts from the starting lineup because of a sore right wrist.
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