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One of the best things about the Royal Rumble is the way it sets itself up for surprises. Whether it’s professional wrestlers returning from injuries or retired wrestlers heading down to the ring for a huge pop and an ultimately brief cameo, the Rumble is one of the best tools WWE has to get people back into the fold. And on Saturday night in San Antonio, there were a number of surprises and highly-anticipated returns in this year’s event.

The first big surprise of the evening came before the Rumble even began. Pat McAfee, who left WWE last year to join ESPN’s College GameDay, made his return to the company to join Michael Cole and Corey Graves at the announce table.

It took 21 entrants for a surprise entrant. While the Rumble was business as usual for a long, long time, the first surprise came when the 57-year-old Booker T made his way to the ring after previously being on the pre-show. The Texas native came down the ramp, flattened a few other superstars, and did his iconic Spinaroonie … which marked the last thing he got to do in the match before Gunther tossed him over the top rope.

While he’s a member of the active roster, Edge was the next surprise in the Rumble at number 24. The Rated R Superstar had not appeared on television since October, and he immediately came to the ring and took out two-thirds of Judgement Day, sending Damian Priest and Finn Balor over the top. But he, too, was eliminated quickly — while trying to toss Dominik Mysterio over the top rope, Priest and Balor hopped up onto the apron and pulled Edge to the floor.

Edge’s elimination led to another return, because while Rhea Ripley joined Judgement Day in a skirmish after Edge’s elimination, Beth Phoenix — who likewise has not been on television since October — took Ripley down with a spear of her own.

The penultimate entray in the Rumble doubled as the penultimate surprise surprise, as Logan Paul entered the ring and immediately got beaten down.

And at 30, the most highly-anticipated “surprise” of the Rumble happened, as Cody Rhodes, who previously announced that he would compete in the event, made his long-awaited return from a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered in June.

Rhodes and Paul ended up being two of the final three participants. Ultimately, Rhodes was able to win the event by eliminating Paul and, eventually, Gunther.

Cody Rhodes is the winner of the 2023 Royal Rumble and is now guaranteed a championship match at WrestleMania 39.

Pat McAfee opened the Royal Rumble with his surprise return from ESPN’s College GameDay duty before Gunther and Sheamus made their way to the ring to kick things off. About a third of the way through the Rumble and only Miz and Karrion Kross were eliminated as the ring began to fill up. Kofi Kingston tried to hit one of his famous Rumble spots, but as he was knocked out of the ring and attempted to land in a desk chair, the chair tipped over and Kingston smashed into the announce table.

Brock Lesnar picked a perfect time to hit the ring, quickly eliminating Santos Escobar, Angelo Dawkins, and Chad Gable. Lesnar lasted a whole three minutes before Bobby Lashley tossed him over the top rope. Lesnar then tore apart the announce table, F-5’d Corbin before he could enter the ring, and attacked a referee.

Edge made his return to the ring for the first time since Extreme Rules, taking apart Judgement Day. After getting eliminated, Edge, Bálor, and Priest brawled up the entrance area until Rhea Ripley attacked Edge. Beth Phoenix also made her return, taking out Ripley with a spear before being separated by the referees.

The last two entrants were a returning Logan Paul and Cody Rhodes.

Paul and Ricochet challenged each other to a mid-Rumble jump off and met in the middle of the ring.

After Rhodes eliminated Braun Strowman, Ricochet, and Austin Theory, he joined Seth Rollins, Gunther, and Paul (who had slid underneath the rope) in the final four. Rollins set Rhodes up for a pedigree, but Paul ran back into the ring and tossed him over the top rope. Rhodes tossed Paul over the top and met the first entrant of the event, Gunther, for a spot in the WrestleMania main event. Gunther landed chest slap after chest slap on Rhodes and his surgically-repaired torn pec, but Rhodes eventually fought Gunther off, landing a Cross Rhodes and eliminating him to win the Rumble.

Order Entered

1. Gunther
2. Sheamus
3. The Miz
4. Kofi Kingston
5. Johnny Garagano
6. Xavier Woods
7. Karrion Kross
8. Chad Gable
9. Drew McIntyre
10. Santos Escobar
11. Angelo Dawkins
12. Brock Lesnar
13. Bobby Lashley
14. Happy Corbin
15. Seth Rollins
16. Otis
17. Rey Mysterio (never entered)
18. Dominik Mysterio
19. Elias
20. Finn Bálor
21. Booker T
22. Damian Priest
23. Montez Ford
24. Edge
25. Austin Theory
26. Omos
27. Braun Strowman
28. Ricochet
29. Logan Paul
30. Cody Rhodes

Order Eliminated

1. The Miz
2. Karrion Kross
3. Xavier Woods
4. Kofi Kingston
5. Santos Escobar
6. Chad Gable
7. Angelo Dawkins
8. Brock Lesnar
9. Happy Corbin
10. Bobby Lashley
11. Rey Mysterio (never entered)
12. Otis
13. Elias
14. Johnny Gargano
15. Booker T
16. Montez Ford
17. Damian Priest
18. Finn Bálor
19. Edge (pulled over by Bálor and Priest)
20. Omos
21. Sheamus
22. Drew McIntyre
23. Dominik Mysterio
24. Braun Strowman
25. Ricochet
26. Austin Theory
27. Seth Rollins
28. Logan Paul
29. Gunther

Lil Yachty‘s new album, Let’s Start Here is already proving to be a buzzy project. Yachty’s latest effort features him taking on a psychedelic rock sound, a departure from his signature rap sound. On the heels of Let’s Start Here, which was released yesterday (January 27), Lil Yachty has shared the trippy new visual for “Say Something.”

On the song, Yachty croons, reeling over an unrequited love.

“We can live the dream life, wild / Got me feeling like a teen again / It’s feeling like it’s teenage love / If you feel the same way, then say something,” he sings in the song’s chorus.

It’s hard to explain exactly what’s going on in the “Say Something” video. In the clip, Yachty is seen sitting in a diner with a woman played by model Anok Yai. He professes his love for her, then imagines driving away with her and having a baby. In other scenes, Yachty is seen in a hallway as people pop up and laugh at him, and the baby suddenly explodes. When Yachty drifts out of his bizarre fantasy, he is brutally rejected by the woman, then literally drags his heart across the parking lot.

You can check out the video for “Say Something” above.

Let’s Start Here is out now via Capitol and Motown. You can stream it here.

Warning: Lil Yachty’s video for “Say Something” contains depictions of suicidal ideation which some may find triggering. Viewer discretion is advised.

Ice Spice‘s debut EP, Like…? has garnered much buzz since its surprise release last week. On the EP is the standout track “In Ha Mood,” which, like its predecessors “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and “Bikini Bottom” have become viral hits on TikTok.

On the track, Spice embraces her status as rap’s newest princess, saying, “I’m proud that I’m still gettin’ bigger / Goin’ viral is gettin’ ’em sicker / Let’s keep it a buck / B*tches too borin’, got ’em stuck in a rut.”

In the song’s accompanying video, Ice is seen looking fly while walking through a bodega, spitting rhymes surrounded by her clique, and getting styled up in a mirror.

The video was filmed earlier this month, on the day Ice was planning to shoot the video for her Lil Tjay-assisted track, “Gangsta Boo.” Tjay, however, was arrested that day, prompting Spice and her team to shoot the “In Ha Mood” video on the fly.

Over the past year, Ice has become one of the most recognizable names and faces in Bronx drill. In a recent interview with NME, she said she only anticipates for drill music to grow in popularity.

“I feel that it’s only gonna keep getting bigger and it’s just the start of a huge era,” Ice said. “You know when trap was really big and it became this movement? People thought it was gonna die down over time but it just became stronger and stronger. I feel like drill will become mainstream music at some point, and it won’t be so categorized. It’s already changing hip-hop, but we won’t notice until we look back.”

Check out the video for “In Ha Mood” video above.

Tom Verlaine, the singer and guitarist who founded the legendary New York punk band Television, has died at 73.

Television was a staple in the 1970s New York punk era, and their album Marquee Moon was one of the defining records of that time. The band formed in 1972, and broke up in 1978, before briefly reforming in 1992.

According to New York Times, Verlaine’s “death was announced by Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Mr. Verlaine’s fellow musician Patti Smith. She did not specify a cause, saying that he died ‘after a brief illness.’”

Since news of Verlaine’s death broke, several musicians have taken to social media to express their condolences.

“Most nights we walk onstage to Marquee Moon- RIP to Tom Verlaine, the realest deal,” said Jason Isbell

Blondie guitarist Chris Stein recalled one of his early meetings of Verlaine, saying, “He had long hair and came to my apartment with an acoustic guitar and played some songs he’d written. Both Tom and Richard Hell have told me that I auditioned for the Neon Boys but I don’t remember.”

Michael Stipe of R.E.M. shared a tribute on Instagram, expressing gratitude for the impact Verlaine has on music.

“Bless you Tom Verlaine and thank you for the songs, the lyrics, the voice,” he said. “And later the laughs, the inspiration, the stories, and the rigorous belief that music and art can alter and change matter, lives, experience. You introduced me to a world that flipped my life upside down.”

Candace Parker is heading to the Las Vegas Aces. Parker, the 7-time All-Star and 2-time WNBA MVP, announced in a post on her Instagram account that she will sign with the defending WNBA champions.

Parker said her family drove her decision to head to Vegas, writing in the caption that while she is a Chicago native, “my family’s home is on the west coast.”

“I need to be there for my daughter, for my son, for my wife,” Parker wrote. “I can’t be without them for parts of the season when Lailaa is in school and I won’t miss her volleyball games or school dances simply because of distance. Lailaa starts high school in August and I need to be there for her, just as she’s been there for me.”

Parker was an All-WNBA First Team selection last season, and helped lead the Chicago Sky to an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Connecticut Sun, where they lost in five games. The Sun would go on to fall to the Aces in four games in the WNBA Finals.

After spending the first 13 seasons of her career with the Los Angeles Sparks, Parker has played for her hometown Sky in each of the last two seasons. Last year, Parker averaged 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 28.3 minutes per game.

Last season, the Aces went 26-10 and won the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Remember how Donald Trump is running for president again? The big guy announced his third campaign in November and it’s somehow taken him two-and-a-half months to make his first stop. On Saturday, he made up for lost time by scheduling not one but two appearances. The first stop wasn’t some arena. It was a high school auditorium. But if you thought that was small for such a once-powerful guy, then know that at least he’s still furious.

As per AP News, Trump’s soft-launched his campaign in New Hampshire, where he lost in both 2016 and 2020. The occasion was an annual meeting for the state’s GOP, and while formally announcing he was starting his latest campaign he allayed fears that he’d lost his mojo, telling the crowd, “I’m more angry now and I’m more committed now than I ever was.”

Great! If it’s one thing moderates love is the former president’s famously volatile and unpredictable temper. He’ll have to keep that ire going, as he had scheduled a rally in South Carolina — not a huge one, like the ones he was used to in the good old days, but a smaller one, without much in the way of GOP stars. Indeed, his team were stunned to find how difficult it was to get some of the party’s big wigs to care. Surely few are stoked to hear him rant about the many, many problems he’s faced since announcing he wanted to be back in the White House. But at least he can brag about winning a golf championship last weekend, sort of.

(Via AP News)

As recently as late October, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner was making a public case for why he should be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. In late December, the posture reportedly shifted, with Turner and the Pacers opening up discussions on a potential contract extension to keep Turner in Indianapolis beyond his current deal that expires at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

Now, Turner’s new deal is reportedly a reality, with both ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and TNT’s Chris Haynes reporting a re-negotiated agreement on a new contract worth approximately $60 million.

Shortly after, Shams Charania of The Athletic brought the annual financial details.

This was a unique negotiating position on both sides. Turner is enjoying the most productive season of his career, averaging 17.4 points per game with a 64.7 percent true shooting mark, and he remains a top-tier defensive center. With those impressive efforts, Turner was in the position to command top dollar on the market, but Indiana had an interesting chip to offer.

Because the Pacers have operated more than $25 million under the salary cap after the Phoenix Suns matched an offseason offer sheet for Deandre Ayton, Indiana was able to offer Turner more money for the current 2022-23 season in a way that rarely happens in the NBA. Wojnarowski notes that the $17.1 million in new money for this season is the largest figure in league history, and that balloon payment also allows Indiana to keep Turner’s salary at a very manageable figure for the next two seasons.

With the Pacers exceeding expectations this season on the way to a 24-27 record, the positive vibes likely helped to push this deal over the finish line. Still, this is a good piece of business on both sides, with Indiana taking advantage of odd flexibility and Turner earning a nice bump in salary to combine with security over a longer term.

Lizzy McAlpine recently announced she would no longer be able to join John Mayer for his upcoming Solo Tour. The singer-songwriter revealed on social media that she could not be a part of the forthcoming tour due to “scheduling conflicts.” The “Apple Pie” singer was expected to join Mayer on tour alongside Alec Benjamin and a surprise guest (who has yet to be revealed). The 19-city tour is scheduled to kick off at the beginning of March.

“Unfortunately, due to a last minute scheduling conflict, I will no longer be able to join @JohnMayer on his solo acoustic tour,” she wrote on Twitter Friday, January 27.

McAlpine shared that while she will not be joining Mayer on tour, fans will have a chance to see her again during her own tour later. “I love u all, and I’ll see you in April for my headline tour,” she wrote.

Mayer’s upcoming North American tour — his first in 25 years — will make pitstops in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Toronto, and more.

“I’ll be playing old songs,” Mayer tweeted Thursday, January 26. “Newer songs. Songs you haven’t heard yet that I’ll be road testing — all on acoustic, electric, and piano. Hope to see you there.”

The Los Angeles Lakers are one game out of the play-in tournament in the Western Conference, and are 2.5 games back of the Dallas Mavericks for the 6-seed. This comes despite the fact that Anthony Davis is only just returning from an injury he suffered back in the middle of December.

The Lakers went 10-10 in the 20 games Davis missed, largely due to the fact that LeBron James continues to just not age. James, who turned 38 last month, averaged 34.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in 36 minutes per game during the stretch with Davis on the sideline, and while other players performed admirably with AD out, James shouldered the biggest load.

What makes it more impressive is that Los Angeles appeared to be in major trouble following a 2-10 start to the year but have appeared to right the ship. This has really impressed Tristan Thompson, and during an appearance on ESPN on Friday, James’ former teammate in Cleveland expressed his belief that the Lakers star deserves to get into the MVP consideration if the team can get to the 6 or 7-seed in the West.

Another one of James’ former teammates, Kendrick Perkins could only put his head in his hands. Anyway, as of this writing, James is tied for 10th in MVP odds, so if the Lakers can make that happen, it sure seems like Thompson will get to see him in the conversation for the league’s top individual award.