It's tough to imagine the WWE without 16-time Champion John Cena, but that was almost the reality as WWE nearly fired Cena just months after his debut on SmackDown. As part of WWE Network's new series "Ruthless Aggression," Cena explained how he was informed of his impending release in 2002 after he failed to capitalize on the momentum from his match against Kurt Angle.

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Says Cena:

“The WWE, they used to make a series of cuts around late November and around mid-May. I was told I was getting my release in the Christmas cuts, because it just wasn’t working, and there’s no argument there. It wasn’t, They gave it to me on a silver platter. ‘John Cena. Ruthless Aggression.’ And I failed. I messed it up. It was on my last European tour, and I think I was in mixed tag matches – this is how well it was not going. I was just there to maybe have one last time in the ring, but I was on the way out.”

As we know, Cena was not cut and he went on to become one of the most decorated superstars in the company's history. So what changed? As seen in the video clip embedded below, Cena's ability to freestyle along with Rey Mysterio and Rikishi on the WWE tour bus ultimately led to his Dr. Of Thuganomics gimmick, which saved his career.

Jada Pinkett Smith has truly created a winning platform for herself with the Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk that she hosts alongside daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones. They’ve addressed many powerful issues with subjects like Jordyn Woods, T.I. & Tiny plus  actor Tommy Davidson in recents months, and now the trio will be joined by rap vet Snoop Dogg for a conversation surrounding the topic of disrespect between Black men and Black women.

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While the details are still being kept under wraps until the show airs next week, it appears Snoop is there to address his recent negative comments towards Gayle King which he’s since apologized for. For those that need a refresher, Snoop flat out called Gayle a “funky dog-head bitch” for bringing up Kobe Bryant’s 2003 rape case while interviewing Lisa Leslie a few weeks ago. While many were quick to note that King was wrong for bringing up such a negative subject only a few days after Kobe’s fatal helicopter crash last month, it was also widely agreed that Snoop didn’t have to take it as far as to call her out of name and practically threaten her well-being. Either way, it should make for a very interesting talk once his sit-down with Jada, Willow and Ms. Adrienne goes live.

Snoop Dogg’s Red Table Talk interview airs next Wednesday (February 26) on Facebook Watch.

Paul Rosenberg — known by many as manager to Eminem, Danny Brown, Alchemist, Action Bronson, and more — is officially stepping down from his position as Def Jam’s CEO. As Billboard reports, Rosenberg was finding himself unable to focus on both his Goliath Management duties and his position as co-owner of Shady Records, and thus decided to bow out gracefully. The decision is said to be amicable, though Rosenberg himself has yet to make an official statement on ending his two-year tenure with the legendary label.

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You may recall that Rosenberg originally secured the position in August of 2017 and enjoyed a successful run during his time as CEO. Yet those familiar with Paul’s career understand that his connection with Eminem runs deep, and it’s not entirely surprising to see him looking to dedicate more time to the Shady family. Especially given that Boogie, Griselda, and Em himself are all enjoying strong runs that would likely benefit from Paul’s increased attention. 

Billboard notes that Def Jam will make the announcement next week. It should be noted that during Rosenberg’s time in charge, many prominent rappers released new albums, including Jadakiss, Fabolous, Jeezy, Kanye West, Logic, and YG. While he had a good run, it should be interesting to see Rosenberg spending the majority of his time where it all began; one has to wonder what that spells for the future. 

Jordan Brand has been experimenting with the Air Jordan 1 High OG since it released all the way back in 1985. This silhouette is one of the most iconic and popular shoes ever, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jumpman would want to do as much as they can with it. Twenty-twenty is going to see a whole plethora of Jordan 1 releases and according to @zsneakerheadz, the brand is already looking towards 2021.

In the photoshop rendering below, we can see a colorway that is being dubbed “Fresh Mint.” This sneaker has a sail toe box, side panels, and tongue, while the overlays are black. From there, the back heel is a mocha color which is also found on the outsole. Finally, the Nike swoosh and wings logo is Turquoise although this specific shade is appropriately called “Fresh Mint.”

According to Sneaker Bar Detroit, this colorway is supposed to drop during the early stages of 2021 for $170 USD. Within the next few months, there will surely be some detailed images of this offering so stay tuned as we will be sure to bring you the latest updates. In the meantime, let us know what you think about this colorway. Are you going to cop?

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The Detroit Pistons reached a contract buyout with Markieff Morris on Friday afternoon, paving the way for the 30-year old forward to sign with a title-contender of his choosing. And he might soon be joining his twin brother in Los Angeles, although not as a member of the Clippers.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Lakers have instantly emerged as the favorites to sign Markieff, after they failed to pull of a trade for his twin brother, Marcus.

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The Lakers were in talks with the New York Knicks to acquire Marcus Morris ahead of the NBA trade deadline but they were ultimately beat out by the Los Angeles Clippers, who traded a 2020 first round pick and Moe Harkless to NY in exchange for the veteran forward. Now, it looks like they'll have to settle for Markieff's services, although Shams Charania notes that the Toronto Raptors have also expressed interest.

In 44 games with the Pistons, Markieff averaged 11 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing in under 23 minutes per game. 

Since joining The Real last month as the Emmy-winning daytime talk show's permanent fifth host, Amanda Seales has been doing a pretty amazing job to say the least. While taping the 1,000th episode of the series, Seales may have even gained a few more fans after dropping a major clapback on visiting guest Jennifer Lahmers from Extra TV.

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Things were all good just a few months ago when The Real cast (pre-Amanda) visited Lahmers over at Extra TV (seen above) for a lighthearted game of what appeared to be musical chairs. However, the vibe wasn't as playful this time around. Things took a left turn when Jennifer was quick to mention Seales being a "newbie" while congratulating the other ladies on accomplishing 1,000 episodes together. After they were able to brush that aside — Loni grabbing Amanda's hand on the low was enough to show tension was brewing — it then got slightly more verbal when Lahmers again made an unneeded comment about Amanda and fellow host Jeannie Mai "butting heads" during segments. This prompted the Insecure actress to address the situation by literally saying "Stop!" and explaining that her, Mai and the other ladies are allowed to have a "difference in opinion" as a diverse lineup of women rather than describing it as butting heads. "She tried it," Amanda wrote on her Instagram just a few hours ago when recollecting on the situation, continuing by writing, "Don’t come for me unless I send for you. I am not hostile. I’m passionate. Happy Black History Month ❤️✊?."  She said what she said!

Watch the clip below and let us know if you think Amanda Seales had a point in her clapback: 

View this post on Instagram

She tried it. Don’t come for me unless I send for you. I am not hostile. I’m passionate. Happy Black History Month ❤️✊?

A post shared by amandaseales (@amandaseales) on Feb 21, 2020 at 9:08am PST

Shannon Sharpe used to play in the NFL which makes him particularly well-equipped to talk about other players and whether or not they have what it takes to still play at a high level. Sharpe currently cohosts FS1’s Undisputed alongside Skip Bayless and the former Denver Bronco has been known to bring some hot takes to the table. On Friday, that’s exactly what he did while talking about Tom Brady. The QB will be a free agent this season and has a big decision to make in regards to where he goes next.

As Sharpe explains in the clip below, he believes Brady has actually hit the end of the road and that he barely has what it takes to be a sustainable quarterback. In fact, Sharpe would take Brees over Brady right now. Of course, Sharpe admits that Brady was better in his prime but as it stands, Brees is more serviceable.

“Moving forward, Drew Brees is a better, more valuable (quarterback)… because I believe he has more in the tank,” Sharpe said. “Tom Brady is on fumes. If I’m him, the next gas station, I’m not passing it. I’m going to fill up, because sometimes you’re like, ‘No, I can get something cheaper down the road.’ Don’t you pass that gas station, Tom, because it’s almost over.”

Sharpe’s comments come off as pretty harsh but he definitely makes an interesting point. Say what you will about Brady’s weapons last year, he simply wasn’t playing at a high enough level for the Patriots to go far. With this in mind, Brady could find this upcoming season to be quite difficult.

An autopsy has determined the exact cause of death for Pop Smoke, the rapper who was murdered in the Hollywood Hills this week.

On Wednesday morning, it was reported that four masked men had broken into the Brooklyn rapper’s rental home, firing multiple shots at the man before leaving on foot. Thus far, no arrests have been made but the case is being investigated as a targetted hit, and no longer as a random robbery. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office, the 20-year-old rapper’s official cause of death has been listed as a fatal gunshot wound to the torso. It was also noted  XXL that Pop Smoke passed away in the hospital and that his body has been released to his family.

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At the beginning stages of his music career, Pop Smoke gained a ton of attention with his break-out tracks “Dior” and “Welcome to the Party.” His most recent album, Meet The Woo 2, was received very positively by the public, debuting at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The Brooklyn drill rapper was on pace to become one of the biggest stars of the year, being taken away from us far too soon.

We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to the family of Pop Smoke.

Offset‘s really living that “GNF” life which seems even more apparent after a jeweler claimed the rapper blew off a $400K lawsuit. The Blast reports Guven’s Fine Jewelry has filed documents accusing the rapper of being a no-show in court over a $400K bill. Now, they’re asking for a default judgment since Set never showed up. Given a deadline of Feb 4th to respond, they said that Offset was served the proper papers with a legal notice.

Offset was sued in September over the matter after the jeweler claimed the rapper essentially ran off on the plug. Apparently, there were several multiple requests made to Offset to clear off the $400K bill but ‘Set never responded. Among the items listed that make up the six-figure debt is a $140K diamond-encrusted tennis bracelet, another platinum tennis bracelet with emerald-cut diamonds amounting to $40K, and a platinum diamond necklace worth $95K.

Earlier this month, Offset was named in a lawsuit along with YG and 2 Chainz over the song “Proud.” A rapper by the name of Slugga said that he released a song in 2015 that he believes was the base for 2 Chainz 2018 single. Slugga accused 2 Chainz, YG, and Offset of using the “same climactic moment and the same 2/4 time signature of two beats per measure.”

We’ll keep you posted on any new updates. 

Even though North Carolina rapper DaBaby used his family name for the title of his second studio album, he wants to make it clear that only a select number of folks are allowed to call him as such.

Born Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, the 28-year-old rap superstar has been experiencing his biggest career year thus far, truly breaking out after the release of Baby on Baby before he struck gold with KIRK. Joking with his fans last night, the "TOES" star commented on how women have been getting a little too comfortable with him, addressing him by his government name instead of his artist moniker. DaBaby isn't entirely into that, explaining that if you're calling him "Jonathan," you've got a few clear guidelines to follow. First and foremost, you've got to spell it correctly. Secondly, you've got to be his girlfriend. That definitely eliminates the majority of readers.

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Taking to Twitter, DaBaby noted that, if you're calling him by his first name, you should actually know him as such. "I hate when fans try to call me by the government name and misspell my shit," he wrote. "Bro.. you don’t know me bro. Ladies.. Calling me 'Jonathan' means you’re my Girlfriend."

Somebody tell B. Simone that she's got to start referring to DaBaby as "Jonathan" from now on.