Here at The Paddy Power Blog we’ve managed to stop ogling the Bella Twins long enough to bring you all the stats and form you need to know before placing your WrestleMania bets.

• Betting: WrestleMania 29
  

DOUBLE TROUBLE: The Bella Twins would renew anyone’s interest in wrestling

John Cena v The Rock
WWE Championship match

• 59 per cent of the time a new WWE Champion is crowned at WrestleMania
• The Rock and John Cena have both appeared at WrestleMania nine times each. The Rock has won five of his matches (56 per cent) and Cena has won six (67 per cent)
• In 2012 The Rock beat John Cena at WrestleMania by giving him a rock bottom and scoring the pin.

At 1/7 John Cena is the red-hot favourite to beat The Rock and regain the WWE Championship. He just edges it in regards to WrestleMania form despite being pinned by The Rock last year. Rocky is 4/1 to retain his belt, something only 41 per cent of WWE Champions have managed to do on the biggest stage of them all.

Alberto Del Rio v Jack Swagger
WWE Heavyweight Championship match

• Heavyweight Championship challengers have a 70 per cent success rate at WrestleMania
• Alberto Del Rio has only appeared once at WrestleMania, losing a World Heavyweight title match to Edge in 2011
• Jack Swagger has a 100 per cent Mania record, winning both of the matches he has been involved in.

Alberto Del Rio is odds-on at 2/7 but the better bet might be with Swagger at 9/4. Heavyweight title challengers have a great record at WrestleMania and Swagger knows what it takes to get the job done in a main event.

The Undertaker v CM Punk

• The Undertaker holds the record for the longest unbeaten WrestleMania streak at 20-0
• CM Punk has a 50 per cent success rate at WrestleMania, winning three of the six bouts he has been involved in
• Punk will be bringing Paul Heyman to the ring with him as manager. That still might not be enough though as wrestlers who bring a manager with them have a success rate of just 57 per cent.

The Undertaker’s incredible WrestleMania record has the Paddy Power traders scrambling so there isn’t much value in him at 1/12. They don’t want anything to do with CM Punk at 11/2 and the presence of Heyman won’t be enough for the straight-edged superstar.

Triple H v Brock Lesnar

• Triple H has a 44 per cent success rate at WrestleMania
• Brock Lesnar has only appeared at Mania twice, beating Kurt Angle in 2003 and then losing to Goldberg in 2004
• Triple H lost here in 2011 and 2012, both times to The Undertaker

At 2/7 it is hard to see Triple H getting beat here. It is nearly a decade since Lesnar fought at Mania and Triple H’s experience of the big stage might give him the edge. He’s lost at the last two Wrestlemanias and he’ll be keen to stop the rot with the help of Shawn Michaels.

Team Hell No v Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston
Tag Team Championship match

• The Tag Team Championships have been up for grabs 21 times at WrestleMania. 11 times (52 per cent) a new pair of Champs have emerged with the current holders regaining their belts on 10 occasions (48 per cent)
• Daniel Bryan has fought at Mania once and lost while his partner Kane has just a 43 per cent success rate
• Dolph Ziggler has appeared at Wrestlemania twice, winning one and losing one, with his partner Big E Langston making his Mania debut

There isn’t much to chose between the two sides with Team Hell No at 8/15 and Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston a shade of odds-against at 11/8. None of the four competitors have a particularly eye-catching WrestleMania record and there is no strong Tag Team Title trend. The appearance of AJ Lee might just swing it for Ziggler and Langston with wrestlers bringing managers to the ring having a 57 per cent success rate.

• Betting: WrestleMania 29
  

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: Orton has a great record at this WWE main event. Pic:Getty

By Lee Dover

When it comes to being a WWE fan, the horror of Halloween and the spectacle of Bonfire Night both take a back seat to one event – Survivor Series.

Ever since the event first graced television screens way back in 1987, fans have seen some lively and rather bizarre Survivor Series bouts take place.

Andre The Giant disposing of the likes of Hulk Hogan and Bam Bam Bigelow to emerge as the sole survivor of the first main event elimination match is etched in the memories of WWE fans.

But perhaps what helps make the bouts so enthralling and entertaining is that the matches are not about winning titles. As the clue says in the name of the event, it is all about survival of the fittest inside the squared circle on this night.

‘I’m pleased that WWE is having a traditional, Survivor Series Elimination tag team bout, Team Foley vs. Team Punk, as a feature attraction/main event at the Survivor Series this year in Indianapolis’, said legendary commentator Jim Ross on his blog.

‘I’ve always enjoyed seeing multiple conclusions and how teams respond to being a ‘man down’ or more as these bouts progress.’

Of course, the wrestler that many fans will be looking to see get a dose of his own medicine has to be CM Punk. The long-reigning WWE Champion has become one of the most detested men in the business in recent times.

His sneaky tactics to get a victory at any cost creates memories of when Chris Jericho used to get under the skin of every WWE fan. The fact that Paul Heyman is always fighting Punk’s corner is the cherry on the cake for getting people to boo the once well-loved ‘voice of the voiceless’ out of every building he steps into.

The champ does not have the fondest of memories in the traditional Survivor Series match though. Punk was part of Team Batista when they fell to Team Orton at the 2008 Survivor Series. A year later and Punk was once again ruing defeat, when Team Orton – which the Straight Edge superstar was this time a part of – were unable to wipe out Team Kingston in a high-octane match.

Ironically enough, both Orton and Punk feature in the 2012 Survivor Series main event, with the WWE Champion captaining his team of Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Alberto Del Rio and The Miz against Team Foley.

Sure-to-be Hall of Famer Mick Foley will not be getting in the ring for his team, but instead will rely on Orton, Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan and Kane, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and the beast known as Ryback.

Orton could well be the hidden gem of this team as, for a long time, he was the go-to man of the traditional Survivor Series match. This was evident by the fact that he was on the winning teams at the 2003, 2004 and 2005 PPVs. In all of these, Orton was also the sole survivor.

As mentioned previously though, anything can and probably will happen in this match. Unpredictability is the spice of life after all, especially where the WWE is concerned.

It’s been fifteen years now. Fifteen years of pain. Fifteen years of fury. Fifteen years of disgust.

On November 9, 1997, an event took place in Montreal, Canada, that changed Big Sam forever. An act of sheer treachery, it devastated and deflated me like no other, sucking out every last droplet of trust that had previously percolated throughout my sensational body. I sat in front of my television in a state of catatonic horror, my entire world collapsing like a prolapsed uterus.

My feelings on the utter travesty of the ‘Montreal Screwjob’, witnessed at the 1997 WWE Survivor Series, are well documented, and I really don’t want to open up that festering wound again.

Big Sam has never seriously contemplated suicide before; there’s been times when my resolve has been gravely tested – when I was dismissed at Blackburn Rovers, for example, and that time I made love to a homeless woman and my piss turned purple – but I’ve always retained my strength.

As the events at the Molson Centre unfolded, however, and I was forced to tearfully watch Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart being cruelly swindled out of the WWE Championship by a heartless Vincent K McMahon, I seriously considered ending it all. At one point, I had a Durite 12v Heavy Duty 8″ Oscillating Fan in my hand, and was seconds away from plunging my chiselled face deep into its powerful blades. Thankfully, and suddenly, my brand new Motorola StarTAC began to ring, and I was saved. It was Chris Akabusi. I didn’t answer.

The Survivor Series has always been my favourite of the ‘Big Four’ WWE events. A hark back to the classic era of old-school wrestling merriment, it marries the vigorous dynamism of tag-team combat, with the joy of watching the humiliation of oversized men being forced to walk forlornly back to the changing room, upon elimination. I’ve also always been a huge fan of the very act of survival; the ability to display the kind of intestinal fortitude needed to be a survivor. That fella Terry Waite? The Uruguayan rugby team, whose plane crashed in the Andes? The band who sang that song in ‘Rocky III’? Really brilliant blokes, the lot of them. The warm, fuzzy affection in which Big Sam held the Survivor Series, just made the whole sorry mess all the more cutting. Like that time I got dumped by Des’ree.

YOU GOTTA BE: Unfortunately Big Sam wasn’t…

With a heavy heart, I washed my hands of the WWE that night. A few days later, I took a long walk through the mean streets of Nottingham, my head still in a nightmarish whirl of bewildered indignation. I ended up in a disgusting, desolate and depraved part of the city – well, one of them – and had the first of my many mini break-downs. I turned over cars, defecated in a phone box, and pushed over an old man in a mobility scooter, and, like, totally just left him there on the ground. It all culminated in me furnishing a rudimentary bonfire out of disused tyres, and the rotting carrion of a chubby Yorkshire Terrier I found in a skip.

As the flames raged in angry magnificence, I threw my vintage, WWF-era foam finger into the ceremonial pyre. That finger meant the world to me. It was a true, 1980′s original, and was given to me as a birthday gift from my close friend, Mean Gene Okerlund. I’d done everything with that foam finger, and not just within the realms of professional wrestling fandom. I’d waved it at pop concerts, given team-talks with it; I’d even pleasured myself sexually with it on a few (seven) occasions.

As the cheap foam incinerated into a black bubble of powerful symbolism – releasing the finest plumes of toxins the far east can muster – members of Nottingham’s infamous St. Ann’s Crew gang circled me, chanting my name and espousing the very virtues that made me such a potent destroyer of enemies. I renounced their endorsement, however, as I thought they were a right bunch of bad bastards. Instead, I threw £3.64 at them in loose change. As they scampered around the bonfire, hoovering up the precious bounty and dancing their dance of hate, I simply slunk away into the shadows, and went back home. I’d shown the world what I thought of Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels, but still I felt as hollow and useless as 50% of Heather Mills’ foot spa.

It’s been fifteen years since I’ve watched the Survivor Series. I made my peace with the WWE a few years after the Montreal incident – the raw, sleazy excitement of the ‘Attitude Era’, and Stacy Keibler’s exquisite hoop saw to that – but I still haven’t been able to watch that particular event since that traumatic night back in 1997. This is all about to change, though.

This Sunday, Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana plays host to the 26th annual Survivor Series, and Big Sam will be watching. I’ll be sat in my Inada D6 Robostic Massage Chair – in sumptuous red leather – with a pitcher of Goose Island Honkers Ale, and a tray of cheeseburger sliders, cheering on the WWE’s new generation of superstar vanquishers. I couldn’t pick any of them out of a fucking line-up in all honesty, but I’m sure they’re just wonderful.

The pain of what Vince did to Bret that night in 1997 will never subside, I suspect, but I’ve moved on. It’s this sort of tolerant benevolence that marks Big Sam out as one of the true greats of this revolving little planet of ours. I do miss that foam finger, though.

• Betting: WWE Survivor Series
• More Not Big Sam columns for Paddy Power

Not Big Sam is a parody account on Twitter which can be found here. It is in no way related to Sam Neill, Sam Adams, Sam Allardyce or Sam Fox.

Football

The people who believe that Hurricane Sandy is proof that the world is about to end have had their argument strengthened a great deal last night. That’s because serial goal-dodger Marouane Chamakh was on the scoresheet twice and Theo Walcott, the man who would struggle to finish his dinner let alone a one-on-one managed to bag a hatrick. The crazy scenes came as Arsenal fought back from 4-0 down to beat Reading 7-5 (that’s seven-five) after extra time in the Capital One Cup. It was an incredible win and puts Arsenal through to the quarter-finals as they try to end their eight year wait for a trophy. The Gunners are 7/2 to lift the cup.

Elsewhere there was more late drama as Aston Villa scored a last minute winner to beat Paolo Di Canio’s Swindon 3-2. The Robins had fought back from 2-0 down but Christian Benteke scored in stoppage time to send the Premier League side through. The biggest shock of the night came at the DW Stadium as League Two Bradford knocked out Wigan on penalties. There were also wins for Leeds and Middlesbrough as top flight sides Southampton and Sunderland crashed out.

Tonight Chelsea and  Manchester United go at it again after that thrilling 3-2 Premier League game at the weekend. There are likely to be a number of changes from both sides and the blues are 6/5 favourites with United at 2/1. The draw is 13/5. 

• Betting: Chelsea v Manchester United

There are two more all-Premier League cup ties tonight as Liverpool host Swansea at Anfield and Tottenham travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich. Liverpool and Spurs are both red-hot odds-on favourites with the Merseysiders at 1/2 and AVB’s side at 10/11.

• Betting: Norwich v Tottenham
• Betting: Liverpool v Swansea
• Betting: Carling Cup outright

Darts

The last remaining eight players will battle it out for a place in the winners group today in the Championship League of darts. It’s one of the richest tournaments in the sport with big money available for the victor.

‘The Housewife’s Choice’ Steve Beaton is in action today as well as World Grand Prix winner ‘Mighty’ Michael Van Gerwen and the bad boy of darts, Paul Nicholson.

The darts isn’t broadcast on television but you can see all the tungsten-tossing action streamed live on PPtv 

• Betting: Darts coupon

WWE wrestling

Wrestling legend Jake ‘The Snake’ Robinson is set to make his return to the ring despite being 57-years-old.

He is being trained for his comeback by former WCW Champion Diamond Dallas Page after a career in which many described him as the best wrestler never to win the World Heavyweight Title.

• Paddy Power: The home of WWE betting

Racing

Racing today comes from Nottingham, Lingfield, Haydock, Kempton and Punchestown.

The Sun newspaper’s top tipster Templegate has his nap of the day running in the 3.55pm at Haydock

‘Semi Colon can put a full stop to the bookies profits in this race. Things didn’t go to plan for her over fences last season and she looks much more at home over hurdles. She tends to run her best race fresh and a repeat of her close second at Cheltenham last November should be good enough for in-form Nicky Henderson’.

• Betting: All Wednesday’s cards, form and odds

The Champ had made his way into the fan area as part of the show before receiving a fair bit of abuse from some fans, presumably for that ridiculous moustache or his tattoo of the Pepsi logo.

Either way Punk did not take kindly to being on the end of a few shoves and a dig to the kidneys, so responded in the only way a professional wrestler should. By turning around and giving a massive bald guy a sharp backhand and then a cheeky right jab to the jaw.

In some ways it served the fan right. Admittedly he wasn’t the one that provoked Punk but anyone who tries to wear sunglasses indoors is probably fair game to getting a smack in the chops.

Since the incident the fan supposedly responsible for pushing CM Punk over the edge has revealed himself. His name is Dario Teyes and he has taken to twitter to share his hilarious story with good pal @YCDannyBoy.

Now unfortunately I’m not ‘cool’ enough to decipher exactly what he’s saying here but it is pretty clear that he is very proud of making the WWE Champ snap.

CM Punk has apologised for his actions and the WWE have said that they regret not having the proper security set up in place.

‘Other than this isolated incident, WWE always provides proper security to ensure the safety of our fans and our performers’.

I can still remember that day as if it was yesterday. August 26, 1991.

I was strolling around the plush surroundings of Midtown Manhattan in a daze. A wonderful, mesmerising daze. I’d never experienced such euphoria.

In fact, the only thing that came close was my 19^th birthday when I made love to a stranger on a tyre swing in a park in Dudley. My sexual partner and I were surrounded by a gaggle of frothing local perverts, clapping and chanting, whooping and hissing, as they watched two lithe combatants, entangled in the shadowy majesty of alfresco intercourse.

So, yeah, I had similar feelings of dizzy splendour that balmy night in New York City. A night that will live with me forever. The night I attended the WWE’s SummerSlam event at Madison Square Garden with my dear friend Woody Allen, and a shy little girl by the name of Soon-Yi.

BOYS OF SUMMER: The 1991 event holds special memories for Not Big Sam

As an aside, Woody introduced Soon-Yi to me as his wife’s daughter that night. He had his hand on her ass as he introduced her as his wife’s daughter, but that wasn’t any of my business then, and it’s none of my business now. All I know is the three of us had the greatest night of our fucking lives.

When the show was over, we skipped down 8^th Avenue with impish glee, reliving every moment of this momentous occasion. “Did you see when Bret Hart Sharpshootered the balls off Mr Perfect?!” I roared, with the unabashed enthusiasm of a poof reading Popbitch.

“What about when The Big Boss Man defeated The Mountie and then he, like, put his hand-cuffs on The Mountie and The Mountie got arrested and taken to jail!” retorted Woody, breathlessly. “Is that what happens to criminals, Sam, he added confusingly. “Is it?” I smiled and pretended I hadn’t heard him.

We were soon sat outside a cute little French bistro, eating delicious crepes and hilariously re-enacting the stunning in-ring ceremony that saw the Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth become man and wife. Woody pretended to be Savage – all gruff voice and manic eyes. Soon Yi was the lovely Elizabeth, both ladies sharing a charming coyness that masked some inner demons.

“When will we marry, Woody? asked Soon Yi, strangely. “Jeez, I don’t know, soon maybe,” replied Woody, even more fucking strangely.

I was having a wonderful time but there wasn’t a fucking chance in hell I was accepting their invitation for coffee back at their house that night.

As our laughter reverberated around the packed city streets, a clearly drunk Tom Berenger walked past and – noticing my Legion of Doom shoulder-pads – called me a “right fucking queer”. Before I could even contemplate a verbal comeback, Woody leapt at him like a coiled Chihuahua with rabies. Before Tom can even think, Woody is power-bombing him through a nearby table and finishing him off with a double axe-handle from a chair.

As he stood over the almost-slain star of Platoon, Woody smiled at me, took Soon-Yi by the hand and whispered: “Let’s go have sex before she gets back.” Once again, I ignored this remark and simply stood in awe at his work. The mastery. The power. The sheer devastation.

I fell in love with pay per view wrestling that night. It has remained one of the single most enduring loves of my life. This Sunday, the US Airways Arena in Phoenix, Arizona plays host to the WWE Money in the Bank event. Perhaps you too can sit down and watch some of your favourite wrestlers pretend to kick umpteen shades of shite out each other. Perhaps you too can fall in love.

And the football doesn’t start again for another month, so what fucking else are you going to do?

• Betting: WWE Money in the Bank

Not Big Sam is a parody account on Twitter which can be found here. It is in no way related to Sam Neill, Sam Adams, Sam Allardyce or Sam Fox.

WWE presents No Way Out from New Jersey on Sunday night and Paddy Power fancies John Cena to gain revenge over Big Show in a steel cage match.

John Cena v Big Show – Steel Cage Match

Big Show floored Cena with a huge WMD at Over the Limit to save General Manager John Laurinaits’ job.

Now Cena is out to settle the score in the nastiest environment in wrestling.

The steel cage will show no mercy and Cena is the 4/6 favourite with Paddy Power to emerge victorious. Big Show is 11/10 to beat Cena after selling out to Laurinaits.

• John Cena v Big Show betting

Sheamus v Dolph Ziggler – World Heavyweight Championship Match

Sheamus is doing Ireland proud in the wrestling world, destroying every opponent he comes up against.

The Great White is 2/7 to beat Dolph Ziggler who has lost back-to-back matches against the Champ. The Showoff is a 9/4 shot to change that run and upset the odds here.

• Sheamus v Dolph Ziggler betting

CM Punk v Kane v Daniel Bryan – WWE Championship Match

This triple-threat match for the title is one of the more unpredictable matches on the card.

CM Punk is the current Champion and is an even money shot to retain his belt. Long-term rival Daniel Bryan is 11/8 after getting beat by Punk at Over the Limit.

The outsider is the Big Red Machine, Kane who is 4/1 to come out on top.

Throw in thatBryan’s ex-girlfriend AJ now fancies Punk, making this feud hotter than JR’s barbecue sauce.

• CM Punk v Kane v Daniel Bryan betting

Christian v Cody Rhodes – Intercontinental Championship Match

Christian is back! He dramatically returned at Over the Limit and went on to surprise the WWE universe by winning the Intercontinental Championship off Cody Rhodes.

Now Rhodes is out to get it back and is 13/8 to do so at No Way Out. Captain Charisma is the 4/9 favourite to retain the title and take his distinguished career to another level.

• Christian v Cody Rhodes betting

Layla v Beth Phoenix – Diva Championship Match

Layla is the 1/2 odds on favourite to retain the title when she takes on Beth Phoenix.

Layla beat Phoenix in May and will be looking to do the same here. The Glamazon is a 6/4 shot to win back her Championship which she held for 204 days last year.

Phoenix pinned Layla on Raw this week and is good odds to emerge victorious in New Jersey.

• Layla v Beth Phoenix betting
• No Way Out betting

Extreme Rules Match: Brock Lesnar vs John Cena

On April 2, after an eight-year absence from the WWE, Brock Lesner returned to the WWE squared circle and immediately targeted John Cena with an F-5.

Having spent almost four years inside the Octagon of the UFC where he won a heavyweight title and retired last December with a 5-3-0 record, Brock’s assault on Cena on his first night back showed his desire to become the most dominant WWE superstar in the World!

The Extreme Rules stipulation of this match means that virtually all rules go out the window and it will be a no-disqualification, no-countout contest.

The match can only be won with a pinfall or through a submission. Coming off the back of a loss to The Rock at WrestleMania, Cena will be looking to make a powerful statement against one of the most powerful wrestlers in WWE history this Sunday night.

With Lesnar known for dishing out merciless beat-downs at every opportunity, this match should be one of the most physically demanding fights of the year with the WWE throwing the rule book out the window and taking this fight to the Extreme!

The Rules
The match will be contested under Extrme Rules; no-disqualification and no-countout. Brock says he’s back to destroy Cena but can Cena end his losing streak of late and beat a man he’s never beaten?

WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho

This fight has seen a huge amount of interest so far from our perspective and has turned over more money than any other fight on the card.

Some people view this as having the potential to be one of the fights of the year and we’re sure CM Punk will not want to let down his legions of fans in his hometown of Chicago. There has been a long-running and often bitter rivalry between these two wrestlers since Jericho won the Battle Royal on RAW that entitled him to a shot at the title at WrestleMania.

Since then, Jericho has done everything to get inside the head of Punk and has continued this attack on Punk despite losing in their match up at the ‘Granddaddy of Them All!’ This match will be a Chicago Street Fight with no-disqualification so everything and anything will go. Only a toss of a coin could predict the winner of this.

The Rules
The match will be contested in a Chicago Street Fight; no-disqualification.

World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus (c) vs Daniel Bryan

This match pits a technical wrestler and submission specialist in Daniel Bryan against ‘The Celtic Warrior’ Sheamus, a wrestler known for his power and brute strength.

Bryan, who was contractually guaranteed a rematch after his 18-second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania, will fancy his chances in this one after choosing the stipulation of the match to be a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match.

This type of stipulation normally results in long matches with the balance of power switching back and forth. You would think this clash of styles would not be any different. Expect Bryan’s ex-girlfriend AJ to show her pretty face at some stage and really make this a mouth-watering event!

Did Bryan pick the perfect stipulation for himself? Or can Sheamus drop the submission specialist twice in one night and retain his title?

The Rules
The match will be contested in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match; who ever gets the most pinfalls/submissions will be the winner. Can Sheamus win in 36 seconds?

Falls Count Anywhere: Randy Orton vs Kane

Everyone was shocked at Kane’s defeat of Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXVIII, none more so than Paddy Power punters who quickly changed Orton’s moniker from ‘The Legend Killer’ to ‘The Acca Killer’!

With Orton a young up-and-coming star of WWE and Kane in the autumn of his career, you would fancy Orton to bounce back in this match-up. This Falls Count Anywhere Match should be a brutal encounter in which The Big Red Monster will revel.

Expect this match to take place in the crowd, backstage and in the car park, where anything could happen. One thing is certain, Extreme Rules will be needed.

The Rules
The match will be contested in a Falls Count Anywhere Match; pinfall or submission can occur anywhere. Can Randy Orton put and end to Kane?

• Paddy Power WWE Betting
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When Liverpool were beaten by Wigan it was because the players were too tired. This week they lost to Newcastle because they were frustrated. How many more excuses does Kenny Dalglish have for his team being a bit pants when it comes to the Premier League? Liverpool have now won just twice in their last 12 league games and on current form they’re in danger of finishing in the bottom half of the table. That’s hardly the return Fenway Sports Group would have been expecting for their £100 million investment in the team. Too many of the players Dalglish signed have failed to perform, most notably £35 million acquisition Andy Carroll and £20m buy Stewart Downing, and the manager is now under serious pressure. A top four finish is now an improbable 66/1 as talk of who could replace the King at Anfield increases. Delivering the FA Cup at 23/10 would certainly go a way to keeping Kenny in a job.

#2 Man City – Are Their Mario Bothers Undermining Their Title Challenge?

Giving money to the homeless and setting fire to your own bathroom is all very eccentric and fun. But Mario Balotelli’s on-field dramatics are starting to to take their toll. He may have scored twice against Sunderland to help City pick up a draw but arguing with Aleksandar Kolarov over a free-kick and then an alleged post-match punch-up with Yaya Toure are not good for squad morale. Rumour has it that his team-mates are running out of patience with the 21-year-old Italian striker, as well as being miffed at the manager for letting him get away with being an idiot boy-child. At least he’s taking the heat off of Tevez, who may hate living in Manchester slightly less now. City are 4/1 to win the league title ahead of United’s game with Blackburn tonight.

#3 Ronaldo Getting Thigh On His Own Supply

Lionel Messi (24) may be the world’s most loved player but Cristiano Ronaldo (27) is definitely still Cristiano Ronaldo’s favourite. Who needs awards when you have this kind of supreme self-belief? Waking up every morning as Cristiano Ronaldo is reward enough. The Real Madrid star is firing Los Blancos to their first La Liga title in four years and he hit an absolute screamer in their weekend win over Osasuna. He celebrated, Angelina Jolie style, by showing a bit of leg and giving praise to the right thigh muscle responsible for this particular moment of brilliance. Real are 1/4 to lift La Liga but can Messi-inspired Barcelona catch them?

#4 Dubai World Cup – So You Think You’re A Bit Special? Perhaps Not!

After coming third in the Melbourne Cup in 2010 the famous Coolmore Stud allegedly paid $25 million for a majority stake in southern hemisphere star, So You Think. You have to question what their plans are for him now after his disappointing fourth place finish in the Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world. That makes it four races without a win and questions are being raised over where he goes next. Straight to stud? Yes please.

#5 Wrestle-mania – The Rock’s Return Goes To Script

Everything in professional wrestling goes to script. That’s kind of the point of the whole deal but it’s good to know what’s going on in the WWE. If only so you have something to talk to about with your own five-to-twelve-year-old-kids. The Rock (real name Dwayne Johnson) has become better known for his Hollywood acting stints in recent times but after making his full-time return to wrestling last year he’s managed to win the organisation’s biggest event. It’s almost as if it had been written in to his contract when he agreed to come back.

5. Stone Cold v The Rock, WrestleMania XVII

This is one of the more memorable WWE rivalries of the last 30 years. When one thinks of the best matches, this is one that automatically springs to mind. It featured two wrestlers at the peak of their careers but this No Disqualification Match turned ugly quickly. The match went back and forth with blood being spilled on both sides until WWE owner Vince McMahon came to the ring. He foiled a Rock pin attempt and allowed Steve Austin to win back the coveted WWE Championship belt for the fifth time. The Rock is even money to beat John Cena 8/11 in his return to the ring at Wrestlemania this Sunday!

4. The Undertaker v Kane, WrestleMania XIV

The Undertaker put his undefeated record at WrestleMania on the line against his brother, The Big Red Monster, Kane who he was fighting for the first time. It was a match that will go down as one of the most brutal brawls in WWE history with The Undertaker finally taking out his brother with an unprecedented THREE Tombstones! The video is worth watching for the entrance alone. With The Undertaker’s path to ring lined with druids carrying torches it’s probably one which you’ll remember as if it was yesterday.

3. Hulk Hogan v Andre the Giant, WrestleMania III

This is the match that put professional wrestling on the map, two iconic figures of wrestling going head-to-head in an old school slobberknocker! Hulk Hogan was an underdog for the first time and up against his old friend, the 540-pound Andre the Giant. To finish the match Hulk somehow summoned his strength to body-slam the Giant, then finished him off with his signature Hogan leg drop to walk away with the WWE Championship.

2. Razor Ramon v Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania X

This was the first televised WWE Ladder Match and one of the reasons why Shawn Michaels acquired the nickname ‘Mr WrestleMania.’ The Heartbreak Kid had lost his Intercontinental title to Razor Ramon in controversial circumstances having been suspended from the WWE and returned to fight for the belt which he believed was rightfully his at WrestleMania X. At the end of a brutally physical encounter, Ramon knocked Michaels from the ladder landing him crotch first onto the ring ropes and whilst HBK writhed in agony climbed back up the ladder to become the undisputed Intercontinental Champion.

1. Stone Cold v Bret Hart, WrestleMania XIII

This, to our our mind, is what WWE wrestling is all about. A submission match with a rivalry taken to a new level with non-stop physical action and a special guest referee in UFC legend Ken Shamrock to keep an eye on proceedings. Both men hit their special moves and continuously beat each other to a pulp with items from outside the ring such as cables and the ring bell. While never actually saying the words, ‘I quit’, Stone Cold, who was bleeding prefusely from his head, eventually passed out through exhaustion and loss of blood allowing Shamrock to declare ‘The Hitman’ the winner. ‘The Rattlesnake’ may have lost the match but won a place in the heart of wrestling fans for years to come!

- WRESTLEMANIA BETTING