If you told us that we’d one day be writing about professional wrestler-turned-actor John Cena and Lancashire Cricket Club in the same sentence, we’d probably have given you a funny look.
However, as weird a combo as it may sound, that day has come.
You’d be forgiven for not knowing this but it turns out John Cena follows A LOT of people on social media and not exactly people you’d expect him to be following.
We’re talking everyone from random fans, comedian-actor Danny Wallace, various regional journalists home and abroad; even our lovely editor — though that makes much more sense, we admit (great content, boss, please don’t sack me).
Honestly, you only have to type in ‘John Cena followed me’ on Twitter to pull up literally thousands of results. This was one posted literally minutes before we started writing this:
As it turns out, Cena follows some over 533, 700 different people on Twitter alone and we seriously can’t find much of a thread that links any of them, but that doesn’t make any it less fun to dive into.
With that in mind, it recently came to light that the 45-year-old WWE legend and Suicide Squad star just so happens to follow Lancashire Cricket Club. Because why not?
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Playing just down the road at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Lancashire Cricket might sound like a far cry away from the Hollywood sound stages and giant entertainment arenas where he made his name, but the familiar face has actually played a bit of cricket in his time.
Better still, thanks to the social media guys over at the Manchester-based cricket club and their absolutely impeccable response to spotting a certain Cena in their likes, he’s been put in Lancs colours. Turns out you can see him after all:
Somebody give that social admin a pay rise, right now.
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Not so long ago, Cena did address the question as to why he follows so many people and the answer was actually quite a simple but wholesome one.
“It’s tough to follow the timelines because of how many people I follow. But I am trying to learn more about the world.”, he told ESPN‘s ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, confessing that he even went down “a rabbit hole following EDM dance culture and non-fungible tokens and also Twitch streamers”.
He said that part of the reason is that he simply knows “nothing about any of these avenues of the world” and gets a kick out of people following him and vice versa, adding: “I am learning a little bit about each and every person as I go.” Well that’s just nice, isn’t it?
Guess we have a new favourite wrestler. Give us a follow while you’re at it, John.
Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons/Lancashire Cricket Club (via Twitter)
Sport
Tom Aspinall, Eddie Hearn, Frank Smith and more set to join latest Fight Day 5k in Manchester
Danny Jones
Big names from the world of combat sports are returning to town, not just for the next boxing match happening in Greater Manchester, but for the now regular Fight Day 5k alongside it.
Organised with promoters Matchroom Boxing, local club Manchester Road Runners (MRR), along with a number of other sponsors like Everlast, they’re hoping to make this one of their biggest yet.
Plus, with the likes of Manc MMA star Tom Aspinall in tow and Eddie Hearn himself set to lead the route around central Manchester, there’s just as much reason to be excited by the morning run as there is the next fight.
This event has happened multiple times in 0161 before, but with more people expected to turn up than ever and a homegrown fighter following up later in the day, this one feels extra special.
Scheduled fresh on Good Friday, 3 April (after all, fighters get up earlier than most), the 5k jog around the city centre will be hosted from House of Social – who have been teaming up with MRR for weekly running events since last November – and a whole host of other familiar names are due to join in.
Better still, there’ll be lots of fun to be had later on too, with participants encouraged not only to turn up early and soak up the atmosphere, but to stick around afterwards for a chance to meet Matchroom talents, as well as enjoy a thoroughly deserved post-run drink and chill.
Plus, in case you haven’t tried it before, the scran at House of Social is top-notch and well worth a try.
This latest Fight Day 5k is, of course, being hosted ahead of Sale-born rising star Pat Brown taking on Vasil Ducar on Friday night.
Facing off against the Czech fighter at the Planet Ice arena in Altrincham, the native Team GB boxer couldn’t have put things plainer in his pre-match presser…
So much for trash-talk: he just told everyone how it is.
This will be just the 26-year-old’s sixth fight as a pro, but having won all of his first five fights last year by knockout, we have a sneaking suspicion 2026 is going to be his year.
In terms of his opponent, Ducar is a much more experienced challenge than he’s ever faced before, with a record of 19-7-2 – 14 of those wins also being KOs.
There are still tickets left for the fight, which will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN from 7pm (ringwalks at approximately 9:39pm), and for those of you who want to join in with the partnered Fight Day 5k, you can sign up completely free right HERE.
Premier League launch completely FREE archive featuring highlights from every game since 1992
Danny Jones
Finally, in a bit of private sports broadcasting news we can actually get behind, the Premier League have launched a new archive featuring highlights from every single game in the first division’s modern era.
Best of all, as the title might have given away, it’s completely free to enjoy.
Chronicling every top-flight game since 1992, the new digital Premier League archive available online was launched earlier this week.
Providing video on-demand (VOD) access to literally thousands of games from way back when, you can relive all of your favourite moments from the best league in the world.
It might sound like quite a simple and easy thing to supply the masses with, but in an era when it’s increasingly hard and expensive to watch broadcast of any and all games, be that live on telly, via streaming, or VOD, this is such an easy win for the Prem.
With so many people struggling to afford all the various packages needed to view premium football, and therefore turning to illegal sites, this is at least a step in the right direction and a good bit of PR.
Sports presenter Nubaid Haroon wrote: “When I had my show with the Premier League, the archive was available via a login for us to watch some of the old tapes.
“It was genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. Regularly tapping in to see random dons like Elmander and Nzogbia.”
For us, it’s going to be watching vintage clips of Michu, Adel Taarabt and Alan Smith – yes, for both Leeds AND Man United.
Safe to say the whole thing has gone down very well with pretty much all footy fans across the board.
Don't want to overstate this but 20-minute highlights of every Premier League game in history, free and on demand, means that this should be a national holiday.
Case in point: another user on social media went on to add, “The full Premier League archive? Finally. Time to disappear into 33 seasons of greatness.”
Happy days indeed.
We expect the positive reaction to this will only grow even greater as more and more people find out about this new free service.
You can find the near countless hours of Premier League football right HERE – which classic game that comes to mind are you going to watch first?
Danny Jones -
25th January 2023 
