Who's Going To Win Out Of The 49ers And Rams In Australia?

A week from today, we'll be two games into the 2026 NFL season. We'll know the outcomes of the opener between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots as well as the first-ever NFL regular season fixture to be played in Australia.

I've been keen to see how both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams approach both sides of their Melbourne clash. 

Going in, I feel the 49ers have the pre-preparation locked down contrasted to their opponents'. That's because Kyle Shanahan and his team have already landed Down Under. The Rams, according to speculation, could be making their journey a day before the game kicks off.

What are the current lines for the 49ers versus Rams?

With the 49ers already becoming acclimatised to Australia, I have considered backing them against the spread. As of the time of writing, they're underdogs with an appealing +3.5 I especially like seeing the hook.

The lines have changed since earlier this year. And not in the direction I envisioned.

The Rams started out as -2.5 favourites. The consensus is seemingly going with the team that should have travel working against them next Friday morning (Aussie time!).

To close out this post, I'd like to share with you everything I wrote about the game in this year's edition of Taylor's Pro Football Gambling Annual. 

Here's what you'll find in the section about the showdown in Oz.

* * *

San Francisco 49ers versus Los Angeles Rams Betting Insight

The opening International Series game of the 2026 season will be a first experience for NFL followers when the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams meet on the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

With an approximate local kick off time of 10:35am on Friday 11^th September, the fixture will be beamed to the US at around 8:35pm ET and 5:35pm PT on Thursday night which is 1:35am Friday to those in the United Kingdom & Ireland.

With this being a neutral game for both teams, despite the Rams being designated as the home side, the only head-to-head table worth looking at is the overall record since the mid-90s.

How the 49ers .vs. Rams Games Have Gone Since the 1990s

The 49ers have strong numbers from these meetings with their NFC West division rivals. They’ve accumulated an overall straight up record of 38-24-1 (60%) and one of 38-23-2 (62%) against the spread.

As you’ll see in the table, the 49ers’ ATS edge is from covering 21-11-2 (66%) as underdogs but also recording a 17-11 (61%) win-loss as favourites.

The Over-Under is 30-33 (52% to the Under) overall from the Rams versus 49ers meetings in the period between ’95 and last season.

The 49ers and Rams International Series Records

The 49ers and Rams have played a combined nine games as part of the NFL’s expansion into foreign markets.

San Francisco have so far recorded four regular season fixtures outside of the USA. Two more will be added by season’s end because, as well as this trip to Australia, the 49ers will travel to a country they’ve played a couple of times before.

The first foreign game on the list isn’t regarded as an official ‘NFL International Series’ contest. However, the 49ers played a Week 4 game – of the 2005 regular season – from Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca in front of a then-record 103,467 spectators.

San Francisco lost 14-31 to the three-point favourite Arizona Cardinals in what was the NFL’s first regular season game played outside of the United States.

It was the 49ers’ only loss - and failed cover - so far from their regular season journeys to far-off places.

In 2010, they met the Denver Broncos for a Week 8 battle from Wembley Stadium. The final score was 24-16. The spread was -2.5.

Three years later, in another Week 8 Wembley fixture, San Francisco obliterated the Jacksonville Jaguars 42-10 as -15.5 favourites.

Another 49ers versus Arizona game from Mexico City bookends the list.

Officially considered part of the ‘International Series’, a Monday Night Football game from Estadio Azteca, in Week 11 of the 2022 regular season, saw the 49ers win 38-10 as -10.5 favourites.

San Francisco are 3-1 (75%) straight up and 3-1 (75%) against the spread from the results of the four games.

The Over-Under record is also 3-1 (75% to the Over).

The Rams are 3-2 (60%) both straight up and against the spread from five International Series meetings.

With Wembley Stadium as the setting, a Week 8 2012 meeting between the Rams and Patriots concluded 45-7 in favour of the latter.

The Rams also lost and failed to cover in their next trip to London.

The New York Giants won by a touchdown in a 17-10 Twickenham Stadium clash during Week 7 of the 2016 season.

Twickenham was the venue of the Rams’ first regular season overseas victory when they shutout the Cardinals 33-0, as three-point favourites, a year later.

Two further wins have piled on in the years following the dominant performance from 2017.

First, there was a 24-10 score against the Bengals at Wembley Stadium in 2019 followed by a 35-7 rout of the Jags, also at Wembley, last season.

Los Angeles were -12 and -3 favourites for the two respective Wembley winners.

The Over-Under leans towards the Under with a record of 1-4 (80% to the Under). The only Over, from those four games, occurred from the result of the first trip - the Patriots’ 45-7 score exceeded a totals line of 46.

* * *

That's just one example of the 272 game breakdowns found in Taylor's Pro Football Gambling Annual 2026.

You can order a copy online from Amazon or Other Booksellers.

Listening To Hacked Scammers

I'm currently listening to a YouTube livestream of a hacked scam call centre in India.

The person who owns the channel is able to listen to both caller and recipient. The scammers are falsely representing themselves as being from BT.

It's fascinating because this guy doesn't seem to be having any luck with his attempts to con his marks. Not one person believes in the facade. I've heard some hang up immediately, but there others who strings him along for a while before revealing they are aware of the scam.

With all that said, all the conman needs is for one person to be tricked. I don't know how I'll feel about listening to something like that play out in real time. Let's hope it doesn't get to that point.

For now, I'll simply enjoy the ride listening to this idiot constantly failing.

Just as I was about to press 'Publish' on this post, I heard a Welshman hang up. Get in!

Snow Joke

I came across the same witty remark on TAFKA Twitter yesterday. Upon first seeing it, I thought 'that's funny', However, by the day's end, I was thinking along the lines of 'not again!?'

The comments were in relation to the BBC deciding to cancel its Ski Sunday programme after forty-eight years. The mentions stated 'Ski Sunday has been going downhill for quite some time'.

As mentioned, it was funny to read it at first. It had lost its flavour by the third, fourth or fifth read.

What was Ski Sunday?

Ski Sunday aired on BBC 2. It covered winter sports and ran for forty-seven series' between January 15 1978 and February 16 2025. 

The BBC has opted not to continue with the programme after carefully considering its decision.

Keffe D Guilty Of Murdering 2Pac

It seemed somewhat fitting that Duane 'Keffe D' Davis was found guilty of killing Tupac Shakur yesterday.

That's because it was one week shy of the thirtieth anniversary of the shooting which ultimately ended 2Pac's life.

I watched almost all of the trial across the past fortnight and a bit. It was obviously something that has been of interest to me seeing as I was, and still am, a fan of 2Pac.

With all that said, I watched the entire trial suspecting Davis would walk. The case was built around his mouth. Davis went on record countless times over the years to brag about being in the car which shot at Shakur that fateful Las Vegas night of September '96.

Not only did Keffe D claim to be a passenger in the vehicle. He boasted about handing the gun to his nephew - Orlando Anderson - who fired at the rap star. 

Davis' defence argued that the words, both verbal and in his own book, were lies. They pointed out the lack of evidence pointing to Davis being in Las Vegas on the night. 

The jury didn't buy it.

By the law of Nevada, Davis' actions were enough to convict him of first-degree murder. He's the sole survivor from the gang which made up the crew which killed Shakur. Anderson was killed in an unrelated gunfight a couple of years after firing at Tupac.

Davis made it clear of his intention to appeal the verdict. He'll be sentenced next month.

When Is A Violation Not A Violation? Ask X!

A little over a week ago, I came across a person on TAFKA Twitter who was having some sort of trouble with their Royal Mail delivery. I cannot recall the full details. However, that isn't the story. What I was stunned by was the gall of someone to impersonate Royal Mail by asking the complainant to message them the details.

It was a blatant scam, or an attempt at one, so I reported the account to the people at X.

I thought that was it. I had saved the day. Kind of. But, no. That's not how this story ends.

A day or so later, I noticed an email from X. It was about my report.

The account masquerading as a person manning a Royal Mail helpdesk was not in violation of any rules according to the automated systems at X.

<Head Shake>

I checked in with the username before publishing this post. It appears as though it's not longer around. Maybe someone else reported the account and a stricter automated system bot popped them.

Why Hulk Hogan Matters By David Shoemaker

When it comes to book covers, David Shoemaker's 'Why Hulk Hogan Matters' has possibly one of the best to come along in quite some time. After all, it has the Hulkster in all his red and yellow glory from back in the day.

That, unfortunately, is where my praise ends. Never judge a book by its cover. And all that.

I was aware of David Shoemaker before I picked up a Kindle copy of 'Why Hulk Hogan Matters'. I've found his writing style to be slick, words flow superbly. Just a few important things, though: Shoemaker's research and knowledge of wrestling history is lacking. Terribly.

There are countless inaccuracies in this work. I genuinely don't know where to begin. I've read other readers claim 'Why Hulk Hogan Matters' could have been written with the use of Artificial Intelligence. Going by how I noticed errors with AI when I used it to fact check some research I did for Taylor's Pro Football Gambling Annuals (cheap plug!), I can understand that suggestion.

Giving Shoemaker the benefit of the AI doubt would mean he's a dreadful researcher and wrestling historian.

If your task is to write about Hulk Hogan's career, you should know Hogan's last major match, before heading to WCW the following year, was a losing effort to Yokozuna in Dayton, Ohio at WWF King of the Ring 1993.

Shoemaker informs his readers the loss occurred in an untelevised bout in Japan. Completely untrue. 

Then there are blips stating Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior had their  first altercation - to set up their WrestleMania bout - at the 1992 Royal Rumble. That was off by two years because WrestleMania VI occurred in 1990.

Anyone who follows the 'sport' at Shoemaker's level should know that.

Then there's little things like stating Bob Backlund returned to the WWF as a heel in the 1990s. He didn't. Backlund's 1992 comeback was as a babyface before turning heel a couple of years into that run. There's a claim 'Macho Man' Randy Savage joined World Championship Wrestling before Hulk Hogan's arrival. That's false as well - Savage's WCW debut came in late 1994. The Macho Man's opening angle for the company was whether he would slap Hogan's face or shake the WCW Champion's hand at Starrcade 1994.

The following note was equally annoying.

As you can see, it claimed Hulk Hogan returned to WWE in 2002 after the company was forced to change its name, from the WWF, following a legal dispute with the World Wildlife Fund. 

That isn't how it went. Hogan arrived back in the WWF during February of 2002. The WWF changed its moniker to WWE in May of that very same year. Not 2001.

I could go on. 

A concerning thing about such a book being out there on shelves is that it creates a false history of Hulk Hogan. Newcomers aren't going to get the accurate story. Ironically, Hogan himself would distort his own history with tall tales about himself. Shoemaker fails to sieve truth from Hogan's fiction. He piles on more through inept research and knowledge.

⭐/5

Week Zero 2026

My evening of American college football will look like this:

North Carolina versus TCU from 5pm BST followed by NC State's visit to Virginia from 8:30pm.

The former will be played at Dublin's Aviva Stadium as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

In a follow up to Tuesday's Post, I came across some good news when I was looking for the list of games for Disney Plus' coverage of college football.

We're currently in 'Week Zero' of the season. The full schedule of games will kick off next week. The streaming platform has some of next week's fixtures on the menu and - lo and behold - there it was. 

Disney+ is planning to air the Texas Longhorns' home opener against Texas State. This game will kick off at 8:30pm a week from tonight.

I was worried I wouldn't catch any of the Longhorns' matches in 2026. I gave out a legit yip of joy upon seeing the game 

Looks like I have to make sure the Texas t-shirt is ready for Saturday. 

A Fake Disney Plus Email Scam

I received an email from Disney Plus the other day. 

Nay, strike that: I thought I received an email from Disney Plus the other day.

The email indicated that there was an issue with my payment. I believed it to be genuine because - a few weeks ago - I signed up for a year of Uber One. A benefit of signing up for Uber's subscription service is I get a year of Disney Plus along with it.

(I only signed up for Uber One to get Disney Plus but that's a subplot to this story).

I assumed the payment issue might have had something to do with the Uber subscription. That's why it ALMOST got me. 

The email address of the sender is the only thing which made me realise how close I was to clicking on the button in front of me.

I fear for those who potentially could turn out to be one step slower than me in a similar situation. It was a very close call for yours truly. The nearest I've been to falling for a scam in recent memory. 

Be on guard! 

Tim Curry Passes Away

Another celebrity death was in the news yesterday.

Following Dolly Parton's passing comes Tim Curry.

I suppose the first time I ever came across Curry was when I watched Annie as a child. I got to watch it a fair deal back then because it was one of the titles my uncle rented out from his video store back in the early 80s. My uncle is linked with another Tim Curry memory as well because, this time in the 1990s, we were at my aunt and uncle's home one summer and watched the miniseries of Stephen King's It over two nights when it first aired on Sky.

Curry's portrayal of Pennywise the clown was brill. I haven't seen the newer It movies, nor Welcome to Derry, so I cannot comment on the current version of the monster. 

Before I click 'Publish', I should point out one regret I have from this morning. I should have put these socks on today:

They're of Tim Curry's version of Pennywise. I first wrote about them in THIS POST from 2023. You'll find that, of the eight  pairs if socks - with horror movie characters on them - the 1990 Pennywise one is likely the best of the bunch. 

Dolly Parton Passes Away

Obviously, the biggest news of the past day is the fact that Dolly Parton has passed away.

Parton transcended country music, so it has been unsurprising to see all the outpouring of grief, tributes and everything in between since learning of the star's passing.

I though the way Dolly Parton orchestrated how her death would be announced was classy. She gave the job to her nephew - Bryan Seaver - who delivered the news in a moving video. To be fair, Parton couldn't have picked a better representative to do such an honour.

DAZN's NCAA UK Prices For 2026

Last week, I pointed out that it looks like Disney Plus is set to stream some NCAA College Football games during the 2026 season. There is an additional update to the UK coverage.

DAZN has released information about its upcoming coverage for the year. Unlike 2025, after the streaming platform secured rights to air the games, customers will now have to pay to watch.

That's fair. DAZN is a business. Last year was an obvious one-off. However, I am in a mindset where I am leaning on the Disney+ option because I already subscribe to Mickey Mouse. 

With that said, I expect DAZN to offer a superior line-up of games. Also - I won't get to keep up with the Texas Longhorns games as I have done in previous years. That's the prime annoyance with this situation. 

Disney Plus it is. 

For now?

What are DAZN's packages and prices for the upcoming 2026 college football season?

Ultimate (£10.99 a month or £119.99 a year as of 25th August 2026)

• Over 20 college football games per week, plus the CFB playoffs and National Championship
• Over 20 college basketball games per week plus March Madness
• Multiview - watch up to 4 NCAA games at once
• Highlights and full game replays on demand
• College GameDay 
• Stream on 5 devices in 2 locations
• Download on the go

Standard (£8.99 a month or £99.99 a year as of 25th August 2026 )

• Over 20 college football games per week, plus the CFB playoffs and National Championship
• Over 20 college basketball games per week plus March Madness
• College GameDay
• Highlights and full game replays on demand
• Stream on 2 devices in 1 location
• Download on the go

Remembering Rovert

A person I've known online for at least twenty years passed away last week. His service is today, so I thought I would share some words now before he sends me a spiritual late slip.

We weren't friends. In fact, at one point early on, we had a heated discussion on a message board which used up a lot of useless energy for both of us. In those twenty years of knowing Rovert (Trevor backwards), I learned it wasn't abnormal for him to fight his point to exhaustion.

So, yes - we weren't buddies. However, a year or so after that initial squabble, we both found ourselves chatting in a private as we both waited on delivery of the special edition High Spots DVD of a Ric Flair shoot interview. 

I'd like to think our similar experiences of waiting for our respective parcels to arrive at our homes, his in Ireland and mine in Wales, settled any beef that lingered. I came away thinking along the lines of 'he's okay when you're one-on-one with him'.

We never argued about anything after that. Granted, we never spoke in private message ever again, but we did so occasionally in front of the social media world to see.

Most of it wasn't even about wrestling.  Of the few I can think of, I recall talking about Spar supermarkets (Ireland's one in Dublin looks so posh compared to the ones I've been in), Lenovo laptops and... Morrissey and or The Smiths!

As an online presence, Rovert (Trevor Woodhouse) leaves behind a controversial history. A lot have glowing memories of their experiences with him. Others not so much. 

From now on, I'll look back and think of my encounters as a coin. On one side there was that sole squabble. Then, on the other, there are the intelligent - positive - communications I had with him.

I'm sure that, if I were to toss this figurative coin hundreds of times, the better side would  win out the most often.

Best wishes to Rovert's friends and family members.

An Experimental Wager On Today's Premier League Games

I have placed an experimental wager on today's trio of Premier League games.

You'll soon realise exactly why I used the term 'experimental'.

Instead of going with my gut instinct, or proper research for that matter, I asked three AI assistants for their predicted scores. I then compared and contrasted the results in order to decide what to bet on.

AI predictions for Brighton .vs Aston Villa

Microsoft Copilot has forecasted a score 2-1 to Villa for their trip to the seaside. However, both ChatGPT and Grok are calling for a 1-1 draw.

My pick: Both Teams to Score

AI Predictions for Manchester City .vs. Bournemouth

All three AI services are predicting a victory for The Citizens. Copilot has the home side winning 3-0 while the other two expect the visitors to get at least one goal with ChatGPT guessing a scoreline of 3-1 and Grok going 2-1.

My pick: Over 2.5 Goals

AI Predictions for Newcastle .vs. Liverpool

2-1 to Liverpool was the consensus score selected by all three programs with Copilot offering that 'Liverpool have the higher win probability (50.3% vs Newcastle's 25.3%). Newcastle at home will make it competitive, but Liverpool's attacking depth should edge it.'

My pick: Liverpool 2-1 Correct Score

How I'm Betting

I've placed the three selections in a Patent bet. This way, I get to have three singles, three doubles and one treble.

How It Went

Rubbish.

The only winner, of the three, came in Manchester City's 2-1 winner over Bournemouth. The game needed an injury time goal, for the home team, to send the score Over 2.5.

Brighton shutout Villa 4-0, ruining the both teams to score bet while Newcastle and Liverpool drew 2-2. The latter didn't come close to being a 2-1 away winner for the Reds. Newcastle went 1-0 up, then Liverpool equalised. The home team made it 2-1 up before their guests tied things up with a late penalty.

Infantino's Bald Banter

There is a somewhat hysterical exchange between FIFA President - Gianni Infantino - and Sky News correspondent, James Matthews, doing the rounds on social media today.

The reporter caught up with the controversial Infantino in the Dominican Republic. Matthews initially asked 'have you betrayed the game of football?' relating to a plot to sell stakes in the World Cup to big businesses.

Infantino's response went like this:

You have a nice haircut

Matthews continued to seek a reasonable response to his questions, as Infantino headed towards his getaway car. Infantino's parting words:

See you at the hairdressers

By the looks of both men's pates, it'll be a long time before that happens.

NCAA Football Coming To Disney Plus In The UK?

At the risk of jumping the gun - it looks like American college football will stream on Disney Plus, here in the UK, this season.

Here's what comes up if you type 'NCAA' in the search box on the platform.

Great news for yours truly. I'll get to continue watching the Texas Longhorns led by Arch Manning in what could be his final season before declaring for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Last year, I consumed college football on DAZN. As of the time of writing, there are two Boston College games listed on its 'Live and Coming Up' menu. The first is for their trip to Cincinnati, scheduled for September 5th. Then there's a visit from Rutgers, which will stream live at 12:30am on September 12th. 

I hope College GameDay is part of the DAZN or Disney+ overage for 2026.  Searching for the programme on the former leads to previous editions from earlier this year. Typing it into Disney's platform leads to a 'No results' message.

Mr T's Netflix Documentary Premiere Date Set

I'm excited to see the Mr. T documentary that's coming to Netflix in a few weeks.

Even though I was born in the late 70s, I grew up in the 1980s. Therefore, I was there during Mr. T's boom period. It was obviously gigantic in the US, but us here - in the UK - got to experience it on a smaller scale. However, it was a scale nonetheless.

One of the things I'll always recall is having to go to a hospital appointment because I had allergic reactions to certain colours in food and drink. The person carrying out the test on me had to write letters on my arm and would prick my skin with a needle to see if it caused a reaction. 

As the person wrote the letters on my arm, they said I was going to 'look like Mr. T with his tattoos'. Even to my young self at the time, that didn't make sense for many reasons. They also did the 'you'll be brave like Mr. T' schtick as they punctured me.

By the end of the 'experiment' I thought I was a brave Mr. T (upon reflection, considering my surname, I legitimately was a brave Mr. T!) and begged my mother to keep the ink on my arm for as long as possible.

Ironically, my allergic reaction to food and drink colourings wasn't triggered by Mr. T's Knockout Punch - a bright blue drink my parents bought me for the Soda Stream machine we had in our kitchen.

I loved that drink. I mentioned it ten years ago, when I revisited Soda Stream machines.

Those are two random examples of Mr. T having a somewhat significant part of my childhood memories. I haven't even covered The A-Team, Mr T's cartoon, Rocky III, a yellow Mr T watch my dad bought me from the Sunday market.

I could go on. Especially considering how Mr. T was a significant factor in the WWF's early rise. 

So - yes, I will absolutely tune in to see the documentary once it hits Netflix in a few weeks.

When is the Mr. T documentary coming out?

Mr T: I Pity the Fool, a documentary which is part of Netflix's Untold series, will premiere on Tuesday September 8th 2026.

Netflix claims the feature will reveal 'the full story behind the mohawk, chains and catchphrases from the man himself'.

Goodell Does It Again

One of the NFL's old chestnuts has reappeared ahead of the new season.

I came across a quote by NFL Commissioner - Roger Goodell - yesterday. He was once again hyping up the possibility of the NFL having a fulltime franchise outside of the US.

The American football head claimed that he is in 'no doubt' about such a prospect happening in the future.

With that said, let's look at a quote from the past.

The above image is of a headline from the Sky Sports website. It was published on 21st July 2014. Back then,  Goodell claimed that London had a good chance of having its own NFL team 'within 10 years'.

It is now twelve years since that assumption was made. London still doesn't have its own NFL team. I'll be fair, though. There was a pandemic sandwiched in-between that period which might have added more time to Goodell's plan.

This sort of lip service pops up every single year, in the days leading into an International Series game. That's all it is. 

Take it with a pinch punch of salt. It'll never happen.  

It gets people talking. 

And - as you can see here - bloggers blogging.

Watching The Keffe D Trial

Thanks to the Internet, I've been able to catch a lot of livestreams of big US trials over the years. I now get to watch one that I've, if you think about it, been waiting almost thirty years for.

I'm, of course, referring to the Keffe D trial. He's being charged with the murder of Tupac Shakur.

Even though I'm following along, I cannot shake off the suspicion that this is a trial of convenience.

The alleged shooter - Orlando Anderson - denied doing so when 2Pac's murder was being investigated. Anderson was killed two years later. So, even if he did murder Shakur, Anderson obviously cannot be charged with the crime.

Four other people were in the car with Anderson that night. Only one remains alive - Duane 'Keffe D' Davis - who was Orlando Anderson's uncle.

He's the one and only person who can be brought to justice here. Even if he didn't pull the trigger.

In Keffe D's 2019 autobiography, Compton Street Legend, the author took credit for orchestrating the hit on Shakur. I surmise it was that chutzpah which led to his 2023 arrest.

Davis' defence is arguing that the content of the book was exaggerated. I suspect the team will do enough to argue that point resulting in a 'not guilty' outcome.

Still A Rookie

How bloody stupid of me

Those were the last few words I wrote in my journal before heading off to sleep last night. There was a good reason, nay - a bad reason! - why I scribed such a thing.

Ahead of the weekend, I placed an online grocery shop. I didn't need to get anything for Oreo, but noticed Morrisons had a £3 for 3 offer on some treats. As I added the items, I noticed Lily's Kitchen food. I had bought Oreo their Halloween special last year (he didn't like it), but thought I would add the 'Sunday Lunch' to my order just to give the company another shot. 

Seeing as yesterday was Sunday, I thought I'd give Oreo the food. I prepared it in haste because I had to catch the final night of the G1 Climax. I put everything together and laid it out for my feline friend. 

Oreo came up to me shortly after I put the food and water down. He meowed a few times. That wasn't unusual. I assumed he was simply thanking me for giving him something new.

'Result!' I thought.

Later in the day, when I went to give Oreo fresh food, I noticed he hadn't really gone all-in on the meal as I had hoped. I had reminders of the failed attempt at the pumpkin food from Halloween, so I gave him the remainder of the Sunday lunch meal but added some wet duck on top.

No result. Oreo refused to even sniff at it. Something was amiss.

Wondering if I was in the minority, with a cat who seemingly dislikes Lily's Kitchen products, I headed online to read product feedback.

The first review was positive. Their dog loves Lily's Sunday Lunch.

Yes, you read that right. 

Dog. 

D.O.G.

Or D Oh Double G to those who know. 

Seeing as I'm spelling things out, I'll share with you the letters that first entered my mind as soon as I realised what I had done.

S. 

H.

I.

T.

I rushed down and pulled the packaging out of the bin. Yes... I had given Oreo dog food!

Remember when I wrote about Oreo meowing at me shortly after I had given him his food? He was likely telling me 'that isn't for cats!' 

Or something worse.

Upon realising my mistake, I threw out the food and fed Oreo some of his favourite wet food. I had to. You know, to make up for the rookie error.

Oreo has now been with me for four years. I'm evidently still learning the ropes. 

Oiwa Wins G1 Climax 36 And Continues Trend Set By Previous Victors

Ryohei Oiwa won this year's G1 Climax following an excellent final against Yuya Uemura from Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo earlier today.

The win was the culmination of a round robin tournament which spanned the past five weeks.

As I've written in previous posts, my initial pick to win - Shota Umino - was withdrawn following an injury suffered on the first night of the tournament. My next guess was Uemura, who finished second in B Block and defeated current IWGP Heavyweight Champion - Yota Tsuji - in one of yesterday's semi finals.

Oiwa was in a three-way tie in the round robin portion of the tournament. However, he finished second due to tiebreaker and progressed to today's final by beating A Block victor, Callum Newman, in the other semi.

Oiwa to continue trend set by recent G1 Climax winners

Per the rules of the G1 Climax, Oiwa should have secured a shot for NJPW's major title in the main event of January 4th's Wrestle Kingdom event. However, he has executed his right to challenge for the strap sooner.

He's now set to face Tsuji at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2026 on October 12th. It'll take place in the same building as today's show.

This will be the third consecutive time a G1 Climax winner has brought their title shot forward.

How previous G1 winners fared in NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling title shots

In 2024, Zack Sabre Jr opted to challenge Tetsuya Naito for the strap at King of Pro-Wrestling so he could cone into NJPW Royal Quest IV - from Crystal Palace, London - as a local champion. 

Last year's tournament winner - Konosuke Takeshita - beat Sabre for the title at King of Pro-Wrestling 2025.

That's a perfect 2-0 for early cash-ins for those counting. Will Oiwa make it a hat-trick? We'll find out in fifty-seven days.