possibly winning it.TRAINERS ROOMOrioles: OF Joey Rickard is set to see the doctor Sept. e en

It has been two weeks since WWE kicked off its self-proclaimed new era with a brand split and a draft, changes that produced a red-hot run of shows on Raw.But the WWEs flagship program came back down to earth Monday night in a big way.If the fading of the new-car smell seems quick, it shouldnt, as the timing fits in with WWEs recent history. Week 3 of the four-week structure between pay-per-view events has typically been the weakest, with the more explosive moments saved for the go-home show. Its something that bodes well for next week, just days before SummerSlam invades New York City.But the bar had been set high in previous weeks with new pushes, fresh booking and a heavy splash of much-needed PG-13 dialogue and intensity, all of which were mostly missing Monday (with the exception of some well-played jokes at the expense of Big Es injury below the belt).In its place was a noticeable void of top stars being used in prominent spots and a predictable finish to a main event match --?Rusev?vs.?Cesaro?for the WWE United States title -- that didnt start until 11 p.m. ET and had?been?hastily thrown together moments earlier.If the WWE had hopes of building two separate brands that are independent of and in competition with each other, the cheap pop from SmackDown Lives Daniel Bryan invading the final segment of Raw felt gratuitous. Cross-pollinating with run-ins from?Brock Lesnar?and?Randy Orton?is one thing and an extreme case unto itself; this one, however, was forced.But all was not lost Monday as WWE did a good job, mostly in subtle ways, of keeping the storyline moving within the major feuds. The attention to detail remained high, proving to be a good step forward from the old method of killing time with unnecessary rematches. Its something we are likely to see less of after the brand extension because of how valuable each second of real estate has become.Credit?Seth Rollins?(in-ring) and?Finn Balor?(pretaped) for strong promos to keep interest high ahead of their inaugural WWE Universal title match, even if the decision not to showcase Balor in a match on Monday felt like?a?mistake.Rollins did a nice job of teasing the fear inside of him (remember, every great heel needs a weakness or he or she wouldnt have chosen that path) over Balors hidden persona, with references to Balors last name translating to demon king in Irish mythology. Balor, meanwhile, showed hints at a possible heel turn down the road (Balor Club, anyone?) by teasing a creepier and more sinister edge. WWE doesnt usually take that much time explaining the origin of a character, but for anyone who doesnt watch NXT and will be seeing Balors face paint and unique entrance at SummerSlam for the first time, it made sense.The WWE also officially announced three more bouts for the Aug. 21 SummerSlam card in Brooklyn:?Enzo & Cass?vs.?Chris Jericho?and?Kevin Owens?in a tag team match; Rusev vs.?Roman Reigns?for Rusevs United States?championship;?and?The New Day?vs.?The Club?for the WWE tag team championships.Hits and missesA match as star-studded as Lesnar-Orton doesnt need much of a proper build to garner buzz, especially with Orton returning from injury and Lesnar fresh off the bad press of a UFC doping violation. But WWE has done well?to build this the old-fashioned way and?not?cut corners. Mondays prepackaged video?promo showcasing their history was full of trash talk, the perfect complement to each superstar trading finishing moves last week.Sasha Banks victory over?Dana Brooke?added a stipulation to Banks WWE womens championship rematch with Charlotte at SummerSlam, banning Brooke from ringside. Banks-Charlotte?is the rivalry WWE fans have clamored for since day one of last years so-called Divas Revolution (now Womens Revolution). Removing the chance of a schmoz?finish should allow two of the companys best workers to better shine.With the brand split producing a shortage of tag teams on each show, Im all for WWE getting creative in matching Jericho and Owens as tag team foils at SummerSlam for?Enzo Amore?and?Big Cass. All?four?superstars can talk and the two heels are strong enough workers to help Enzo and Cass get the extra shine and seasoning they still need in the ring.Big Cass wisecrack against Jericho and Owens (referencing Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street) came off as crass, considering the potentially homophobic undertones. Although adding some spice to the dialogue is mostly welcome in this PG era, this was an uncalled-for turn.It was a piece of cake for @WWERomanReigns to wreck @RusevBUL and @LanaWWEs post-wedding celebration. #RAW https://t.co/X4UljoY7UK- WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2016Reigns was strong in the Rusev-Lana segment, receiving huge pops on his way in and out of the ring as WWE stubbornly stays the course of keeping him babyface. Reigns twice telling Rusev to put that beef away as he took off his vest was an honorable mention for line of the night.Raw announcer Corey Graves referred to?Braun Strowman?as a walking abomination during the former Wyatt Family members third straight squash match. As far as on-the-fly descriptors are concerned, that was?perfect.Part of why?Titus ONeils?subtle heel turn against?Darren Young?is working so well is hes taking an already physical style and adding viciousness. This is the right direction.It was good to see WWE continue a trend that any formal event that takes place inside the ring needs to end in all-out craziness. Rusev and?Lanas?wedding segment was poorly written and went on way too?long, but the payoff of Lana going face-first into the cake was enough to cover all sins (even if seeing her covered in red frosting brought eerie flashbacks of the 1976 thriller Carrie).Ive never been one for forced celebrity skits on WWE television, but considering the amount of promotion for Sean Puff Daddy Combs guest spot on Raw, his brief appearance was underwhelming. Considering he had good chemistry with The New Day and Mick Foley, and his off-color joke on?Big Es?injury worked (complete with Foleys response of You cant say that on TV), I would have liked to see?more.Move of the nightNeville?made his second appearance on Raw since missing four months with a fractured ankle. He looked great teaming with?Sin Cara?(newly clad in all black) against The?Dudley Boyz. While Nevilles incredible finisher, the?Red?Arrow, had become an overused party favor ever since his call-up from NXT, nothing quite does it full justice like seeing it in a slow-motion replay. The one he landed Monday against?D-Von Dudley?was a thing of?beauty.Line of the nightIf you forget, Ive been doing this since I was 5 years old. Im like a f---ing robot. I train, I eat and I s--- f---ing opponents. Thats what I do for a living. - Lesnar, during a pretaped video promo hyping his SummerSlam bout against Orton.Campbells criticismThe use of?Cesaro?in two separate matches Monday, only to see him sent deeper into a feud with?Sheamus?that no one cares about, was particularly disappointing. Had Cesaro, an underused and forgotten player beloved?by?smart fans, surprised Rusev by winning the U.S. title in the main event, setting up an out-of-nowhere triple threat at SummerSlam, it would have accomplished three things. First, the upset win would have saved last nights largely forgettable show. Second, it would have justified the storyline push of using Cesaro twice in one night. Finally, the shotgun booking would have furthered the idea that anything can happen in this must-see new era of Raw and SmackDown. Falling back on a predictable finish, using the tease of a stipulation to hold interest in an otherwise unnecessary and poorly executed main event, instead added to the belief that Cesaro is an afterthought in the eyes of the WWE, particularly on Raw, and a superstar who could be much better off with some kind of trade to SmackDown. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys For Sale . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. Clearance Soccer Jerseys Online . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. http://www.chinajerseyssoccer.com/ . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Cheap Nike Soccer Jerseys .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Soccer Jerseys Sale . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. WASHINGTON -- An attempted comeback forced Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton into a game that shouldnt have required him. Not long after, his perfect run ended.Brittons remarkable streak of 43 consecutive games without allowing an earned run ended before he shut down a ninth-inning rally to help the Orioles hold off the Washington Nationals for a 10-8 victory Wednesday night.Daniel Murphys grand slam off Parker Bridwell cut the Orioles lead from seven runs to three, and Britton allowed a single to Bryce Harper and an RBI double to Anthony Rendon.It was the first earned run Britton has given up since April 30. His string of 43 games without one is the longest since the earned run became official, according to ESPN Stats and Info -- that dates back more than 100 years.But Britton got Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a game-ending double play as Baltimore won its third in a row against Washington.Theyre a great team over there, and theyre not just going to give up, said Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who went 4 for 6 with four RBI. We can never take it for granted. Theyre a great team over there, so you have to play till the last outs made.Baltimore built a lead on the strength of Machados two-run home, his 29th of the season, in the first and Matt Wieters three-run drive in the eighth.Starter Wade Miley (8-10) did the job, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out five in five-plus innings with what manager Buck Showalter felt was a crisper fastball than usual.Miley picked up his first win since a trade from the Seattle Mariners.It feels good, no doubt, the left-hander said. Obviously it wasnt as sharp as I wanted to be, but its something to build on and Ive got five days to do it again.After losing six of their previous eight games, the Orioles are feeling good given their success against the Nationals. Coupled with losses by the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, the Orioles are one game back of those teams for first place in the AL East.We have itt there at arms length, said Machado, who also had a pair of RBI singles.dddddddddddd Were in a good spot. I know we like the guys that we have on our team right now, and were just going to have to keep fighting as one.The Nationals have lost six of nine but still lead the Miami Marlins by seven games in the NL East. They got a rough start out of Tanner Roark (13-7), who allowed five runs, four earned, in five innings and hit three of the first 14 batters he faced.Couldnt locate. Its as simple as that, Roark said. Not my best outing but what I love is that we came back and came pretty darn close to tying it up and possibly winning it.TRAINERS ROOMOrioles: OF Joey Rickard is set to see the doctor Sept. 2 to determine how his right thumb ligament injury is progressing. Manager Buck Showalter hopes Rickard will be back before the end of the season. ... LHP Brian Duensing (left elbow inflammation) threw seven pitches in an inning in the Gulf Coast League, Showalter said.Nationals: INF Stephen Drew saw an inner ear specialist to get a shot in his ear, according to team broadcaster MASN. He has been out since late July with vertigo.HARPER HOLDS MEDALSHarper became Katie Ledeckys medal holder while the swimmer threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Ledecky, who won one silver and four gold medals at the Rio Olympics, handed them to Harper before throwing to reliever Shawn Kelley.TURN, TURN, TURNWith his single in the seventh, Trea Turner tied the Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise record with hits in eight consecutive plate appearances. Andre Dawson and Dmitri Young remained in the record books when Turner struck out in the ninth to finish his day 4 for 5.UP NEXTWith Chris Tillman on the disabled list, the Orioles turn to RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-10, 6.94 ERA) to make his first start since July 28. Hell face Nationals RHP Max Scherzer (13-7, 3.05). ' ' '