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ne or double teaming the post or whatever it may be. But basically, essentially, youve got to get down and youve got to gu
A little more than a month away from the official kickoff to WrestleMania season at the Royal Rumble, WWE presents its final pay-per-view of 2016 Sunday with Roadblock: End of the Line.If theres one thing the brand extension has taught us over the second half of this year, its that the quality of pay-per-view cards hasnt suffered due to the added content. Its a fact that bodes well for Sundays card from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, despite a somewhat lukewarm buildup overall in the midst of the holiday season.Lets take a closer look at the storylines heading into the six-bout main card.(c) indicates defending championWWE Universal championship:?Kevin Owens?(c) versus?Roman ReignsThe overall buzz for this match has been greatly affected by the fact that both Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins have played as big a part (if not bigger) in this feud with Owens than Reigns has.Reigns, the WWE United States champion, pinned Owens cleanly on Nov. 28 following a spear to earn this title opportunity, and he closed out Mondays go-home episode of Raw by standing over Owens fallen body with both titles hoisted above his head. But outside of that, the storyline hasnt centered that much on Owens and Reigns as individuals, which has had both positive and negative effects.The good news here is that theres real potential for this match to overachieve inside the ring, considering the low expectations coming in, as both superstars can work a fast-paced and physical style. The bad news is that there hasnt been much of a hook, in terms of the storyline, to create an emotional investment in what happens.Owens friendship with Jericho has been extremely hot and cold in recent weeks, and they enter Sunday seemingly once again on the outs. The constant flip-flopping has gone on a bit too long, and it has threatened to water down the great chemistry and energy between them.It also hasnt made much sense within the storyline that Reigns enters this main event title feud still in possession of his U.S. title, which might lead some to believe that an Owens win or a schmoz finish are the most likely outcomes.However it plays out, a Jericho intervention of some kind appears unavoidable. As long as WWE picks a direction and sticks with it, both outcomes have real potential for entertainment; either we get an Owens-Jericho spinoff feud that has money written all over it, or we go back to business as usual with the Jeri-KO comedic heel routine serving as the backbone of Raw each week.WWE Raw womens championship:?Sasha Banks?(c) versus?Charlotte Flair?-- 30-minute Iron Man matchIt doesnt matter the setting or how many times the title has changed hands in the recent months and weeks -- if Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair are going to be sharing the same ring, its must-see TV.Plain and simple. Its a distinction both superstars have more than earned in 2016.With five title changes since July and a number of matches already considered among the greatest in the history of WWE womens wrestling, Banks and Flair have put together a feud thats likely to be talked about for many years to come. That much appears certain.But how does it end? Will this be the blowoff? Thats a question that isnt as easy to answer.The dynamic duo has done well to fight off viewer fatigue -- not just with the spectacular quality to their matches, but also in the recent variety, in terms of the stipulations. There has been a premium on physicality, thanks to their recent Hell in a Cell and Falls Count Anywhere matches, but Sunday should bring a return to a more pure wrestling style that we saw often from both women during their NXT days with the Iron Man format.This is the 11th Iron Man match in WWE history and the second between female superstars, after Banks took part in one of 2015s best matches against?Bayley?at NXT Takeover: Respect.If recent history is any indication, Flair could very well be the one exiting the ring with the title, just three weeks after losing the belt on Raw via submission (with the help of a railing) in the crowd. The fact that shes currently 14-0 in PPV singles matches also may play a part, should WWE want to promote the streak as her career moves forward.Its not impossible to imagine this feud continuing in some form through WrestleMania. It has been that good, with the constant title changes justified by just how evenly matched the two women have been portrayed.Has it been too much of a good thing? Not yet. And theres no reason to believe this match wont be the best one yet.Seth Rollins?versus?Chris JerichoThere was a major tease two weeks ago on Raw when Reigns fought off multiple pin attempts and finishing moves from Jericho to retain his U.S. title in an entertaining match. And in hindsight, its at least worth questioning whether giving the title to Jericho that night -- a belt he has yet to win over his legendary career -- wouldve properly spiced up this match against Rollins.While a good match is still expected between two guys who can really work, there really isnt much at stake here.Jericho certainly had a reservoir of retribution coming his way for the many times he played a part in interrupting matches during Rollins recent feud with Owens. But Rollins appeared to cash in a great deal of that on the Nov. 28 episode of Raw, when he attacked Jericho in the parking lot and landed a Pedigree on top of a car.What will be interesting to see here is whether or not this match is used as a precursor to plant storyline seeds (including an Owens run-in) that will come to fruition later in the night during the main event. All we can hope is that?Triple H?comes back into play with Rollins before too much longer.WWE Raw tag team championship:?The New Day?(c) versus?Cesaro?&?SheamusNow that The New Day have eclipsed Demolitions longstanding record of 478 consecutive days as champions, it will be interesting to see how quickly they give up the belts.A title change on Sunday wouldnt be out of the question, as WWE has done well to reinvent both Cesaro and Sheamus as a cohesive tag team following their best-of-seven series against each other this fall. The duo earned this title opportunity by winning a Fatal 4-way match at Tribute to the Troops, which aired on Wednesday.Both Cesaro and Sheamus appear better together than apart and could prove to be perfect transitional champions (due to their ambiguity regarding heel or face status) should the WWE have a title run in mind for another baby-face team like?Enzo Amore?and?Big Cass. But all of that is speculation for another day.What we can expect here is a good match with the emphasis on storytelling, as both teams have showed strong chemistry in the past, including an entertaining match at Hell in a Cell in October in which Cesaro and Sheamus won by disqualification when they seemed to be just seconds away from a submission win.WWE cruiserweight championship:?Rich Swann?(c) vs.?TJ Perkins?versus?Brian KendrickLook out for this one as a potential sleeper for match of the night, featuring the only three men to yet hold this version of the WWE cruiserweight title.The division hasnt quite clicked on Raw of late despite a marked improvement in terms of the attention to detail in storylines. A lot of that has to do with losing some of the electric energy and high-flying recklessness that was seen during the Cruiserweight Classic, which still hasnt quite been duplicated in larger arenas.Some of that comes down to the way the matches have been booked, so heres to hoping that the triple-threat format of this match allows that missing element to return. One couldnt ask for three better athletes with different styles to try and make it all work.Sami Zayn?versus?Braun StrowmanThe 10-minute time limit of this singles match will very likely play a key role as Raw general manager?Mick Foley?gives Zayn one final chance to prove he can survive against a monster as dangerous as Strowman.The buildup to this match has been impressive, featuring some of the best writing on Raw in recent weeks. The swerve of the fake trade to SmackDown for Zayn was a fine wrinkle to the overall story, and the passionate interplay between Foley and Zayn perfectly set the tone for whats at stake in this one.Strowmans size and athleticism should play well opposite Zayn. But considering Strowman has yet to lose a televised singles match and has been booked strong throughout his recent rebranding, a time-limit draw appears a somewhat predictable outcome.John Lowenstein Jersey . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Cory Snyder Indians Jersey . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/4088u-eric-haase-jersey-indians.html . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. Brad Hand Indians Jersey .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. George Hendrick Jersey ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- While much of the rest of the nation played at least one game over the weekend, South Carolina waited three more days to get its new season started.After waiting about 20 months to play a game for the Gamecocks, that belated tip came not a moment too soon for Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray. Transfers eligible for the first time with their new team, they had a lot of lost shots to make up for.Behind 37 points from Davis and 24 points from Gray, fourth-ranked South Carolina outlasted No. 7 Ohio State 92-80 for a road win as impressive as any they earned a season ago. By way of Georgia Tech and North Carolina, respectively, Davis and Gray combined to outscore everyone else on their team. The pair scored 61 points and took 39 shots. Their teammates scored 31 points and took 25 shots.Without them, South Carolina would have lost Monday night.With them, well, its fun to imagine what is possible in the months ahead.Youve got to let the players play, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. For us, weve never been this fortunate in allowing them to make plays. You dont have to control everything. Once you try and do that, you get in the way of everybody.For the first time in a long time, there was no Tiffany Mitchell for South Carolina. One of the programs all-time greats moved on to the WNBA after last season. The surprise Monday was that there was barely any Aja Wilson. Foul trouble limited the All-American to just 16 minutes and five points in a matchup that looked on paper like it would be an early player-of-the-year primary against Ohio States Kelsey Mitchell.Even when Wilson was on the court, Davis wasted little time scoring her first South Carolina points and the first points of the game. Closing a sizable amount of space in just a few steps, she stole an offensive rebound, relocated to the top of the key and knocked down a jumper. By halftime, she had 15 points -- two more than Mitchell. Gray had 10 points and South Carolina had a 44-39 lead.With Wilson getting in foul trouble early, that made it kind of difficult just to get the ball inside, Davis said. I think tonight was just one of those games where we kind of ended up by ourselves and maybe taking certain shots we wouldnt take in other games.While it sounds strange to say about a road game against a top-10 opponent, circumstances set up well for Davis. The Buckeyes want any game to have as many possessions as possible, and even on a night when they were dissatisfied with the pace, the tempo suited a scorer. And without Wilson, there was no awkward dance of deference.As a sophomore at Georgia Tech, Davis averaged 19.2 points per game. She also had the luxury to shoot 36 percent from the floor. She was the offense. She could shoot herself into rhythm. That wont be true at South Carolina, not all the time. Not when Wilson and Alaina Coates need the ball. Not when Gray has a hot hand. But she had leeway to settle in Monday.I think were still learning how to make that fit perfectly, Davis said of finding the balance. Like I said, tonight was a little different just because of the foul trouble situation. But I think it may be a game-by-game thing. Also in practice, were figuring out where that works and during what times to take what shots. Obviouslyy we want to start off with our bigs.dddddddddddd I think theyre some of the best bigs in the country, if not the best. We want to start there and work our way out.But with Wilson again on the bench after picking up her fourth foul midway through the third quarter, Davis took over in a way fans in Columbus are used to seeing -- just not from a visitor. After Mitchell pulled Ohio State within a field goal at 53-51, Davis hit a long jumper. Then after Gray took her turn, Davis hit a 3-pointer. Then another jumper. Then two free throws. The burst pushed the lead to eight points late in the third.When Ohio State again closed the gap, Gray and Davis again supplied the bulk of a run that put the game away. Davis capped it with a high arcing rainbow of a 3-pointer, exactly the kind of shot Mitchell so often makes on the same court.Asked if she was generally comfortable with Davis taking 20-plus shots -- South Carolinas single-game high for field goal attempts last season was 19 -- Staley joked that she was but that her assistants cringed when the shots started flying.Im still feeling them out, Staley said of Davis and Gray. Last year, they practiced with us but they didnt practice within the rotation -- we did it toward the end of the season because we knew we were kind of passing the torch. But Im still learning. Were not going to be the team we were in the past years where the point guard actually controlled the tempo, everything worked through the point guard. Youve got some guards that can initiate the offense and see over defenses, and were going to play off what they do best and not pigeonhole them into what we look like yesteryear.It is not as if Davis or Gray took Ohio State by surprise. One of the last games Gray played at North Carolina was a win in the NCAA tournament against the Buckeyes. And there was ample familiarity with Davis, the second-ranked recruit in her class in 2013.Ive seen them play; I know how good they are, Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. But I think the biggest thing would be its just hard to focus on any one particular person. You start focusing on them too much and then Aja Wilson and Coates are going to have a field day around the basket. Thats what makes them so dangerous; theyve got so many good players.You can start talking about playing zone or double teaming the post or whatever it may be. But basically, essentially, youve got to get down and youve got to guard them and be really sound with what you do. When we werent sound, Davis and Gray really made us pay.South Carolinas schedule, with games looming against Louisville, Texas, Duke and UCLA, makes it likely there will be a stumble. Maybe two.But to add guards like Davis and Gray, not just scorers but big, strong rebounders and passers from the perimeter, to what the Gamecocks already had in the post?The possibilities are fun to think about.Obviously having Ohio State away as your first game back can be tough ... Davis said of her debut. I was excited to get here and get on the floor and play with this group of girls.It was a long time coming. Now the clock is ticking to figure out how to stop them. ' ' '