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On Tuesday's WWE SmackDown , the Battleground puzzle began to come together. Commissioner Shane McMahon announced how Naomi's next opponent will be decided. Mike Kanellis made an enemy of Sami Zayn . And Breezango 's investigation continued, bringing the fashion-minded tag team closer to a showdown with their mystery rivals.  With the July 23 Battleground pay-per-view on the horizon, the latest SmackDown advanced a number of storylines . There are still a number of unknowns lingering ahead of the event. Who will claim the No. 1 contender's spot for the SmackDown Women's Championship? What can we expect from Kanellis moving forward? And just who is toying with Tyler Breeze and Fandango? Read on for a full breakdown of those questions along with whether  AJ Styles will actually bring back a tradition John Cena began.        Who Will Emerge as No. 1 Contender? Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Lana, Tamina and Natalya are all in line...

• Manchester United manager heavily critical of left-back at times last season • Shaw still weeks away from fitness as United prepare to face LA Galaxy Luke Shaw will be given the chance to establish himself as Manchester United’s first-choice left-back, with José Mourinho impressed by the defender’s attitude and determination to take on board his demands. The move from the manager comes after his serial criticism of Shaw last season appeared to put the player’s United future in doubt. Continue reading... Sports http://ift.tt/2t53EAa July 13, 2017 at 01:29AM

WWE star Paige issued a statement regarding the alleged domestic dispute between her and Alberto El Patron at Orlando International Airport on Sunday.  Paige said Wednesday she and El Patron got into an argument and she threw her drink on him. Airport security and police got involved after El Patron began following Paige after the altercation: An eyewitness taped the alleged dispute and provided the audio to TMZ Sports. On the tape, a person identified as Paige can be heard telling somebody to " stay out of my life," while a person identified as El Patron said he was the victim of an assault  (Warning: Video contains NSFW language) : PWInsider.com's   Mike Johnson   shared a statement from Orlando police: "There was an incident at Orlando International Airport at about 3 p.m. Sunday involving Jose Rodriguez (DOB 5/25/1977) The reported incident was a domestic violence battery, and it is still under investigation. No arrests have been made as of this t...

* * *Sports http://ift.tt/2vcIAEu July 13, 2017 at 01:22AM

Rob Baxter signs a new three-year deal with Premiership champions Exeter and will assume the title of director of rugby.Sports http://ift.tt/2ufRgg5 July 13, 2017 at 01:17AM

Alabama, the three-time reigning SEC football champions, headlined Day 3 of the 2017 SEC media days on Wednesday from the Hyatt Regency Birmingham-Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama. Head coach Nick Saban led the Crimson Tide's speaking contingent in the annual event. The Tide were joined by representatives from Missouri, Texas A&M and Kentucky during the penultimate day of interview sessions. Of that group, the Aggies have the best chance to make some noise in conference play, though the Wildcats are a potential sleeper. Let's check out some of the top comments and highlights from Wednesday's action.                 Alabama With a program as dominant as Alabama, Saban has more opportunity to freelance during media days than his counterparts. There are fewer questions about expectations—the Tide are seemingly always a championship contender—and the coach often uses that time to make other statements. Today he turned his focus to underclas...

The Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders have all been hit with hefty relocation fees to be paid to each of the NFL 's 29 other teams.  Per ESPN.com's Darren Rovell , the Rams and Chargers will each pay $645 million over a period of 10 years from 2019 to 2028, and the Raiders will pay a total of $378 million over 10 years starting with the year they move to Las Vegas.  Rovell noted that each of the teams' relocation fees are based on the projected increase in franchise value.  The Rams relocated to Los Angeles starting with the 2016 season after spending the previous 21 years in St. Louis. The Chargers, who started out playing in Los Angeles in 1960 before moving to San Diego, are returning to the city for the 2017 season.  The NFL   approved   the Raiders' move from Oakland to Las Vegas in March with a 31-1 vote from the league's owners. The move to Las Vegas could take place as soon as 2019, though the   Associated Press ...

All Rise! Behind the scenes with All-Star Aaron JudgeSports http://ift.tt/2ujfiaI July 12, 2017 at 10:47PM

Former Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt is suing the school and the  Ole Miss Athletic Foundation, " alleging breach of contract via defamation of character, in relation to the school’s handling of an NCAA investigation," according to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports.  He is claiming the school ran a " long-running…smear campaign" against him.          This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available. Sports http://ift.tt/2ujm7sH July 12, 2017 at 10:27PM

Kittel wins his fifth stage of TourSports http://ift.tt/2tIIeHD July 12, 2017 at 09:28PM

Kittel wins his fifth stage of TourSports http://ift.tt/2tIIeHD July 12, 2017 at 09:28PM

The NBA reportedly approved a plan Wednesday to move the 2018 trade deadline to Feb. 8, which is 10 days before the 2018 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Shams Charania of The Vertical first reported the change. The 2017 deadline was Feb. 23, just four days after the conclusion of the league's All-Star weekend. Creating more distance between two of the NBA's marquee midseason events should allow both to attract more attention during 2017-18. One other factor was likely the earlier start to the season.   Marc Stein   of ESPN.com reported in December the league planned to start the games about a week earlier than last year's Oct. 25 date to create more flexibility for off days within the slate. Front offices being forced to make quicker decisions about whether to buy or sell at the deadline will be the other major shift with the rule change. The teams in the middle of the pack often wait until the last few days before deciding how to handle the rest of the season. Charani...

Novak Djokovic retired from the 2017 Wimbledon Championships in the quarterfinal against Tomas Berdych on Wednesday due to an elbow injury. He's now gone five consecutive Grand Slam tournaments without a title after winning six of the previous eight. Djokovic has found himself in a malaise as of late. Not only is he struggling to reach the mountaintop on the sport's biggest stages, but he's captured just a single ATP Tour title so far in 2017. He'd already won six championships, including two majors, by this time one year ago. Christopher Clarey of the New York Times broke down Djokovic's struggles over the last year: Retiring from a match is a rarity for Djokovic, as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out:  The 30-year-old Serbian sensation admitted after the French Open he wasn't sure how to break out of the recent funk, per Matthew Dunn of the Daily Express . Taking an extended break was a consideration, but he felt a duty to the game as one of its top c...

RB Williams: Won't play for Cowboys, 3 othersSports http://ift.tt/2tN7GKB July 12, 2017 at 09:05PM

Natalie Sciver's brilliant 129 helps England reach the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup courtesy of a 75-run win over New Zealand.Sports http://ift.tt/2t4DaPj July 12, 2017 at 08:34PM

Tommy Carberry, who won the Grand National as a trainer and jockey, dies aged 75.Sports http://ift.tt/2ueIleU July 12, 2017 at 08:04PM

Defending champion Andy Murray is knocked out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals by American 24th seed Sam Querrey after an injury-hit display.Sports http://ift.tt/2u8XTRu July 12, 2017 at 08:00PM

There's still movement and buzz two weeks into NBA free agency. On Tuesday, Reggie Jackson came up in trade rumors, Rajon Rondo continues to meet with teams and the New York Knicks could make a deal other than the potential Carmelo Anthony move to the Houston Rockets.  Point guards have been in high demand since the NBA draft. Three of the top five picks may develop into high-quality players at the position. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague cashed in on the market. Still, available veterans at the 1-spot continue to garner interest.  At this stage in free agency, clubs won't hand out any lucrative deals, but short-term contracts with a high payout seem feasible. Despite the lack of commitment, it's a consolation prize with the opportunity to test the market again after a solid 2017-18 campaign. Which clubs have an interest in Jackson? Will the Los Angeles Lakers find a veteran counterpart for Lonzo Ball? How do the Knicks plan to bolster their bac...

Mesut Ozil says he wants to stay at Arsenal and will discuss his future with the club after a pre-season tour of Australia and China.Sports http://ift.tt/2uQZHMC July 12, 2017 at 04:56PM

Collectively bargained into existence during the 1998-99 lockout, the max contract has long been a source of controversy. Oh, and also regret. In addition to there being several types of max agreements—variances depend on years of service, annual raise rates, and who's offering the deal in the first place—there's rarely a consensus that the player receiving one of these designated deals deserves it. Why? Because it just seems wrong when two-time MVP Stephen Curry and a player coming off his rookie deal with zero career postseason appearances are both eligible for the max. And that's before you even get to the super max  extensions available to guys like James Harden . Confusion aside, some maximum deals are objectively bad. They can cripple a team, particularly when injury arises or sudden ineffectiveness turns a cornerstone into an anchor. For our purposes, we'll confine the term "max" to mean the most years possible (either four or five under today...