his players are only concerned with qualifying for the wild card game

In Julys brand split draft, SmackDown Live didnt get any favors. Sure, they got some studs to build around in?John Cena,?Dean Ambrose,?A.J. Styles?and?Bray Wyatt, along with some young stars?with?worlds?of?potential, but the middle rounds left a massive gulf between the top guys and the up-and-comers.That gap was problematic at times in the first couple weeks, but Tuesdays episode revealed the counter-balance to that issue: all the opportunity in the world for people to step up. Many of those who shined Tuesday are far from finished products, but several potential stars of tomorrow are starting to make their cases after getting a chance in primetime.For all the positive developments up and down the card, it certainly feels like Wyatt has been the breakout star in the early going.From the time the Wyatt Family made its debut on Raw in 2014, he has proven time and again that when hes on and theres a microphone in his hand, he is one of the best the WWE has to offer. In being drafted to SmackDown Live, Wyatt got a desperately needed chance to start over and refresh his appeal, an opportunity to embrace being the top heel on a brand after a long-running series of tough losses in big feuds.No matter how devastating hes been when confronting opponents in the lead-up to some of those memorable encounters, including showdowns with Cena and The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, he has far too often fallen when the action moved into the ring.He was very much on his game to kick things off Tuesday, when he pulled off the task of revealing some uncomfortable truths about the No. 1 contender. Pointing to Dolph?Zigglers questionable tactics of throwing Wyatt into an unprotected turnbuckle in order to hold on to his SummerSlam title shot, despite Wyatt being the one who removed the cover, was a highly effective way to call into question Zigglers motives and motivation as he does whatever it takes to win the WWE World Championship.That angle serves a two-fold purpose. It gives Wyatts words the weight of some truth and adds dimensions to Ziggler without the latter having to lift a finger. The best bad guys make everyone look good.What you have both failed to realize is that this is my show now, Wyatt said in regard to Ambrose and Ziggler. We are not puppets in a corporate war. We are our own masters. There is no red. There is no blue. There is only me. This is Bray Wyatt against the whole damn world.Cue the expected interruptions from Ambrose, a longtime foil for Wyatt, and Ziggler moments later.Chaos in the ring ensued and led to Ziggler missing Wyatt and superkicking Ambrose instead. Ziggler then succeeded with a superkick to the last Family member,?Erick Rowan, but fell victim to a Sister Abigail from?Wyatt.It all led to a somewhat predictable but well-executed advancement of the feud between Ambrose and Ziggler by the end of the night. After getting the pin on Rowan in the tag-team main event, Ziggler took a Dirty Deeds to even the score from the opening, which set the stage for a compelling go-home next week.It sounds like @WWEBrayWyatts being a big old baby! - @WWE World Champion @TheDeanAmbrose on #SDLive... https://t.co/Cjjj335I4g- WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2016Tag teams, back againAfter the initial showdown between Ambrose, Ziggler and the Wyatts, the first of several opportunities for young talents to step up provided something new in the era of SmackDown: a major focus on tag-team wrestling on the blue brand.The initial thought that likely went through the minds of many upon seeing American Alphas opponents (Mikey OShea and Mike Vega, if youre keeping track of the reinvigorated jobber crew) was concern, as it briefly seemed to make the?The Vaudevillains,?Jason Jordan?and Chad Gables debut opponents, look like mere cannon.That thought was quickly cast aside as?The Ascension?made their SmackDown Live debuts, walking out to the ring to get a closer look, only to be followed closely by the aforementioned Vaudevillains and another?debuting team, the?The Hype Bros?of?Zack Ryder?and?Mojo Rawley. Each of these pairings has a history with at least one other team in the mix, with each having gotten its start in NXT. Its clear?theres?some?definitive chemistry as the earliest stages of the division shake themselves out. Thats a big plus for four teams trying to find their places in a new landscape on SmackDown Live and the WWE at large.After Jordan and Gable dispatched their opponents, the other three teams stormed the ring, only for American Alpha to be left as the only team left standing. Notable in their absence in this showdown were the Usos, but that seems like quite an intriguing matchup for the future, as American Alpha starts to take their next step toward being the top dogs of the SmackDown Live tag team division.In the womens division, there was a lot to like on Tuesday. What the WWE is doing with?Eva Marie?is what a lot of fans feel should have been done with?Roman Reigns. No, Im not talking about wardrobe?malfunctions,?though that chest protector has seemingly outstayed its welcome. Its about steering into the hate and animosity and embracing it for all the power it has. Every week that they come up with another excuse for Eva Marie to not wrestle, the fiery anger of the crowd will continue to grow, as personified in the ring by?Becky Lynch.Alexa Bliss?came out to answer Beckys challenge in Evas stead and was impressive in her debut, as she earned the win when Eva Marie came back out to provide the distraction. Later in the night,?Carmella?was?impressive in picking up a victory over long-time veteran Natalya, a rare submission loss for the lone remaining Hart descendent on the active WWE roster.With no immediate titles to compete for, the womens and tag team divisions both needed to create tension and intrigue between their talents in different and creative ways, and aside from the built-in conflict between?Natalya?and Becky, there werent many established feuds to build upon coming out of the draft. The early developments have been, at the least, intriguing, and as long as things are timed?properly, it should be interesting to see how long they wait to pull the trigger on new titles for SmackDown and how that will further shape things over the coming months.Hits and missesIn the first few weeks, I was unsure how well the Renee Young interview segments during SmackDown were going to work, but it was quite the platform to show just how on the ball?The Miz?and?Maryse?have been of late. Mizs utter disregard and dismissal of?Apollo Crews?as the pair made eyes at one another was simple heel perfection and sets up a big fall from grace, be it?against?Crews or someone else along the line.As good as things have been for?Randy Orton, Tuesdays SmackDown Live highlighted the kind of nebulous and frustrating status that?Alberto Del Rio?currently resides in. As if to scream in frustration?that?transcends to real life, Del Rio got himself disqualified after a fairly competitive showdown with The Viper. He helped to advance Ortons story with?Brock Lesnar?by attacking Ortons?shoulder, but he was left with little to show for his efforts and little direction going forward. Given how hot he was coming into the company, which was further exaggerated by his return victory of Cena, Del Rio should be one of the top heels in the company or, at the very least, on SmackDown Live. The trouble is, a rough stretch against?Kalisto?and a disappointing?run with the League of Nations have left Del Rio in his current state of purgatory. This is one of the areas where the lack of the right kind of good guy, such as a?Cesaro?or?Sami Zayn,?might?serve to reinvigorate Del Rio. At this point, anything short of a revisiting of his showdown with Cena or something completely out of the box could leave Del Rio looking toward the door once more in WWE. That would be a waste on both sides of the equation.Heath Slater?just cant win, and Im eager to see how many times he bounces between Raw and SmackDown in search of a job. He seems to be connecting with the crowd, but he just cant get out of his own way -- and its the most entertaining Slater has been in a long time.The video package for the Cena/Styles showdown was strong, but it was a bit disappointing to not see either in the flesh less than two weeks before SummerSlam. Brian Campbell said something similar regarding?Finn Balor?in the RAW recap, but its worth noting why this was the case. The WWE is touring New Zealand with several Raw and SmackDown Live stars this week, and?the lengthy travel necessary for that kind of trip is likely what kept the superstars from appearing on TV. Yeezy 350 V2 Clay Pas Cher . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Yeezy 350 v2 Magasin .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. http://www.pascheryeezy350v2.fr/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Yeezy 350 V2 Sesame Pas Cher . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Yeezy 350 v2 Acheter . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. NEW YORK -- The New York Mets are trying not to think about the possibility of hosting the National League wild-card game and instead focusing on just getting into the playoffs. The Minnesota Twins have no choice but to look far ahead -- to next year -- while taking what they can from the final weeks of a lost season.The Mets look to continue their push for a playoff berth Saturday night when they host the Twins in the middle contest of a three-game series at Citi Field. New York (78-69) extended its lead in the race for the second wild card to two games Friday night when it beat the Twins 3-0 while the St. Louis Cardinals lost to the San Francisco Giants 8-2.The Mets are one game behind the Giants (79-68) in the race for the first wild card. Whomever wins the first wild card hosts the game Oct. 5.After appearing to be finished four weeks ago -- the Mets were 60-62 and 5 1/2 games behind the second wild card Cardinals on Aug. 19 -- manager Terry Collins and his players are only concerned with qualifying for the wild card game.I think the mindset is just getting in the postseason right now, Collins said. Weve got to just continue to try to win as many games as we can.We made a statement about three weeks ago that weve just got to take care of our business. And if we do, well get back in the hunt. Were in the hunt. Deeply.Rookie right-hander Seth Lugo, one of the players most responsible for the Mets surge, is scheduled to take the mound Saturday night. Lugo has won his last four starts --including last Sunday, when he gave up two runs over seven innings in a 10-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves -- and is 4-1 with a 2.dddddddddddd27 ERA in five starts since joining the rotation Aug. 19, a stretch in which New York is 18-8.Such a performance would be noteworthy coming from any rookie, but especially from Lugo, a 26-year-old former 34th-round draft pick who had a 6.50 ERA in 21 games (14 starts) this season at Triple-A Las Vegas, which plays in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.The Twins (55-93), who have the worst record in baseball, counter with ace Ervin Santana. Santana is 1-0 despite a 4.76 ERA in his last four starts. He didnt factor into the decision in his most recent appearance Monday, when the right-hander gave up one run over five innings in Minnesotas 4-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.The 33-year-old Santana will be one of the few 30-somethings on the field for the Twins, who had six players younger than 30 in their lineup Friday. First baseman Joe Mauer, 33, will likely play Saturday, thought catcher Kurt Suzuki, 32, could get a night off after taking a foul ball off his chin in the seventh inning.Brian Dozier, the Twins 29-year-old second baseman who extended his hitting streak to 20 games by going 1-for-4 on Friday, hopes his younger teammates can absorb something from watching the Mets pursue a playoff berth.The opportunity to kind of learn these last couple of weeks, to see these teams and how they play when they are in the running for something special -- thats what you have to take from these games right now, Dozier said. ' ' '