entum heading into his Survivor Series Intercontinental championshi

Full disclosure: I just dont get all the uproar over the signage for the No. 88 team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend.To those who yelled disrespect and said Indianapolis Motor Speedway was wrong to put a sign above the No. 88 garage stall that said Jeff Gordon, its important to remember the purpose.The purpose? To let people walking through the garage area and those with binoculars in the stands know whos in what garage.Believe it or not, there are people who might not have heard about Gordon replacing Dale Earnhardt Jr., and those signs are designed to inform the general public -- not the avid racing fan -- who is in the car.So it makes sense that the signage reflects who actually sits behind the wheel on that weekend.But that brings us to the psychological element of Earnhardt missing races because of concussion-like symptoms, including balance and nausea. Both the team and Earnhardt are doing their best to make us assume Earnhardt will be back, hopefully sooner rather than later. In a situation where we cant predict his return, both the team and driver cant show any bit of doubt.A NASCAR spokesman said Tuesday that NASCAR has given the team permission to continue having Earnhardts name across the windshield. And part of me wants to say: Whats the purpose of having the name on the windshield if it isnt the driver of the car? Why put the name of Earnhardt on the pit-road banner at Indy? Wont it just confuse the casual fan? But if the name of the actual driver is on the car, the avid fan will know its Earnhardts car.Why not something that says somewhere else, in tiny lettering, Substitute: Jeff Gordon?Earnhardt has to know everyone is behind him, right? Isnt this just overboard symbolism at the risk of fans being confused?I love my team [when it] fights for me, goes to bat for me, anytime they do it, Earnhardt said Monday on his The Dale Jr. Download podcast. That was pretty neat. It was real touching, to be honest. Gordon said Friday it was all about respect: Im honored to be driving Dales car. I really am. ... We made a conscious decision this is Dales car. Im here until he gets back and I hope thats soon. We want everything to be respectful of him.It still seems so inconsequential. To help me understand, I asked Ricky Craven, the NASCAR driver turned ESPN analyst, to explain it to me. He dealt with concussions in his career and raced for Hendrick Motorsports, the team for which Earnhardt drives.Theres an insecurity for drivers whenever they see someone else in their car, Craven said. That race car is sacred. Its almost like your home.You can invite somebody to your home, but you dont expect somebody to take control of it. That [signage] is very, very meaningful. It probably felt really, really good for Dale Jr. Those types of reminders are really valuable to a driver. ... It was a fabulous gesture.Earnhardt said on the Monday podcast that he will visit doctors soon and that hell have another update on his status next Monday. ?Based on Cravens experience with concussion symptoms, he doesnt envision Earnhardt coming back next week at Watkins Glen to try to compete on the road course.But there exists a bigger question mark than Earnhardts availability for The Glen. Until doctors tell him he can return, the nagging question remains: Will he be back anytime soon? Everyone around Earnhardt will avoid or publicly dismiss this question because acknowledging it could plant a seed of doubt in potential sponsors and the current crew.Keep sending [my team] good vibes -- because when we get back together, its going to be on, Earnhardt said on the podcast.Even though Earnhardt, 41, sounded somewhat resigned and frustrated on the podcast about missing Indianapolis, that soundbite portrayed confidence he will return to race again.At this age, he runs the risk of appearing vulnerable, and he needs to eliminate that doubt, Craven said. He needs to eliminate it for a number of reasons, but most of all for himself. He needs to come back with some authority.There likely will be more public displays of support for Earnhardt from his team as the week -- or weeks -- go on without him in the car. Craven said those displays carry great importance, and the crews actions will help Earnhardt through the sick feeling of being out of the car.Actions speak louder than words, Craven said. Crew members could say it. But what they did was a great display.Clearance Nike Shoes . PAUL, Minn. Nike Shoes Outlet . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. https://www.fakenikeshoeswholesale.com/ . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Fake Nike Shoes . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Discount Nike Shoes . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111.There were plenty of reasons to love Raws final episode before Sundays Survivor Series pay-per-view event. From the very outset, the singular purpose of getting everyone on the same page became the theme for the night, building a number of strange bedfellows situations and allowing seemingly conflicted teammates to pick up unexpected victories.That optimism carried through to the big Raw versus SmackDown confrontation that closed the show too, giving each superstar a reason to care about this match despite the appearance of there being a lack of long-term stakes. SmackDown Live got one of the biggest pops of the night after coming through the crowd, but both teams got over a general sense of unity (which might belie one or more conflicts rearing their ugly heads Sunday, but I digress) during the big throw down.But the best decision of all on Raw Monday was to have Brock Lesnar and Goldberg keep their hands off each other ahead of their main event showdown Sunday. In recent years, in the build-up to big matches like this one, the WWE has given away far too much, from extended beat downs or back-and-forth fist fights to actually having the same match thats set for the pay-per-view on free TV. By saving that first physical confrontation for Sunday, tension and anticipation is at an all-time high.For as much as Raw did right on a show that was surely a net positive, there were still a few things that left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth. For all intents and purposes it appears that Roman Reigns return to superman status is back on track, after he did all of the dirty work before draping a lifeless WWE Universal champion Kevin Owens on top of Sheamus to lock up a pinfall victory for their team. There were a number of other subtle hints, but dont be surprised if after Sunday we get Reigns making a fool of Owens a number of times as they seemingly head toward a champion versus champion conflict.Did you know that Sunday, fantasy warfare just got real?Jokes about endlessly repeated taglines and complaints about Reigns aside, before we get too deep into the weeds lets take a closer look at this go-home episode of Monday Night Raw -- at what went right, and what fell flat.Goldberg and Lesnar in the same ring, and it felt so rightThe crowd was as hot for Goldberg as any of the ones hes appeared in front of since his return, and its far from shocking that Paul Heyman was able to help ionize the crowd so well in a venue thats not Minnesota. Heyman was actually brilliant in poking the vulnerable spots and inciting the crowd, restarting every time he was interrupted and taunting Goldberg from behind the wall of security to build up the tension of Goldberg and Lesnars first in-ring meeting in well over a decade.For his part, Goldberg continued his altogether shockingly sharp run on the microphone, which we might thank his occasional Hollywood foray for. He countered each Heyman point by stating the fact that Lesnar never beat him, and continued to bristle at any mention of his family. After laying down the law and demanding that his wife and child not be mentioned again, at the next mention by Heyman, Goldberg shredded his shirt and, for the first time, it became clear that hes still in pretty tremendous shape going into this match.Let me spell this out for you, Heyman said, Live on the WWE Network. Survivor Series. Goldberg, you shall be beaten, victimized and conquered by Brock Lesnar... and, at that moment, Lesnar shoved down two security guards, seemingly clearing a path for Goldberg. Heyman continued, ...to such an extent that you sir shall be unrecognizable. So unrecognizable, that your son will call Brock Lesnar daddy.Goldberg snapped and took out the guards one by one, with Lesnar hanging back on the ring apron. When the last three were dispatched, there was a momentary tease that there would be an actual face-to-face showdown, but Lesnar instead stepped down and walked away. Both men never took their eyes off of each other, even for a second, and raised the level of excitement and anticipation for this match as high as it has been.Whether or not it can possibly live up to the hype, or even remotely resemble the action in WWE2K17 -- and there were no illusions as to the reason for this match, as both Goldberg and Lesnars nameplates had that logo attached -- is the only question that lingers.Raw versus SmackDown showdown comes in like a lamb, out like a lionThe opening portion of the Raw vs. SmackDown Live GMs and commissioners fell a little flat, as both sides reiterated similar points to what theyve been saying for weeks on their respective shows. There was a nice point-counterpoint about Shane McMahons participation in the traditional Survivor Series match, but things predictably escalated when the two mens teams came out.By entering through the crowd, Team SmackDown reiterated their standing as the team of the people. With the brands separated, this direct head-to-head confrontation felt special. You had Owens and AJ Styles touting their own top championship as the real world championship. Chris Jericho put Styles and James Ellsworth on The List,?Bray Wyatt promised to take out his creation Braun Strowman, and Dean Ambrose predictably lit the fuse and started the physical confrontation by attacking Jericho. Seeing Reigns and Seth Rollins stand tall and do a Shield-style powerbomb onto a group that included Ambrose was an interesting final touch as the final Raw before Survivor Series went off the air.The State of the WWE Universe post-show event further hammered home the points each show wannted to make, with the kind of reality-bordering and reality-based statements that have made Talking Smack a must-watch program every week.dddddddddddd While there were a few awkward moments, Daniel Bryans statement that most of SmackDown has improved post-draft while Raw superstars have largely stagnated was one of a dozen different things that rang true. Its 30 minutes long, and if you didnt have the stamina to stay up after the three-hour Raw, its worth going back to watch it if only to see Bryan and Mick Foley drop truth over and over again and Stephanie McMahon try to steer it back toward the in-storyline matches.With the focus of SmackDown likely to be largely centered on The Undertaker, Edge, the Intercontinental championship match and other 900th episode festivities, this served as the final official step in the build to Survivor Series.Hits and missesThe New Day is toeing a dangerous line right now. After winning a few too many one-sided rivalries, its understandable how they could be a little complacent and put things on auto-pilot a little too much. Their shopping cart full of merchandise highlighted just how much of a following they have, but the strange sexual innuendo of the sock and the unicorn horn showed they can sometimes take their often charming schtick a little too far.Its actually been kind of nice to see some cracks in the armor as New Day approaches Demolitions all-time WWE tag team title reign record, and that was especially the case in this six-man tag team match. Rollins, Jericho and Strowman proved to have considerable in-ring chemistry as a team, and the result was a match that was far better than most might have expected. All six men looked crisp, and the action was frenetic throughout.Strowman was the highlight of the match throughout, wreaking havoc on all three members of the New Day and finishing things off with a fantastic-looking running powerslam to finish off Xavier Woods. The partnership was too good to last, though, as Rollins hit a pedigree on Jericho post-match. Jericho tried to embrace his role as captain in both segments that his team was involved in, including an olive branch in the form of matching scarves for Strowman and Rollins. He is simply on a roll when it comes to taking potentially silly ideas and concepts and spinning them into gold, and showing little sign of slowing down.Just like the six-man tag team match earlier in the night served as a wonderful showcase for Strowman, the womens tag team match was the Nia Jax show. She showed every bit of her physical dominance against both Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair, and did more in this single match to prove her potential as a title contender than months of squash matches against local talent.Despite flashing some incredible chemistry that dates back to Flair and Banks earliest days in NXT as part of the BFFs, this was the first match in which partners couldnt wait until the end of the match to go after one another. It was a nice way to display that, even in the face of brand unity, some conflicts transcend teamwork (even if they ultimately did pull off the victory).The opening match of the night put Raws two champions to the test against Sheamus and Cesaro, and it hit all of its intended notes. For his part, Cesaro looked every bit the main event player in this match, both with his in-ring moves (including a crazy corkscrew tope con hilo dive over the top rope onto Reigns and Owens on the outside) and his charisma. He continues to do good work with whatever hes given, but the question of when he will get another shot to prove he can hang with the best (as pointed out by Bryan during the WWE State of the Universe special) in a top-level rivalry still lingers.Reigns and Owens warred throughout the match, with Owens refusing to tag in or tag out for most of the match until he could steal Reigns thunder, but they did the bare minimum to win the match. A good match, putting over how Reigns puts his team above all when Owens got hit by a brogue kick, he knocked Sheamus out with a spear and then draped the lifeless Owens on top of Sheamus to pick up the victory.We got a quick match between Sami Zayn and Bo Dallas, but both men really deserved better. Their NXT rivalry is still the peak of Bos powers in the WWE and made both guys look great. Mondays match was the opposite. Zayn really could have used a more legitimate victory and some real momentum heading into his Survivor Series Intercontinental championship match against Dolph Ziggler (or, theoretically, The Miz, if he wins Tuesday). Dallas, who had been picking up a modicum of momentum in showing an edge of late, shouldnt have served as cannon fodder for Zayn at this particular moment.Brian Kendricks words rang hollow but his actions in his match against Sin Cara rang true. The conflict in the locker room, with numerous guys staking legitimate claims to cruiserweight championship matches and questioning Kendricks chances against Kalisto, was some of the most story building theyve done with the Cruiserweight division. Thats certainly a welcomed development, and although they still didnt seem to get much of a reaction from an otherwise hyped Buffalo crowd, the more dimension these cruiserweights are given, the better.Theres not a lot that really has to be said about the eight-man tag-team match, but its about time that a heel tag team like Gallows?and?Anderson cut off Enzo and Big Cass?S-A-W-F-T bit for some heat. ' ' '