to get Tottenhams attacking players into the game. While

If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, the WWE creative team must be rather pleased with itself of late.The process of recycling successful storylines and making them feel fresh can be a precarious one by nature. When done right, as the WWE did to rave reviews on Raw last week when a late swerve saw Triple H help Kevin Owens win the Universal championship, the results can be spectacular.But it can be just as easy to alienate fans at the first misstep. This is why recycling can be a dangerous play, due to how easily it stimulates the viewers cynicism that the execution -- and ultimately the payoff -- will feel too predictable and similar to the past.WWE took what has too often been its go-to concept -- a heel champion brought into power and controlled by The Authority -- and spiced it up with new participants. The result was a much-anticipated episode of Raw on Monday, with Seth Rollins turning babyface and filling the lead role occupied by Roman Reigns for most of the last year, opposite WWEs on-screen corporate power structure.Rollins was aggressive and convincing in a red-hot opening segment, in which he was rewarded for the unfair ending last week by receiving a title match against Owens on Sept. 25 at Clash of Champions, the first Raw-branded pay-per-view. The fans reward on Monday was a pair of spin-off matches -- Rollins defeating Chris Jericho and Owens defeating rival Sami Zayn in the main event -- that produced plenty of excitement despite there being nothing tangible at stake.But if the shows ending, which capped three hours of equally epic highs and lows, left you with feelings of déjà vu, you werent alone.Reigns, conspicuously absent the entire episode, emerged to make a run-in after Owens victory. Raw general manager Mick Foley soon followed, announcing that Reigns would face Owens in the main event next Monday, with a victory granting Reigns a spot in a triple-threat title match at Clash of Champions.Its possible that the presence of next weeks stipulation was designed with the sole intention of boosting ratings, with the polarizing Reigns already booked to lose the match and return to his current feud with Rusev?(although this tweet?might suggest otherwise). But the mere threat alone of WWE, already leaning on the crutch of an Authority-centric storyline, doubling down by reinserting Reigns into the main title mix was enough to chip away at the recent goodwill built up with viewers.While its true that the fans frustration for predictable booking has often been misdirected at Reigns, who has done nothing but steadily improve despite being overly pushed, Monday was yet another episode of Raw that ended with Reigns as the last man standing in the ring. In this case, following a match he wasnt even involved in.Raw has been nothing if not unpredictable in the six weeks following the draft and brand split, which kicked off WWEs self-proclaimed new era. As a result, the pressure has only increased to live up to that standard creatively by throwing enough storyline curveballs to make the final destination of each feud feel new.Raw womens division heating upFor as wildly hit or miss as the final hour of Raw was on Monday, there was never a dull moment, which produced a particularly apropos tweet from WWE Hall of Famer Amy Lita Dumas.#RAW is officially off the rails- Amy Dumas (@AmyDumas) September 6, 2016Dumas tweet came on the heels of Alicia Foxs backstage freak-out against Nia Jax, which shared equal qualities of being humorous and cringe-worthy. But it failed to overshadow what was a larger subplot as a whole: Raws top-heavy womens division nearly stealing the show.While Raw doesnt possess the female depth of its counterpart Smackdown Live, it has arguably the three most important women in the division -- Sasha Banks, Bayley and WWE womens champion Charlotte -- with each playing major roles Monday.Banks was masterful in how she toyed with the audiences emotions by teasing what appeared to be the announcement of a lengthy back injury (if not a retirement), only to switch gears at the last minute, intercept Dana Brookes run-in attempt and challenge Charlotte to a match at Clash of Champions.Bayley deserves equal credit for how expertly she sold a knee injury (which at first glance seemed real after she badly botched a drive-by attempt on the ring apron) during her upset of Charlotte. While Ive never been a fan of champions losing cleanly in nontitle bouts, the comeback victory perfectly showcased the essence of Bayleys gutsy character as she continues to get over in a big way on the main roster.Hits and misses??While Im not exactly sure where Charlotte and Dana Brookes relationship is headed, credit Brooke for absorbing a stiff backstage slap in a segment that couldnt help but get your attention. ? Seth Rollins delivered a Pedigree to finish off Chris Jericho, which was presented as a message to Triple H, who taught him the move. Im not saying Rollins needs to bring back his controversial curb stomp that was quietly outlawed in 2015 as a way to get back at Triple H for costing him the title last week. But switching to a different finishing move -- like the Falcon Arrow, for example -- would be a nice start.? Mick Foleys acting opposite Stephanie McMahon was top notch throughout Mondays episode, including a pair of perfectly executed Have a nice day catchphrase drops. Foley appeared to be slightly shaking in fear as he boldly stood up to McMahon and delivered his lines, which played perfectly into the overall storyline.? Theres no need to dress this up with too many words: The Old Day segment involving The Club and The New Day was one of the worst that WWE television has produced in many, many years. Most importantly, it undermined the toughness shown of late from Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson with painfully bad comedic attempts from everyone involved.? It was good to see Bo Dallas back on TV again in something other than a comedic jobber role. A repackaged Dallas not only returned in noticeably better shape, he received the Braun Strowman booking treatment by being given a squash match. Its an idea that would have seemed laughable just months ago, but Dallas pulled it off in vicious fashion, including a series of stiff muay Thai knees to the face of local enhancement talent Kyle Roberts. Dallas has always appeared more talented than the limitations of his character would allow us to see. Its about time we find that out for ourselves.? Considering the WWEs commitment to relaunching the Shining Stars in recent months with a long series of vignettes, it was good to see them finally get a meaningful televised win with their upset of Enzo Amore and Big Cass. The match also produced a hilarious sound bite with Enzo interrupting Primo and Epicos constant boasting about their native Puerto Rico to say, Nobody is going to buy a Caribbean timeshare from either one of you.? Nia Jax still has a long way to go in her development, which is why her recent run of squash matches has been a smart piece of booking. But her theme song Force of Greatness is becoming one of Raws best guilty pleasures.? While the handling and execution of the Titus ONeil and Darren Young feud has been far from perfect, they have at the very least produced something different from week to week, often in a very physical manner.Move of the nightThe match between Owens and Zayn produced a number of stiff and physical exchanges, which is consistent with their exceptional rivalry. But Zayn connected on a particularly nasty suplex outside the ring that appeared to end with Owens being dropped on his head. The execution was far from crisp, and the result most definitely unintentional. But the impact raised the ante in an already strong main event with Owens selling it in a way that didnt appear he was acting, which only added to his characters grit.Line of the nightOnce again Byron [Saxton], you would be mistaken. Hall of Famer Mae Young once gave birth to a hand on Raw, but I think the less said about that the better. -- Raw color commentator Corey Graves Nike Basketball Shoes Outlet . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Cheap Nike Basektball Shoes Online . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. http://www.nikebasketballshoesclearance.com/ . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Nike Basketball Shoes Wholesale . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Nike Basketball Shoes For Sale . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City.Mousa Dembele was arguably the best player on the pitch as Tottenham extended their unbeaten record in the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Sunday. Adam Bate looks at why the midfielder earned the praise of his manager afterwards and could be Spurs’ key man… Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. Dembele is a genius, said Mauricio Pochettino with a smile. Hes a genius, no? The Tottenham manager had only been asked what he thought of the players efforts given that hed been substituted in the first half against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek. He responded with a superlative, before adding: Today he was one of the best.If genius was a strong term, one of the best actually felt like Pochettino was selling Dembele a little short. In a game that, as Arsene Wenger asserted, was played with great intensity but sometimes lacked for technical craft, the Belgian midfielder found time where others could not. With a drop of one of those huge shoulders, he was away. Highlights of Arsenals 1-1 draw with Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium Dembele won possession more than any other Spurs player and seldom relinquished it either. He completed 42 of his 47 passes - an accuracy rate that was far superior to any other player on the pitch. The statistics showed that there were also three tackles and a couple of interceptions but they do not reveal the apparent ease with which it was all done. Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham - Passing Player Team Pass accuracy Mousa Dembele Tottenham 89.4% Francis Coquelin Arsenal 83.3% Jan Vertonghen Tottenham 83.1% Aaron Ramsey Arsenal 82.4% Arsenal pressed Spurs well early on but it was futile against Dembele. Insiide three minutes he turned away from two to set up the first chance of the game for Kyle Walker and that was a hint of what was to come.dddddddddddd It was his gliding run away from Mesut Ozil and Francis Coquelin that won the penalty from which Harry Kane earned the visitors their point. Dembele had six successful dribbles against Arsenal - no other player on the pitch had more than two The 1-1 draw maintains the sequence of Tottenham having not lost a Premier League game in which Dembele has started since an unfortunate defeat at Manchester United on the opening day of last season. When Dembele can be partnered with Kane, the effect it has on Tottenham is shown by the dramatic upturn in results. Dembele and Kane - Since October 2015 Played Won Drawn Lost Win % Points pg With 25 16 9 0 64% 2.28 Without 17 5 7 5 29% 1.29 Since October 2015, Spurs are unbeaten in 25 Premier League games when the two start together with a win percentage of 64 per cent. In contrast, theyve lost five of 17 where one of the pair has been missing - a win percentage of only 29 per cent. Over the course of a full season, thats the difference between winning the title and finishing outside the top 10.In part, thats because of Dembeles ability to get Tottenhams attacking players into the game. While Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier are safe in possession, Dembele can break the lines through both dribbling the ball - there were six such runs against Arsenal - and picking out forward options. He passed more to Christian Eriksen on Sunday than to anyone else. Dembele provided composure and control in Tottenhams midfield Getting him on the ball is key for Tottenham, argues Sky Sports tactics expert Danny Higginbotham. Getting him driving through midfield and unsettling the opposition midfield. Making them make decisions they dont want to make. Hes an important cog who feeds the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Erik Lamela.Two of those men were missing at the Emirates Stadium, but its the return to full fitness of Dembele and Kane that could be the real key to Tottenhams chances. Kane is the hero, the man whose goals are capable of firing Spurs to their victories. But Dembele, Pochettinos midfield genius, is the one who can provide the platform for him to do it. Also See: Kane strikes in derby draw Pochettinos verdict ' ' '