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 wanted to make, with the kind of reality-bordering and reality-based statements that have made Talking Smack a must-watch program every week. 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.Myydään Yeezy Boost 350 v2 . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Superstar Kengät . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. http://www.yeezysuomi.com/suomi-yeezy-boost-750.html . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Adidas Superstar Kengät Halvalla .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Superstar Naisten Kengät .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday.WIGGINS, Miss. -- The president of the Mississippi NAACP is demanding a federal hate crime investigation after the parents of a black high school student said as many as four white students put a noose around their sons neck at school.No child should be walking down the hall or in a locker room and be accosted with a noose around their neck, president Derrick Johnson said Monday during a news conference in Wiggins. This is 2016, not 1916. This is America. This is a place where children should go to school and feel safe in their environment.Johnson said the incident happened Oct. 13 near a locker room at Stone High School in Wiggins.Hollis and Stacey Payton, parents of the alleged victim, attended the news conference but did not speak. Their son, a sophomore football player, was not with them and they did not release his name.The NAACP said the incident happened during a break in football practice and that the noose was yanked backward while on the students neck.Johnson would not say whether noose left any marks on the black student. According to a statement from the students family, he returned to football practice after the incident, said Ayana Kinnel, a spokeswoman for the state NAACP.Stone High has about 800 students, about a quarter of whom are black according to state figures. Thats not a particularly high percentage in Mississippi, where half of nearly 500,000 public school students are African-American.Wiggins, 35 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, is a logging town. Many people commute from the 18,000-resident county to jobs in Gulfport and other coastal cities.Mississippi has struggled with a history of racial division. It is the last state that still incorporates the Confederate battle emblem on its state flag. In 2014, two out-of-state students at the University of Mississippi placed a noose on the campus statue of James Meredith, the black student who integrated Ole Miss in 1962. Both pleaded guilty to using a threat of force to intimidate African-American students and employees. Neither attends the school anymore.Names and ages of the other students allegedly involved in the Stone High School incident werent immediately released.The Stone County Sheriffs Department provides officers at local schools and typically is the first to respond to incidents. Sheriffs Capt. Ray Boggs said officials believe something close to what the Paytons described diid happen and said hes still investigating.dddddddddddd He said all the students involved are younger than 17 and he expects any charges would be filed in youth court, where records are closed to the public.Its probably one of the hardest cases Ill ever handle in my career, because of the nature of it, said Boggs, who is black. Have I ever had to deal with something like this? No, not from a high school.Johnson said he wants the teenagers charged as adults. Thats allowable in certain situations for people between ages 13 and 16 in Mississippi. He cited federal prosecutions of young people from Rankin County for hate crimes following the 2011 death of a man run down in the parking lot of Jackson motel as an example of what federal involvement could bring. Most of those people were charged as adults, although there was evidence of at least one unusual federal juvenile prosecution.There is absolutely a role for federal law enforcement, Johnson said.Johnson said Stacey Payton was advised against filing a police report because the father of one of the alleged assailants is a former law enforcement officer. Boggs said he talked to Stacey Payton and thats not true. He said he told her that pursuing criminal charges could result in hard feelings among students that could make her sons life harder at school.Stone High School Principal Adam Stone referred comment to Superintendent Inita Owen. She and school board attorney Sean Courtney didnt respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment. Johnson said the Paytons have received no official word about punishments from school officials. Johnson said school district policy calls for immediate expulsion of students who commit assault.Carissa Bolden of Wiggins, the mother of a middle school student, attended the NAACP news conference Monday and said white students have been flying the Mississippi flag from their vehicles. The upper left corner of the state flag used since 1894 has the Confederate battle emblem -- a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. Bolden said she sees a connection between the flag and the noose incident.I feel like it escalated from them allowing kids to bring Confederate flags to school, Bolden said.----Emily Wagster Pettus reported from Jackson, Mississippi. ' ' '