urf executives became aware the turf, known as Duraspine, was cracking, splitting and breaking apart long before it should, and

The balancing act that has to be maintained after a major pay-per-view is challenging, to say the least. Major rivalries often reach their peak or even conclusion, leaving several top stars needing opponents.At the same time, you dont want to throw away all of the hard work, time and effort youve put into the build-up to a show like that, especially if its one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, like WrestleMania or, in this case, SummerSlam. Sometimes the answers arent so clear-cut.SmackDown Live finds itself in a much different position from Raw in its first show back from SummerSlam. Tuesdays show didnt have to deal with losing a top champion to injury for up to six months the night after introducing a new title, but it did have to take on a few more subtle challenges.An underwhelming world championship at SummerSlam, the time?Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler had to tell a story and a laundry list of other issues left its two competitors heading in different directions. Ambrose came out smelling like a rose, every bit the champion hes asserted to being, and Ziggler was seemingly left to return and languish in some nebulous position between the midcard and the main event.Within the first two minutes of Tuesdays episode of SmackDown Live, it became clear they were going to address some of those issues. The show opened with several superstars aimlessly hanging around the locker room. Enter AJ Styles, the conquering hero (or villain, depending on your perspective) who dispatched John Cena in a 23-minute match that stole the show Sunday night in Brooklyn. As popular as Styles has been since his January debut at the Royal Rumble, and through multiple title matches with Roman Reigns and several other high-profile opponents, nothing quite elevated The Phenomenal One like pinning Cena in the middle of the ring, no strings attached, at one of the biggest WWE shows of the year.Styles wore the Never Give Up headband Cena ceremoniously left behind in the middle of the ring after their epic clash and immediately set about telling anyone who would listen that he was now The Face that Runs the Place, taking up Cenas mantle. Ziggler sat dejectedly in his seat as this went on, but when Styles got in his face, it was all he could take, triggering a brawl between the two that spilled through the next two hours.The pair fought through the end of the presentation of the two new SmackDown-exclusive titles and set up general manager Daniel Bryan to lay down the law; Styles victory was an impressive enough showing that he had earned his way into a WWE world championship match against Ambrose at Backlash, but Ziggler had shown himself worthy enough to have a chance to earn his way in -- and beating Styles would be his ticket.This main event match featured much of what makes a showdown between two dynamic and physically gifted wrestlers great -- high-risk maneuvers, incredible agility and styles that mesh well together. There was also a simple story to follow -- either Ziggler would redeem himself and earn another shot at Ambrose or Styles would notch yet another impressive victory and further confirm his status as clear-cut No. 1 contender with a one-on-one opportunity at the champion.Styles picked up the victory, and it once again came in a straightforward manner without a hint of cheating or nefariousness -- leaving no doubt as to his position. For Ziggler, it seems hes only just begun to experience the downward spiral that almost certainly lies ahead -- and with each loss, the chatter of his inability to win the big one will only grow louder.Introducing the SmackDown womens championship and tag-team championshipsSummerSlams introduction of the Universal championship checked about every box on reactions that are best avoided at all costs. That didnt just apply to the reaction to the bright new red belt -- a clear variant of the existing WWE world championship -- but that vitriol disrupted an otherwise compelling match between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins.SmackDown seemed to avoid that with the introduction of its new womens and tag-team championship titles. First off, they were out on display rather than set up for a big reveal. There was no promise for a particularly crazy design, and therefore they didnt have impossible expectations to meet.Second, and perhaps most importantly, these alterations offered either a lateral move (in the case of the SmackDown womens championship) or a significant upgrade over the originals (the SmackDown tag-team championships) over their Raw counterparts. In the case of the latter, the titles currently held by the New Day, which feature copper plates on a black leather belt, have long been derided as the least visually pleasing among all of the WWE titles.The method by which each championship is to be decided added further excitement to the reveal. The tag-team tournament is a great touch, allowing all of the teams an opportunity to show off, setting up a chance for the victor to claim superiority over the entire division. It also fills the need for some must-see content each week on SmackDown, leading to its first brand-exclusive pay-per-view, Backlash.If you doubt how well a tournament format like this works, just look at the CWC and the impact it has had through its first six weeks.The womens championship six pack challenge makes each woman a legitimate title threat right off the bat, presenting a chance to establish a true hierarchy in the division among the six participants.Hits and missesHeath Slater made an appearance toward the tail end of the ceremony celebrating the reveal of the new titles and staked his claim for a shot. Even as a three-time WWE tag-team champion, Slater was once again forced to jump through hoops for the chance of a contract. This time around, hed have to find a partner and, with that done, win the entire tournament.While there werent nearly as many failed attempts throughout Tuesdays broadcast, it was a well-executed rule of threes as Slater unsuccessfully asked both The Miz and Arn Anderson to be his partner. Finally, Rhyno, who had previously prevented Slater from winning a contract, offered his services as a tag-team partner to lock the pair into a spot in the tournament.Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt is a compelling direction to go in for both men. After Wyatts involvement with Ambrose and Ziggler seemingly fizzled out, at least for now, he was left off the SummerSlam card entirely. Orton had an unfortunate ending to his showdown with Brock Lesnar, and both superstars are angling for a move to bigger and better things. Each has something to prove, and if this works out correctly they should both get the chance.SmackDowns first match (out of just four actual bouts on the show) was a short showdown between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss. While it seems Bliss still needs some work on moving more smoothly in the ring, she hit a few spots over the course of the match that showed her potential. The match scheduled between Carmella and the returning Nikki Bella never began, as Carmella attacked Nikki from behind to start what increasingly seems like a more sinister turn of character for the Princess of Staten Island. More on that later.Two of the four opening-round matches in the SmackDown tag-team championship tournament took place Tuesday night, with the prohibitive favorites to win the tournament each advancing to the semifinals. It started with The Usos grabbing a victory from The Ascension, which was followed by a somewhat surprisingly compelling match between American Alpha and Breezing. Rather than feeling like a throwaway situation, the seeds for the beginnings of the tag-team division on the blue brand can be tied back to conscious efforts at SummerSlam, even in something as seemingly innocuous and disposable as a 12-man tag-team rematch.EXCLUSIVE: We didnt come here to have great matches, we came here to WIN TITLES! @WWEGable @JasonJordanJJ #SDLive https://t.co/FBmeirMHcU- WWE (@WWE) August 24, 2016The insinuation of a future showdown between Lesnar and Shane McMahon could be among the most compelling possibilities for the future, given the right circumstances.Talking Smack is on fireTalking Smack, the 30-minute post-show for SmackDown Live hosted by Daniel Bryan and Renee Young that airs every week on the WWE Network, has taken significant and worthwhile steps toward completing two noteworthy tasks -- getting fans to head back to the WWE Network to watch new and live original content and blurring the lines between whats real and whats fake.On Tuesday, it began with Nikki Bella casually discussing the severity of her neck injury in great detail until she was blindsided by yet another attack from Carmella. They were followed by the Usos, who discussed a wide variety of topics, including the acknowledgement of how being paired with Roman Reigns has affected their crowd reaction.@WWEDanielBryan says @MikeTheMiz wrestles like a coward. And the IC Champ explodes on #TalkingSmack! #SDLive https://t.co/hgarcKmuj4- WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 24, 2016It all led up to The Miz and Maryse invading the Talking Smack set. Having not been used for anything on Tuesdays broadcast, other than a quick spot in Slaters comedic search for a tag partner, Miz came out guns blazing demanding an answer as to why that would be the case for the Intercontinental champion. After Bryan took some seemingly cheap shots at Miz, he unleashed a tirade proclaiming his value to the company. In the process, he used the word coward, which was part of Bryans initial comedic response. The Miz cut one of the most memorable promos of his career on Bryan and eventually left him walking off the set.Its exactly the kind of content the WWE craves -- the kind that goes viral and tests the boundaries of real and fake. Brian Westbrook Womens Jersey .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Randall Cunningham Womens Jersey . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. http://www.theeaglesfootballauthentic.com/eagles-seth-joyner-black-jersey/ .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Jerome Brown Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Chuck Bednarik Womens Jersey .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. WOODBRIDGE, N.J. -- The countrys leading maker of artificial sports turf sold more than 1,000 fields to towns, schools and teams nationwide after its executives knew they were falling apart faster than expected and might not live up to lofty marketing claims, according to an investigation by a news organization.Montreal-based FieldTurf said that the turf it began selling in 2005 was revolutionary for its unmatched durability and that it would last a decade or more. But records obtained by NJ Advance Media show that as early as 2006, key FieldTurf executives became aware the turf, known as Duraspine, was cracking, splitting and breaking apart long before it should, and long before the public had been promised.FieldTurf -- a division of publicly traded French flooring maker Tarkett -- said it never misled or defrauded customers and called such claims completely false. The company stressed that the problem does not compromise player safety.Most of the fields, which fetched $300,000 to $500,000 or more, were paid for with tax dollars. FieldTurf sold 1,428 of those fields in the U.S. to everyone from small towns to NFL teams for an estimated $570 million from 2005 until the product was discontinued in 2012.Despite several internal email discussions about their overblown sales pitches, which were reviewed by the news organization, executives never changed their marketing campaign for Duraspine fields. Company officials said in a statement that most Duraspine customers have never been told about the problem and how to identify signs that their field might be prematurely falling apart. The officials said the problem was better handled on a case-by-case basis.The company said that the problem has not affected the significant majority of Duraspine fields, and that failures came primarily in places like California and Texas, where intense ultraviolet radiation caused the product to break down after only a few years of use.While we are sorry this happened and it has been a frustrating and disappointing experience, we believe that over the past six years we have been forthcoming with our customers given the challenging situation and legal restrictions, the company said in a statement . We never hid from this problem and we strongly take issue with aany attempt to suggest otherwise.ddddddddddddFieldTurf concedes nearly one of every five U.S. Duraspine fields has been replaced under warranty -- sometimes with Duraspine fields and sometimes with a new kind of turf. The true number of afflicted fields could be far higher, however, because many customers havent been notified, and the company does not proactively monitor all Duraspine fields for the problem.Only after customer complaints spiked in 2009 and 2010 did FieldTurf conduct an internal investigation and pin the problem on its supplier, a division of Netherlands-based Royal TenCate, according to a federal lawsuit.FieldTurf claimed TenCate altered the chemical formulation of the fiber, making it more susceptible to the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. TenCate denied the allegations, and the two settled the suit in 2014 for an undisclosed sum of money. Neither party admitted wrongdoing.Public schools and towns across the U.S. have had to replace their expensive turf fields far sooner than expected and often much earlier than promised.In Oklahoma, the superintendent of the Skiatook Public School District said it took three years to get FieldTurf to agree to replace its $300,000 field -- and only after it threatened legal action. In Wisconsin, Middleton-Cross Plains School District officials said they complained about their field in 2014, and FieldTurf reps told them there was no known issue with premature failure of Duraspine.FieldTurf declined to comment on specific customers or fields.Many stand by FieldTurf and its willingness to address problems. Erik Rosenmeier, the football coach at Cranford High School in New Jersey, said that his 2009 Duraspine field was outstanding and that the schools experience with FieldTurf has been extremely positive.But in Newark, the football coach at Malcolm X Shabazz High School says that the turf was so bad last year that the school considered cancelling games.You grab it and it rips. It rips like grass, said coach Darnell Grant. We deserve better, our community deserves better and our kids deserve better. Give the kids, give the community what they paid for. ' ' '