WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 7/20/2015: WWE Battleground 2015 Edition

WWE Battleground 2015 is in the books, and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have seen some significant changes. One major change is the fact that there"s a new No. 1, and it may not be who you expect (or it could be obvious; who knows...).

Even setting aside Battleground, it was a big week in WWE. The Divas division got a major infusion of talent from NXT, as NXT Women"s Champion Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte all debuted on the main roster.

Also, intercontinental champion Ryback was temporarily sidelined with a staph infection. That means his match at Battleground, in which he was set to defend his championship against both The Miz and Big Show, was cancelled. In its place, a Divas Triple Threat match took place that saw Charlotte defeat Brie Bella and Sasha Banks.

Anyway, we"ll get into this past week"s action, including Battleground, in more detail throughout the following slides. But beforehand,please read how these rankings are determined.

These rankings are not a popularity contest and are not designed to determine who has the best matches or the most ability. These rankings are strictlyin-storylinepower rankings.

All activeSuperstars and Divas on the WWE roster are considered, excluding talents who primarily or exclusively perform in NXT.Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, but any NXT Superstar deemed eligible for these rankings will remain on the Watch List until officially named as a part of the WWE main roster.

Holding a championship, being a No. 1 contender or holding a Money in the Bank briefcase counts for much of a wrestler"s ranking, andthese honors are therefore the most heavily weighed components in the rankings.

If a wrestler is deemed to be tied with another, holding a title will be the primary tiebreaker. However, holdinga championship, being a No. 1 contender or holding the Money in the Bank briefcase in no way guarantees a spot in the top 10.

Wins and losses account for the bulk of the week-to-week movementand, after championships, are the most important components of the rankings.The quality and rank of a wrestler"s opponents are considered in the week-to-week movement.

Getting the better of someonesuch as beating someone downalso counts, though not nearly as much as wins and losses.Being over with the fans(i.e., getting a strong reaction) is not heavily weighted in the ranking decisions; it is effectively the last tiebreaker.Pay-per-view wins and losses take on added importance.

Only the top 10 wrestlers are ranked. Wrestlers on the Watch List were considered for top-10 status but were ultimately nixed. They are unranked, and their listing is in no particular order.

Generally speaking,these rankingsdo not break kayfabe.However, any major non-storyline informationserious injury, WWE Wellness Policy violations, suspensions, legitimate hirings, firings, contract information and "sabbaticals"may be taken into consideration, but generally only if WWE confirms or addresses it publicly.

WWE"s non-televised domestic and internationallive events arenot includedin these rankingsunless WWE incorporates them into television storylines or acknowledges them on WWE television. Also, nothing that could be explicitly considered a spoiler is included unless WWE acknowledges it as well.

In short, all WWE main-roster showstelevised or digitally distributed, as well as anything from WWE.com, the WWE App, the WWE Network and any WWE or Superstar accounts on social media that don"t break kayfabemay be taken into consideration.

These may include but are not limited toWWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, WWE Main Event, WWE Superstars, NXT, WWE pay-per-views and any storyline-driven content from the WWE Network.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2526526-wwe-superstar-power-rankings-for-7202015-wwe-battleground-2015-edition

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Jordan Spieth sat through Open playoff and was 1st to congratulate Zach Johnson

Instead of getting the h**l out of St. Andrews, Jordan Spieth waits through the British Open playoff and is there to greet Zach Johnson as he walks off the 18th green.

Jordan Spieth won the first two majors of the year and missed going to a playoff in the third by inches. A win would have put him in the company of Ben Hogan, the last golfer to win these first three legs of a Grand Slam in a single season in 1953.

You might think Spieth would be furious, incredulous, depressed and not sit around the extra hour or so and wait for the three-man four-hole playoff to finish. But he, and his caddie Michael Greller, were among the first people not in the actual playoff on the 18th green to greet winner Zach Johnson.

After the round, he called Johnson a role model.

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2015/7/20/9006405/jordan-spieth-congratulates-zach-johnson-british-open

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Early Odds to Win the 2015 PGA Championship Post-British Open Edition ...

Chris Tilley/Associated Press

Odds to win: 33-1

Bubba Watson was never in contention on Monday at St Andrews. In fact, thanks to opening rounds of 71 and 76, he didnt even make the cut.

Those rounds come off as an anomaly, though, when you expand your lens to look at Watsons season as a whole. This year, he has earned three top-five finishes, including a playoff victory at the Travelers Championship, a tie for second at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and a third-place finish at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Understandable skepticism comes into play, though, when you focus on his major results this year: a T-38 at the Masters followed by two missed cuts. Theres not a lot of confidence to be found in that record.

Historically, Watson hasnt fared badly at the PGA Championshiphe even came in second in 2010but his proponents will be leaning heavily on his 2012 and 2014 Masters victories as supporting evidence for favorable odds at Whistling Straits.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2527086-early-odds-to-win-the-2015-pga-championship-post-british-open-edition

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"It was like me or the shark": Surfer Mick Fanning describes attack

Story highlights

• Mother, terrified, watched on live TV
• Fanning: "You just thank whatever gods are out there"
• "I"ll be back out there, yeah," surfer says

The near-miraculous escape of champion surfer Mick Fanning, who found himself under attack by a shark on Sunday off the coast of South Africa, has been seen by people around the world.

The confrontation took place on live TV, and video showing the dark fin approaching Fanning from behind may have gone viral more quickly than any since the South Korean musician Psy rocketed to fame three years ago with his "Gagnam Style" video.

Fanning, who is 34, is a professional surfer from Australia who has won the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour three times. He was competing Sunday in the J-Bay Open, the sixth stop on the 2015 World Surf League Championship Tour, in Jeffrey"s Bay on South Africa"s eastern Cape.

He appeared to be chest-deep in water when a dark fin sliced through the water in his direction. Only he didn"t see it because his back was turned.

"All of a sudden, I sort of sensed something behind me," he told CNN on Monday. "And then all of a sudden I just jumped on my board and I was, OK, something"s going on."

"It started dragging me under"

The shark latched on to his leash, which connects the surfboard to the surfer"s ankle to prevent the board from getting washed away.

"I felt myself getting dragged under by my leash," Fanning said. "And the next thing I know, I saw his fin and went on my board."

He said he thinks the shark smacked him in the head, although he doesn"t remember. Then the shark swam back around for another go.

"I went again on my board, and it was like me or the shark," he said.

"I think I tried to punch it," he said. "And then it started dragging me under, dragging me by my leash. I was like, I don"t know what to do," he said.

But then the leash snapped and Fanning began swimming furiously toward land, screaming at fellow surfer Julian Wilson to head for shore, as well.

But Wilson had other ideas.

"As a warrior, as a legend, he just came for me," Fanning said.

Quickly, before Wilson could get there, the water crew arrived on personal watercraft. Fanning clambered into a raft. His head sank to the floor of the raft for a moment as the reality of what had happened began to dawn on him.

But he didn"t feel it fully until he reached the shore.

"Cried a little bit"

"It didn"t really kick in until I got back here and saw how emotional everyone was," he told CNN. "Even now, I feel the emotion welling up."

And he talked to his mother, who had watched as the attack unfolded on live television. She told him she had wanted to rip him right out of the TV screen.

Then came the day after.

"I woke up this morning and spoke to more family and friends, cried a little bit," he said. "You never know, you"re just lucky. You just thank whatever gods are out there or whatever; you just say thanks. Thanks for looking out for me."

Asked whether he would go surfing again, he recalled that some surfers had actually been bitten and continued with the sport.

Surfing, he said, gives him a sense of balance. Even if he were not a professional, he said, he would always do it.

"I still will. Just might be a little more cautious," he said. "I"ll be back out there, yeah."

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/20/world/shark-attack-mick-fanning/

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Trump Takes A Shot At John McCain, And Republicans Push Back : NPR

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Source: http://www.npr.org/2015/07/20/424571396/trump-takes-a-shot-at-john-mccain-and-republicans-push-back

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Surfer Mick Fanning escapes shark attack

Story highlights

• It was during a surfing competition in South Africa
• Fanning escaped with a severed leash on his surfboard

Organizers of the J-Bay Open, the sixth stop on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League Championship Tour, called off the remainder of the competition. After discussion with WSL Commissioner Kieren Perrow, Fanning and competitor Julian Wilson decided to take equal second in rankings points and split the prize purse awarded to the winner.

"We are incredibly grateful that no one was seriously injured today. Mick"s composure and quick acting in the face of a terrifying situation was nothing short of heroic and the rapid response of our water safety personnel was commendable," Perrow said in a statement.

Video of the incident shows at least one shark fin circling the World Surf League champion. Fanning spots it and starts furiously paddling away.

A wave obscures what happens next, but when Fanning comes back into view he is still swimming away, this time without his board. Safety boats quickly arrive and pluck Fanning from the water.

Fanning escaped with a severed leash on his surfboard. He told World Surf League TV that he "punched" the shark in the back to scare it away.

The Water Safety Team also pulled Wilson out of the water.

"I had this feeling that something was behind (me), and all of a sudden I felt like I started getting pulled underwater. And then the thing came up and I was on my board and it was right there," he said.

"I had this thought, "What if it comes around for another go at me?"" he said. "Before I knew it, the boat was there. ... I can"t believe it, I was tripping out. I"m totally tripping out."

It is not clear whether there was more than one shark, WSL spokeman Dave Prodan told CNN.

The incident rattled the surfing community, which breathed a collective sigh of relief over news of the rescues. In an interview after the incident, Wilson struggled for composure as he recalled watching Manning get knocked off his board.

WSL Chief Executive Paul Speaker expressed relief that the competitors escaped unscathed. He commended everyone involved in the rescue, including Wilson, who was "sprint paddling to get to his friend."

"We kind of coexist with sharks in the water. We go to places that certainly have the greatest waves in the world. But it comes with some danger," he told CNN.

"It"s a very unpredictable sport. i think that"s what draws many of the athletes to it."

CNN"s Henry Hanks contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/19/world/shark-attack-wsl-mick-fanning-feat/

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Lindsey Graham Defends John McCain: "Being Captured Doesn"t - Huffington Post

South Carolina senator and Republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham rose to defend Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Saturday, after Donald Trump attackedMcCain"s record as a war hero.

"I think he crossed a line with a lot of people, not just me. John is my best friend in politics and one of my best friends in life," Graham told The Huffington Post at a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday. "This will work out. Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina Republicans are conservative, but they aren"t going to put up with this. This will work itself out. I"m not calling for him to get out of the race, I"m calling for people of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina to tell him he"s fired."

"If you want to be commander in chief, you need to understand how the military works. Being captured doesn"t mean you"re a loser, it means you put yourself at great risk and you probably are young to go through h**l while you"re in captivity. It just shows a lack of understanding of the military, lack of respect for those who have served," he added.

McCain spent five and a half years in a North Vietnam prisonwhere he was tortured after his bomber planewas shot down in 1967. Trump has refused to apologize for his remarks, despite near unanimous denouncementsfrom his Republican rivals for the White House.

Graham said Trump"s latest antics were the last straw.

"I can understand being frustrated about immigration, but there"s no justification to slander a bunch of people that are hardworking folks," he said. "This is a line that is crossed. I think the American people, the caucusgoers, the primary voters are going to fix this. To the other candidates, this is your chance to do the right thing and disassociate yourself from somebody who has basically shown a lack of judgment to be commander in chief and to be president of us all."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lindsey-graham-mccain-trump_55abb25be4b065dfe89e93de

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