SimulaciĆ³n: Final UEFA Euro 2016 - Portugal Vs. Francia
"It"s going to bring us together. The country will be brought closer"
The scene is set for one of the Summers top sporting events.
Paris hosts the Euro 2016 final on Sunday evening, with the home side facing Portugal in pursuit of the trophy.
With France still reeling from the November terror attacks in Paris, many football supporters believe this match is something the whole nation can now get behind.
Its going to bring us together. The country will be brought closer, I think, said fan Ludovic Ladjyn.
People will be less disparate and we need to win if only for that reason. It will calm everyone down and everyone will love each other, black, green, white, everyone. Like the World Cup in 1998.
The excitement is matched in the Portuguese capital, where thousands of people will gather at a fanzone in downtown Lisbon later on Sunday to cheer on their team.
Portugal will win, doesnt matter if only by 1-0, they just have to play enough to win, said fan Nuno Tomas in Lisbon.
Jamie Foxx Interview | Sixers vs Lakers | July 9, 2016 | 2016 NBA Summer League
It took a while, but an honest-to-goodness basketball game broke out between the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers at the 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on Saturday.
And no, it wasnt Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, the top two picks in this years draft, who had the final words at the Thomas & Mack Center. Instead, a 70-69 Lakers win came down to a stirring comeback capped off by a back-and-forth between two sophomores.
With eight seconds left, DAngelo Russell gave L.A. its first tie since the opening tip on a jumper that put the score at 67-all. While Russell celebrated his clutch bucket, TJ McConnell, Phillys second-year point guard out of Arizona, rushed down the other way to give the Sixers the lead again at 69-67.
Then, on a play drawn up by Lakers summer league coach Jesse Mermuys, Russell stepped back for a deep three to give his squad its first, last and only lead of the night.
I played like s--t, Russell told ESPNs J.A. Adande on air, Larry Nance Jr. interrupting to proclaim he has ice in his veins.
Russells night, like his choice of words, wasnt entirely fit for national consumption. He scored a game-high 22 points, sure, but wound up with more turnovers (six) than assists (five).
The star rookies werent entirely stellar, either. Ingram followed up Friday"s eye-popping pro debut with a bit of a dud (seven points on 3-of-12 shooting). Simmons turned it over seven times but fell two points and two assists short of a triple-double, dishing out some dazzling dimes along the way.
The Sixers built up a double-digit lead in the third quarter, with Jerami Grants emphatic dunk over Lakers rookie Ivica Zubac extending Phillys gap to a game-wide 16 points.
L.A. responded with a 24-9 run, bolstered by back-to-back buckets from Zubac, some heart and hustle from undrafted rookie Zach Auguste and a couple of thunderous dunks from Nance Jr., who racked up stats (13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, seven steals, four blocks) like a fantasy basketball sleeper.
Down the line, these young Lakers and Sixers will be battling on bigger stages, (hopefully) with some higher-quality hoops. For now, expect plenty of slow burns from two franchises that might soon emerge from their respective three-year doldrums.
Booker, Suns Show Value of Experience
Devin Booker remembers what its like to struggle in summer league. It was only a year ago that he, then the youngest player in Las Vegas, missed the first eight threes of his pro career.So when he saw a frustrated Dragan Bender, the Phoenix Suns newest 18-year-old, misfire on his first six shots from deep, he knew exactly what to say.
Its going to come, Booker told Bender, as he recounted to NBA TVs Kristen Ledlow after Phoenixs 86-73 win. Its going to come. Youre going to get the pace of the game. Its just going to come with experience.
Bender, the No. 4 pick in the 2016 draft, finally made a three during the fourth quarteras part of a 12-point, seven-rebound nightand generally ran the floor fluidly for the run-and-gun Suns.
Marquese Chriss, the No. 8 pick, had his moments too. He put Portlands Jake Layman in the spin cycle during the first quarter.
Layman, though, got his revenge in the second, putting Chriss on a poster.
Chriss finished 2-of-10 from the floor, missing all of his threes (0-3) and free throws (0-2). But he looked like the live body for which Phoenix traded on draft day, with six boards to show for his energy.Between Chriss and Bender, the Suns should find at least one option at power forward for their future.
Their present rests in the hands of a host of Kentucky Wildcats. When the 2016-17 season starts, Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight will likely retake control of Earl Watsons offense.
For the summer league team, that task falls to two former Lexington teammates: Booker and Tyler Ulis, a 2016 second-rounder. The latter hit 3-of-4 from the field, 5-of-6 from the line and logged seven assists with just one turnover.
Booker, meanwhile, blew up. He scored a game-high 28 points, including 18 to match all Blazers combined in the third quarter. He showed off his all-around scoring gamedraining three threes, driving to the hoop and even doing work down low.
Most of that work came after a scuffle between Booker and Blazers big Noah Vonleh. Among the first to Bookers defense: Chriss and Bender.
Things got a little chippy out there, Booker told Ledlow. Thats what you expect in summer league. A lot of people are trying to earn their spots. When that happened, my young guys got involved. I tried to take over and thats what I did.
Thats what h**l hope to do in the fall: to build on an eye-opening rookie campaign. And thats what he and the Suns will groom their rookies to do...eventually.
Bulls Bigs Bully Boston"s Punchless Youngsters
When Fred Hoiberg joined the NBA TV broadcast booth at c*x Pavilion, the Chicago Bulls head coach couldnt so much as mention Dwyane Wades name. The Windy City natives deal with his hometown team hadnt yet been made official.
As it turned out, Hoiberg saw plenty worth praising right in front of him during the Bulls 71-62 win against the Boston Celtics. In a meeting marked by misfiresthe two teams combined to shoot 35.8 percentChicago did much more to turn those bricks into scoring opportunities. Bobby Portis tipped off his second tour of duty in Sin City with game-highs in points (17) and rebounds (13).
Cristiano Felicio was physical in every way, racking up more fouls (six) than boards (five). Fortunately, players are afforded 10 fouls before theyre disqualified. Felicio took advantage of his floor timenot to mention the time he made running the floor, turning himself into a freight-train-of-a-fast-break target.
Jack Cooley added eight rebounds off the bench, five on the offensive end. Even Denzel Valentine, who was spotty on the ball (one assist, four turnovers), added six caroms to the cause.
Someone had to do something with all the misses from Jaylen Brown (3-of-13 from the field), who blew layup after layupjust as he did at Cal and in Salt Lake City.Such struggles arent unusual for any rookie. The same could be said for Valentines issues. Jerian Grants troubles (one assist and four turnovers to go with 13 points) weren"t out of step with his rookie-year results.
Those two can take their time finding their games. Yes, Wade is coming home, so cue up the Skylar Gray at the United Center. h**l be on the wing. Jimmy Butler will be on the other. Rajon Rondo will be on the ball.The Bulls arent bereft of bigs either, even after losing a pair of All-Stars in Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. Robin Lopez and Taj Gibson are both solid, if unspectacular, replacements.
Even if Portis and Felicio were ready to start, theyd have to wait their turns at stardom behind Wade, Butler and Rondo. If they can bring some noise to the Bulls interior this coming season, Chicagos crowded guardcorps should have plenty of leeway to bring the funk.
Sophs Take Center Stage for Wizards, Jazz
Neither the Washington Wizards nor the Utah Jazz wound up with first-round picks in this years draftthe Wizards dealt theirs to Phoenix for Markieff Morris. The Jazz sent theirs to Atlanta before the draft in a trade that brought George Hill over from the Indiana Pacers.
All the better for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trey Lyles, who had themselves a duel during Washingtons 88-73 win over Utah at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Oubre showed off a more fluid jump shot, if not yet a more accurate one. He was a willing launcher, trying 10 threes (making two) but still getting to the line seven times (making six) during a 20-point night.
Lyles was similarly aggressive for the Jazz. He totaled 28 points: eight on twos, nine on threes, 11 on free throws...with two on this drive and dunk.
Both have uphill climbs toward starting spots with their respective clubs. Otto Porter probably has the inside track at small forward, though Oubres teammates told management they thought the Kansas product shouldve played more as a rookie.
For Lyles, its a matter of mathematics. Hes probably not nudging Derrick Favors aside at power forward. Nor is he about to displace Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood on the wings.
Still, each will have a role to play on a team that finished just outside the playoffs last season.
Chris McCullough Cans One from Deep
Just because the Brooklyn Nets are without Caris LeVertthe the 2016 draft"sNo. 20 pickdoesnt mean theyre bereft of players worth tracking into next season.
Among that group, which includes Sean Kilpatrick and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, is Chris McCullough, who had the highlight of the night from Brooklyns 79-73 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. With time running down in the first half, the 611 McCullough, who shot 38.2 percent (13-of-34) from three as a rookie, dribbled into the frontcourt, pulled up from well behind the three-point line and drained his only three-point make of the game.
McCullough finished with nine points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals. Kilpatrick led all Nets with 19 points. Hollis-Jefferson stuffed the stat sheet, tallying eight rebounds, four assists and seven steals to go with his three points.
All three showed promise down the stretch of Brooklyns previous bottom-feeding campaign. New head coach Kenny Atkinson will need them each to step up in different ways if the Nets are going to fashion a competitive team around Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin next season and beyond.
Jimmer Jams
As far as pro experience is concerned, Jimmer Fredette is right near the top at summer league. He was drafted 10th overall five years ago, ahead of three All-Stars (Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler) and two other max-contract recipients (Reggie Jackson, Chandler Parsons).
Fredette, now 27, has thus far fallen short of draft-day expectations, but he hasnt stopped firing yet.With Emmanuel Mudiay and Gary Harris getting the night off, he delivered 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting (4-of-8 from three) as a starter during the Denver Nuggets 106-62 shellacking of the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the bigger picture, the Nuggets were probably more interested in the performance of their younger guards. Jamal Murray, this year"s No. 7 pick, was ice cold from three (0-3) but chipped in four assists. Juancho Hernangomez, the 15th choice, went for six rebounds and six points. The star among Denvers rookies turned out to be Petr Cornelie, the 53rd pick, who poured in 19 points and seven boards.
But Fredette, with 235 NBA games under his belt, showed the youngsters how its done.
Gibson Goes Global
Jonathan Gibson is about as accomplished an American basketball player youll find whos never appeared in a regular-season NBA game. The New Mexico State product has been an MVP at L.A.s Drew League, played professionally in three different countries and averaged almost 42 points per game during the 2015-16 season in China.
On Saturday, the West Covina native got to strut his stuff closer to home during the Dallas Mavericks 83-64 win over the Miami Heat. Gibson led all scorers in Las Vegas with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field (6-of-10 from three), boosted by 13 in the fourth quarter alone.
The Mavericks might be more pleased with what they saw from Justin Anderson. The former first-round pick, who started Dallas final game of the playoffs, poured in 19 points.
But if Gibson is going to take another crucial step toward playing in the NBA, this gamethe first of his third stint in Las Vegascould be just the glimpse teams need to take a chance on him.
Simmons Lifts Spurs in Saturday Finale
The San Antonio Spurs began their summer league title defenseand ended Night 2 in Las Vegaswith a high-bouncing buzzer-beater against the Golden State Warriors.
With 1.3 seconds left and the score tied at 61, Kyle Anderson, the reigning summer league MVP, lofted the ball over the 81 wingspan of Warriors center Mamadou Ndiaye and into the hands of Jonathon Simmons, who tossed the ball up and in for the 63-61 win.
The Spurs will need plenty from those two, along with first-round pick Dejounte Murray (eight points, 10 rebounds, three steals, three blocks), to not only deliver head coach Becky Hammon a second summer crown, but also marginally improve San Antonios prospects against Golden States star-studded senior squad this coming season.
Dunk of the Night
An encore for Sixers forward Jerami Grant, who rewrote Ivica Zubac"s Wikipedia page with this thunderous pro introduction for the Lakers" Croatian rookie.
Statistical Leaders from July 9
Here"s a look at who racked up the most in each major statistical category on Saturday.
Points
Jonathan Gibson, Dallas Mavericks: 30
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: 28
Trey Lyles, Utah Jazz: 28
Jordan McRae, Cleveland Cavaliers: 27
Jimmer Fredette, Denver Nuggets: 26
D"Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers: 22
Kelly Oubre Jr., Washington Wizards: 20
Petr Cornelie, Denver Nuggets: 19
Sean Kilpatrick, Brooklyn Nets: 19
Rebounds
Bobby Portis, Chicago Bulls: 13
Dragan Bender, Phoenix Suns: 12
Noah Vonleh, Portland Trail Blazers: 11
Mateusz Ponitka, Denver Nuggets: 10
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers: 10
Nine tied at eight
Assists
Aaron Craft, Utah Jazz: 8
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers: 8
Tyler Ulis, Phoenix Suns: 7
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns: 6
D.J. Cooper, Washington Wizards: 5
D"Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers: 5
Briante Weber, Miami Heat: 5
Steals
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn Nets: 7
Larry Nance Jr., Los Angeles Lakers: 7
Kay Felder, Cleveland Cavaliers: 6
TJ McConnell, Philadelphia 76ers: 4
Daniel Ochefu, Washington Wizards: 4
Kelly Oubre Jr., Washington Wizards: 4
Five tied at three
Blocks
Chris Johnson, Portland Trail Blazers: 4
Richaun Holmes, Philadelphia 76ers: 4
Larry Nance Jr., Los Angeles Lakers: 4
Kyle Anderson, San Antonio Spurs: 3
Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs: 3
Kevin Tumba, Miami Heat: 3
Jameel Warney, Dallas Mavericks: 3
Isaiah Whitehead, Brooklyn Nets: 3
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him onTwitter,InstagramandFacebook.
UFC 200: Cat Zingano Explains Why She Posted Extreme Weight Loss Photo
LAS VEGAS >> The womens bantamweight division might have a new contender.
Fifth-ranked Julianna Pena overcame a shaky first round to overwhelm third-ranked Cat Zingano and earn the unanimous decision in the featured fight on the preliminary card at UFC 200 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
All three judges scored it 29-28 for The Venezuela Vixen, who fights out of Spokane, Wash., and was the Season 18 winner of The Ultimate Fighter.
Only 26 years old and a slight underdog in this bout, Pena (9-2) is now 4-0 in the UFC. She took her ground game to Zingano and didnt give the former title contender any room to get free in winning the second and third rounds.
Zingano (9-2) has now lost two in a row. It was her first time in the Octagon in 16 months since tapping out to a Ronda Rousey armbar in 14 seconds at UFC 184 at Staples Center.
The womens contest was the fourth consecutive decision on the prelims, which started with three first-round knockouts.
Heres how the rest of the card went:
Gastelum gets the nod >> In a battle of ranked welterweights, No. 12 Kelvin Gastelum (13-2) earned the unanimous decision victory over former champion Johny Hendricks. Ranked sixth, Hendricks appeared to have a difficult weight cut, but it didnt show. Gastelum simply outworked Hendricks (17-5), earning scores of 29-28, 30-27, 30-27.
Dillashaw rebounds >> Six months after losing his bantamweight title, T.J. Dillashaw (13-3) pitched a shutout. The No. 1 contender won a unanimous decision 30-27 on all three cards over No. 3 Raphael Assuncao (23-5).
Northcutt edges Marin >> Sage Northcutt is thought to be the next big thing, but the 20-year-old lightweight prodigy has a ways to go. Northcutt (8-1) narrowly outpointed Enrique Marin (9-4) via unanimous decision. All three judges scored it 29-28.
Another Lauzon finish >> Joe Lauzon came into his fight against Diego Sanchez with the UFC lightweight record with 11 finishes. Make it 12. Lauzon (25-12) rocked Sanchez (28-9) repeatedly before the fight was mercifully and finally stopped at 1:26 of the first round.
KO for Mousasi >> No. 8 middleweight Gegard Mousasi (39-6-2) caught No. 15 Thiago Santos (13-4) trying to get up and knocked him down and out. Mousasi, who was getting the better of Santos on the mat, clocked Santos with a big right as the Brazilian was getting to his feet. Santos head bounced off the mat and the referee stopped the fight at 4:32 of the first round.
Miller starts big >> Lightweight Jim Miller (26-8, 1 NC) opened the card with an impressive TKO of Japanese legend Takanori Gomi (35-12, 1 NC). Miller, who had lost four of his past five fights, took it to the mat and got Gomis back. He flattened Gomi out and started pounding away, getting the stoppage at 2:18 of the first round.
Horror Spanish bullfighter Victor Barrio gored death ring stunned crowd.
Le drame sest nou en quelques diximes de secondes, devant des milliers de spectateurs. Victor Barrio, torero de 29 ans, est mort samedi aprs avoir t violemment encorn au cours dune corrida la feria de Teruel (centre-est de l"Espagne).
Les images tlvises de la corrida montrent Victor Barrio enchaner les passes trs prs du taureau lorsque ce dernier renverse soudainement le torero, lencornant profondment au thorax, avant de le secouer brutalement. Lorsque la bte sloigne, Barrio gt au sol, manifestement inconscient. Linfirmerie des arnes a constat sa mort 20h25. Les festivits qui devaient avoir lieu l"issue de cette dernire journe de corridas ont t annules.
Le torero avait dbut en 2008
Originaire de Grajera, village de la province de Sgovie (centre), Victor Barrio tait un jeune torero talentueux, selon les spcialistes, quiavait dbut en 2008. Il avait frquent les arnes de toute l"Espagne, y compris Las Ventas de Madrid, selon la biographie figurant sur son site officiel.
Il sagit, selon les mdias espagnols, de la premire mort dun torero dans le pays depuis celle de Jos Cubero "El Yiyo", jeune prodige de 21 ans mort embroch au coeur en 1985. Mais les accidents de corrida relancent rgulirement les polmiques sur la dangerosit de cette pratique.
L"anne dernire, un autre clbre torero espagnol, Francisco Rivera "Paquirri" a t gravement bless aprs un coup de corne l"aine. Son pre avait t tu dans des circonstances semblables en Andalousie en 1984.
A LIRE AUSSI >> Espagne : un Franais meurt encorn lors d"un lcher de taureaux
Cain Velasquez defeated Travis Browne by TKO in the 1st round UFC 200 (Screenshot Report)
Getty Image
American Kickboxing Academy is notorious for producing champions and having those champions pull out of fights due to injury. Cain Velasquez is equally considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and one of the most likely to not make it to the Octagon on fight day. He reinforced this unfortunate legend after pulling out of various fights, including a Februaryheavyweight title fight rematch with Fabricio Werdum. While Daniel Cormier has only recently pulled out of a fight, his light heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones in April, AKAs Josh Thomson and others carry that injury stigma with them as much as the teams winning pedigree.
Velasquez is now right around the corner from 34 years old, and Cormier turned 37 in March. The hard sparring sessions and intense weightlifting gauntlets take a toll on a fighters body, even if it leads to great success in the cage.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Cormier and Velasquez admitted that it was time to adjust their methods.
A lot of people dont see behind the scenes what we do to get ready for fights, Velasquez said. They just see fight day, and we go out there and fight. But theres a lot of hard work that needs to happen beforehand, and weve been criticized for sparring too hard. But hey, thats the best way to get ready for a fight, we think, and its proven.
Of course, sparring for some teams is the bread and butter of training, while other champs, like Robbie Lawler, rarely spar. Some dont want to take the damage in training, and now this tweet from DC before Rockhold was knocked out by Michael Bisping is catching flak.
Took 7 years but I am officially a beast. Today I dropped @LukeRockhold :) feeling like a 2 division champ lol jk :)
Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) May 9, 2016
So perhaps the training isnt all that light, but it is different.
Right after Cain got hurt, he talked to me and he goes, We dont want to say old, but us experienced guys, maybe we should reevaluate our training a little bit, Cormier told MMAjunkie. It made me take a hard look at myself, as it did Cain. We both had to take a hard look at ourselves, as we had to prepare for these new fights. It was a blessing in disguise.
The newfangled AKA will get a good look at UFC 200 when Cain Velasquez takes on Travis Browne and Daniel Cormier finally rematches Jon Jones for the undisputed light heavyweight belt. Itll be interesting to see the results.
Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne - UFC 200 Highlights
If there was ever a perfect stage for Cain Velasquez to reignite his mixed martial arts career, it would be UFCs highlybilled bicentennial extravaganza.Thirteen months and 12 events removed from losing his heavyweight crown, former champion Velasquez re-enters the octagon against seventh-ranked and powerful Travis Browne at UFC 200 Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with hopes of earning another title shot in the near future.
In many respects, the 33-year-old Velasquez (13-2) is an obviousfavorite over former 6-foot-7 Gladiator and VFC champion Browne (18-3-1, 14 KOs), however, another loss could spell disaster for Velasquez.
Odds makers at online sports book Bovada.lv have tabbed Velasquez as a -305 favorite and Browne as a +235 underdog, and rightly so.Before succumbing to now former champion Fabricio Werdums third-round guillotine chokeat UFC 188 in June 2015, Velasquez was riding the best and most challenging string of bouts in his career, all while proving resilient in the face of adversity.
Photo: Reuters
Over a three-year span, the California native cast aside a murders row of UFC heavyweights, many in the first round. Velasquez pummeled Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for a shot at the title and then took down Brock Lesnar for the crown in 2010.
He then lost the title in his first defense against Junior dos Santos one year and a month later, but would regain his form with a TKO over the legendary Antonio Silva and followed up with a championship decision over Dos Santos at UFC 155. Velasquez would meet both fighters again over his next two fights (both victories), before falling prey to Werdum.
Still, Velasquez finds himself in a similar spot as 2010 and 2011, with a chance to redeem and prove to himself, UFC, and president Dana White that he belongs atopthe topsy-turvy division.
On the other hand, Browne represents an entirely different animal and may be unlike any opponent Velasquez has faced before.
Blessed with incredible size and knockout power, Browne too is gunning for the top of the heavyweight division and his first realistic title shot in more than two years. Fourteen of the 33-year-olds victories have come by way of knockout, and he does own impressive wins over Brendan Schaub and current No. 3 ranked Alistair Overeem and No. 8 Josh Barnett.
Prediction: Rust and psychology are major factors for Velasquez to shake off. His power cant be questioned, but timing, speed, and mental toughness will have to be rediscovered in the first round in order for a successful bout. A case can be made for Browne to pull off the upset, however, hes prone to make mistakes early with all three of his losses coming by way of first-round knockouts. Look for a slugfest but for Velasquez to prevail with a knockout by the second round.
John Cena brings a brave WWE Universe member into the ring after Raw: July 4, 2016
Since his return to WWE back in May, John Cena has been in a rivalry fifteen years in the making with AJ Styles. WWEs Money in the Bank PPV was history in the making as Cena & Styles wrestled for the first time in a WWE ring. Although Styles came away with the victory due to interference by The Club, the feud is going to continue on WWE television through Summerslam.
Its a testament to the career John Cena has had in WWE that he can continue to work with anyone at his age to have one of the most talked about and anticipated matches on any WWE card. However, there are some obvious questions about his body holding up after almost fifteen years of wrestling. The biggest question is how much longer Cenas WWE career will last?
John Cena has made it crystal clear that despite all of his success outside of WWE, the company will remain his top priority until he can no longer wrestle at the level hes accustomed to, and the WWE Universe expects from him. Since hes still a human being, Cena is still wrestling for WWE at that level, but hes just not going to be able to wrestle as often as he once did for the company.
[Image via WWE.com]According to some new information from CageSideSeats.com, John Cena is cutting back on working WWE live events and house shows to lighten his schedule. Its being said that he wont be touring with WWE full-time like he used to, but his television time should remain at the same level as in recent years. h**l miss a Raw here and there, but h**l be present almost every week.
There are a few different angles to look at this news. The first is Cena and WWE officials are limiting his schedule to prolong his wrestling career as long as possible. Another thing is that if Cena is no longer making appearances during the majority of WWE live events, then the appearances he does make are more special.
Its easy to forget that John Cena returned to WWE four months earlier than the expected timetable for his recovery from shoulder surgery. Its a testament to the work ethic of Cena, but its understandable that WWE wouldnt want to overwork him for his first few months back in the ring.
At Battleground, WWE booked Cena to tag with Enzo and Big Cass against The Club. The match will have even odds, will give Enzo and Cass a boost to work with top WWE superstars, and allows WWE to push the end of Cena vs. Styles at Summerslam. But, another pro for the six man tag match is it is less of a strain on Cena as he continues to get used to being back in the ring.
[Image via WWE.com]The fact is that John Cena has earned his part-time status, but hes also going to be needed after the WWE Draft and brand split. The rumors are claiming that itll be John Cena and AJ Styles as the top superstars on SmackDown, so their feud could even continue after Summerslam and reestablish the second WWE World Championship for the SmackDown brand.
One of the last great challenges left for John Cena in WWE is to break Ric Flairs World Championship record of sixteen title reigns. As of this writing, Cena is at fifteen title reigns. Its unclear if WWE is going to book Cena to unseat The Nature Boy as the greatest champion this industry has ever seen, but all signs are pointing to John Cena breaking Flairs record. If thats the future of John Cenas WWE career, hes going to need to stay healthy and seize the chance to join wrestling immortality.
