Thursday, June 30, 2016

Radio Show 6.29.16: On #NBAFreeAgency, #TeamUSA, #BETAwards & #4thOfJuly Food


By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

You can now download the latest episodes of "TripleThreatCLE.com's Radio Show"!

Check us out every Wednesday night, 7pm EST, on NoStaticRadio.com or the Tune-In Radio app. Simply search "No Static Radio" or "Triple Threat CLE"

On NBA Free Agency, Team USA, BET Awards & 4th of July Cookout Music (6/29/16)
Alternate Link: On NBA Free Agency, Team USA, BET Awards & 4th of July Cookout Music (6/29/16)


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DOWNLOAD: On #Cavs, #LeBron, #Kyrie & #NBAFinals, #NBADraft & More (6/22/16)

Alternate Link: On #Cavs, #LeBron, #Kyrie & #NBAFinals, #NBADraft & More (6/22/16)

On #Cavs & #NBAFinals, #JimmyButler, OJ Made In America, #E32016 & More (6/15/16)

On Cavs_NBA Finals, Kevin Durant's Future, What A Win Will Mean To You, Anniversary Show Shout Outs & MORE (6/1/16)

On Cavs & OKCvsGSW, Fans and Media, #BBMAs & MORE (5/25/16)

On Cavs & NBA Playoffs, Believeland, Role of the Media & MORE (5/18/16)

On Cavs, NBAPlayoffs, True Fans, Unfulfilled Potential Athletes & More (5/11/16)

On Browns & NFL Draft, Cavs & NBA Playoffs, Captain America_ Civil War and Summer Movies (5/4/16)

On Browns Trade Down, Cavs & NBA Playoffs & More (4/20/16)

On Kobe Moments, Kobe finale or 73 wins, Cavs Season, NBA Playoffs, Browns & More (4/13/16)

On Wrestlemania 32, NXT Dallas, RAW After Mania (4/6/16)

With Will Burge; On The Browns, RG3, Cavs, Kyrie Irving, D'Angelo Russell, Shows to Reboot (3/30/16)

With RJ The Movie Critic; On The Browns, Hue Jackson; Movies, TV & Games (1/13/16)

TV Tonight 6.30


By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

30 For 30
"Believeland" (ESPN, 8pm)

MLB
Indians @ Blue Jays (STO, 7pm)
Cubs @ Mets OR Royals @ Cardinals (MLB, 7pm)

OTHER SPORTS
U.S. Olympic Trials; Swimming Finals (NBC, 8pm)
CFL Football: Ottawa Redblacks @ Montreal Alouettes (ESPN 2, 7pm)
CFL Football: Toronto Argonauts @ Saskatchewan Roughriders (ESPN 2, 10pm)

=====

WWE SmackDown (USA, 8pm)
Battlebots (ABC, 8pm)
Bones (FOX, 8pm)

Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge (NBC, 9pm)
Greatest Hits; "1980-1985", Pitbull REO Speedwagon, Ray Parker Jr., PREMIERE (ABC, 9pm)
Home Free (FOX, 9pm)
Beauty And The Beast (The CW, 9pm)
The Dude Perfect Show (CMT, 9pm)

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, PREMIERE (FX, 10pm)
Aquarius (NBC, 10pm)
Match Game (ABC, 10pm)
Queen Of The South (USA, 10pm)
Ridiculousness (MTV, 10pm & 10:30pm)
Ladylike (MTV, 11pm)

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon 6.30.16: NXT Results #NXT


By Brandon Albright, @B_Rock1978

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon, brought to you by Triple Threat CLE, is here with your NXT Recap Edition.

This week's NXT took place at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida. Alexa Bliss and Carmella kicked off this week's show in one on one Women's Division action. Newcomer Andrade “Cien” Almas battled Noah Potjes in one on one action. In the main event, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano battled the The Hype Bros in tag team action.

*** NXT ***

- Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella: The match closes out with Carmella landing the Bronco Buster on Alexa. Alexa counters with a sunset flip and goes to the top rope. Carmella intercepts and hits Alexa with a handstand hurricanrana. Alexa regains control and finally hits Twisted Bliss off the top rope for the pinfall.
Winner: Alexa Bliss, by pinfall.

- Backstage, Bayley feels great getting a win last week. Alexa Bliss interrupts and says Bayley has to go through Alexa first before ever getting a shot at Asuka and the NXT Women's Championship.

- Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Noah Potjes: The match closes out with Almas hitting a baseball slide and a wheelbarrow bulldog on Potjes. Potjes goes to the corner and gets drilled by Almas and his running double knee finisher. Almas covers and scores the pinfall.
Winner Andrade "Cien" Almas, by pinfall.

- Backstage, Austin Aries says he attacked No Way Jose because the fans cheer for Jose. Aries promises he'll give the fans something to boo about.

- Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano vs. The Hype Bros: The match closes out with Mojo hitting a double power bomb off the ropes on Ciampa and Gargano. Ryder hits the El-Bro Drop off the top rope for a near fall. Ryder goes for the Broski Boot on Gargano, but Ciampa intercepts with a clothesline on Ryder. Ciampa and Gargano hit Meet You in the Middle and score the pinfall.
Winners: Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, by pinfall.

- Ciampa and Gargano Promo: Ciampa and Gargano defeated the NXT World Tag Team Champions The Revival two weeks ago and want a title shot. American Alpha arrive and interrupt. Gable says Ciampa and Gargano aren't next for anything yet cause they are. The Revival interrupt next and Dawson makes it clear that Revival call the shots and neither team deserves a shot. NXT GM William Regal arrives and reminds Dawson that Regal is the only one that calls the shots around here. Regal informs Ciampa and Gargano that they will get their shot, but first The Revival will defend the title against American Alpha in a two out of three falls match.
The Authors Of Pain arrive and again put the vicious beat down on Jordan and Gable. Jordan gets in a belly to belly suplex, but gets destroyed with a clothesline. The AOP hit their double team finisher on Jordan and Gable as Paul Ellering surveys the damage to end the show.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

TV Tonight 6.29


By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

MLB
Indians @ Braves (STO, 7pm)
Mets @ Nationals (ESPN 2, 7pm)

OTHER SPORTS
College Baseball; NCAA World Series Championship: Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina (ESPN, 8pm)
U.S. Olympic Trials; Swimming Finals (NBC, 8pm)
National Pro Fastpitch Softball: Chicago Bandits @ USSSA Pride (CBS SportsNet, 8pm)
WNBA: New York Liberty @ Minnesota Lynx (NBA TV, 8pm)
WNBA: Connecticut Sun @ Phoenix Mercury (NBA TV, 10pm)

MMA & BOXING
The Ultimate Fighter (FOX Sports 1, 10:30pm)

NFL
The Top 100 Players of 2016, 20-11 (NFL Network, 8pm)

====

American Ninja Warrior (NBC, 8pm)
MasterChef (FOX, 8pm)
Big Brother (CBS, 8pm)
Lucha Underground (El Rey, 8pm)

The Night Shift (NBC, 9pm)
Wayward Pines (FOX, 9pm)
Maron (IFC, 9pm)

Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons (HBO, 10pm)
The Challenge: Rivals III (MTV, 10pm)
Royal Pains (USA, 10pm)
American Gothic (CBS, 10pm)
Another Period (Comedy Central, 10pm)

#WCW 6.29.16: Best of Woman Crush Wednesday... So Far


This week's Woman Crush Wednesday focuses on all of our WCW picks of 2016 so far!
By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

June 2016
WCW: Zelia Milan
WCW: Rosie Roff
WCW: Valeriya Volkova
WCW: Daphne Joy

May 2016
WCW: Ela Kawalec
WCW: Cindy Mello
WCW: Aisha Thalia
WCW: Ashley Salazar

April 2016
WCW: Ebony Miyu
WCW: Anllela Sagra
WCW: Irina Shayk
WCW: Ashley Martelle

March 2016
WCW: Amanda Lee
WCW: Raven Arce
WCW: Lani Blair
WCW: Annalu Cardoso
WCW: Melanie Iglesias

February 2016
WCW: Gigi Hadid
WCW: Hailey Clauson
WCW: Morgan Hultgren
WCW: Val Mercado

January 2016
WCW: Cami Li
WCW: Livia Gullo
WCW: Josie Canseco
WCW: Sara Underwood
WCW: Best Of 2015 Woman Crush Wednesday

Full Court Press 6.29.16: The Cavs and NBA Free Agency #Cavs #NBAFreeAgency


By Randy Groce, @ImissWiggins


NBA free agency begins this Friday July 1st at 12:00 Midnight. Teams and players are only allowed to negotiate deals, but players are not allowed to actually sign with a team until July 7th. A lot of assuming and mind changing can go on in six days, so as a fan, your best bet would be to actually wait until the players' name is signed on the dotted line before you allow yourself to get too excited (see DeAndre Jordan in 2015).

The defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers have seven free agents of their own this offseason, 5 unrestricted and 2 restricted. LeBron James and Richard Jefferson have pretty much stated that they will return. JR Smith just recently signed to Rich Paul's Klutch Sports Group. The last Cavalier player that was a free agent under them, Tristan Thompson, ended up getting exactly what he wanted and stayed in Cleveland. James Jones has a spot as long as he wants, which leaves Timofey Mozgov as the only unrestricted free agent that the Cavs will not try to re-sign.
Matthew Dellavedova and Jordan McRae are restricted free agents, but it has almost been decided that McRae's option for next year will be picked up. Delly will probably be the one that will be the most difficult for the Cavs to make a decision on. His offensive game has improved, and he does an excellent job leading the second unit. The problem with that is other teams see this and will absolutely offer more money for his services than the Cavs will want or be able to. This is the main reason the team was able to buy a draft pick and select a point guard. 

During the team's playoff run, almost everyone on the roster was helpful and involved. Once the team reached the Finals, the rotation was knocked down to only seven players. When you have LeBron James and Kyrie Irving that can work a few times, but it's not sustainable. The Cavs' bench needs to get younger. Jefferson is 36, Mo Williams is 33 (34 when the 2017 playoffs start), Jones is 35, and Channing Frye is 33, (34 when the 2017 playoffs start). Cavs' GM David Griffin has stated that the roster will not be blown up, nor should it, but personally I would like to see them let Jones and Jefferson walk. 

The Cavs have a $9.7 million dollar trade exception, so it's possible they can obtain a player using that. A perfect move would've been trading the exception to Memphis for Lance Stephenson and his $9.2 million dollar option for next year. Unfortunately on Monday, the Grizzlies decided to decline the option, making Stephenson a free agent.
Two players that I really want, Nicholas Batum and Jeremy Lin, will cost more than what the Cavs have to offer. The only way to get younger and improve would be to get a guy like Marvin Williams, Kent Bazemore, or Gerald Henderson. These players could be willing to sign for one or two years and take a pay cut to come and play for a title contender. Also, don't rule out former LeBron teammate from his time in Miami, Norris Cole. 

Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge is the wild card.

Over the past year he has made it clear that he is trying to trade for a superstar. He was unable to make a move before last season's trade deadline and he was unable to make one on draft day last week. He's not going to give up, but he's going to have to sweeten the pot if he wants a team to give up one of their best players. GM's around the league have stated that since he's had so much success in getting over on the last couple of trades he's made, he's basically low balling every team he talks to. I believe if he's not able to pry Jimmy Butler out of Chicago, David Griffin will get a phone call pretty soon regarding Kevin Love. Despite Griffin's insistence that he's not willing to mess up the team's chemistry, he still would have to make a decision that makes sense. 

We're only a couple of days away, so expect to hear every rumor imaginable. I must admit that for the first time in my life, I couldn't care less what happens on July 1st or any day after that. The Cleveland Cavaliers are World Champs, I'll worry about this stuff in February around the trade deadline.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

TV Tonight 6.28


By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

MLB
Indians @ Braves (STO, 7pm)
Mets @ Nationals OR Red Sox @ Rays (MLB, 7pm)

WNBA
Dallas Wings @ Los Angeles Sparks (ESPN 2, 10pm)

MMA & BOXING
Premier Boxing Champions (FOX Sports 1, 9pm)

OTHER SPORTS
U.S. Olympic Trials (NBC, 8pm)
National Pro Fastpitch Softball: Chicago Bandits @ USSSA Pride (CBS SportsNet, 8pm)

COLLEGE BASEBALL
NCAA World Series Championship Game 2: Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina (ESPN, 8pm)

======

Hotel Hell (FOX, 8pm)
Pretty Little Liars (Freeform, 8pm)

America's Got Talent (NBC, 9pm)
Uncle Buck (ABC, 9pm)
Coupled (FOX, 9pm)
Zoo, SEASON PREMIERE (CBS, 9pm)
IMPACT Wrestling (POP TV, 9pm)
Animal Kingdom (TNT, 9pm)
Music Moguls (BET, 9pm)
Dead Of Summer (Freeform, 9pm)

To Tell The Truth (ABC, 10pm)
Chopped (Food Network, 10pm)
Wrecked (TBS, 10pm)
Feed The Beast (AMC, 10pm)
Not Safe With Nikki Glaser (Comedy Central, 10:30pm)

Wild N' On Tour (MTV 2, 11pm)
Guy Code vs. Girl Code (MTV 2, 11:30pm)

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon 6.28.16: RAW Results #RAW

By Brandon Albright, @B_Rock1978

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon, brought to you by Triple Threat CLE, is back with this week's RAW Recap Edition. 

This week's RAW was live in Tampa, Florida. WWE Women's Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke battled Paige and Sasha Banks in tag team action. WWE United States Champion Rusev battled Titus O'Neil in a one on one non-title match. John Cena battled Seth Rollins with a shot at being added to the WWE Battleground World Title Match. Enzo and Big Cass battled Carlos Cocci and Mitch Rolde in tag team action. Becky Lynch battled Summer Rae in women's division action. Chris Jericho returned with The Highlight Reel, with special guests Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The Miz defended the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Kane. Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio team up and battle Apollo Crews and Cesaro in tag team action. In the main event AJ Styles battled WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose in a non-title match. If Styles wins he'll be added to the WWE Battleground World Title Match.

*** RAW ***

- Seth Rollins Promo: Rollins says that at WWE Battleground we finally get the dream match we've all wanted, all three Shield members in a triple threat match. Rollins brings up Roman Reigns' suspension and laughs at Reigns' mistakes. Rollins says Reigns doesn't deserve a second chance, he owns him and thinks Reigns should be dropped from the triple threat match. Dean Ambrose's music hits and out comes the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Ambrose says Reigns made a mistake, he regrets ever becoming friends with Rollins and he's looking forward to the triple threat match. AJ Styles' music hits and out comes the Phenomenal One. Styles says he beat John Cena so maybe that triple threat match should change to Rollins, Ambrose and Styles. Ambrose says Reigns won't be dropped, so Styles suggests a fatal four way match. John Cena's music hits and out comes the 15-Time World Champ. Cena wants to known if Ambrose wants to face the WWE franchise. Stephanie McMahon interrupts finally and comes to a final decision. Stephanie says what happened to Reigns is an embarrassment and Ambrose as champion has her mortified. Stephanie announces that Cena will battle Rollins and Styles will battle Ambrose. If Styles and Cena win then they will be added to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE Battleground.

- Paige and Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte and Dana Brooke: The match closes out with Sasha getting the tag and unloading on Dana. Paige attacks Charlotte and drops her on the floor. Sasha taunts Charlotte and then makes Dana tap out to the Banks Statement. After the match, both teams continue to talk trash to each other.
Winners: Paige and Sasha Banks, by submission.

- Rusev vs. Titus O'Neil: The match closes out with Titus hitting a shoulder and a clothesline that chases Rusev outside. Titus and Rusev brawl on the floor as Rusev tried to walk out. Titus sends Rusev through the barricade and gets back into the ring, winning the match as Rusev gets counted out.
Winner: Titus O'Neil, by count out.

- Backstage, Kane asks Stephanie McMahon for one chance at running Smackdown. Stephanie says no because she'll be running the show. The Miz and Maryse interrupt next and aren't happy with the reception they've gotten tonight. Kane and Miz both promote their movies and Stephanie puts Miz in a match against a mystery opponent with his WWE Intercontinental Championship on the line.

- "If Cena Wins He's Added To The WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match At WWE Battleground": Seth Rollins vs. John Cena: The match closes out with Cena countering a Rollins cross body and hits the AA for a near fall. Cena goes for the STF submission, but Rollins escapes. AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson suddenly appear and head to the ring. Styles jumps on the apron and distracts Cena long enough to let Rollins hit the Pedigree for the pinfall.
Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall.

- Enzo and Big Cass vs. Carlos Cocci and Mitch Rolde: The match closes out with Enzo and Cass getting the quick win with the double team Rocket Launcher. After the match, The Social Outcasts interrupt and brag about being away making The Marine 5 with The Miz. Enzo and Cass end up laying out the Outcasts and chasing them from the ring. 
Winners: Enzo and Big Cass, by pinfall.

- Renee Young and Big Show promote The Special Olympics and WWE teaming up.

- Summer Rae vs. Becky Lynch: Nattie Neidhart was on commentary. The match never happens as Becky attacks Nattie and they brawl until getting separated.
Winner: No Contest

- The Highlight Reel, With Special Guests Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn: Zayn says that his feud with Owens is becoming an obsession, it's hurting their careers and wants to end it at WWE Battleground. Owens and Zayn take verbal shots at each other and Owens agrees to the match. Chris Jericho states that their match won't be anywhere near as great as what Jericho will have at WWE Battleground. Zayn and Owens both lay out Jericho to end the segment.

- "WWE Intercontinental Championship Match": The Miz (c) vs. Kane: Kane was chosen by Stephanie McMahon. The match closes out with Miz getting nailed with a Kane punch as Miz came off the top rope. Kane goes for the choke slam on Miz, but Maryse distracts Kane. Maryse looks to have suffered an injury and Miz goes to check on her. Miz takes Maryse backstage and gets counted out.
Winner: Kane, by count out. Miz retains the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

- Backstage, Maryse reveals to The Miz that she faked her injury. Miz calls it the most amazing Emmy deserving performance he's ever seen.    

- Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio vs. Apollo Crews and Cesaro: The match closes out with Sheamus landing a near fall with the Irish Curse back breaker. Del Rio eventually gets fed up with Sheamus as his partner, slaps Sheamus in the face and lays Sheamus out with an enziguri. Del Rio leaves as Crews hits the Apollo Bomb on Sheamus for the pinfall. 
Winners: Apollo Crews and Cesaro, by pinfall.

- Backstage, Stephanie McMahon interrupts Dean Ambrose and is appalled that Ambrose is the world champion. Stephanie hopes AJ Styles wins tonight so he can end this nightmare. Ambrose says deep down he knows Stephanie likes him. Stephanie walks away disgusted.

- The New Day Promo: The New Day come out dressed as the Wyatt Family and mock them. The Wyatt's interrupt and promise that New Day will be no more soon and New Day will fall.

- "If Styles Wins He's Added To The WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match At WWE Battleground": Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles: The match closes out with Ambrose escaping the Calf Crusher submission and then hits a suicide dive on Styles. Styles hits a Pele Kick, Ambrose hits the rebound clothesline and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson arrive at ringside. Styles gets a near fall brain buster on Ambrose during the distraction. John Cena hits ringside and starts swinging on Gallows and Anderson. Styles gets distracted and hit with Dirty Deeds by Ambrose for the pinfall. After the match, Seth Rollins hits the ring and hits a Pedigree on Ambrose.
All three Club members beat down Cena up onto the RAW stage. Gallows and Anderson deliver Magic Killer on Cena on the stage. Rollins, meanwhile, hits another Pedigree on Ambrose. RAW ends with Rollins holding the WWE World Title and standing over Ambrose and The Club standing over Cena.
Winner: Dean Ambrose, by pinfall.

Monday, June 27, 2016

TV Tonight 6.27


By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

MLB
Indians @ Braves (STO, 7pm)
Mets @ Nationals OR Cubs @ Reds (MLB, 7pm)

COLLEGE BASEBALL
NCAA World Series Championship Game 1: (ESPN, 7pm)

SOCCER
2016 UEFA European Championship: Italy vs. Spain (ESPN 2, 6pm)
2016 UEFA European Championship: England vs. Iceland (ESPN 2, 8pm)

OTHER SPORTS
National Pro Fastpitch Softball: Akron Racers @ USSSA Pride (CBS SportsNet, 6:30pm)
U.S. Olympic Trials: Swimming Finals (NBC, 8pm)

======

WWE Raw (USA, 8pm)
The Bachelorette (ABC, 8pm)
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX, 8pm)
American Dad (TBS, 8:30pm)

American Ninja Warrior (NBC, 9pm)
Houdini & Doyle (FOX, 9pm)
12 Monkeys (SyFy, 9pm)
Rizzoli @ Isles (TNT, 9pm)
Angie Tribeca (TBS, 9pm & 9:30pm)

TURN: Washington's Spies SEASON FINALE (AMC, 10pm)
Mistresses (ABC, 10pm)
BrainDead (CBS, 10pm)
Major Crimes (TNT, 10pm)
Are You The One? (MTV, 10pm)

Scream (MTV, 11pm)

One Week Later... This Is A Dream Right? #Cavs


By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy


Is this all a dream?  I’m going to wake up any second, right?  I mean Cleveland is a World Champion once again, after 52 years.  It’s been a week and yet I still think I’m going to wake up from this dream and the Cavs will still be down 3-1 and on the brink of elimination.  Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to make sure this is real.  Last Sunday I remember walking into my weekend job and telling everyone I was working with, “We got this!”.  Was it overconfidence after the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the series at 3-3?  Or was it for the first time as a fan whether it was false hope or not, I truly believed it was our moment that night.  That evening I went downtown with friends from work, we got into Downtown Cleveland at 5:30 to see the whole city was jammed with people ready to go for Game 7.  We spent the next 2 1/2 hours walking around from The Clevelander, to the madhouse on East 4th St, and ended up watching the game at Barrio standing at the bar with everyone jammed together there to watch the game.

Now my friends who I was watching the game with, this was their 1st Game 7 Championship game.  I told them numerous times that I’ve waited 19 years to avenge the Indians heartbreaking loss to the Marlins.  I explained to them how hard this game was going to be for me, that they were lucky they are going into this game unaware of the emotional roller coaster they would be on.  I think they are the lucky ones at the end of the day because they had no idea how to feel during the duration of the game.

As the game started we saw at first the Cavs and Warriors battle back and forth, then Draymond Green hit everything in sight.  I felt sick to my stomach as my best friend played with Draymond at Michigan State and the last thing I wanted was for Draymond to beat us.  It seemed like the man was possessed shooting the ball.  It seemed like the Cavs were playing lackadaisical basketball and it infuriated me going into halftime.  For a moment I felt like it was the same old story, but then I saw the shooting percentages.  Golden State couldn’t miss and the Cavs were missing everything.  At that moment I said this, “If they beat us by shooting lights out, that’s their game and good for them”.  But I also thought in this time that Golden State couldn’t shoot like this forever.

Then out of nowhere it seemed… god bless you, JR Smith.  Coming out of Halftime it seemed the tables had turned, it suddenly was the Cavs who were coming out firing and the Warriors seemed lackadaisical.  Once JR got the Warriors lead down to 1, I started to feel that confidence of winning this game was back.  The Cavs by the end of the 3rd had cut the deficit down to 1 and I looked at my friends saying, “Win the 4th Quarter…that’s all we need to do”.

That 4th Quarter was unlike anything I experienced in my life.  You were on the edge of your seat the whole time and it felt like two Boxing legends were trading blows back and forth and it was a test of who would fall first.  With around 3:00 to go, Steph Curry had a wide open 3 to break open the game and really start to put away the Cavs…he missed!  The Cavs at the same time were struggling to make a shot as well and the Warriors got another shot.  This time it was the red hot Draymond Green who got a good look and once again…he missed!  At this moment, I sensed something different was going down.

Think about it. Normally the script for, “Old Cleveland” would be the Warriors would’ve made one of those 2 shots, the Cavs would answer and right at the end, the Warriors would make the big shot and win the game.  This script wasn’t happening and for me it became a question of who would take that dagger shot for the Cavs.  As we all know that man would end up being Kyrie Irving, who got the 1-on-1 matchup with Steph Curry and buried that 3 with about 1:00 to go.  Man… Barrio and everyone surrounding the restaurant (you should’ve seen outside the windows of Barrio!) exploded. 
We all sensed something special was happening and when Kevin Love shut down Steph Curry with his defense and forced the bad shot that led to LeBron’s  dunk that turned into a foul that sent him to the line.  Understand… KEVIN LOVE STOPPED STEPH CURRY!  LeBron would shake off his injury and go to the line.  We all knew, just make 1 Free Throw.  LeBron missed his first but nobody panicked, which looking back was odd for Cleveland.  We all knew he was going to make his 2nd shot.  When that 2nd shot went it…madness!  There may have been about 13 seconds to go, but we knew it was over.

The final seconds ticked down and we knew the drought was over, I grab my friends and we’re jumping up and down in excitement and we all run out of Barrio and onto the street and already the streets were packed with people.  I walked down prospect still in shock and suddenly a random person who was probably 6’5", 300 was running down the street and ran towards me to do a chest bump in celebration.  I had no time to react and he absolutely leveled me down to the street pavement and ended up scraping my right arm, hurt my left shoulder, and my ribs hurt for a day.  He apologized and I simply told him to not worry and go celebrate.  My friends and I got to East 9th to see it shut down because of the amount of fans blocking the street.  I was about to cry out of this sight of people celebrating with love and happiness.  They were giving high fives to anyone in cars who approached the street.  It was something that I dreamed I would see and doubted I would live to see it.

At this point I called my father, who I watched Game 7 in 1997 with and cried next to him until I fell asleep.  How fitting it was to fall on Fathers Day and I called and the one thing I wanted to do throughout this playoff run was to tell him, “IT’S OVER”.  I got through and as I told him, I broke down into tears.  Understand, my Dad isn’t a huge sports fan (let alone a Basketball fan), but he wanted to see this drought end.  He was alive to see the Browns win the last Championship back in 1964.  I told him, “It’s over Dad, we did it” I was crying the whole time and I asked to talk to my mother as well.

Again it was fitting on Father’s Day this occurred.  I prayed from Game 5 on to my Zayde (Hebrew for Grandfather), who passed away in 2002 to give the Cavs the heart and strength to pull this off.  Understand this about my Zayde, he is the definition of a Warrior (not a GS one), he had heart problems all his life, had countless heart attacks and close calls.  He always fought and won until the rest of his body shut down.  When he passed it wasn’t because of his heart failing, it was the rest of his body shutting down.  He taught me was strength is and I prayed for the Cavs to have that strength.  I told my mother this because in a way, although my Zayde was from Detroit, he wanted me to experience a Championship and on Father’s Day I believe his spirit was there in the Cavs, giving them the strength to pull this MiraCLE off.

I got texts afterwards from friends out of town saying if Cleveland can win a Championship, so can my team.  In one night, Cleveland became the joke of the sporting world to the ray of hope to every snakebitten franchise in sports.  It’s truly unbelievable how one Championship can change the outlook for a city.  Anyone who doubted it before, can’t deny it now.

I was there for the parade and it felt totally like an out of body experience to me.  To see the lines at the RTA Rapid station, to see at 9:30AM the E. 9th St. was pretty much jammed was unreal.  The parade was a celebration of not just the Cavs, but Cleveland.  I love how the Lake Erie Monsters were part of the parade to celebrate the Calder Cup (I feel sorry too because they will go to Columbus next).  To see Jim Brown, Earnest Byner among the Cleveland legends on hand to experience this was great and it was also nice to see MGK having fun performing.  When the Cavs players came out, you could see the love the Cavs players have for the fans, they were posing for photos, coming out of the cars to shake hands, signing random autographs that somehow had to find their way back to the people who gave them the memorabilia.  It was unreal.

So one week later, I ask myself, this was a dream right?  No it wasn’t a dream, this really happened.  Our time arrived and we got to live what a lot of fans thought they’d never see.  This week I’m not going to forget for the rest of my life.  There aren’t that many fanbases that will experience the same sense of euphoria that Cleveland fans felt.  For most fans in LA, Chicago, NY, Florida, Texas they probably get a World Champion once every couple of years.  It’s almost routine to them.  Cleveland waited 52 years for this moment and like myself, still fans don’t believe this is real.

Hey Cleveland, this is real!  The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship.  Forget about the past and believe brighter days are right around the corner for this city.  Who knows Cleveland…you want to do this all over again in October?  Because now that we’ve had one, let’s keep this positivity going so we can experience this all over again.

So this is what it feels like to win a World Championship?  Man, this is the greatest feeling in the world.  It was well worth the wait.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

TV Tonight 6.26


By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

MLB
Dodgers @ Pirates (ESPN, 8pm)

SOCCER
MLS: Houston Dynamo @ Portland Timbers (ESPN 2, 6pm)
2016 Copa America Centenario Final: Argentina vs. Chile (FOX Sports 1, 8pm)

OTHER SPORTS
U.S. Olympic Trials: Diving (NBC, 5pm)
U.S. Olympic Trials: Diving (NBC, 7pm)
U.S. Olympic Trials: Swimming Finals (NBC, 8pm)
Gymnastics: P&G Championships (NBC, 9pm)

====

2016 BET Awards Live Red & Ready! (BET, 6pm)

2016 BET Awards; hosted by Anthony Anderson & Tracee Ellis Ross (BET/Multiple Channels, 8pm)
Celebrity Family Feud; Kellie Pickler vs. Lance Bass/ Ernie Hudson vs. Nene Leakes (ABC, 8pm)

The $100,00 Pyramid; Sherri Shepherd vs. Anthony Anderson/ Rosie O'Donnell vs. Kathy Najimy (ABC, 9pm)
Game Of Thrones SEASON FINALE (HBO, 9pm)
Preacher (AMC, 9pm)
Ray Donovan (Showtime, 9pm)
The Last Ship (TNT, 9pm)

Match Game (ABC, 10pm)
Ride With Norman Reedus (AMC, 10pm)
Roadies (Showtime, 10pm)
Silicon Valley SEASON FINALE (HBO, 10pm)
Murder In The First (TNT, 10pm)
Veep SEASON FINALE (HBO, 10:30pm)

Last Week Tonight (HBO, 11pm)

Championship Night Through The Eyes Of A Clevelander #Cavs


By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE


There is comfort in familiarity…

And for a Cleveland sports fan, there is familiarity in pain.  

This isn’t a recap of the Cavaliers championship.  It’s a look at that night through the eyes of a Cleveland fan.  But more importantly than being a Cleveland fan, I’m a Clevelander.  

As I sat on my couch getting ready for game 7 of the NBA Finals at the end of my first Father’s Day, my son asleep in his crib, and my wife on the adjacent couch, I felt comfortable.  I wasn’t worried about the pain of losing a Game 7 and a championship.  I knew that pain.  I was familiar with that pain.  And so, I was comfortable with it.  Honestly, I was a little too comfortable.  

I knew how I would feel if we lost.  I knew what I would do.  I was at peace.  

I would watch the clock dwindle to zero, take a deep breath and stare at the ground.  I wouldn’t be mad, but I would be upset.  I would wonder if we ran into a dynasty with the Warriors.  Off-season trades were already going through my head and what type of move we could make with Kevin Love to beat the Warriors next year.  I would finish my drink, shut down Twitter and the TV, and take myself to bed.  

As painful as that sounds, I was comfortable with it.  Again, it was familiar, and there is comfort in familiarity.  

But as the fourth quarter began I moved the edge of my seat.  Most of the rest of the game was watched there or standing.  I sipped bourbon and refreshed Twitter in between plays, and as the Cavs battled back and forth it became apparent that we might actually pull this out.  

And then it happened; The Block, The Shot, and The Lock.  

As the clock struck zero, I stood up with my hands in the air.  I looked at my wife, and I didn’t know what to do.  

This was a new feeling.  This was winning. 

Am I supposed to yell?  Should I run around the block screaming?  Do I drive around the neighborhood honking my horn blasting the 1980’s Cavs song?  

I walked over to my wife and hugged and kissed her.  With a tear streaming down my cheek I told her “congratulations, you’re a champion.”  We are all champions.

That night I shed tears of joy for this city.  The city that I call home.  The city that I vehemently defend against hack sports writers that have never been here and don't know a damn thing about this city and its people.  The city that deserves this championship more than any other city.  The city that found comfort in pain.  I love this city. 

This was a new feeling.  That night we became champions. We handled that responsibility with excitement, respectability and class.  We high-fived, hugged, and clanked glasses with total strangers in celebration.  But we were never really total strangers.  We’re Clevelanders.  And now I can find comfort in knowing that so much of the world was watching us become the champions that we were always ready to be.

Weekend 3 Count 6.26.16 #WWE #NXT #TNA #Lucha #ROH #NJPW

By Brandon Albright, @B_Rock1978

Wrestling Lockup with Brandon, brought to you by Triple Threat CLE brings you the Weekend 3 Count. W3C brings you wrestling news, rumors and recaps from around the wrestling world. You'll find news and recaps involving WWE, NXT, TNA, ROH, Lucha Underground, GFW, NJPW, House of Hardcore and any Indy promotion that I find an interesting story or a cool discovery in. Be sure to check out the W3C every Sunday afternoon at @TripleThreatCLE. 

*** WWE/NXT ***

- Roman Reigns Suspended: In a breaking and shocking news story on Tuesday afternoon, WWE announced the official suspension of Roman Reigns. Reigns (Joe Anoa'i) was suspended for 30 days for his first offense in violating the company's talent wellness policy. Reigns tweeted out the following on Twitter after the announcement:

"I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE's wellness policy. No excuses. I own it."

- Did Roman Reigns' Suspension Change Things?: Sources are saying that the original ending scripted for the Reigns vs. Rollins match at WWE Money In The Bank was for Reigns to defeat Rollins. Dean Ambrose meanwhile was not supposed to cash in his WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract yet. With WWE learning of Reigns failing his drug test, they immediately rewrote the ending of the show.

- Will There Still Be A Triple Threat Match At WWE Battleground?: According to sources, Reigns will be back in time to still compete in the scheduled Triple Threat Match at WWE Battleground, between the three members of Shield. On the day Reigns was suspended 30 days, there was still 33 days left until WWE Battleground, putting Reigns back within 3 days of the pay per view. Sources are also saying that rumors are that Reigns will win the title back immediately on his return, which if true, means Dean Ambrose is just holding the title till Reigns returns.

- Money In The Bank Madness: Be sure to check out my recap of Money In The Bank and check out how the WWE World Heavyweight Championship changed hands not once, but twice.

- Stone Cold Podcast With AJ Styles: After RAW went off the air this past Monday, Steve Austin brought us the latest edition of his podcast on WWE Network. This time around Austin sat down with The Phenomenal AJ Styles. Austin and Styles talked about Styles growing up with an alcoholic father, getting into wrestling, his opinion on Shawn Michaels, his short run in WCW, working in TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling, his WWE Royal Rumble debut, meeting with Triple H and joining WWE.

- Upcoming WWE Pay Per View Schedule: With the brand split coming up, WWE officially announced that RAW and Smackdown would both have their own pay per views monthly except for the Big 4 pay per view months. The following pay per view schedule was leaked but it's not official as of yet.

- WWE Summer Slam - August 21st in Brooklyn, both brands
- WWE Backlash, September 11th in Richmond, SmackDown event
- WWE Clash of the Champions, September 25th in Indianapolis, RAW event
- WWE No Mercy, October 9th in Sacramento, SmackDown event
- WWE Hell In a Cell, October 30th in Boston, RAW event
- WWE Survivor Series, November 20th in Toronto, both brands
- WWE TLC, December 4th in Dallas, SmackDown event
- WWE Roadblock, December 18th in Pittsburgh, RAW event

- Royal Rumble 2017 Location Announced: According to F4WOnline.com, the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble PPV will be taking place at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Staples Center had previously been the regular home of WWE’s annual SummerSlam PPV, but with WWE successfully selling out three nights in Brooklyn over SummerSlam weekend last year, the decision was made to keep SummerSlam in New York City again this year. The WWE decided to use the Staples Center and their Hollywood vibe for the beginning stages of the Road to Wrestlemania 33 to kick off 2017. 

- Daniel Bryan And Mauro Ranallo Calling The WWE Cruiserweight Classic: WWE announced on Wednesday that they have chosen Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranallo as the hosts for the upcoming WWE Cruiserweight Classic 32 Man Tournament. The tournament kicks off with first round action on July 13th. 

- Cleveland Cavaliers Get A Custom Made Title: Monday morning, Triple H sent out his love to our Cleveland Cavaliers for winning the NBA Championship and is sending us a custom made WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

- WWE and Pabst Blue Ribbon: Last month PBR put a cease and desist order on WWE's new John Cena apparel that was set to hit the shop zone at the end of May, forcing WWE to make changes. John Cena posted on Twitter that things are now cool with WWE and PBR and they accept Cena's new T-shirt. 

- Who Was The Best Smackdown General Manager?: With the brand extension coming up soon, a couple weeks ago I did a list of worst to first of RAW general managers. This week let's hit the blue brand and do a worst to first of Smackdown general managers. Who was your favorite Smackdown GM?

#8. John Laurinaitis
#7. Vince McMahon
#6. Kurt Angle
#5. Paul Heyman
#4. Booker T.
#3. Stephanie McMahon
#2. Vickie Guerrero
#1. Teddy Long


*** TNA ***

- TNA Impact TV Recap:
-- Drew Galloway demands a match against Ethan Carter. Galloway and EC3 get into a heated argument until Bobby Lashley and Eli Drake interrupt and challenge Galloway and EC3 to a tag match.
-- Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter defeated Bobby Lashley and Eli Drake, by pinfall, after EC3 hit the One Percenter on Drake and Galloway scored the pinfall. With this win, both Galloway and EC3 earned future TNA World Heavyweight Championship Matches.
-- Bram gets beaten down by The Decay, after Rosemary tries to seduce Bram into joining The Decay. Rosemary sprays mist in Bram's face, which led to the beat down.
-- Marti Belle defeated Jade, by pinfall, after hitting Jade with her baton.
-- The Bennett's threaten to sue Dixie Carter. Billy Corgan tells Dixie to take a week off and cool down. Mike Bennett thanks Corgan, asks for a TNA X-Division Championship Match and Corgan gives it to him.
-- Mike Bennett defeated Eddie Edwards, by pinfall, after a rollup and using the ropes for leverage, to win the TNA X-Division Championship.
-- Braxton Sutter defeated Rockstar Spud, by pinfall, after a Flatliner. After the match, Spud low blows Sutter and beats him with a belt.
-- Jeff Hardy defeated Matt Hardy, by pinfall, in a Six Sides Of Steel Match. Jeff climbed a ladder in the corner of the cage, leaped off and hit a Swanton Bomb on Matt through a table. Matt also had a chair and ladder stacked on top of him.

- Chelsea Green Signs With TNA: This past Monday, TNA announced the signing of Chelsea Green to the company. Chelsea was a former WWE Tough Enough contestant and also graduated from Lance Storm's Wrestling Academy. It is unknown when Chelsea will make her in ring debut.

- Resigned Talent: TNA officially announced they have resigned Trevor Lee and Rockstar Spud to new contracts.

- Top 10 Worst TNA X-Division Champions: With the TNA X-Division Championship changing hands again this week, a new top 10 was posted this week of the top 10 worst TNA X-Division Champions. Who would you consider one of the worst?

#10. Eric Young
#9. Michael Shane and Kazarian
#8. Suicide
#7. Sheik Abdul Bashir
#6. Rob Van Dam
#5. Johnny Devine
#4. Sonny Siaki
#3. Syxx-Pac
#2. Kurt Angle
#1. Abyss


*** RING OF HONOR ***
- ROH TV Recap:
-- Dalton Castle defeated Gedo, by pinfall, with the Bang A Rang.
-- Tomohiro Ishii defeated Will Ferrara, by pinfall, with the brain buster.
-- Roderick Strong, Jay Lethal and The Briscoes defeated The Bullet Club, by pinfall, in an Eight Man Tag Team Match, after Lethal hit the Jay Driller for the pinfall. After the match, Jay Lethal and Jay Briscoe have a stare down to promote their ROH World Title Match.

*** Best In The World 2016 Recap***
-- Kyle O'Reilly defeated Kamaitachi, by submission, with an arm bar submission.
-- ACH defeated Silas Young, by pinfall, after hitting the Midnight Star. 
-- Mark Briscoe defeated Roderick Strong, by pinfall, after hitting the Fisherman's Buster. After the match, both men hug it out as this was Strong's last ROH match.
-- Adam Cole and The Young Bucks defeated Moose and War Machine, by pinfall, in a Six Man Tag Team Match, after Cole and The Bucks hit a triple super kick, followed by the Meltzer Driver on Moose.
-- The Addiction defeated The Motor City Machine Guns, by pinfall, to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Kamaitachi comes down to ringside and attacks Jay White, who's sitting in the crowd, watching tonight's event. Alex Shelley gets distracted and gets a low blow by The Addiction. The Addiction hit The Best Meltzer Driver Ever for the win. Kamaitachi joins with The Addiction after the match.
-- BJ Whitmer defeated Steve Corino, by pinfall, in a Fight Without Honor Match. Whitmer hit the exploder suplex for the win.
-- Bobby Fish defeated Dalton Castle, by pinfall, to retain the ROH Television Championship, after countering the Bang A Rang and scores a rollup pinfall.
-- Jay Lethal defeated Jay Briscoe, by pinfall, to retain the ROH World Championship. Lethal hit a super cutter on Briscoe from off the top rope and then hit the Lethal Injection for the win. After the match, Lethal and Briscoe shake hands to end the show.

- Roderick Strong Update: Strong officially announced that this past Saturday night was his last match with ROH. Strong is moving on to other wrestling promotions.


*** LUCHA UNDERGROUND ***

- Lucha Underground TV Recap:
-- New signee Night Claw is given a medallion by Dario Cueto and Night Claw will compete at Ultima Lucha Dos for the Gift of the God’s Championship. Night Claw has a history with Prince Puma.
-- Daga defeated Mascarita Sagrada, by submission, with a crossface, to win a medallion. After the match, Famous B turns on Sagrada with a super kick and beats Sagrada down with his boot.
-- Dario Cueto tells Azteca that his brother didn't kill his master. Black Lotus did it.
-- Killshot, Sinestro De La Muerte and Marty The Moth defeated Joey Ryan, Cortez Castro and Mr. Cisco, by pinfall, in a Six Man Tag Team Match, after a double stomp by Killshot to Cisco, to win medallions.
-- Ivelisse and Taya Valkyrie defeated Mariposa and Sexy Star, by pinfall, after Mariposa hits White Noise on Taya, to win medallions.
-- Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio agree to face each other one on one to see who's more superior, the newcomer to Lucha or the veteran.


*** NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING ***

*** NJPW Dominion 2016 Recap ***
-- Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Manabu Nakanishi defeated Jay White, David Finlay and Juice Robinson, by submission, in a Six Man Tag Team Match. The end came when Tenzan applied the Anaconda Vice for the tap out victory.
-- Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and Adam Page defeated Togi Makabe, Yoshitatsu and Captain New Japan, by pinfall, in a Six Man Tag Team Match. Page hit the Last Rites on Captain to score the pinfall. After the match, Captain was hung by The Bullet Club.
-- Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI defeated SANADA and BUSHI, by submission, after Ishii made SANADA tap out to a rear naked choke.
-- Hirooki Goto defeated EVIL, by pinfall, after Goto hit the Ushigoroshi and the GTR for the win.
-- The Young Bucks defeated Matt Sydal and Ricochet, ReDRagon and RPG Vice, in a Fatal Four Way Elimination Match to win the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship. The Bucks hit the Meltzer Driver on Sydal to score the final pinfall.
-- KUSHIDA defeated Will Ospreay, by submission, with the Hover Board Lock, to retain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
-- The Briscoes defeated Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, by pinfall, with the Doomsday Device, to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. After the match, Adam Page and Takahashi attack The Briscoes and The Bullet Club hang Mark Briscoe.
-- Katsuyori Shibata defeated Yuji Nagata, by pinfall, after hitting the PK, to win the IWGP NEVER Openweight Championship.
-- Michael Elgin defeated Kenny Omega, in a Ladder Match, to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
-- Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito, by pinfall, with the Rainmaker, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.


*** OTHER NEWS ***

- Kurt Angle Says He'll Be Back In WWE Soon: This past week, Kurt Angle himself has come out and said publicly that he will be returning to World Wrestling Entertainment, although when this happens is as yet unknown. Angle stated that he has had meetings recently with Triple H and Vince McMahon both, and things are looking good for a return. WWE have been reaching out to independent wrestlers, free agents and ex-WWE veterans to sign with WWE for their upcoming brand split and draft on July 19th.

- WWE Denies Kurt Angle Comeback: Despite recent speculation and comments from Kurt Angle himself, it appears WWE will not be bringing back the Olympic Gold Medalist. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE confirmed on Thursday that they will not be bringing Angle back.

- David Angle Murder Case: The brother of Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle, David Angle, was in court on Tuesday and pled guilty to killing his wife, Donna Angle, last fall. By pleading guilty, Angle will receive a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, as opposed to the more serious charge of homicide, which was the original charge. Defense Attorney Bill Diffenderfer stated the following to Pittsburgh action news:

“It was really a product of alcohol. And there was a domestic fight where she started smacking him and he stopped her from doing that. His knees were on her chest and basically she suffocated. And he was intoxicated as well and it was almost accidental."

- CM Punk's UFC Debut: After two years in the company, Phil "CM Punk" Brooks will finally have his first official fight at UFC 203 against Mickey Gall, live on September 10th, in Cleveland, Ohio.

- UFC's Paige VanZant Interested In WWE: Paige VanZant recently spoke with ESPN's Hannah Storm and talked about her upcoming fight against Bec Rawling. Paige said she's 100% focused on UFC, but if the timing was right she'd love to do something involving the WWE. Paige said she loves the WWE and would love to work a storyline with them when the timing is right.

- Cody Rhodes And WWE Talk: PWInsider have said that WWE have spoken to Cody Rhodes the past few days. WWE has been interested in signing Cody Rhodes to a deal similar to a Legends Contract. This would allow WWE to release merchandise and other items with Cody's likeness. It's possible that WWE had merchandise planned for Stardust, perhaps through a third-party like Mattel, and are offering Cody a deal so they can legally move forward with the plans. There has been no talk of Cody returning to work for WWE as a wrestler.

And that's this week's W3C! Join me every Sunday afternoon as I bring you news, recaps and rumors all around the wrestling world!