an is on deck. "We want to get a win, man," Earnh

Considered by many to be the greatest professional wrestler in history, Ric Flair has a hot take to share with you regarding his daughter, former NXT and WWE womens champion?Charlotte.I think shes the greatest female [wrestler] of all time right now, and I dont think thats being biased, Flair told ESPN.com. I dont know what the argument would be for anyone else.If you think the 16-time world champions opinion is compromised by his beaming pride as a father, you would be correct. But take a moment and think about what hes actually saying -- because he may not be wrong.Charlotte, born Ashley Fliehr in the Queen city in North Carolina that her character was named for, is the closest thing to a natural that pro wrestling has seen in years -- helped by her meteoric four-year rise from a novice to the undisputed face of the WWEs womens revolution.At 5-foot-10, Charlotte has the size and strength alone to convincingly dominate the division -- and thats exactly what she has done, holding the Divas and rebranded WWEs womens championship for a combined 309 days before losing to Sasha Banks on July 25, which sets up Sundays return match at SummerSlam. Its ultimately her athleticism, including a breathtaking moonsault from the top rope, that sets the 30-year-old apart.I think if you take Ashleys height, weight and athletic skills, I think shes the best athlete -- man or woman -- in the company, Flair said. I would pretty much put her in a footrace or a high jump [against anyone]. How do you want to measure? She could have been a Division I athlete in four different sports and chose volleyball.Flair says his daughter received 104 college scholarship offers, including 39 for volleyball -- a sport she didnt begin playing until her freshman year at Providence High School in Charlotte. She turned down multiple offers in the Big 10 to stay close to home at Appalachian State University (before transferring to North Carolina State, from which she graduated in 2010).The idea of following in her fathers footsteps never appeared to be in the cards, especially with her success after college as a personal trainer. Flair knew she had it in her, but greatly questioned whether she would enjoy the hard lifestyle and travel demands.It would take a pair of life-changing events to alter her path.In March 2012, she attended WrestleMania weekend in Miami as Flair, the WWEs only two-time Hall of Famer, was inducted a second time as a member of The Four Horsemen. Backstage, Charlotte was approached by John Laurinaitis, then the WWEs on-screen general manager of Raw, who asked her why she wasnt wrestling.If the seeds for pro wrestling greatness were planted deep within her from the beginning, it would take the timing of Laurinaitis words to water them.She looked at me and I knew right away, Flair said. Six weeks later, she signed a developmental contract with the WWE and packed her bags for Florida as she headed down to NXT.But it would take the loss of her younger brother Reid -- an aspiring pro wrestler in his own right who was found dead in March 2013 at the age of 25 following a battle with substance abuse -- to provide Charlotte with the motivation to be great.I think she dedicated herself to being what Reid dreamed he would always be, Flair said. She has just taken it to another level.Four months after her brothers death, Charlotte made her television debut with NXT. Nearly two years to the day, in July 2015, she was called up to the WWE main roster.Admittedly, the physical part of the job came easy to the accomplished athlete. It was the evolution of her character, particularly on the microphone, that became her biggest challenge.When I was a baby face it was like, How do I pretend just to be me? Charlotte said. Because Im kind of goofy, so just walking out there, the more nervous I get, I go into that dominant, cant-be-touched, superior mode. Thats like me just covering up being nervous.Charlotte credits an eventual heel turn with allowing her character to be free, claiming it was easier to play a character so far removed from her true self.It really gave me an opportunity to have some personality, Charlotte said. For me, being a heel comes more natural because Charlottes character was created upon being genetically superior, which is hard to tell people as a baby face and come across endearing.For the majority of her main-roster run, Charlotte had her father by her side as a heel manager, routinely helping her character cheat to win. Flair called it the most rewarding time of his career and his crowning achievement, even if it was difficult at times.Shes pretty bossy, Flair said, before letting out a huge chuckle. Shes so full of herself sometimes and would just tell me off, [saying], Dad, I dont want you doing this. But Ive known her and she knows how good she is, which is really important. You can tell by talking to her, she doesnt like being No. 2.For Charlotte, the pairing was very much a double-edged sword.In one sense, travelling the world together allowed her a special glimpse at what her fathers life had been like all those years. At the same time, she was already dealing with the pressure that comes with being Ric Flairs daughter, using it as a chip on her shoulder to work that much harder. Now, the comparisons were unavoidable.Professionally it was hard because in my mind Im thinking, Oh my gosh, Im walking through the curtain with Ric Flair. Not, Hey my dad is walking beside me, Charlotte said. And No. 2, I want to be booed but my dad is cheered. Am I ever going to be taken serious with him beside me?Charlotte ultimately saw it as a challenge she would take head-on.I looked at it as like, No, these people are going to pay attention to me no matter if hes beside me or not, she said. Because I know that Im capable of being great one day. So I looked at it as, OK, hes beside me. You have to get their attention on your own.When the WWE made the call to break them apart, Charlotte would ultimately get plenty of attention for the manner in which it was executed. During an episode of Raw on May 23, she fired Flair and reduced him to tears by scolding him for being an absent father during her youth.#WomensChampion @MsCharlotteWWE proclaimed that she does NOT need her father @RicFlairNatrBoy anymore on #RAW... https://t.co/VwiIyBF7O3- WWE (@WWE) May 24, 2016The speech felt so real that it was uncomfortable to watch, with many fans at home believing it was a shoot, or at least a version of the truth.It wasnt. Not only is Charlotte quick to point out just how much her dad actually was there during her youth (he attended all of her college volleyball games), the fact that she elicited such an authentic response let her know she had done her job.But what about those tears from The Nature Boy, you might be asking?He was looking up at me with tears of joy, Charlotte said. He was just so proud of me, that I was owning the moment.Flair considers it a turning point in Charlottes progression -- the night she found a whole new level of comfort with her character.I was just thinking how proud I was, Flair said. Everybody thought I was upset. Its amazing. It was probably one of the best promos they have had on TV in a long time. It was just tears of joy for her. She has been through a lot. We, as a family, have been through a lot.If Flair sees flashes of himself in Charlotte, its reduced to their shared mannerisms or equal penchant for looking like a million bucks on screen (which he made a point of explaining to Charlotte, so that she could write it off). In fact, he routinely adds an asterisk when talking about her success, saying, it has nothing to do with me -- adding that Charlotte is 10 times the athlete he ever was.Its clear they share the same passion to be the very best, not just within their division or era, but in the scope of wrestling history.Charlotte has said multiple times over the past year she wants to become the first woman to headline a WWE pay-per-view. With the momentum shes currently riding, which includes her standing as a first-round pick by Raw in last months brand-split draft, its something that doesnt feel far off from where her potential might ultimately lead her.The next step comes Sunday at SummerSlam against?Sasha Banks, the most recent culmination in a rivalry that began in NXT, escalated with a landscape-shifting four-way match with Banks,?Becky Lynch?and?Bayley?at?an?NXT?TakeOver card, continued through a show-stealing triple-threat match Banks and Lynch at WrestleMania 32 and reached another level with Banks win on Raw.I think the match she had with Sasha on Raw is the greatest womens match Ive ever seen, Flair said. I dont have a problem saying this, and I have seen some good ones, certainly Trish [Stratus] and Amy [Lita Dumas] had some great matches. But you would be hard-pressed to say that anything was ever better.Thats whats unique about [Charlotte]. All she could think about is, Dad, we didnt have time to really put it together. I said, Nobody knows that but you. Wait until SummerSlam, wait until SummerSlam! But she has been like that her whole life. She just cant stand being second. I couldnt stand it either. Gil Jersey . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Miranda Brazil Jersey . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.soccerbrazilonline.com/Dani-Alves-Copa-America-Jersey/ . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Ederson Brazil Jersey . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. David Luiz Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action.LONG POND, Pa. - Jimmie Johnson walked into the media centre holding his daughters hand, his pregnant wife right behind them. Their second child is due in September, right around the time of the final race before the Chase field is set. With an automatic berth in NASCARs playoffs secured, Johnson has permission to skip the race for the big birth. "If Chani goes into labour early, I dont have to worry about Richmond," Johnson said. A week after a late penalty denied his chance at a win, Johnson absolutely dominated Sunday at Pocono Raceway, leading 128 of 160 laps for his third victory of the season. "Jimmies switched on right now," crew chief Chad Knaus said. "Hes as good or better as Ive ever seen him." High praise for the five-time champion. Even during his championship run, Johnson rarely cruised like he did on the 2 1/2-mile triangle track. The Sprint Cup points leader, Johnson pulled away on both of the last two restarts over the final 10 laps to pull into Victory Lane at Pocono for the first time since he swept both races in 2004. Johnson was never seriously challenged a week after his run at a possible win at Dover International Speedway was taken away by a penalty off a restart. NASCAR penalized him for jumping leader Juan Pablo Montoya off the restart with 19 laps left and he finished 17th. It was a rare misstep for Johnson but he rebounded just fine at Pocono. "It would have been very easy to come in here with a chip on your shoulder or a grudge," Knaus said. "Jimmie is not that kind of guy." Johnson, though, briefly flirted with the idea of pulling some sort of restart stunt to send a message to NASCAR. He just couldnt bring himself to try and get one over on Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. "I wanted to prove a point and show everyone what could happen in that restart zone," Johnson said. There was no need. The No. 48 Chevrolet was that dialed in. He pretty much only lost the lead because of pit stop cycles. After only one caution in the first 125 laps, they came in bunches over the last 35. Johnson held off Earnhardt with nine laps left and pulled away one more time with four to go. "Hes one of the best drivers this sport has ever seen,&quuot; Earnhardt said.dddddddddddd "Chad Knaus is probably one of the smartest crew chiefs the sport has ever seen." Johnson also won the Daytona 500 and at Martinsville Speedway this season. His 63rd career Cup victory helped stretch his points lead to 51 over Carl Edwards. Johnson won from the pole after rain washed out qualifying Friday. Odds are, Johnson wont really skip a race, especially with the due date in mid-September. But if he has that top seed locked up and is needed in a pinch, hell put family first. "Thats what Im working so hard for," Johnson said. Greg Biffle was second and Earnhardt. Dover winner Tony Stewart was fourth, followed by fellow Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Newman. "I really didnt have anything for Jimmie," Biffle said. "Jimmie was in a league of his own." Earnhardt would love a repeat of last season when he was in contention at Pocono before settling for eighth, then won the next week at Michigan International Speedway. He wasnt won since — and Michigan is on deck. "We want to get a win, man," Earnhardt said. "I can see it right there in front of me. I really thought we got close." Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano rounded out the top 10. Stewart and Newman continued a three-week resurgence for SHR, though Danica Patrick was 29th. Stewart jumped three spots to 13th in the standings and still has the No. 1 wild-card spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. The final race before the 12-driver field is set is Sept. 7. "Its not just one team, the whole organization is gaining momentum," Stewart said. Johnson had his ninth top-10 finish of 2013 and has now won at least three races in 11 of his 12 full-time seasons. His 128 laps led were the most of his career at Pocono — amazing since the race was shortened from 200 laps to 160 last season. Consider, in Johnsons first Pocono win in 2004, it was only the ninth of his career and he had yet to win a championship. For all his success, Johnson never takes it for granted. "There are no guarantees well win again, there really arent," he said. "The sport moves so fast." At Pocono, the No. 48 led the way. ' ' '