constantly double-crossed on-screen by the McMahon family, on

Phoenix1 became PhoenixWon on Sunday as the then-winless underdog finally took home its first match win of the season over fellow rookies Apex Gaming. After going through the first half of the season without a victory and dropping a series to every other team in the league, P1s victory over Apex allows the team to look forward to next weeks games instead of dreading them. At 1-9 in the standings, Phoenix1 currently sit tied with Echo Fox in ninth place, and are only three games back of Counter Logic Gaming and Team Envy for the sixth and final spot in the postseason.It feels really good because weve been working so hard these last few weeks, said Phoenix1s support Austin Gate Yu following the squads inaugural match win. I actually thought we could do even better. I thought we could do well against [Team SoloMid], but I think theyre just a really cohesive team so Im pretty happy with the one win this week.Before TSMs ace mid laner S?ren Bjergsen Bjerg took over in the first game on Saturday versus P1, the forlorn rookies were putting up a fight against the undefeated league leaders. But, as it has been for the majority of the season, P1s inexperience playing together and lack of synergy led to them getting picked apart by a better, more well-rounded team with a game changing player like Bjergsen.Most of us dont really take whatever people say online to heart, said Gate, elaborating on how the team was able to put up with the constant backlash throughout the weeks as a winless rookie club. At the end of the day, we all think were really good players, so theres not much to worry about when it comes to third-party [criticism]. Also, when youre the underdog, it feels like there is less pressure. It feels like its much easier to play the game, too. There is no real need to care about what other teams or what other people on the internet think of you.Although the team had failed to live up to its symbol of a phoenix rising from the ashes before Sundays conquest, all chatter surrounding the fledgling organization as a whole has been positive. Last split, Gate played on Team Impulse, a team that did better than expected on paper and even survived relegations, but was barred from the summer split when it came out the organization didnt keep up with payment to the players on the roster.Last split on Team Impulse, we had little to no support staff, he continued. We literally had to call up our friends and ask them if they could help us with our team because we were having some struggles. With Phoenix1, its completely the opposite. We dont even have to ask. They just think about it first. And we, just as players, want to repay them and show the org that theyre doing good for us with some wins.From the shambles of living with Impulse in the spring, Gate and the rest of Phoenix1 currently live in one of the nicer team houses of any team in the league. The property has a main house and a guest house equipped with a gigantic pool and other amenities youd expect from a luxurious space in Los Angeles. Id say its the best team house Ive been in so far, said Gate.I actually think -- people have said it over and over -- North America is really competitive this split, he said. Were just going to have to take it week by week, and see if we can pull out more wins and go to the [NA LCS] Finals in Canada. Because four of us are from there, so wed really like to make it there.Always looking on the positive side of things instead of getting sandbagged by negativity, Gate and the rest of P1 have continually done after game interviews with press and hung around to talk to fans outside the arena even during the 0-9 stretch of games. He said it was a blessing after last seasons tumultuous split with Impulse to find an upstanding and supportive organization like Phoenix1.First things first, I cant really say in words how much I appreciate it, he said to all the fans of P1 whove been supporting the squad over the past month. You guys are masochists to like us. Weve been struggling. Its hard to root for a team thats struggling, so for you guys whove rooted for us since the very beginning, I cant thank you enough. And then for all the people that supported me personally, I think youre probably the reason why I do esports, so thanks a lot. 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The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. The late swerve to the ending of Mondays Raw?main event?dramatically altered the direction of where the WWEs flagship show, and its new Universal championship, are headed.Culminating with Triple Hs surprise return to assist Kevin Owens?in the Fatal 4-Way elimination title match, the WWE successfully spun the bad luck of inaugural champion Finn Balors shoulder injury at SummerSlam into a buzzworthy set of Raw episodes that followed.That must-see trend will only continue into next weeks show, with fans excited to find the answer to the natural follow-up question: Where do we go from here?Lets take a closer look at the fallout for the principal participants in the WWE Universal championship title picture:Kevin OwensA former indie star, Owens has acted like he belonged from his first day on the main roster in May 2015, making it easy to forget just how meteoric his rise within the company has been in two short years.From powerbombing then-champion Sami Zayn?onto the ring apron on his first night in NXT to going over John Cena?cleanly in his first month on Raw, there are elements to Owens career arc that make the timing of him winning the Universal championship a logical one.Thats why, even though he fell into the belt in an opportunistic manner, both in storyline and real life, Owens wearing the companys most prestigious title is still a safer play for WWE than giving Balor the belt in the first place.As decorated worldwide as Balor was before being hired by WWE, he is smaller, less charismatic on the microphone and less proven on the brightest stage than Owens. While both represent this new era WWE is ambitiously trying to project, Owens style and presentation is more classic and versatile.Giving Owens the title is also an easier play for WWE based on its heavy reliance upon booking storylines involving The Authoritys control on the companys marquee title (often to their own detriment). While it might seem like Owens lone wolf mentality doesnt mesh with the idea of being controlled by the machine, credit WWE for indirectly planting seeds for this move in the past.During an episode of Raw last November, Triple H made the rounds backstage to various competitors of the WWE championship tournament, following Seth Rollins knee injury. He pitched the idea of working with The Authority to double-cross Roman Reigns. Owens looked particularly interested in what Triple H had to say, which is consistent with his characters opportunistic nature as a heel.In fact, there was a video package featuring a quote from Rollins this past Monday that might have summed it up perfectly.People call me an opportunist ... like its an insult, Rollins said. Its not an insult.The quote could just as easily have been attributed to Owens, whose persona is even more believable as a diabolic and unrepentant heel than Rollins, which is why giving Owens the title was the WWEs best move.Will Owens title reign end up being transitional like Sheamus was?last fall, or as unexpectedly epic as what Rollins accomplished all of last year? Its difficult to predict, but bet against Owens at your own risk.With his quick wit, deceptively agile style and meatball-shaped body, previously thought to be a deterrent from ever reaching the mountain top, Owens has all the tools to be a memorable champion with an opportunity to find out how great he can be.Seth RollinsWhen it comes to booking pro wrestling, theres an old adage that theres more money in putting the title on the heel and forcing a top babyface to chase it.dddddddddddd In that regard, Owens is the best pure heel that the company has, with legitimate old-school qualities to his swagger.So whos the biggest money babyface currently on the Raw roster who makes the most sense to pair him against?Unfortunately for WWE, it still isnt Reigns, at least not outside of the family-friendly confines of house shows. His brand hasnt properly recovered from the companys stubborn insistence on booking him as the second coming of John Cena, and in a manner thats the opposite of organic.The answer is Rollins, whose character has no choice but to turn babyface after the manner in which he was double-crossed by Triple H and The Authority on Monday.Its far from a leap to predict an Owens-Rollins feud would make for great television, not just for the in-ring payoff at pay-per-views, but the microphone work of both during the buildup. It would also be just as fun to watch whether Rollins can get over as a good-guy singles wrestler the same way he did as a heel.Considering Rollins talent and his deserving distinction as the No. 1 pick in Julys brand-split draft, theres no reason to suggest he cant. Following his recovery from a devastating knee injury last November, documented by WWE Network cameras for its WWE 24 series, Rollins was met with cheers during his May 23 return on Raw from a Baltimore crowd that appeared ready to hail him as a returning babyface.When you take into account everything Rollins has done for The Authority, both in storyline and in real life, as a fighting champion who carried the ball almost single-handedly at times in 2015, building sympathy from the crowd for his current demise shouldnt be a factor. Todays generation of fans is smart enough to know a transcendent talent when they see one.Roman ReignsWWE is at its best when storylines blend perfectly with the real-life struggles and tension going on behind the scenes. Its because of this that, for now, Reigns needs to stay as far away from the Universal title picture as possible.There will come a day when Reigns current demise will feel like a thing of the past, and his incredible talent and look will overshadow the crowds reaction to his booking. But for now, the irony of him being constantly double-crossed on-screen by the McMahon family, only to be seemingly given royal treatment by them behind the scenes, is a level of disbelief most fans arent willing to suspend.By all accounts, WWE doesnt appear ready to admit defeat and truly allow Reigns character to blossom naturally as a heel. Because of that, more seasoning on the second tier as a babyface is needed, just as much as time is, in order to win over cynically hardened fans one match at a time.The best remedy for Reigns is a return to his feud with United States champion Rusev, which essentially hit pause when the two fought to a no-contest at SummerSlam in an ill-conceived comedown match before the main event.Reigns and Rusev are money together in the ring, and the presence of Lana?has allowed Reigns to exercise his comedic muscles that still need some work. Placing the U.S. title around his waist in a memorable feud is the best kind of rehab assignment available to Reigns, and a strong precursor to future opportunities against the likes of Owens and Brock Lesnar?down the road. ' ' '