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For the majority of an otherwise accomplished wrestling career, it was felt by many within the business that?A.J. Styles?simply would never quite fit the WWE mold for various reasons, from his size and look to his microphone skills.Over the past nine months, however, those doubts have been quickly silenced, as Styles, 39, has ascended to the upper echelon of the WWE roster.On Sunday, he squares off with WWE champion?Dean Ambrose?in the biggest match of his career at WWE Backlash in Richmond, Virginia, with sports entertainments most recognizable prize just a three-count away.?Leading up to his WWE return in January (he had a cup of coffee in 2002 as an enhancement talent), Styles had captured some of pro wrestlings most prestigious titles over an 18-year career in nearly every major company outside of WWE.Most American fans knew him best from a 12-year run as one of the greatest and most decorated stars Total Nonstop Action wrestling has ever had. But until an acrimonious split with TNA in 2013 sent him off to compete in organizations such as Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and numerous other major independents, it felt like any window for Styles to sign a WWE contract -- let alone be a major player within the company -- had surely closed.Styles fortunes changed quickly in Japan, as a member of the wildly popular Bullet Club faction, where he became a two-time IWGP heavyweight champion -- something only two other non-Japanese wrestlers (Big Van Vader and Scott Norton) had ever done in the titles 30-year history. It was during that time when several major shifts within the WWE helped pave the way toward his eventual move.Former independent stars such as?CM Punk and?Daniel Bryan?received incredibly positive reactions from WWE crowds, with each ascending to the most prominent roles in the?company, despite being a far cry from the stereotypical mold of a classic WWE superstar. Meanwhile,?Karl Anderson?and?Luke Gallows?were signed to the main roster, with Styles debuting at Royal Rumble?to a thunderous ovation.?Following his initial feud with?Chris Jericho?at WrestleMania 32 in April, Styles has produced a five-month stretch that feels unmatched by anyone who has joined the company in a?similar fashion.?A memorable feud with then-WWE champion Roman Reigns followed, in which Styles pushed the polarizing star to two of the best matches of his career. Styles then further established his own reputation as one of the companys top stars in a summer program with John Cena. By putting on the match of his life at SummerSlam -- and going over Cena cleanly -- Styles shook off any labels of being a good loser who could get great matches out of anyone but never win the big one.?He has a chance to further distance himself from that moniker on Sunday, in the first exclusive SmackDown Live pay-per-view since WWEs brand split in July.?Ambroses reign as the top champion on SmackDown Live was red hot to begin with, thanks in large part to some excellent in-ring promos between himself and?Dolph Ziggler. But their lackluster match at SummerSlam?(which theyre only partially to blame for) took a fair bit of the shine off of Ambrose as WWE world champion.He went on to get a good match out of?Baron Corbin?and was strong on the mic in his closing segment with Styles during Tuesdays go-home episode,?with Ambroses twisting of Cenas catchphrase (which Styles has recently adopted) into the face that finishes in second place a particularly nice close. But it feels a lot like Ambroses momentum is winding down as champion.?While it remains to be seen whether Styles will be asked to carry the mantle that Cena left behind when he laid down his arm band in the center of the ring following his loss to Styles at SummerSlam, one thing is undoubtedly clear regardless of how Backlash plays out:Whether it happens Sunday or further on down the road, A.J. Styles is ready to hold the WWE world championship.(c) - indicates defending championThe Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental championshipMuch has been written about The Mizs career renaissance, fueled by his scathing promo on Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack a few weeks ago, but his path to Backlash has led him back toward a familiar foe. As pointed out in the By the numbers breakdown of the match, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz have the second- and third-most Intercontinental championship matches of all time on pay-per-view events, respectively. This is the third time theyve fought for the IC title on pay-per-view, and each time the challenger walked away with the championship.The fact that Ziggler is 1-6 in pay-per-view matches in 2016 escapes almost no one. After a disappointing showdown with Ambrose for the WWE championship following a highly charged buildup, Ziggler is desperately in need of a win. The Miz shows no signs of slowing down in his Never Ending Intercontinental championship World Tour, and it seems unlikely that hed drop the title in this match, unless hes moving on toward bigger and better things.Prediction: The Miz carries on with his Never Ending Intercontinental championship World Tour?and squeaks out a victory. Ziggler finally has enough and goes full blown evil in the weeks to come on SmackDown Live, with an opponent like Apollo Crews as one of his first targets.Bray Wyatt vs. Randy OrtonThis is one of the most difficult matches to predict on the Backlash card, simply because Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton each could use a big win here. There hasnt been an ounce of physicality between the two, but there have been several sparring matches in which Orton has put on one of his more impressive showings in some time.One or both of these men could be on their way to a WWE world championship feud in the near future, but it doesnt seem like theres much to hold this rivalry together beyond Sunday. That could change in a hurry, depending on the ultimate outcome; but either way, this could be a sneaky good match thats not getting nearly as much attention as it might otherwise get without so many championship implications at Backlash.Prediction: Orton recovers from his thrashing at the hands of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and nets a win, despite a strong showing from Wyatt. A postmatch beatdown from a furious Wyatt allows this rivalry to carry on into the future.Womens championship Six-Pack elimination matchTwo new titles will crown their first champions on Sunday night, with the womens championship Six-Pack elimination match having a far more difficult result to predict. While it seems unlikely that Carmella or Alexa Bliss could win so early in their main roster tenures, both have afforded themselves well in the lead-up to this match and could make big strides toward relevance over the course of this match. The elimination format provides the opportunity for multiple competitors to score pinfalls or submissions, and the sequences that lead to those falls and the execution can go a long way to determining future rivalries.Naomis new entrance is an undeniable spectacle to watch, but there hasnt been much to suggest that shell come out of this match victorious. I believe there will be a conflict with either Bliss or Natalya that will lead her toward her next step on SmackDown Live during this match. Natalya could be a dark horse in this match due to her previous wrestling pedigree, but she hasnt been made to look very strong, either.That leaves the prohibitive favorites, Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella. Lynch has fallen in every championship opportunity she has had in her first year since her promotion from NXT, and it seems like the clock is ticking in terms of shoring up the reputation of one of the most popular women in WWE. Nikki Bella is the longest reigning Divas champion in history, and her joining the SmackDown Live roster upon her return might be a signal that shes there to carry the womens division as it establishes itself properly on the show.Prediction: Lynch wins the championship with her last fall coming against Bliss. Nikki Bella will continue her conflict with Carmella, which will see both women cost each other big in this match, and Natalya and Naomi will have a battle of their own -- on their way to eventually determining the next top contender for the SmackDown womens championship.Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. TBD for the SmackDown tag team championshipsThings took a dramatic turn this week on SmackDown, as the Usos finally gave in to the temptations of the dark side. After ambushing American Alpha at the opening bell, they were caught with their figurative pants down, as Chad Gable and Jason Jordan picked up a stunningly quick victory over the two-time WWE tag team champions. The Usos took out Gables knee and knocked American Alpha out of their guaranteed spot in the finals of the SmackDown tag team championship tournament, setting up a second-chance match between themselves and The Hype Bros. for the right to face Heath Slater and Rhyno later in the night for the titles.A much-needed heel turn was just what the doctor ordered for both The Usos and SmackDown Live as a whole. Good guys chasing bad guys tends to be the most interesting and compelling kind of rivalry that wrestling can produce. You can even look at NXT right now, with what The Revival is doing as NXT tag team champions, and see how effectively it can work. By establishing The Usos as the first SmackDown tag team champions, with a genuine reason to feud with American Alpha upon their return, things are set up for an explosive start to the launch of a proper tag team division on the blue brand. That also means that the long-tortured path of Heath Slater and his pursuit of a WWE contract -- one of the strongest stories going on Raw or SmackDown today -- gets to continue in heartbreaking fashion.Prediction: The Usos dispatch Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder in quick order, potentially on the Backlash preshow, and then break the hearts of Slater, his wife and seven kids on their way to winning the SmackDown tag team championships.Ivica Zubac Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Landry Shamet Clippers Jersey . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. https://www.clipperslockerroom.com/Amir-Coffey-City-Edition-Jersey/ .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. Avery Bradley Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Jerome Robinson Clippers Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race.LUBBOCK, Texas -- Kliff Kingsbury and his Texas Tech players are drawing on last years close game at Kansas for motivation for the rematch Thursday night.In the 30-20 win, the Red Raiders (2-1) offense was unenergetic and a joke, the fourth-year coach said.They really brought it to us, they were way more physical and it showed on tape and on the field, Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. Its something that we really looked at and are going to go out there and hopefully we can bring the physicality to them here at home.The road has not been kind to the Jayhawks (1-2). The 43-7 loss at Memphis in their last outing was their 39th straight loss away from Lawrence, Kansas.Kansas coach David Beaty hopes to stop the programs winless skid but knows it wont be easy against the nations second-leading offense (678.7 yards per game).Very dynamic, terrific quarterback, he said. Guys out wide are very capable, very capable. Theyve got a couple of really good young running backs, really good running backs, so very difficult.The Red Raiders are 16-1 against the Jayhawks. Here are some of keys to consider as Kansas and Texas Tech open their Big 12 schedule:MAHOMES TARGETSMahomes leads the Big 12 in passing and touchdowns (497.7 yards per game and 14 TDs) in large measure because he has many good receivers: Johnathan Giles (346 yards and five TDs), Cameron Batson (197 yards and three TDs) and RB Justin Stockton (191 and one TD). Mahomes has just two interceptions through three games, one fewer than the same time last season. He has protected the ball well, hes been very accurate, and I think its a credit to him, because he made it a priority, Kingsbury said.TURNOVER TERRIBLESThe Jayhawks are having a rough time hanging on to the ball.dddddddddddd After their first three games, they rank 125th in the nation is turnovers lost (11). They lost six fumbles at Memphis. The last game was not a true statement of who they are as a football team, Kingsbury said. It kind of got out of hand. But Coach Beaty, I know him very well. He does a good job motivating.KINGSBURY AND BEATYThe two got to know one another when Kingsbury was at Houston and Beaty was at Rice, and they coached together at Texas A&M before each got head coaching gigs.Hes very positive, energetic -- what you see is what you get, Kingsbury said. And hes always got a smile on his face.Beaty lauded Kingsbury for more than coaching.Theres not five humans on the earth better than Kliff Kingsbury, he said. You look at him and everybody sees this good-looking dude and handsome guy and they compare him to all these superstars. What you dont know about him is hes one of the finest men youve ever met.KANSAS STANDOUTSteven Sims Jr. is the Big 12s fifth best in receiving yards per game (84.3 yards) and nations 12th best in yards per reception (23 yards). The sophomore from Houston has four TDs and 253 yards on 11 catches.JAYHAWKS PSYCHEIt can be discouraging to lose two straight games this early in the season, a fact that Beaty tries to tend to.The truth is you always manage your psyche, whether youre winning or losing, he said. Its the nature of our game. You dont get to go run and hide under a rock and cry. You deal with it, and you move forward.---Follow Betsy Blaney on Twitter at www.twitter.com/betsyblaney---Online: AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '