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.Chicago Bears Allen Robinson Jersey . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Khalil Mack Bears Jersey Sales . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. http://www.chicagobearsshoponline.com/mike-ditka-bears-jersey.html . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Chicago Bears Gale Sayers Jersey .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Khalil Mack Authentic Bears Jersey . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap.SAN ANTONIO -- The team attempted to keep it private, but San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is doing more than just speaking to reporters about social issues, according to a couple of Twitter posts Monday from scholar and activist Dr. Cornel West and The Nation sports editor Dave Zirin.Over the summer, Popovich reached out to youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. On Sunday, the coach invited West to speak in San Antonio to approximately 350 kids at the Jo Long Theatre of Performing Arts at the Carver Community Cultural Center. The event lasted 3 or 4 hours, Popovich said, and included the entire Spurs team and basketball staff, as well as owners Peter and Julianna Holt.Zirin served as the moderator for the event, which covered the gamut, Popovich said.It was big time. Cornel West is amazing, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. Hes been fighting that fight for a long time. Hes very clear, very well-spoken, had a lot of examples and names. He was right there. I had listened to a few of his interviews, and its just mesmerizing to listen to him. So it was good to get to meet him and to listen to him face to face. And if you add that to the fact that there were 350 kids from Sam Houston High School learning and listening, I think it was very powerful. It was a great, great move.Popovich has been outspoken over the years regarding social issues, and he hasnt shied away in recent days from expressing his views regarding the presidential election. This event, however, had been planned well in advance of the election, and the team took its time putting it together because Popovich wanted Sundays town hall with the local youth to be more substantiaal than a one-time visit.ddddddddddddIt was about the kids, Popovich said. In todays environment, one can talk a good game about we need this or we need that. We need fewer disparaging remarks. We need more attention to healing the atmosphere for a lot of minority groups, whether its racial or things that have been said about women or handicapped people or any such talk is just talk. But at some point, theres got to be follow-through where people are engaged.The Spurs plan to conduct more outreach activities with local youth. Much of the discussion during Sundays town hall focused on what young minorities face on a daily basis.The purpose of it was to show the kids that even though the environment is as it is, and weve heard some pretty rough talk through the election, that there are people, many people at all levels who value them greatly, Popovich said. They dont need to be as fearful or feel less than because we know who they are. We depend on them for the future.Popovich said the town hall conversation touched on a variety of topics, including race in America, sports, economics and the fatal shooting of a San Antonio police detective during a traffic stop Sunday.Of course that was pretty poignant considering the tragedy we had losing a police officer (Benjamin Marconi) through just horrible violence. But thats what it was all about, Popovich said. The kids were great. It was as simple as that. We just wanted to be there for them so that they know we want to interact with them, and that a lot of people care. ' ' '