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The role of an underdog is an unusual one for a 6-foot-5 muscle-bound wrestler, but its a role that?Cesaro?has been all-too-familiar with over the course of his tenure in the WWE. The 35-year-old Swiss superman has?seemingly had to fight for every inch and accolade he has achieved on wrestlings biggest stage, but he has faced down each challenge as it has come along -- becoming a popular character in the WWE universe in the process.This has been especially apparent over the last few weeks on Raw, as Cesaro took on?Sheamus?in a best-of-seven series between the two European giants. He was once again positioned as the lesser of the two superstars in?going down three wins to none against Sheamus. Yet despite his character being backed into a corner with several different parts of his body encased in kinesiology tape, the series is now tied 3-3 with the deciding match set for Sunday at the Clash of Champions on pay-per-view.Both the concept and the execution have received polarized reactions from fans, but in getting the opportunity to play out on screen the kind of uphill battle he has faced in his career, and getting to do it in a format that hasnt been used in the WWE in upwards of a decade, Cesaro has relished the opportunity.I do love this kind of program, Cesaro said during a conference call with several media outlets Monday afternoon, as part of a promotional effort for the WWEs upcoming U.K. tour in early November. Its not often we get the chance in WWE to do something like that. To me, its the closest to the old days when it was all about the wrestling, all about me against Sheamus in the ring without anything on the outside. It has this real sports feel. I kind of had my back against the wall, you know, its best-of-seven. I do definitely love it.Well, I feel, from a company standpoint, like theres a lot of trust that goes into this, Sheamus concurred before the start of the series. Because to have seven matches, or at least a best-of-seven ... theres a lot of confidence bestowed on both of us. People know we can go. People know we hit hard. We bring a lot of realism to our matches.I think over my career, if you look at it in WWE, Sheamus has always been one of my biggest adversaries, Cesaro said, and one of the ones I would like to say I had some very memorable bouts with. Its definitely fun to be in the ring with him.The winner of the series is set to receive a title opportunity, and it could be another chance to jump-start Cesaros often promising WWE career. It remains a work in progress, to this point, as the 16-year veteran, who made a name for himself as Claudio Castagnoli on the independent scene in promotions such as Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla before signing for WWE in 2011, tries to break through a ceiling that has kept him from reaching the very top of the wrestling world. Cesaro was seemingly on the cusp of such a breakthrough as a singles star in late 2015 when a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder halted his momentum.He underwent surgery and returned to action in April, and Cesaro has built a growing fan base which has supported him with entire swaths of the crowd holding up Cesaro Section signs -- establishing a persistently visible presence among Raw crowds. The Lucerne, Switzerland, native has already tasted a certain level of success in WWE, winning the United States championship, the tag-team championships with?Tyson Kidd?and the first Andre?the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania in 2014. But it is not enough for Cesaro, who feels he has what it takes to reach higher.I wanted to be [world] champion by now, and I havent achieved that, Cesaro said, when asked if he felt he had made the progress he wanted to since returning from injury.Despite the tape he wears on his previously injured left shoulder, and other areas of his body at times, Cesaro is back at full strength and attempting to prove he has what it takes to grab the ball and run with it.The journey ahead seems still so long, but Im happy I came back 100 percent, he continued. I didnt come back 70 percent or something. Im getting better every day. Im just enjoying myself. Trying to approach it a little bit different. Just having more fun, especially in the ring, and letting the fans have fun with me together, from my new entrance to the whole thing.The Swiss superman character Cesaro has portrayed on WWE programming since returning has been a big positive step for him. His entrance features Cesaro walking out in a suit in front of a TitanTron video that mimics the famous opening credits sequence of James Bond films; he then tears off his Velcro tux and transforms into the Swiss superman before walking down to the ring for his match.Cesaros tale of frustration was a similar one to?Kevin Owens early this year, as he and his former running buddy on the independent scene languished with the mythical brass ring seemingly just out of both mens reach. Their?perceived places in the WWE hierarchy were solidified in July during the WWE brand separation draft as Owens was drafted in the fourth round, 18th overall, and Cesaro didnt go until Round 6, 28th overall.That all changed with Owens shocking Universal-title victory on Raw in late August.Kevin was drafted higher than me, and he was frustrated. Im even more frustrated than him, Cesaro said. He had quite the run. If you look at it, hes been in WWE for a little over two years. The things he achieved in a very short period of time -- it might be unprecedented. As a fellow colleague of his, whos been on the independents with him -- Ive known him for over 10 years -- Im very happy with his success. He definitely deserves it.As Cesaro pursues similar levels of success, its clear he realizes that his path to the WWEs top championships will have to be different.For me its a little bit of a different road, Cesaro said. But if there are mountains to climb, I think as a Swiss man youre the proper mountaineer to do it. So thats something Im looking forward to.When you pursue the level of success that Cesaro seeks in the WWE, its hard not to second guess yourself sometimes. Theres no real sense of self-doubt with Cesaro, but he does acknowledge that his approach to the business and low-key demeanor dont lend themselves to self-promotion.I feel like Ive been working magic for the past four years in WWE, Cesaro said, and maybe its the European in me, or the Swiss in me, that Im not at the forefront bragging and constantly boasting about my achievements. I let my actions do the talking, and that might take a little bit longer for people to see.During his WWE tenure, Cesaro has had to deal with the added pressure of trying to be as entertaining on a microphone as he is in the ring, but feels hes undeservedly stereotyped as being a poor talker.I actually can talk if you let me, he said. Thats always funny, because people always say that I cant, but the thing is, you havent seen me on the mic a lot. I dont really get that many chances. And if I do, its usually pretty good.Certain people get maybe a reputation, and people keep repeating it, and that just becomes their stigma, Cesaro continued. Im not saying Im Mr. Microphone over here, but I can certainly hold my own. Ive been fortunate enough to get the chance to prove it lately, and Im looking forward to getting to prove it some more going forward. The guys who talk are a select few, and Im working my way to get there.One person Cesaro has seemingly struggled to fully win over is Vince McMahon. The WWE owner told Steve Austin on an edition of the Stone Cold Podcast in December 2014 that Cesaro was lacking in charisma, verbal skills and the it factor, and Austin said he did not know what Cesaro needed to do to raise his game.WWE legends including Austin, Ric Flair and Mick Foley have all previously criticized WWE for not pushing Cesaro as a main-event talent, given his natural ability in the ring.I feel like Im connecting pretty good, Cesaro said, however. If you see the Cesaro section, when I go out there, it is definitely not silent, and I have a huge fan base all over the world. Of course, theres always room for improvement. Im the first one to always criticize myself, and Im trying to find ways to get better. If people say stuff like that, that I maybe not agree with, Im doing my best and working my hardest to prove them wrong.Again, the timing of his injury couldnt have been much worse. He was part of a tournament to crown a new WWE world heavyweight champion, with several high-profile showdowns with true main-event talent just before going down in November.I got hurt when I was starting to really take off, Cesaro said. Now I feel like I have to start from scratch again, which I have [had] to do so often. But it definitely felt like I was on a roll. And Im still on a roll. Its just definitely being in the right place at the right time or being the right person. Its kind of hard sometimes, but I feel like if Im consistently delivering, which is what I do, sooner or later it cant be denied.Whatever the future holds for Cesaro in WWE, he is still humble.Sometimes I have to kind of stop and take it in, he said. To me, I dont like to look back, I just like to look forward. Its such a long journey still ahead for me. Every now and then I see a picture of when I started, or I go to an arena -- we were just at the O2 [Arena in London] last week, and thats where I made my WWE debut on WWE TV. Its just crazy to think that that was over four years ago. If I look back on when I was on the indies in the U.S., and ever further when I was in Europe, its just kind of amazing how I made it this far. Dedryck Boyata Belgium Jersey .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. Thorgan Hazard Jersey . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. http://www.belgiumsoccerpro.com/Leander-Dendoncker-Belgium-Jersey/ . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Romelu Lukaku Jersey . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Simon Mignolet Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. NORMAN, Okla. -- In 2008, the Big 12 had unmatched star power.Four of the top five finishers in the Heisman race hailed from the conference, including the winner, Oklahomas Sam Bradford. Texas Colt McCoy was second, Texas Techs Graham Harrell was fourth and his teammate, Michael Crabtree, was fifth. Since then, the league has consistently produced top contenders for the award, with Baylors Robert Griffin III winning in 2011.This year, the conference will be lucky to land anyone in the top 10.Oklahomas Baker Mayfield, the Big 12s top contender heading into the season, finished fourth last year. He had a chance to make himself a front-runner this year, but struggled in losses to Houston and Ohio State.I believe Baker will shine for us as we go through the year, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. I really believe that. The guys works too hard not to. Like everybody, hell learn from these games and not press too much.Mayfield is among the Big 12 quarterbacks who will bring some excitement to the league, even though they wont have last years stage, when Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Baylor were in the running for a spot in the College Football Playoff. This year, the highest-ranked team is No. 16 Baylor . Texas is No. 21 and Oklahoma is No. 25.Baylors Seth Russell might have the best shot at being a Heisman finalist. He was in the conversation last year before he suffered a season-ending neck injury. Now, hes back, and the Bears are unbeaten. He hasnt put up numbers like last year, but that could change in conference play. Baylor hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.Oklahoma States Mason Rudolph, a big, pro-style quarterback, passed for 540 yards last week in a win over Pittsburgh. The biggest strike against him? That loss to Central Michigan that came after the Chippewas were incorrectly awarded an untimed down.Texas Techs Patrick Mahomes leads the nation with nearly 500 yards passing per game heading into his conference opener Sept. 29 against Kansas. The striike against him is that the big numbers have come in wins over Stephen F.dddddddddddd. Austin and Louisiana Tech, and in a loss to Arizona State.Kansas coach David Beaty believes Mahomes is a special player.Hes really good, Beaty said. Hes very talented. Hes big. Hes hard to tackle. Hes very well-coached. Hes got a ridiculous arm. He can throw it from anywhere, and he breaks rules because hell throw it to the wrong guy and hell still put it in there.TCUs Kenny Hill has put up big numbers, too, but the Horned Frogs lost to Arkansas, and what appeared to be a chance to make a splash against Oklahoma on Oct. 1 isnt what it could have been because of the Sooners slow start.The receiver position doesnt have quite the star power as last year, either. Baylors Corey Coleman, TCUs Josh Doctson, Oklahomas Sterling Shepard and Texas Techs Jakeem Grant are all in the NFL. This year, the leagues most explosive receiver is probably Oklahoma States James Washington. He caught nine passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh and was the conferences offensive player of the week. Baylors KD Cannon is also a standout.The running back position is unusually weak, at least statistically. The leagues leading rusher, Texas DOnta Foreman, has 288 yards in two games. After that, there is a significant drop off. West Virginias Rushel Shell is second with 87 yards per game. That would have been eighth in the conference at the end of last season.Samaje Perine, one of Oklahomas all-time leading rushers, has pounded out just 149 yards in the first three games, and is actually second on the team in rushing behind Joe Mixon. Iowa States Mike Warren, a preseason all-conference pick, is averaging 51 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry. Baylors Shock Linwood has just 213 yards through three games.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP ' ' '