In what is a rematch from the Wrestlemania pre-show, we get Neville vs Austin Aries. A Double has been a standout whenever placed in a division like the current WWE cruiserweight division or back in his TNA X Division days, and found himself holding his own in the main event scene both as a former ROH and TNA World Champion, but he failed to get the win over the King of the Cruiserweights on the Grandest Stage of Them All. If Aries fails to capture the title again, I wonder what this means for him on the main roster, and who can take down Neville. While Neville plays the mega boss at the end of the video game, I'm concerned that if he dominates for too long, it will do more harm than good. I'm giving the win to The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, Austin Aries.
Did you enjoy the feud between The Club and Enzo and Cass last year? If so, you're in luck, because it's back! After dropping the titles in a multi-team ladder match, I don't think The Club necessarily needs the win in a bad way, I think it helps them stay relevant. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have Enzo and Cass. They could never win a match again and the live crowd will still love their entrance and sponsors will continue to use them as spokesmen. With that in mind, I still have a feeling Enzo and Cass get the win at Payback.
The first title match I will go over is the US title match. In another Wrestlemania rematch, we will see Kevin Owens defend his championship against Chris Jericho. WWE has already started to build a feud on Smackdown Live between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, and they'd be silly not to see money in those matches. Fozzy has announced they will be touring throughout May and June. Owens retains, in what is a decent prediction for match of the night.
From one match of the night prediction to another, Samoa Joe is making his WWE main roster PPV debut against Seth Rollins. Rollins may have slain the King of Kings, but the Cerebral Assassin's hired muscle is out for revenge. Due to the injury Rollins sustained on an episode of Raw, this feud has been somewhat booked in reverse, Rollins beating the boss before the henchman, but the fact that Joe is the man that injured him adds an interesting dynamic to what will certainly be a great match. I've got the Samoan Submission Machine avenging Triple H's loss, but it might not be the cleanest finish of the night.
With the Raw tag team titles on the line, the Hardys will be defending against Sheamus and Cesaro. Matt Hardy has been teasing a return to his #BROKEN gimmick more and more, but as of right now, the legal battle with Anthem still seems unsettled. If the WWE has purchased the gimmick, how would they go about getting from point A to point B anyway? Does he just all of a sudden start sharing his broken brilliance with the WWE universe with no explanation? Does something happen to him to cause his condition? Sheamus and Cesaro have been great to watch, from their matches against one another (which I personally loved), to their run as a tag team. I still think the WWE wants to continue to milk the nostalgia factor of The Hardy Boyz being back, so I've got them retaining.
Our final title match of Payback is for the Raw women's title. Alexa Bliss has made quite the splash since arriving from Smackdown Live in the Superstar Shakeup, claiming the number one contender's spot. The internet seems to be in love with Alexa Bliss, and while I certainly see the appeal, I don't see her taking down the hometown hero (even with the WWE's track record). Look for Bayley to retain as well, hopefully with more teasing of a feud between Bayley and Sasha.
What is a House Of Horror's match? Based on what we've seen from other promotions, it is a hardcore match, maybe something of an extra-hardcore match. Is that what we'll be seeing between Wyatt and Orton? Assumedly, they'll add a bit more of a supernatural element to the match, since Bray Wyatt is super duper spooky. Since Mania, I haven't cared about this feud. Orton isn't defending his title in the match, and they're looking to build Jinder Mahal as a heel people can realistically see at the top of the card, it would make sense for him to get involved, or any old or new Wyatt Family member. I expect Wyatt to avenge his loss from Wrestlemania, after some shenanigans, and a particularly violent match.
On the topic of particularly violent matches, the final match on the card is between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. This won't be a technical masterpiece, but I certainly expect this to be a spectacle. Both of these men have been booked incredibly strong, not just in the treatment of their characters, but also in their literal physical strength. I expect a comic book showdown, and due to Roman coming in with the injuries, I also expect Braun to come out on top.
Come back Monday to take a look at how my predictions faired, and my overall thoughts on the card.
Until then, stay (too) sweet.
Did you enjoy the feud between The Club and Enzo and Cass last year? If so, you're in luck, because it's back! After dropping the titles in a multi-team ladder match, I don't think The Club necessarily needs the win in a bad way, I think it helps them stay relevant. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have Enzo and Cass. They could never win a match again and the live crowd will still love their entrance and sponsors will continue to use them as spokesmen. With that in mind, I still have a feeling Enzo and Cass get the win at Payback.
The first title match I will go over is the US title match. In another Wrestlemania rematch, we will see Kevin Owens defend his championship against Chris Jericho. WWE has already started to build a feud on Smackdown Live between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, and they'd be silly not to see money in those matches. Fozzy has announced they will be touring throughout May and June. Owens retains, in what is a decent prediction for match of the night.
From one match of the night prediction to another, Samoa Joe is making his WWE main roster PPV debut against Seth Rollins. Rollins may have slain the King of Kings, but the Cerebral Assassin's hired muscle is out for revenge. Due to the injury Rollins sustained on an episode of Raw, this feud has been somewhat booked in reverse, Rollins beating the boss before the henchman, but the fact that Joe is the man that injured him adds an interesting dynamic to what will certainly be a great match. I've got the Samoan Submission Machine avenging Triple H's loss, but it might not be the cleanest finish of the night.
With the Raw tag team titles on the line, the Hardys will be defending against Sheamus and Cesaro. Matt Hardy has been teasing a return to his #BROKEN gimmick more and more, but as of right now, the legal battle with Anthem still seems unsettled. If the WWE has purchased the gimmick, how would they go about getting from point A to point B anyway? Does he just all of a sudden start sharing his broken brilliance with the WWE universe with no explanation? Does something happen to him to cause his condition? Sheamus and Cesaro have been great to watch, from their matches against one another (which I personally loved), to their run as a tag team. I still think the WWE wants to continue to milk the nostalgia factor of The Hardy Boyz being back, so I've got them retaining.
Our final title match of Payback is for the Raw women's title. Alexa Bliss has made quite the splash since arriving from Smackdown Live in the Superstar Shakeup, claiming the number one contender's spot. The internet seems to be in love with Alexa Bliss, and while I certainly see the appeal, I don't see her taking down the hometown hero (even with the WWE's track record). Look for Bayley to retain as well, hopefully with more teasing of a feud between Bayley and Sasha.
What is a House Of Horror's match? Based on what we've seen from other promotions, it is a hardcore match, maybe something of an extra-hardcore match. Is that what we'll be seeing between Wyatt and Orton? Assumedly, they'll add a bit more of a supernatural element to the match, since Bray Wyatt is super duper spooky. Since Mania, I haven't cared about this feud. Orton isn't defending his title in the match, and they're looking to build Jinder Mahal as a heel people can realistically see at the top of the card, it would make sense for him to get involved, or any old or new Wyatt Family member. I expect Wyatt to avenge his loss from Wrestlemania, after some shenanigans, and a particularly violent match.
On the topic of particularly violent matches, the final match on the card is between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. This won't be a technical masterpiece, but I certainly expect this to be a spectacle. Both of these men have been booked incredibly strong, not just in the treatment of their characters, but also in their literal physical strength. I expect a comic book showdown, and due to Roman coming in with the injuries, I also expect Braun to come out on top.
Come back Monday to take a look at how my predictions faired, and my overall thoughts on the card.
Until then, stay (too) sweet.
