Looking at the card for WWE Payback, I am quite certain most agree that it’s a rather solid one and it would be no exaggeration to say that at least half of these matches could have easily taken place at Wrestlemania. Better yet, this PPV in general looks a lot better than Wrestlemania and if you wonder why, well, just look at the build, the storylines that make sense and, well, there you have it. It doesn’t always have to be complex stuff folks and while there are definitely some loopholes here and there, the bottom line is it’s a PPV that WWE have made us look forward to.
Kalisto vs Ryback for the U.S. Championship
I honestly have no idea why we are getting this match again and I also don’t see why Ryback is granted another match after losing clean at Wrestlemania. We’ve barely seen any of these two since Mania, the title itself has become meaningless and overall it’s a match that very few could give a fuck about.
Nevertheless, my pick here is Ryback, which I feel is the rather obvious choice and something that should have already happened at Wrestlemania. I mean, it’s not like WWE gave Kalisto much of a push ever since he became US champion, nor did the belt become special again (the Cena days really feel so far away) so why not? I won’t say Ryback is the ideal guy but at least it opens up some possibilities down the road, like Apollo Crews for example, who at this point really needs something significant to do rather than simply beating up midcarders like Adam Rose and Stardust every week. You surely can’t be doing that forever…
Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin
This could be a tricky one but common sense says Corbin goes over and I honestly can’t see how this could go any other way. Then again, no one expected Y2J to defeat AJ Styles at Mania and it happened anyway but nah, it would make zero sense.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs The Vaudevillains
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one saying this, but it’s almost as clear as day that the Dudleys interfere and cost Enzo and Cass the match. As much as I’d love to see Enzo and Cass take on the New Day, I don’t see WWE doing face vs face right now (if this is to happen, I feel Summerslam is the right place and time to do so) plus the Vaudevillains at this point definitely need the push more.
Charlotte vs Natalya
I have very little doubt that Charlotte will retain once again (if they didn’t give it to Sasha at Mania, it makes little sense to give it to Natalya a month later) and I only hope that she finally wins clean. Seriously WWE, enough with the Ric Flair shenanigans….
Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens
This has all the potential to be the MOTN and it’s about time WWE worked on this build with the awesome video package they gave us on RAW this past Monday. Aside from motn, this is clearly not a feud that will simply end tomorrow night; oh no, we just getting started with this one.
As far as who draws first blood, it’s pretty much a fifty-fifty split but I’ll go with Sami Zayn only because he’s put up some incredible matches these past weeks on RAW without a win to show for.
Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho
It’s really sad having a guy like Ambrose, who is so over with the crowd, wasted in meaningless storylines and getting fucked over in the process by losing every feud. I mean, why and what exactly are Jericho and Ambrose fighting for? Don’t get me wrong, I was calling for the match months ago for Wrestlemania but you mean to tell me this is the best storyline they came up for these two?
Anyway, let’s hope they at least don’t fuck up the ending and give Ambrose the win because I feel it’s come to a point where he really can’t afford another loss. What would another loss in a significant match do for his credibility?
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles
While Roman Reigns is the obvious winner in this one (unless WWE were to grow some balls, that is), there’s definitely a lot of intrigue in this story and I find I quite pleasant that they have us guessing as to what may go down.
How do Gallows and Anderson fit in and who (if anyone) do they help? Does Balor show up? What did Roman Reigns mean by “we” when referring to the Roman Empire a couple weeks ago on RAW? Are we in for a new faction led by Reigns? Will AJ turn heel and align himself with Gallows and Anderson, only for the Shield to reform on the other hand?
Like I said, numerous ways WWE can play this and the potential is undoubtedly there so hopefully WWE can deliver something big?
Vince McMahon Announcement
This can go down a couple of different ways. Vince can say “neither” and bring back, say, Eric Bischoff (though it’s been done already but throwing it out anyway) or say “both” and go ahead with the much talked about brand split, which by the way I am not the biggest fan of right now and under the current circumstances. Then again, he could just pick Shane alone or Stephanie alone for the job but I really doubt it’s going to be that simple.
Kalisto vs Ryback for the U.S. Championship
I honestly have no idea why we are getting this match again and I also don’t see why Ryback is granted another match after losing clean at Wrestlemania. We’ve barely seen any of these two since Mania, the title itself has become meaningless and overall it’s a match that very few could give a fuck about.
Nevertheless, my pick here is Ryback, which I feel is the rather obvious choice and something that should have already happened at Wrestlemania. I mean, it’s not like WWE gave Kalisto much of a push ever since he became US champion, nor did the belt become special again (the Cena days really feel so far away) so why not? I won’t say Ryback is the ideal guy but at least it opens up some possibilities down the road, like Apollo Crews for example, who at this point really needs something significant to do rather than simply beating up midcarders like Adam Rose and Stardust every week. You surely can’t be doing that forever…
Dolph Ziggler vs Baron Corbin
This could be a tricky one but common sense says Corbin goes over and I honestly can’t see how this could go any other way. Then again, no one expected Y2J to defeat AJ Styles at Mania and it happened anyway but nah, it would make zero sense.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs The Vaudevillains
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one saying this, but it’s almost as clear as day that the Dudleys interfere and cost Enzo and Cass the match. As much as I’d love to see Enzo and Cass take on the New Day, I don’t see WWE doing face vs face right now (if this is to happen, I feel Summerslam is the right place and time to do so) plus the Vaudevillains at this point definitely need the push more.
Charlotte vs Natalya
I have very little doubt that Charlotte will retain once again (if they didn’t give it to Sasha at Mania, it makes little sense to give it to Natalya a month later) and I only hope that she finally wins clean. Seriously WWE, enough with the Ric Flair shenanigans….
Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens
This has all the potential to be the MOTN and it’s about time WWE worked on this build with the awesome video package they gave us on RAW this past Monday. Aside from motn, this is clearly not a feud that will simply end tomorrow night; oh no, we just getting started with this one.
As far as who draws first blood, it’s pretty much a fifty-fifty split but I’ll go with Sami Zayn only because he’s put up some incredible matches these past weeks on RAW without a win to show for.
Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho
It’s really sad having a guy like Ambrose, who is so over with the crowd, wasted in meaningless storylines and getting fucked over in the process by losing every feud. I mean, why and what exactly are Jericho and Ambrose fighting for? Don’t get me wrong, I was calling for the match months ago for Wrestlemania but you mean to tell me this is the best storyline they came up for these two?
Anyway, let’s hope they at least don’t fuck up the ending and give Ambrose the win because I feel it’s come to a point where he really can’t afford another loss. What would another loss in a significant match do for his credibility?
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles
While Roman Reigns is the obvious winner in this one (unless WWE were to grow some balls, that is), there’s definitely a lot of intrigue in this story and I find I quite pleasant that they have us guessing as to what may go down.
How do Gallows and Anderson fit in and who (if anyone) do they help? Does Balor show up? What did Roman Reigns mean by “we” when referring to the Roman Empire a couple weeks ago on RAW? Are we in for a new faction led by Reigns? Will AJ turn heel and align himself with Gallows and Anderson, only for the Shield to reform on the other hand?
Like I said, numerous ways WWE can play this and the potential is undoubtedly there so hopefully WWE can deliver something big?
Vince McMahon Announcement
This can go down a couple of different ways. Vince can say “neither” and bring back, say, Eric Bischoff (though it’s been done already but throwing it out anyway) or say “both” and go ahead with the much talked about brand split, which by the way I am not the biggest fan of right now and under the current circumstances. Then again, he could just pick Shane alone or Stephanie alone for the job but I really doubt it’s going to be that simple.
