WWE Payback 2017: Full Match Card Predictions After WWE WrestleMania 33

Payback 2017 will be both an epilogue to WWE WrestleMania 33 and the early chapters of numerous new stories.

Kevin Owens and Neville are poised to continue their battles from Sunday's signature event. Those champions will find their foes are not yet vanquished. Rematches await them at the Raw-exclusive pay-per-view. Roman Reigns is among the warriors set to face fresh challenges. The Big Dog downed Undertaker at The Show of Shows, and now without a rival.

Who will step up to Reigns? Who will challenge Bayley for the Raw women's title? And who will WWE send in to challenge Brock Lesnar?

The following is a look at those questions, projecting what the Payback card will look like.

Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho (United States Championship; Last Man Standing)

Even with the ring apron powerbomb at the end, Owens' victory over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania didn't have an air of finality to it. As much animosity as these two shared for the past few months, a simple pinfall in a traditional match wasn't enough to settle things.

A more brutal battle awaits.

Y2J is sure to invoke his rematch clause. Owens will do his best to deny him that opportunity. Eventually, though, the rematch will happen.

Owens outlasting his former best friend in a Last Man Standing match is the logical next step for this story. The champ can beat down Jericho, leaving him broken as a means to write him off TV while he goes on tour with his band. 

Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins emerged from WrestleMania a hobbled victor.

Triple H tore at The Architect's bad knee for much of their match. Rollins was able to survive the torture and take down The King of Kings. 

The man who left Rollins so vulnerable in the first place now lurks behind the babyface.  

Samoa Joe's part in this tale never came to a climax. He helped Triple H hurt Rollins but then fell into the background, missing WrestleMania completely.

The Destroyer now looking to finish Rollins, either on his own accord or at the behest of The Game, is a natural follow-up to WrestleMania. 

The Hardy Boyz vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (Raw Tag Team Championship)

The field for the Raw tag team title ladder match grew by one squad on Sunday as The Hardy Boyz made a surprise return.

Matt and Jeff Hardy blasted their way past their foes, including Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The brothers retrieved the titles and now rule the Raw tag team division.

Gallows and Anderson have plenty reason to be furious. They could argue they strategized for their other opponents, not the Hardys. The Club also has a rematch clause to call upon.

As the division's top heels, Gallows and Anderson are an obvious choice for the returning Hardys' first rivals. 

Eventually, WWE will pit the champs against The New Day or The Realest Guys in the Room to create some memorable, outlandish fare. For now, the Hardys will begin their reign by looking to keep Gallows and Anderson empty-handed.

Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor

At WrestleMania, Reigns vanquished Undertaker, perhaps putting The Deadman to pasture. Finn Balor, meanwhile, didn't appear on the show at all.

Balor needs to charge back onto the red brand and to begin his quest to reclaim the Universal Championship.

That will start with a collision with The Big Dog. Reigns hinted at a heel turn against Undertaker, growing more vicious in order to keep the icon on the mat. If WWE finally makes that needed move, it would set the stage for a Reigns-Balor feud that would electrify the brand.

There's history to build on, too. Balor first launched himself into the universal title picture by beating Reigns in his Raw debut.

Bayley vs. Emma (Raw Women's Championship)

Bayley survived her toughest test as champ, fending off three foes at once at WrestleMania.

Sasha Banks couldn't beat her, nor could Charlotte Flair or Nia Jax. Rather than have one of those women hop right back into the title picture, WWE is likely to shake things up.

Banks vs. Bayley is a story the company is sure to construct eventually after The Boss turns on her friend. Flair isn't done battling for the gold. Jax will remain a threat, too.

They will all have to wait their turn, however.

Emma, whom WWE has teased will return since October, is poised to make her mark on the division. Her sneering, merciless heel persona is a perfect fit opposite the lovable Bayley.

Look for Emma to quickly charge her way into title contention.

Neville vs. Austin Aries (Cruiserweight Championship)

Neville and Austin Aries tore it up to kick off WrestleMania.

The King of the Cruiserweights retained in a high-quality bout. Neville withstood Aries' best shots and fired back with an overwhelming offense. 

WWE is going to want to revisit that meeting.

There is more of this story to explore. Their chemistry promises to lead to excellent matches in the future. And the cruiserweight division has already cycled through a number of faces to be a part of the title picture.

Neville has taken down Rich Swann, Jack Gallagher and now Aries. It's too soon to move away from A Double. Look for them to clash for at least the next two PPVs.

Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman (Universal Championship)

After beating Goldberg, Lesnar is ready to be WWE's apex predator once more.

The Beast Incarnate finished off Goldberg, took his Universal Championship and now waits for his next challenge.

Eventually, WWE will want to send Reigns after him. That's a money matchup between two forces of nature the company brass is clearly big on. For now, the monstrous Braun Strowman will test the new champion.

Strowman vs. Lesnar is the type of titan-on-titan clash that WWE has historically loved.

An angry Strowman can demand better treatment from Raw management after being left out of the high-profile matches at WrestleMania. His frustrations would then inspire him to step up to Lesnar. And suddenly Payback would have a major-league slobberknocker on its marquee.