Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe: WWE Payback 2017 Match Preview and Pick

In January, Seth Rollins nearly had his opportunity to avenge his betrayal at the hands of Triple H stripped away following a brutal assault at the hands of Samoa Joe.

After defeating The Game at WrestleMania 33, ending his years-long story with Triple H in grand fashion, he returned his attention to The Samoan Submission Machine.

Since then, the Superstars have repeatedly been at each other's throats, engaging in physical tag matches, wild brawls and intense promos that have set the tone for Sunday's showdown.

Will Rollins overcome one more obstacle on his path back to glory or will Joe finish what he started in January, laying waste to The Architect and further establishing himself as the most dangerous man on Raw?

Find out with this preview of Sunday's high-profile clash.

The Right Hand of Destruction

The January 30 episode of Raw served as a perfect introduction to the type of performer Samoa Joe is. He exploded onto the screen, coming from out of nowhere to assault Rollins and reveal himself as Triple H's so-called "Right Hand of Destruction."

While Rollins' injury proved real, it was an incredible tool with which to sell Joe to the masses. A silent killer, a ruthless aggressor, he choked the former WWE champion out and left him with a knee desperately in need of medical attention.

Rollins rehabbed and fought through incredible pain and potential heartbreak to make it back in time for WrestleMania, where he defeated Triple H and exorcised that demon from his closet.

But Joe remained a thorn in his side.

Just 24 hours after his monumental victory, Rollins had his celebration cut short by Joe, who teamed with Kevin Owens to battle The Architect and Finn Balor in the main event of the April 3 Raw.

Since then, the two have been involved in a verbal confrontation and were on opposite sides of a Six-Man Tag Team match on April 24 that did little to increase intrigue for Sunday's battle.

The Match

Both Rollins and Joe honed their craft in Ring of Honor. They are technically sound wrestlers whose high-impact styles endear them to diehard wrestling fans and casual viewers alike. Despite the lack of evolving story, the action they bring to the match will be enough to overcome the lackluster writing.

Joe will likely dominate to maintain his monster presence, forcing Rollins to fight from underneath.

The question ultimately becomes how much of a dominant force WWE Creative wants Joe to be in this match. If he dominates for too long, the risk becomes killing any heat the crowd may have for the match.

The other topic of interest will be the follow-up. If the feud is to continue, does the WWE book some sort of red-hot finish that ends with both men brawling? Does Joe cheat to win?

Those finishes spawn rematches.

A clean victory by Rollins kills any necessity for another battle.

Prediction

Samoa Joe defeats Seth Rollins