WWE Payback 2017 Matches: Updated Card, Top Themes Established in Build to PPV

WWE Payback is going down on Sunday, and fans are expecting a great night. That's because the card is stacked with top-level Superstars in matches that could very well have long-lasting implications for the Raw brand.

Championships will be defended, legends will fight, and monsters will wreak havoc. 

Of course the issue of fans' expectations versus the reality of the company's booking is always at play. Will WWE be able to deliver on what fans want to see, as well as what the storylines need? The WWE faithful is surely hoping so. 

The Card

Seven matches are booked for the main card, while one bout is scheduled for the Kickoff Show. Four championships will be defended on the main card, but the WWE Championship is not included among them.

WWE confirmed to CBSSports.com that Randy Orton's match with Bray Wyatt will not be for the company's top title. The House of Horrors Match is an unknown entity, and now the bout is made all the more confusing by the fact that The Viper's title will not be on the line.

With any luck, the rest of the card will feature enough action to compensate.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows	Kickoff Match
Neville vs. Austin Aries	WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss	Raw Women's Championship Match
The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro and Sheamus	Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho	WWE United States Championship Match
Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt	House of Horrors Match
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

WWE certainly seems to be loading up with high-profile matches, and that's a good thing. Payback is the first major event after WrestleMania, so there's a lot to live up to. Considering the talent that's booked, it's almost a certainty that some big moments are possible—and likely probable.

The New Era is in full effect now, but the veteran stars are on hand as well. WWE has a nice mix of talent going into Sunday, so there's a little something for everyone. Perhaps the most anticipated match of the night goes to Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe.

Blueprints for Revenge

The Architect is on the hunt for redemption.

Seth Rollins was put on the shelf by Samoa Joe and nearly lost his opportunity to work at WrestleMania 33. Triple H's new enforcer was put in Rollins' way and was told to deal with The Game's problem. Joe did just that and could have cost Rollins much more than just a Mania appearance.

But he did not get the job done.

Rollins wants to put this behind him, and with good reason. He took Triple H down at WrestleMania, and now Hunter's right-hand man must go down as well. Rollins wants to move on to the next chapter of his WWE career, but that cannot happen until Joe has been dealt with.

For Joe, this match is all about finishing what he started. 

Rollins may be one of the toughest men on the roster and he may deserve respect for bouncing back from injury, but he's just another victim to Samoa Joe. Joe has been given his marching orders, and now he wants to destroy the man that will stand across the ring from him on Sunday.

WWE.com

This one may not be a technical masterpiece, but it will nevertheless be a highly entertaining match.

Joe is a star and deserves the spotlight he's getting. Working with Rollins will only help Joe's cause, and Rollins himself will benefit from yet another great pay-per-view showing. It's a can't-miss for WWE and for the fans as well.

The Face of America

Kevin Owens is taking his status as United States champion very seriously.

Owens now believes he is The Face of America and is bringing his obnoxious sense of patriotism straight to the door of Chris Jericho. Y2J is very familiar with KO's scams and should have no problem seeing through him at Payback.

This one has gone far beyond revenge; now the time has come for a resolution.

Whoever wins this match not only becomes the U.S. champion; he also becomes the newest member of SmackDown Live. With Owens having already made a splash on Tuesday nights and Jericho heading back on tour with his band Fozzy, it's obvious that this feud is coming to an end.

Owens needs this win, as it sets him directly on a path to AJ Styles, and that's a feud that everyone wants to see. As entertaining as Owens versus Jericho is, Owens versus Styles will take place on an entirely different level. 

It's a rivalry that could make headlines on SmackDown for months to come. 

Of course that's not to suggest that Owens and Jericho will take the night off at Payback. If this match is indeed the blow-off to their feud, then it should be a good one. KO and Y2J take a lot of pride in their work and have great chemistry together. All of that should be very apparent when they lock up on Sunday.

Rebuilding the Empire

Roman Reigns versus Braun Strowman is going to be so big that it's likely going to be the main event, and there's no championship involved.

This match is a prime example of what happens when WWE makes a plan and refuses to let anyone stand in its way. The company wanted to put forth the notion that Reigns had been decimated by Strowman on Monday Night Raw, so that's what happened. 

WWE wanted Reigns to be unfairly beaten down time and again, with Strowman showing absolutely no mercy in the process. The spot was intense, it was vicious, and it seemed as though it would never end. But WWE's intent was obvious.

This was a great chance to rally fans behind The Guy. The only problem was it didn't work.

Fans cheered Strowman for what he did to Reigns, just as they will surely cheer when Reigns gets punished at Payback. The plan to build Reigns as a top babyface has always been there and it had the potential to work this time, but fans wanted no part of it.

Now the questions surrounding Reigns' health are being asked.

Will The Big Dog be ready for The Monster Among Men? Reigns will likely be selling the "injuries" he received from Strowman, and that should slow down the match considerably. But as the pace begins to pick up, the chemistry between Reigns and Strowman should become obvious.

Despite how the crowd reacts to either man, Reigns and Strowman still have a job to do. This is Reigns' chance to come back and prove he's tough. It's Strowman's chance to reach that next level. If Reigns and Strowman have a classic knockdown, drag-out fight, then both men win in the end.

A possible count-out or no-contest would not damage Strowman or Reigns. They could live to fight another day or they could move on to new opponents. Neither man needs to drop the pin, and perhaps neither man will. 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com