WWE Payback 2013: Superstars Who Will Score Surprising Wins at Upcoming PPV

One of the biggest complaints fans seem to have with the WWE is that the booking is too predictable. There are certainly times when that is true, and there are even some predictable matches on Sunday's Payback card, but there should be a few surprises as well.

Don't expect Ryback to beat John Cena for the WWE Championship, and don't look for any of The Shield members to lose their titles either. That predictability promises to be counterbalanced by a few other matches, though. There is a definitive favorite in essentially every match on the card, but not every favorite is going to come out on top.

Here are three superstars who aren't expected to win at Payback but will ultimately prevail and add some excitement to the event.

Chris Jericho

Eight days after losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIX, CM Punk walked out on the WWE, as the defeat seemed to affect him in an extremely negative way. Punk hasn't been seen or heard from in a WWE context since, but he is scheduled to take on Chris Jericho on Sunday in a match Paul Heyman negotiated.

Jericho goaded Heyman into accepting the match when he called himself "the best in the world" while interviewing Heyman on The Highlight Reel. While Punk never accepted the match, all signs point toward it happening anyway. Provided it does take place, Punk is guaranteed to get a huge face reaction in his hometown of Chicago. With that type of support, Heyman is quite confident in his client's ability to win the match.

With that said, something fishy seems to be going on here. On Raw, Jericho talked about how he desperately needs to win the match. That could very well lead to him going to great lengths to do so, including enlisting the services of Heyman. If there are plans to turn Punk face, doing it in Chicago would be an obvious move. Look for Heyman to cost Punk the match, which will then lead to a lengthy feud between Punk and Heyman's guys moving forward.

The Miz

The Intercontinental championship picture was thrown for a loop this week. Wade Barrett was originally scheduled to defend his title against The Miz and Fandango in a triple threat at Payback. Due to a concussion, however, Fandango cannot compete. Enter Curtis Axel, who will take Fandango's place and vie for the IC title, as shown by WWE's Instagram account:

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Fandango was penciled in to win, as Barrett has done nothing with the belt, and The Miz has had two nondescript reigns as well. Neither Barrett nor Miz benefit from the IC title. That makes Axel the odds-on favorite, as he is suddenly a rising star in the WWE and could use a midcard title to his advantage. Also, Axel's father is the late Mr. Perfect, who is arguably the greatest Intercontinental champion of all time, so there is some symmetry involved.

If plans called for Fandango to win the title, though, it wouldn't make sense to completely shift gears and put the strap on Axel. The smartest move would be giving the belt to Miz, as he could be a transitional champion and drop it to Fandango once he is healthy. To ensure Axel isn't hurt by the loss, it would be great to have Triple H interfere by attacking Axel. This means Axel wouldn't factor into the decision, and it would also set the stage for their match on Raw.

Damien Sandow

For the past several weeks, Damien Sandow has been locked in a battle of wits with Sheamus. When they step into the ring for the Kickoff to Payback match on Sunday night, however, a combination of brain and brawn will be needed. Sheamus is among the winningest superstars in the WWE over the past year, but this is also a golden opportunity for the creative team to give Sandow a proper push, which he so richly deserves.

Sandow has been on the back burner for quite some time, so it is nice to see him receiving some consistent television time. His skits with Sheamus in recent weeks have been very comical, as he has attempted to outsmart the Irishman through mind games. He even prompted Sheamus to challenge a super computer to a game of chess, but The Celtic Warrior kicked the computer instead and made fun of Sandow on Twitter afterward.

Even though conventional wisdom states that Sheamus will win since he's the big-time face, Sheamus wouldn't really benefit from the victory. Sandow, on the other hand, would get a huge boost and could take that next step. With Money in the Bank coming up next month, Sandow has to be considered a candidate on the SmackDown side. A win over Sheamus would be a major vote of confidence from WWE officials.

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