WWE Payback 2016: Stars Who Will Break out at PPV Event
As WWE Payback 2016 quickly approaches, every Superstar is looking to make a major impact, especially the NXT newcomers.
For the first time in years, the post-WrestleMania pay-per-view will not consist solely of rematches from The Show of Shows. In fact, based on what WWE has confirmed thus far and what it will likely add to the event, every matchup on the show should be something fresh.
In their premier singles outing, Roman Reigns will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles. Meanwhile, The Miz puts his WWE Intercontinental Championship up for grabs in a match with Cesaro.
Several stars will have something to prove come May 1, but the talent under the most pressure at Payback will be those who recently arrived from NXT. All of them have plenty of potential, but their Payback performances could make or break their immediate futures in WWE.
Let's look at the wrestlers who are most likely to break out at the upcoming pay-per-view.
Baron Corbin
1 of 5
Following an impressive debut against CJ Parker in September 2014, Baron Corbin embarked on a path of destruction in NXT that saw him suffer few pinfall losses in singles competition. With wins over Bull Dempsey, Rhyno and Apollo Crews, it was inevitable he would eventually take his talents elsewhere.
At WrestleMania 32, Corbin was a surprise entrant in the 2016 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and shockingly won by eliminating Kane. It was refreshing to see WWE go with a fresh face as the winner of the annual event, even if the match has traditionally meant nothing.
The next night on Raw, he sent a clear message to everyone by decimating Dolph Ziggler. Despite getting counted out, he continued to dish out punishment on The Showoff, planting him with an End of Days at ringside.
Ziggler came to Zack Ryder's aid after his match with Corbin on this past week's SmackDown, but The Lone Wolf escaped the ring before Ziggler could exact revenge for the attack. As of this writing, WWE has not made a match between the two official for Payback, but it's safe to assume it will next week.
Corbin has all the tools necessary to become the monster heel WWE needs right now. A victory over the two-time world heavyweight champion would set him on the right path toward superstardom.
Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady
2 of 5
For as long as they were down in WWE Developmental, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady were never once able to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship. However, they have since set their sights on a more prestigious prize: the WWE tag team titles.
The Realest Guys in the Room made their long-awaited debuts on Monday Night Raw one night removed from WrestleMania 32, interrupting The Dudley Boyz's victory celebration. With their entertaining antics and hilarious verbal jabs toward the seasoned veterans, they quickly won over the audience.
As seen on SmackDown, they are one step closer to clinching the twin titles after advancing in the No. 1 contender's tag team tournament. They will go up against The Dudley Boyz this coming Monday night on Raw, but regardless of who wins that affair, those two teams are destined to do battle again at Payback.
Enzo and Cass have plenty of time to chase the championships. For now, they need to establish themselves as real players in the tag team division by taking out one of the most decorated duos of all time.
It's been "so far, so good" with Enzo and Cass on the main roster. They backed up their trash talking with a win on SmackDown, but it will be on the grand stage of Payback that they will solidify themselves as stars on the rise in WWE's tag team ranks.
Apollo Crews
3 of 5
Few fans expected to see Apollo Crews grace Raw and SmackDown as soon as he did, but in such a short period of time, he has already made a name for himself in WWE.
Crews spent a solid eight months in NXT, honing his craft and mixing it up with elite competition, including Tyler Breeze, Baron Corbin and Finn Balor. Before he could get a run with the NXT Championship, WWE called him up to Raw the night after WrestleMania and had an impressive outing against Breeze.
In the weeks since, he has scored victories over Curtis Axel and Adam Rose and appears poised for success in WWE. His mic skills are still a work in progress, but his in-ring ability and amazing athleticism are enough to hide his weaknesses.
Unlike the aforementioned athletes, he doesn't have a clear opponent for Payback on May 1. He has been knocking off the undercard of WWE lately, but based on his recent winning ways, he will probably play some role at the pending pay-per-view.
Whether it's Ryback or another opponent, Crews must continue to build momentum by coming out on top against whoever he faces at Payback. He could well be in contention for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by the conclusion of 2016 if he keeps along this path to the top.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
4 of 5
Per WWE.com, rumors ran rampant for months that, along with AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were bound for the WWE. While Styles and Nakamura debuted at the Royal Rumble and NXT TakeOver: Dallas, respectively, it remained unknown when the former IWGP tag team champions would surface in WWE.
At long last, they arrived on the April 11 edition of Raw following The Usos' victory over The Social Outcasts. They laid waste to the former tag team champions while the commentators played up their long list of accolades.
The duo didn't appear on SmackDown, so we will have to wait until Monday's Raw to find out what's next for them. Nevertheless, they proved with their premier appearance that they mean business and are determined to dominate WWE's tag team division.
It's possible that their attack on The Usos will render the Samoan siblings unable to continue in the tourney, which will allow Gallows and Anderson to take their spot. At that point, it would be foolish for them to not win it all and go on to face The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championships at Payback.
Even if that isn't the current plan, expect them to make their presences felt in Chicago on May 1 in some form or fashion. WWE must tread lightly with them at the risk of ruining their buzz too early into their run.
Sami Zayn
5 of 5
There is little doubt that it should have been Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn one-on-one at WrestleMania 32, but admittedly, the ladder match we received instead for the WWE Intercontinental Championship was a fun consolation prize.
More importantly, Zayn and Owens resumed their rivalry coming out of their clash on The Grandest Stage of Them All and are on a collision course for Payback. Owens cost his former friend the chance to compete in a Fatal 4-Way to determine the No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the post-WrestleMania Raw, though Zayn evened the score by distracting him during a tag team match days later on SmackDown.
Owens and Zayn are the type of rivals who can continue to feud for years to come, and their exceptional chemistry will never grow tiresome. Fans could feel the animosity they had for each other in their battles on NXT, and their matches on the main roster should be no different.
Come Payback, however, Zayn will have more to lose than Owens. While nothing will be on the line, Owens is already established, whereas Zayn is still in need of a major victory to prove his worth to the WWE Universe.
The Underdog from the Underground has fallen short in recent encounters with AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura but remains beloved by the audience. With a win over Owens, Zayn would take the first step toward breaking out as the singles star he is destined to be.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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