WWE Payback 2016: Biggest X-Factors to Watch at PPV

On May 1, WWE will head to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, for Payback—the first pay-per-view since WrestleMania 32. While the follow-up to The Showcase of the Immortals often features several rematches, it seems that a fairly fresh card is being assembled for the show.

A huge contributor to the nature of the card is the amount of new faces we've seen on WWE television over the past couple of weeks. Between wrestlers returning from injury and NXT standouts being called up to the main roster, there are plenty of opportunities to shake things up.

With such a rich pool of talent vying for attention, there's more motivation than ever for individuals to step up their game. As a result, you can expect to see some great performances from stars looking to distinguish themselves from the pack.

Here are the biggest X-factors to look out for at WWE Payback 2016.

AJ Styles

Credit: WWE.com

The Phenomenal One has had an amazing start to 2016, becoming one of only five men to wrestle at New Japan Pro Wrestling's blockbuster January 4 show at the Tokyo Dome and WrestleMania in the same year—the other four being Vader, The Steiner Brothers and Chris Benoit.

Now, just months after his WWE debut, he's challenging for the world title at Payback. While the smart money is on Roman Reigns retaining, you can bet this booking is intended to give the Big Dog an excellent match to start his run with a bang.

AJ Styles is quite rightly considered one of the best pro wrestlers active anywhere in the world. Between the ropes, he's got a mastery of everything from technical, mat-based wrestling to high-flying manoeuvres like his Spiral Tap.

Styles should be able to cover for any limitations Reigns has in terms of in-ring acumen. Moreover, the fact he's so well-liked by hardcore fans while the champion is hearing boos wherever he goes suggests the crowd at the Allstate Arena will be completely invested.

Despite not having much chance of snagging the title, Payback will be a great opportunity for Styles to prove his worth in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture. Based on previous form, the challenger will no doubt make the most of his first singles main event on a WWE pay-per-view. Expect a great match.

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady

Credit: WWE.com

It's not official just yet, but all signs point toward recent NXT call-ups Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady facing The Dudley Boyz at Payback to follow up on recent tension between the two teams.

Unlike many talented wrestlers put in their position, Amore and Big Cass have made the transition to the main roster look rather easy. Enzo's pre-match address is perfect for an arena setting, and engaged post-WrestleMania crowds helped the duo hit the ground running over the last couple of weeks.

Now it's time for them to demonstrate that their in-ring component can live up to the excellent character work we've already seen. Both men showed a great deal of progression while in NXT, but they'll need to step it up a gear to go toe-to-toe with their main roster competition.

The Dudley Boyz are the perfect opponents for Enzo and Cass to face in their first pay-per-view showing. Both of these teams are motivated to deliver the goods—and that's what we'll get at Payback.

Cesaro

Credit: WWE.com

Having missed WrestleMania due to injury, Cesaro recently made his return to WWE television with renewed vigour and a novel tear-off suit. Now, he's the No. 1 contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship recently won by The Miz.

Fans hate The Miz, a testament to the champion's ability to meld his real-life and on-screen personas to antagonize and annoy. Now paired with his wife Maryse, he's been given even more scope for new ways to draw ire from a crowd.

Meanwhile, Cesaro is arguably reaching new heights in terms of popularity. It's rare that we see such a clearly defined face vs. heel scenario in today's WWE, and it looks set to help make this title match stand out at Payback.

This is Cesaro's chance to demonstrate he's more than just a talented technician with indie cred. There have been several false starts before, but now the stars seem to be aligning to propel him to the position on the card he deserves.

Natalya

Credit: WWE.com

There have been some long-overdue changes made to women's wrestling in WWE over the past few months, and most of them have had a positive effect. However, the focus on NXT graduates has caused some established contenders to fall by the wayside.

Natalya shares some similarities with the likes of Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks, being a well-travelled competitor who earned her stripes on the independent scene. She's been more visible on Total Divas than WWE television as of late, but that looks set to change as of Payback.

After being cheated out of an attempt at Charlotte's WWE Women's Championship that nearly ended in a title change on the April 11 edition of Raw, it seems likely that Natalya will receive another opportunity at the upcoming pay-per-view.

It's entirely appropriate that Natalya would be the first challenger for the brand-new belt—in a sense, she was ahead of her time and would fit in far better with the current crop of female talent than the Divas that were the standard for much of her WWE run.

Natalya may be a veteran compared to Charlotte, but she's got plenty left in the tank. At Payback, expect to see a compelling match that demonstrates why Natalya will be a key part of the women's division for some time yet—and perhaps the start of the first defining feud of the WWE Women's Championship.

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

Credit: WWE.com

On the April 11 edition of Raw, the remaining two figures from WWE's raid on the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster made their first television appearance since being signed. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows made their presence known by taking out The Usos after entering via the crowd.

Like much of the work this pairing did in Japan as part of the Bullet Club, this debut was heavily influenced by the New World Order. Of course, the early part of that angle centred around the "third man," later revealed to be Hulk Hogan.

If the implication here is that Anderson and Gallows are also waiting for another member to round out a trio, there are two candidates for the position—the two former Bullet Club leaders currently on the WWE roster, AJ Styles and Finn Balor.

In the main event of Payback, we may well see this successor to the hugely popular Bullet Club faction take shape. Anderson and Gallows could interfere on Styles' behalf, or they could take out The Phenomenal One on behalf of Balor as revenge for The Demon's position as leader being usurped when he signed with WWE back in 2014.

It's all a question of pacing. WWE could keep fans guessing about the role of Anderson and Gallows all summer, or it could kick-start this program this month by sparking either a feud between Balor and Styles, or all-out faction warfare pitting the crew from New Japan against Reigns and his chosen partners.

Could WWE be angling to set up a feud between a reassembled Shield and the faction formerly known as the Bullet Club? It remains an outside chance, but the possibility is there—and that's a very exciting prospect for fans.

Who do you see as being an X-factor on the Payback pay-per-view? Let us know in the comments section below.