WWE Payback 2017: Final Picks and Predictions for Entire Raw PPV Match Card
WWE Payback is upon us, and Sunday night, the Superstars of Raw will take to the squared circle in search of key victories in some of the night's marquee bouts.
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman headlines, an intense war between two heavyweights sure to have the WWE Universe erupting for every near-fall and high spot.
Seth Rollins will attempt to avenge a savage attack at the hands of Samoa Joe this past January, while The Samoan Submission Machine will seek a win to continue his reign of dominance thus far on the main roster.
Bayley defends the Raw Women's Championship in her hometown of San Jose, California, and two interpromotional matches featuring SmackDown Live champions round out a card that may lack in hype and excitement but should deliver in terms of in-ring production.
Who will emerge from each match victorious, ready to ride a wave of momentum into the summer months and, potentially, a significant role in the company's most important feuds and storylines?
Take a look with these match previews and final predictions for the 2017 edition of WWE Payback.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
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The opening match of Sunday's pay-per-view will see Enzo Amore and Big Cass seek a rare victory over former Raw tag team champions Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.
The two teams have squared off countless times in 2017, and in nearly every instance, the duo known affectionately as The Club has emerged victorious, the latest win coming on the April 17 episode of Raw. A sneak attack on Amore one week later, which left him in a heap and unable to compete in a blockbuster Six-Man Tag Team match, added fuel to the proverbial fire.
Now, the popular NXT exports will be seeking revenge as they ignite the night's festivities as part of the WWE Payback Kickoff Show.
The question is whether the babyfaces need the win as much as the heels. Amore and Cass are immensely popular and consistently remain over, while Anderson and Gallows have been at the mercy of WWE's inconsistent booking.
A win for them allows the heels to build some momentum for themselves, especially coming off a loss to The Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania. That should be of the utmost importance given their status as the lead heels of the tag team division until The Revival returns to action.
With that said, WWE Creative loves to book babyfaces to go over on the Kickoff Show to build goodwill with audiences.
Prediction
Enzo Amore and Big Cass finally go over Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a match of little consequence.
Austin Aries vs. Neville
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The WWE Cruiserweight Championship will be up for grabs Sunday night as Neville looks to make it two straight victories against Austin Aries on pay-per-view.
In their most recent meeting, The King of the Cruiserweights underhandedly targeted his rival's previously injured eye to momentarily stun him before finishing Aries off with the Red Arrow.
Sunday night, he will have to prove resourceful, if not devious, if he hopes to thwart the challenge of The Greatest Man That Ever Lived one more time.
Aries is a ball of fury, a challenger seeking not only his first championship under the WWE umbrella but also revenge for his loss on wrestling's grandest stage, WrestleMania. On the April 25 episode of 205 Live, Aries sent one last message to Neville, trapping him in the Last Chancery and forcing a tapout.
WWE logic suggests Neville gets his heat back Sunday night and scores the victory, but that is not necessarily the right outcome.
Where does Neville go from Aries? No other star in the cruiserweight division has the credibility in the eyes of the WWE Universe that the well-traveled Aries does. Akira Tozawa would be the most obvious choice, but he is still wrapped up in a program with The Brian Kendrick and is hardly over enough to dethrone Neville.
With that said, the best course for WWE Creative to take would be the continuation of this rivalry. A second Neville win essentially kills off any argument that could be made for a third Aries opportunity, though, leaving management and the writing staff in a bit of a catch-22.
Prediction
Neville successfully retains his title by defeating Austin Aries.
Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
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The most difficult match to predict on the Payback card is the showdown between Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe.
Rollins found himself on the receiving end of a vicious assault from Joe on the January 30 episode of Raw. Trapped in the clutches of the internationally renowned star, Rollins nearly obliterated his previously injured knee and could have missed out on the most significant match of his career: a one-on-one showdown with Triple H at WrestleMania.
Instead, he soldiered through the injury, defeated his former mentor and arrives in San Jose looking to avoid further injury at the hands of his budding rival.
Joe, on the other hand, will seek the biggest win of his main-roster career.
Sure, the former NXT champion has scored wins over Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho, but there are not many Superstars who cannot claim victory over those two selfless performers. Rollins is a legitimate main event talent, a Superstar whose accomplishments since 2015 are many and whose time as WWE champion has not been forgotten by fans.
Beating him matters.
But will WWE Creative go the way of a dominant Joe victory, firmly establishing him as a lead villain on par with Braun Strowman on Monday nights, or will the temptation to maintain Rollins' momentum coming out of WrestleMania be too strong to deny?
If WWE is smart, it will book itself out of the corner it put itself in with a well-timed disqualification or count-out. Unfortunately, it does not appear the writing staff will go in that direction come Sunday night.
Prediction
Seth Rollins defeats Samoa Joe in a Match of the Night candidate.
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The Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus and Cesaro
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The Hardy Boyz reaffirmed their status as one of the hottest acts in wrestling on April 2 at WrestleMania, when they returned to WWE and proceeded to defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Enzo Amore and Big Cass and Cesaro and Sheamus in a Fatal 4-Way ladder match to capture the Raw Tag Team Championships.
Sheamus and Cesaro rebounded from the disappointing night in Orlando, Florida, by defeating the popular Amore and Cass to become the No. 1 contenders and earn a shot at the titles they once called their own.
Hopefully, for their sake, they work better as a team than they have as singles competitors as of late.
On the April 17 episode of Raw, Cesaro dropped a singles match to Jeff Hardy. One week later, Sheamus lost to Matt Hardy. In both instances, the international Superstars expressed frustration in the wake of defeat. Could that frustration manifest itself in a heel turn?
Will it lead to a more aggressive and physically dominant tandem?
It is a question that will almost certainly be addressed during Sunday's championship clash.
On the champions' side of things is the potential use of The Broken Hardys gimmick. Might fans see the first hints of the characters Sunday night, perhaps as the brothers Hardy battle to retain the titles they won so unexpectedly at WrestleMania? If not then, when?
That answer may not be as readily apparent. What is, though, is the potential for the best match of the night if both teams jell and the fans are red-hot for the bout.
Prediction
The Hardy Boyz defeat Cesaro and Sheamus to retain the tag titles.
Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss
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Alexa Bliss may be the meanest girl in WWE, a conniving woman who uses harsh criticisms of her opponents to affect their psyche before swooping in and relieving them of championships. That is exactly the scenario fans of Raw may see play out Sunday night, when she challenges Raw women's champion Bayley in her hometown of San Jose.
What better way for Little Miss Bliss to establish herself as the lead villain in a rebuilding Raw women's division than by defeating the most beloved female performers of the past decade for the title she worked so hard for, in front of the champion's hometown fans?
Conversely, how rewarding a victory would it be to have Bayley win such a meaningful match in front of the men and women she calls family and friends?
After a monumental win at WrestleMania, which saw her defeat Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax to retain her title, losing at a C-level pay-per-view like Payback would be a monumental letdown. Not once during her title reign as Bayley been allowed to really garner any sort of momentum.
A win on Sunday would not only allow the vengeful Bliss to plot her revenge, leading to a more interesting program going forward, but it would also allow Bayley a chance to string together two high-profile wins to build her credibility as champion, something that has not always been readily apparent.
Prediction
Bayley defeats Alexa Bliss to retain.
Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
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Kevin Owens was shuffled to SmackDown Live during the recent Superstar Shake-up, essentially cutting short his rivalry with Chris Jericho. The program, once intensely personal and one of the most intriguing elements of a struggling Raw brand, limps into San Jose for one last showdown between the friends-turned-enemies.
Owens, the United States champion after defeating Jericho for the title at WrestleMania, will seek to make it two straight wins against the future Hall of Famer in what has the potential to be the biggest foregone conclusion of the night.
With Jericho poised to take time off to tour with his band, Fozzy, and Owens already building a rivalry with AJ Styles over the U.S. title, all signs point to Owens retaining his title.
That is exactly why it will not be a surprise whatsoever to see Jericho defeat his former tag team partner and regain the title. WWE has thrown the fans curveballs in the past, seemingly for no other reason than to catch them off guard.
Given the circumstances surrounding this match, even WWE Creative could not be so daft as to book that outcome, right?
Prediction
Kevin Owens defeats Chris Jericho clean in the center of the ring, scoring a rare definitive win.
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
7 of 8
Originally slated to be for the WWE Championship, the House of Horrors match between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt felt like the easiest contest to predict at one point. After all, there was no way The Viper was dropping his title to the new Raw acquisition.
The recent revelation that the match will no longer be for the title suggests the outcome is no longer so obvious.
Orton has his hands full with new No. 1 contender Jinder Mahal and associates The Singh Brothers, meaning his focus may be shifted. Considering Wyatt will be in need of a high-profile victory as he embarks on another run with the flagship brand and that Orton can recover relatively easily with a single RKO, this is The Reaper of Souls' match to win.
The lack of explanation of the match's rules and stipulations creates an air of mystery but, also, the possibility that Wyatt can score a much-needed win without devaluing Orton's status as the champion of SmackDown Live.
Prediction
Bray Wyatt defeats Randy Orton to end their rivalry.
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
8 of 8
Whether the match goes on last or not, the main event is the colossal showdown between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman.
The Superstars have been at each other's throats since the turn of the year. Reigns got one over on Strowman at Fastlane, dealing The Monster Among Men a rare loss. Coming off of a disappointing performance in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, Strowman took out his frustrations on Reigns by brutally attacking him backstage in one of the most memorable beatdowns in recent memory.
Since being sent to the hospital with the multiple injuries suffered during that obliteration, Reigns has been conspicuous by his absence. The death of brother Matthew "Rosey" Anoaʻi also contributed to his disappearance from television, though that has not been played up on television.
This match feels like it is Strowman's to win. The big man has steadily built momentum and heat in recent months, breaking out and becoming a legitimate main event attraction on Monday nights. To suggest he could get a WWE Universal Championship run out of the entire ordeal would not be nearly the stretch it once was.
To get to that point, he needs a signature victory.
Reigns has the built-in excuse of an injury to explain away defeat. Therefore, a loss would not damage him in the slightest. The most polarizing star in the industry, he will recover just fine come Monday night, when he will still generate the loudest reactions of any star on the show.
Prediction
Braun Strowman capitalizes on the injuries he dealt Roman Reigns on the April 10 episode of Raw and defeats him for the biggest win of his career.
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