This weekend the WWE heads to San Jose, California for its fifth installment of the Payback PPV. The show is a RAW branded show, albeit with two inter brand matches caused by the recent Superstar Shake-up which saw a number of members of the roster being switched between RAW and SmackDown.
It is the first PPV post WrestleMania and usually is a good indicator as to what direction the promotion will take things heading into the Summer. If the running of the matches goes as expected and Strowman Vs Reigns goes on last it will also be the fourth Payback show on the bounce which has featured Roman Reigns in the main event. They really do love this guy!
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So without further ado sit back, relax and let our resident Wrestling expert Tony take you through what we expect to happen on Sunday night;
Pre Show
Enzo Amore & Big Cass Vs The Club (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Enzo Amore opening up a PPV is always a good thing in my eyes and whilst I think both of these teams are more than capable of holding a higher position on a card, can see why the WWE does this. It's a classic Heel Vs Face match and leads on nicely from the backstage attack this week that saw The Club jumping Enzo. Enzo & Cass must be destined for the Tag Titles at some stage and a win over the former Champions on Sunday night again solidifies the fact that they are one of the best teams on the RAW roster.
The bookies agree by placing odds of 4/7 on an Enzo & Cass win, whereas former Champions The Club attract just 6/5.
Main Card
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Neville (c) Vs Austin Aries
Neville has been the star of the Cruiserweight division since its inception and has really single-handedly led the 205 brand. This weekend I think that he faces an uphill struggle to keep his hands on the Title though and I can see it changing hands at Payback.
Neville & Aries put on one of the best matches of WrestleMania 33 in my opinion and I think they are going to have to go some to replicate that on Sunday night. There is likely to be some outside interference from TJ Perkins which will possibly be at the determinate of Neville and I am definitely leaning towards it being Austin Aries crowning moment.
The current Champion Neville is actually favourite at the bookies at the moment at 4/6 whereas you can get 11/10 on Aries which in my eyes is a great shout.
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match
The Hardy Boyz (c) Vs Cesaro & Sheamus
For me this pairing has been slightly confusing given that both teams are face but in the same regards there isn't a huge pool of top tier Tag Teams on the RAW brand. The brothers Hardy have added some much needed life into the division since shocking the World during their return at Mania and as much as I love the pairing of Cesaro & Sheamus, just can't see the Hardy's dropping the Belts any time soon.
I think that the WWE appreciates that they have a hot commodity on their hands with the Hardy's right now and so hopefully sense will prevail and Matt & Jeff will carry the Tag straps into the summer and even possibly beyond that. The odds for the Hardy Boyz to retain are currently 4/11 compared to 13/8 for Cesaro & Sheamus, so if you are looking to bulk up an acca make sure you back the current Champs.
Seth Rollins Vs Samoa Joe
This match is really dividing my opinions and it's probably the toughest match on the card to pick. Trying to pick a winner is tough and you almost have to strip things right back and think logically about "who needs the win more?" The answer to that in my eyes is Seth Rollins.
This feud certainly has the potential to be something good and both men are more than capable of switching into a higher gear and being one of the main men on the RAW brand. That said we are yet to see that and so there is a small glimmer of hope that Sunday night sees them both put on a performance to show to the World exactly what they are capable of and get the fans invested in this feud. A win for Rollins gets him back on track after a tough injury spell and if done correctly won't damage Joe's momentum.
Rollins is the heavy favourite with the bookies at the moment at 4/9 compared to Joe's 13/8 which makes sense to me.
WWE Raw Women's Championship Match
Bayley (c) Vs Alexa Bliss
I don't know about anyone else but I am definitely sold of Alexa Bliss and think that she is a great addition to the RAW roster. Her character alone in comparison to Bayley is Worlds apart and I definitely see a Title change happening on Sunday in this one.
Bayley was huge in NXT but it's fair to say that since joining the main roster she just hasn't had the impact which she thought she would. Bliss on the other hand has a huge opportunity to be a big star and I really see no negatives for the company to give her a shot at driving the Women's division forward on RAW, just as she did on SmackDown.
The Champ Bayley is behind on the odds as well at 6/5 whereas a win for Alexa is expected at 4/7.
WWE United States Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) Vs Chris Jericho
There should only be one real way for this match to go and that is with Kevin Owens retaining his Title. The stipulation in this one is that if Jericho wins he moves to the SmackDown brand. Lets not kid ourselves its not happening folks. I do love the chemistry these two have and so in that sense it should be a decent match but with added speculation that Jericho is set to take some time off it would be insane to see anything else than Owens getting his hand raised on Sunday night.
At 1/9 for Owens compared to 4/1 for Jericho it's almost a certainty that this match will only be going one way.
House of Horrors Match
Randy Orton Vs Bray Wyatt
In terms of the stipulation to this one I am very intrigued to see what it entails, however, the fact that this match isn't for the WWE Championship for me pretty much gives away the winner? If Orton was going to win then why wouldn't they put the Title on the line. This whole feud for me has been largely underwhelming and I think that the pairs match at WrestleMania was proof of that.
That said these two are more than capable of putting on a good show and whilst the outcome in my eyes has already been determined by not including the Title in the match, I like everyone else am looking forward to seeing what the House of Horrors can bring us.
The current odds has both men at 5/6 which I find a bit strange but nothing is ever as it seems in the World of Professional Wrestling.
Roman Reigns Vs Braun Strowman
I'm not sure that the WWE has pushed someone as much as they have pushed Braun Strowman in recent weeks and rightly so in my opinion. Braun has been sold as the unstoppable monster, intent on destroying everything and everyone on his way to the top of the pile. For this very reason I find it hard to imagine anything other than him beating Reigns on Sunday night.
Just two weeks ago Strowman allegedly injured Reigns after attacking him backstage, throwing him off a loading dock whilst he was strapped to a stretcher and then flipping over the ambulance he was in. That's how you make a monster. Since then Reigns has rightly so been off of live TV and so the build up to this one may have suffered slightly, albeit Strowman has continued his path of destruction breaking the ring with Big Show and then this week destroying Kalisto in a dumpster match.
Strowman definitely has more to gain winning on Sunday night and I also think that Reigns will be able to bounce back from a loss easier than Strowman would. I mean they have spent the last few weeks building him up as unstoppable so it would certainly damage him if the guy who he injured just two weeks ago pinned him cleanly. The bookies are in agreement and have Strowman at 1/2 and Reigns at 6/4. It should be a fun finish to the PPV for two of biggest stars in the promotion right now.
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Words By: Tony Quant
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