WWE Payback Predictions

A week on Sunday, WWE Payback will take place and as the first Pay Per View since Wrestlemania 32, there is a lot of intrigue as to how the new characters will shape up following the traditional introduction of fresh performers following Wrestlemania. There are some fascinating match ups including AJ Styles taking his first shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship since he joined the WWE in January. In this piece, I will offer my thoughts and predictions for the matches of Payback.

Match 1: Kalisto (c) (with Sin Cara) vs Ryback- Singles match for the United States Championship

This match is the one that I assume will be on the pre-show and hence I can't see a title change happening. Kalisto is a popular character who is seen as the heir to Rey Mysterio and is currently enjoying a lengthy US title reign after a feud with Alberto Del Rio. At Wrestlemania 32 Kalisto beat Ryback in the first match of the pre-show and I can see a similar result happening at Payback. Additionally Ryback has recently been publicly slating the direction of his character in WWE, which will surely not sit well with the higher-ups. The only way I can see Kalisto dropping the belt is through Sin Cara double crossing him and turning heel, and whilst I believe this will happen, I don't think it will be at Payback.

My Winner: Kalisto

Match 2: The Miz (c) (with Maryse) vs Cesaro- Singles match for the Intercontinental Championship

Despite not winning the seven man ladder match as Wrestlemania, the Miz somehow comes into Payback as the Intercontinental Champion. Through interference from the returning Maryse and the general squashing of Zack Ryder (who deserves better), the Miz has managed to win the belt and brings it to Payback to fight the also returning Cesaro. This match seems to be a little rushed in its booking to me, as I felt that Ryder should have got a real feud that at least resulted in one PPV match, however WWE chose to give that honour to the excellent Cesaro, who is a real fans favourite. With the Miz being one of the last truly despised heels, I wouldn't mind seeing him have a serious run with the belt, especially since Cesaro should really be fighting for the world title at this stage. I think it would do no good to have Miz drop the belt at this stage and WWE knows this too, so I believe he will defend his belt with some help from Maryse.

My Winner: The Miz

Match 3: Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs The Vaudevillains (Simon Gotch and Aiden English)-

Tag Team match to determine the #1 contender for the Tag Team Championship

The introduction of these two tag teams has been a real breath of fresh air for a tag team division that was really being carried by the New Day. Both teams have already got over, Enzo and Cass with their Jersey Shore, loud-mouth gimmick, and the Vaudevillains with their old-school throwback style. Whilst it is important to remember that Enzo and Cass never won the NXT Tag Team Championship, something which Gotch and English did achieve, despite this I believe that it is the team of Enzo and Cass that will win at Payback. I think that WWE is pushing Amore and Cassady a little more that the Vaudevillains, as shown by them debuting on the first Raw after Wrestlemania whilst the Vaudevillains debuted on Smackdown. For me, Enzo and Cass are being primed for a big feud with the New Day that WWE know will get over in a big way.

My Winner: Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady

Match 4: Charlotte (c) (with Ric Flair) vs Natalya (with Bret Hart- Singles match for the Womens Championship

The build to this match has felt as if the WWE is giving the Women's division a cool-down following the thrilling matches with Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch whilst climaxed with a fantastic match as Wrestlemania. There is no doubt that Natalya is an excellent worker, but she recently lost to Charlotte at Roadblock and if seems as if this match will be more about the return of Bret Hart, who is recovering following an intially successful battle with prostate cancer, and the comeuppance that he can give to Charlotte's father, Ric Flair, who has been getting involved in a number of his daughter's matches. Overall, I can't see Charlotte dropping the title to Natalya, and thus I have to predict a win for the "Dirtiest Diva in the Game".

My Winner: Charlotte

Match 5: Dean Ambrose vs Chris Jericho- Singles match

This feud began somewhat at Night of Champions when Jericho shoulder checked Ambrose following the their loss in the the 6 man tag match against the Wyatt Family (they teamed with Roman Reigns). However, WWE dropped the angle until now and ,following Jericho's win at Wrestlemania and Ambrose's loss, it seems like a great time for Ambrose to go over. Jericho is 45 years old and coming towards the end of his career, whilst Dean Ambrose is arguably the most over babyface on the roster. Ambrose, in my opinion, should have won at Wrestlemania over Brock Lesnar an now feels like a great time for him to bounce back with a win that won't really hurt Y2J, who is already secured in his status as a legend. 

My Winner: Dean Ambrose

Match 6: Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens- Singles match

This is will be WWE's first main roster instalment, in a feud that started when Owens arrived in WWE at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution in 2014, and has continued intermittently ever since. These two wrestlers are both excellent performers in the ring and on the mic, and are destined to be contending for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the future. In the meantime, however, this is an excellent substitute and the match will almost certainly be one of the best of the night. The build up to the match has featured a number of brawls between the two men, which has given the contest a real emotional factor. For me, this is the hardest match of the night to predict, but since this is a night in which a number of faces will take victories, I have Kevin Owens winning the first of what I can see as being a series of at least three PPV matches.

My Winner: Kevin Owens

Match 7: Roman Reigns (c) vs AJ Styles- Singles match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

It came as a huge shock to me when WWE had Styles win the fatal four way on the Raw following Wrestlemania, since Styles had just lost at Wrestlemania, and is one of the most popular babyfaces in the company, Roman Reigns is WWE's big project, however fans have responded in a less than perfect way, booing the champ out of the building. Therefore it seemed at first to be a poor step to have his first contender since winning the title to be the insanely popular AJ Styles. With the introduction of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson of Bullet Club to the storyline, this match is enthralling even if the result is a foregone conclusion. Reigns will win, but how? I believe that Finn Balor, who has just lost the NXT Championship on a house show to Samoa Joe, will make his main roster debut as Bullet Club double cross AJ Styles, giving Roman a big win and setting up a Balor vs Styles feud. It is doubtful that this will be a great match as ,despite AJ's huge in ring talent, Reigns is still a relatively average performer with a limited move-set, however, it is the choice of storytelling that WWE take that will make or break this clash.

My Winner: Roman Reigns

So there are my predictions for Payback, check back after May 1st when I'll look back at how the event went and how my predictions fare. 

Thanks for reading,

James

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Wrestlemania 32 Review

On Sunday evening, from 12 until around 5am I watched the spectacle that is Wrestlemania. WWE's flagship event, which was held in Dallas in the AT&T Stadium in front of a record attendance of over 101,000, was the event that the whole of the year was building up to and it promised to be a thriller after the great showing on Friday by NXT at TakeOver:Dallas. So, in this piece I will offer my views on each of the main show matches and the event as a whole.

Zack Ryder defeated Kevin Owens (c), Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Sin Cara,Stardust and The Miz Ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

The first match of the evening saw Zack Ryder defeat six other men to become the new Intercontinental Champion in what was an thrilling opener. There were some excellent ladder spots, as expected out of a match like this, and the tribute to Dusty Rhodes by Stardust through his outfit and the custom ladder was touching. It was also amazing to see Sami Zayn, who it is clear to see will be a great star, and Kevin Owens face off  in a rivalry that is set to enthral for years to come. Overall this was a brilliant way to start the show, with a shocking result to boot.

Overall grade: 9/10

Chris Jericho defeated AJ Styles Singles match

The next match featured WWE's newest blockbuster signing: AJ Styles, face off against veteran Chris Jericho in a rivalry that saw Y2J turn on AJ due to Styles' great popularity amongst the WWE universe. This was a great technical match that saw some impressive aerial ability and chain wrestling. Furthermore the sight of AJ kicking out of a pin after a Codebreaker then Jericho after the Styles Clash was shocking. However despite this, the overall impression that the match left me with was disappointing. Don't get me wrong  Jericho winning with a Codebreaker on a flying AJ Styles was an impressive spot, however having Jericho win seems pointless as it is AJ who has just arrived and would have surely benefited more from a Wrestlemania win than an ageing Chris Jericho. However it seems that Vince gave AJ the same treatment as Sting, punishing them for their stint in TNA.

Overall grade: 6.5/10

The League of Nations (Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev) (with King Barrett) defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods) Six-man tag team match

The following clash saw the League of Nations beat the reigning Tag Team Champions; the New Day. This was an odd match as it was billed as a 3 vs. 3 match with King Barrett accompanying the other 3 League of Nations members, which surely means this could have been a match for the Tag Team Titles? Overall the match was sound but not exhilarating, with New Day's entrance being a particular highlight.  The result of having the League of Nations win seemed strange at first but it led to Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley coming out to provide an amazing Wrestlemania moment. This meant that I was OK with the result of the match as it was a set-up to an insane moment, however it will be interesting to see how this rivalry. This match also showed why WWE will miss King Barrett when he leaves at the end of his contract. Overall the legends saved this match from being irrelevant.

Overall grade: 7.5/10

Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Dean Ambrose No Holds Barred Street Fight

Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose had a great build up with the plucky contender who refused to give up going up against the seemingly unstoppable champion(of course Lesnar isn't actually a champion but you get what I mean). It had the feeling of a Rocky movie and it promised to be a great contest in which it seemed Ambrose would finally get his big moment. However, I found the match itself to be a deeply disappointing spectacle. Lesnar gave Ambrose 13 suplexes but had little other offence, whilst the match largely relied on the shock factor of the appearance of weapons such as Kendo Sticks, Steel Chairs, a Fire Extinguisher, a Chainsaw and the Baseball Bat wrapped in Barbed Wire that Mick Foley handed down to Ambrose. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to give Dean a moment against a part-timer who wrestles a handful of times a year. However in the end, Lesnar won with an F-5 and left Ambrose to pick up the pieces on Raw tonight. This was another result that I found was pointless as if Dean, a crowd favourite, would have won, it would have given him a great push and potentially kick-started a title challenge,but in reality Lesnar won another match that he didn't really need to and he will now head off back home until Summerslam, whilst Ambrose will be back on Raw tonight with another lost feud to his name.

Overall grade: 5.5/10

Charlotte (c) (with Ric Flair) defeated Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks by submission Triple Threat match for the inaugural WWE Women's Championship

The next match was one of the most exciting bouts of the night. In the pre-show Hall of Famer Lita announced that the Divas Championship (a sexist name with a sexist belt design) was to be replaced with the WWE Women's Championship which was fantastic news and showed that WWE is finally moving with the times. This added to the hype of this match, which featured three excellent women's wrestlers and promised to be a great match. The entrances were fantastic with Charlotte wearing an outfit reminiscent to Ric Flair's Wrestlemania 24 attire (one of my favourite events) and Sasha's entrance being performed by her cousin and now Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg as she wore an outfit that paid tribute to the late, great Eddie Guerrero. The match itself was a brilliant show of just how good the women's division is and proof that despite the revolution faltering at first, it has now has firmly taken effect. There was some excellent chain wrestling with a plethora of submissions and some great agile moves including Sasha's frog splash (another tribute to Eddie) and Becky Lynch's dive to the outside. In the end, Charlotte picked up the win by submission whilst her father Ric held Sasha Banks from entering the ring. All in all, while it was annoying to see Ric interfering again, the quality of the match and the importance of the leaps made in women's wrestling made this result acceptable, with the match being one of the highlights of the night.

Overall grade: 8.5/10

The Undertaker defeated Shane McMahon Hell in a Cell match; had Shane won, he would have gained control of Raw and Undertaker would have been barred from competing at WrestleMania.

Next up was what was probably the most intriguing match on the card. There were so many questions coming into the match such as how would Shane perform after seven years away?  and would this be the last Wrestlemania for the Undertaker? Before the match, it seemed as if the match was tailor-made for Shane O'Mac to win. With the bout being held in Texas, Taker's home state, it seemed perfect for him to retire there. Furthermore it would make sense if both Shane won and Roman Reigns won (as it would almost certain that he would) as it would get rid of the Authority, usher in a new era and keep viewers tuning in. Furthermore, it looked perfect for Taker, in his last match, to eventually lay down for Shane and in his final act, rid WWE of the Authority.  The match itself was good, with the two participants making a combine age of 97, no-one expected great technical wrestling and as such the match relied heavily on big spots such as the Coast to Coast and Chokeslam onto the Steel Steps. However, once Taker put Shane through the Cell wall and the match spilled to the outside, the match went from good to great. This was two ageing stars of yesteryear, putting it all on the line one final time. The absolute, undoubted highlight of the night was a true OMG moment as Shane McMahon leapt off the top of the 20ft high Cell and dropped straight through the announce table below, with Taker rolling out of the way just in time. At this point, I thought it was clear that Shane had to win, and as he signalled for more, I thought that Taker was about see what Shane was going through and lay down for him. However, he quickly Tombstoned him and won, leaving me thoroughly disappointed and making it clear that this match was arranged about a month before Wrestlemania and that Shane was only brought back as a final resort. It was a truly ridiculous result that ruined what was a great storyline and a potentially classic Wrestlemania match.

 Overall grade: 8/10

Shane McMahon steals the show.

Baron Corbin won by last eliminating Kane 20-man Battle Royal for the André the Giant Memorial Trophy

This next bout was essentially a cool-down match between the main events that gave the fans some cheap cheers and time to settle down for the main event . As a result there isn't really much to say about this match, the appearance of DDP and Tatanka was cool (despite DDP getting a special entrance and Tatanka not for some reason) whilst the appearance of Shaq seemed desperate as WWE tried to progress a storyline that started almost 7 years ago, just to get some more mainstream media attention. Overall, the result was refreshing as NXT performer Baron Corbin won, which was an interesting result and nice way to build up a new star (even if it was at the expense of one of my favourites in Kane) and the match did what it was intended to do as wrestlers got their Wrestlemania pay-check and fans got some time to relax.

Overall grade: 6.5/10

The Rock defeated Erick Rowan (with Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman) Singles match

So, next up the Rock came out and did his usual thing for what seemed like forever, before announcing that the attendance was a Wrestlemania record. He was then interrupted by the Wyatt Family (minus Luke Harper ) before he engaged in the usual Rock bravado, making some sex jokes and accusing the Wyatt's of incest (*yawn*). At this point it was painfully clear that a forty something year old actor was about to squash one of the WWE's brightest stars. And eventually he did, as he challenged any Wyatt to an impromptu match which was answered by Erick Rowan who then was beaten in 6 seconds. Then just as the three Wyatt Family members were about to attack the Rock, he was saved by a returning John Cena. Whilst this was a nice, if predictable, moment it made no sense as The Rock and John Cena had a two-year feud and two Wrestlemania matches, and now we are supposed to believe they are allies? Also, what was the point in squashing Bray Wyatt again? No-one is ever going to see him as a credible threat if he constantly gets beaten up by part-timers. Overall this was a stupid segment and another reason why the Rock is nothing to get excited about anymore.

Overall grade: 2/10

Roman Reigns defeated Triple H (c) (with Stephanie McMahon) Singles match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Finally, it was time for the main event, the world title match, the big time clash. And at this point, I was extremely tired and ready for the most predictable main event ever to be over. Triple H had his usual grandiose entrance which was actually a little bit creepy, however Stephanie did provide some actual heat for the man, who despite being the heel, was being cheered. Then Reigns entered to a chorus of boos and the match begun. This match was largely forgettable as Roman Reigns reminded us that despite his massive push, he is still massively average in the ring, showing little technical ability at all. However, the boos weren't as massive throughout the match as expected, and some of the crowd even played along and cheered him, although most just seemed not to care. The most interesting moment came when Triple H moved out of the way of a Roman Reigns spear which meant that Stephanie, standing behind him, got hit. This was a) the largest cheer of Roman Reigns' night and b) a rare use of man on woman violence, albeit accidental. In the end, Reigns won, shocking absolutely no-one, and providing a fitting conclusion to one of the worst Wrestlemania main events of all-time. The crowd reacted with exhaustive impartiality to the finish, with many not even bothered enough to boo. The main problem with this match was that nobody wanted Reigns to be in the main event, however once he was the rest of the card was stacked in a way that if certain people won, then it wouldn't;t be a disaster. However what WWE decided to do was to have all of the babyfaces lose in a vain attempt to make people cheer for Reigns which in the end just resulted in people being disappointed already before the main event even began and so Reigns had no chance of a good reception. Overall, this match was not worth waiting 4 hours for and wouldn't have been out of place in the mid card.

Overall grade: 4/10

So overall this four and a half hour Wrestlemania was a largely mixed affair. Whilst the wrestling was mostly of a very high standard, the results showed that WWE and Vince McMahon still have no idea what fans really want. All in all this was a night of great wrestling but frustrating endings leaving fans to think of what could have been.

Overall show grade: 6/10

Thanks for reading,

James 

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