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WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN SUNDAY: THE WWE PAYBACK TIP SHEET IS NOW ONLINE

By Dave Scherer, Mike Johnson and Richard Trionfo on 2017-04-28 16:48:00

WWE presents the Payback PPV Sunday night on The WWE Network.  This is our take on what will happen.

MizTV with The Miz interviewing Finn Balor.

Dave: Hopefully, this will be the starting for a program for Balor, who has just kind of been around since his return.  I love Miz and all, but he isn't the guy I would have Finn work with.  It would be like putting Shinsuke Nakamura into a lame program with Dolph Ziggler.  Uh oh....

Mike: I don't mind Miz working with Balor.  It's the sort of thing you'd expect WWE to do - put the wrestling guy with the sports-entertainment guy with the idea that Miz will get heat and Balor will be cheered.  I think the matches would be a hell of a lot better than people would give them credit for, given how excellent Miz has been in the last year.  I feel like Balor should be battling Joe and Lesnar but a program with Miz as they make sure he's good to go and not injury-prone is fine with me.  The segment should end withy Balor having enough of Miz's arrogant ways and hitting the double stomp after punching him.

Richard:  By having this segment on the Kickoff Show, it probably suggests that they will do something with Balor on the pay per view.  Let's hope he gets a match and since Brock is not going to be on a pay per view unless it is named after Jerry Lee Lewis song, they need to establish the IC title as the top title on television.  Let Balor challenge Ambrose and win the title on Sunday.  If not do the match on the PPV, they can set it up for Raw the next night.

Pre-Show: Gallows and Anderson vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass

Dave: As a character, Enzo is a lot of fun.  I enjoy him.  As a wrestler, he is just an obvious weak link.  Cass' future is at a single.  I have been saying for months that WWE needs to do an angle where Enzo gets really injured.  He can be like a manager for Cass as the big man goes as a single.  The act could stay together, with better results.  Having Gallows and Anderson lose here would be a situation where it hurts them, so that is probably what will happen.  But, the heels are a real team and a great one if given the chance to show what they can do.  They should go over here and and if they destroyed Enzo in the process, it could be a win for everyone.

Mike: The idea should be that Enzo is trying to get revenge, but is overwhelmed and taken out by Gallows and Anderson.  This should be a solid match as they've had some good run-ins before, including Raw a few weeks back.

Richard:  Regardless of the result of this match, I want Karl Anderson and Big Cass to stand out and showcase what they can do.  Colin could have had momentum after being in the Universal Title Match last year, but it did not pan out for him.  Anderson has not had an opportunity to show everyone what he did while part of New Japan.  Enzo will get thrown around like he always has and will get pinned after taking Magic Killer.  Move Karl and Luke to the title picture and give them a good series of matches against the Hardys.

WWE champion Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt in a "House of Horrors" match

Dave: I am pretty sure that when they announced this, it was a World Title match but since then there has been no mention of the belt that I remember.  Since they have made such a big deal about Chris Jericho having to change brands if he beats Kevin Owens, that has made what is already a goofy concept even goofier.  They neutered Bray Wyatt and his momentum and WrestleMania when they had him lose the Title the way he did to Orton.  Now that it has been done, it makes zero sense to have him win here.  If it is for the Title, then it goes to Raw and decimates Smackdown.  If it's not, you have a Raw guy beat your champion, which also hurts Smackdown.  So the play here would seem to be that they have Orton win, probably after some really ridiculous things happen in the House Of Horrors.

Mike: I suspect this is going to be some sort of modern day Boiler Room Brawl with a lot of pre-taped elements on a set somewhere.  I am fine with that given the nature of Bray's character.  If it's for the belt. I'd like to see Bray win it just to screw with everyone and throw things into disarray.  If it's not, then end the feud with Randy making the comeback with the RKO.  How the hell do you win this match anyway?

Richard: You know there is trouble when you have one of the participants on the final major television show BEFORE THE PAY PER VIEW say that he has no idea what the match is and he hopes to know on Sunday (which is when the match happens).  With the pay per view history of these two, I don't know what to expect but it will be something.  I hope they walk past a boiler room, the Shield's old promo room, and anything else that has been used in the past.  I agree with Dave this is a no win situation.  If Orton wins, how does that help the Wyatt character and if Wyatt wins, the WWE Champion loses and there is no pay off.  Has Jinder Mahal gotten into Orton's head?

WWE Raw Tag Team champions Matt and Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus and Cesaro

Dave: The Hardys have come in and won, but not said much.  I think the play here is to have the Titles change, especially since the challengers lost both of the singles matches that preceded it.  Sheamus and Cesaro are legit so there is no harm in The Hardys losing to them and if it's me, I use the loss to start letting Matt do character development.  People are already chanting Delete.  Run with it.

Mike: I am 100% with Dave here.  The Hardys don't need the belts.  Let them lose and use it to start showing that something is...off...with Matt.  This should be fun on paper, especially after the great match Cesaro and Jeff had a few weeks back.

Richard:  I have liked what has happened over the last few weeks with the singles matches, but did the post match activities tease a heel turn for one of the teams?  Maybe if the Hardys lose, they can come back a little 'broken'    Give Sheamus and Cesaro another chance on top.

WWE Raw Women's champion Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss.

Dave: I am a huge Alexa fan, which is no secret.  She has actually built on her character since coming to the main roster.  I am also a big Bayley fan, but she has gone in the wrong direction since her call up.  Vince just doesn't get her character and she really needs some obstacles to overcome if there is any chance of them recapturing the magic that Bayley had in NXT.  Alexa is such a great, sneaky heel that she can find a way to steal the Title, maybe when Sasha Banks comes to ringside and it backfires, costing Bayley the match.  I think the Title needs to change here because Bayley is just cold at this point and the Title is not heating her up.

Mike: Bayley is my favorite person on the entire roster, but she needs to lose here.  I don't care if Alexa beats her clean, Sasha turns, Nia interferes, whatever.  The Bayley run right now is awful and they need to have her take a step back.  They don't book her character the right way.  Alexa deserves a run and can be the nucleus of the entire Raw women's division and give Bayley someone to chase.  Bayley is like Steamboat - a hell of a challenger - and having her chase the title is the best way to get her back to the way she should be presented.  I love me some Bayley, but go Alexa go!

Richard:  You have the best female talker on the main roster and someone who is given promos that would make Saved by the Bell writers wince.  Good thing this match will not have any promos during it.  Everything about Bayley from NXT that made people love her is nowhere to be seen on the main roster.  I would like to see Bayley win because if she loses, will the people in creative think that Bayley is a failure and not trust her on top again?  I would prefer that Sasha not get involved, but if she does cost Bayley the match, like Dave suggests, I want Bayley to get pissed at Sasha to set up their feud.

WWE United States champion Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho.

Dave: So if Jericho wins, he has to go to Smackdown.  Well, he has a Fozzy tour coming up and while he has Mondays off every week, he does not have Tuesdays free.  Everything we have been told is that Monday's Raw will be it.  It is next to impossible to tour with a band around the country and then still find time to work a weekly wrestling show.  So the play here is to have Owens win.  He should destroy Jericho after the match to set up him leaving.  Then later on, Jericho can be "traded" or just show up and attack Owens at a later date.

Mike: If Jericho wins, he loses it back to Owens as a surprise on Raw.  I don't see that happening.  I expect Owens to get the win here and end the feud.  

Richard: I like the idea of Owens winning and then not being content with beating his former BFF, he destroys Jericho to justify his absence on tour.  Long live the Face of America. 

WWE Cruiserweight champion Neville vs. Austin Aries.

Dave: I have been enjoying this feud and heel Neville.  I could see them changing the belt here but if it's me booking I have Neville retain by the skin of his teeth, making the eventual Aries win all that much sweeter.

Mike: I don't think Aries needs the belt.  Neville wins.

Richard:   This has been a great feud and I think this will be the match of the pay per view.  I think Neville should retain the title because if they decide to give someone else a title match, the faces on 205 Live are more credible as opponents than the heels.  Please give them 15 minutes.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Dave: This match scares the living hell out of me.  It is clear to anyone that understands booking that given that Reigns is "coming in hurt" the smart way to book it is to have him fight valiantly but lose to Strowman because he wasn't 100 percent.  My fear is that Vince will book Reigns to be a superhero who wins despite the injury, which would make the fans hate him even more and make Strowman look like a slug since he lost to an injured guy.

Mike: Roman is going into this "hurt" and that should be the story.  He fights valiantly but in the end, is no match for Braun.  That's the right thing to do, for all involved.

Richard:  If they remember that Braun 'injured' Roman during the Great Ambulance Roll, I would not mind seeing Braun destroy Roman in the match and win in a Goldberg length match.  I think this could work if the announcers focus on Roman not being at 100% and Strowman wanting to destroy Reigns because Roman is the one being groomed for Lesnar.  

Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins

Dave: Joe needs to go over here.  Yes, he "hurt" Rollins and all, but if Seth gets the win back this quickly, it makes Joe look bad.  Joe still is ascending so a win here is important, as is how it happens.  To have him cheat would be the wrong way to go.  The right way is to have many near falls.  Have Seth close to winning but then he wants to lay one more shot in as payback for the injury and he gets caught in the Kokina Clutch.  That keeps the feud going and makes the eventual win all that much sweeter.

Mike:  I like the idea of Joe getting DQ'd here.  It's too early for either of them to really lose.  Perhaps we'll see an angle where HHH shows up and they lay out Rollins to set the build for Summerslam or something.

Richard:  I agree that Joe should win, even though it seems his motivation is to get revenge for Stephanie and Hunter, despite the fact that Hunter knocked his wife through a table.  This is my other pick for match of the night if things go right for these two men.  

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