Predictions: WWE Payback
The name of WWE’s upcoming premium live event is the total opposite of what’s happening with my student loans right now. Payback. With this not being one of WWE’s big four, five if you consider Money In the Bank, it’s not the most stacked card. However, this is an approach I’ve actually come to enjoy from WWE in the past few years. Instead of putting on an unnecessarily long show for one of their lower-tier PLEs, Triple H and company have booked a solid six-match card consisting of matches that all have a good build behind them and are part of the predominant stories on WWE TV. It’s a refreshing approach considering how many PLEs they put on in a year.
As a side note, some may find it cringey that I use the “WWE speak” in my articles by referring to these shows as PLEs. I do that because it’s accurate. WWE is out of the Pay-Per-View game with its shows being streamed Not just on Peacock in the US either, WWE has deals with streaming services in countries all over the world for their monthly PLEs. Also, if I play the game of adequately using the WWE-preferred vernacular then someday, if we ever do business together, they will refer to me by using my accurate and preferred terms. “The greatest professional wrestling mind in the universe”, or if that’s too long of a title, I’ll also accept “pro-wrestling genius”. Either or.
As usual with these kinds of WWE and AEW events, Adam and I are back to make our predictions. Following our AEW All-In predictions, I’m hanging on by the skin of my teeth to the lead. As a matter of fact, if MJF hadn’t walked out of the main event with the dub, Adam would’ve taken the lead. Luckily, my devil worship paid off and I maintained the lead with the totals sitting at 34-33. This will be a big weekend with not only WWE Payback predictions but also AEW All Out predictions coming up. This weekend could very well swing the balance of power in the Talent Alone universe.
STEEL CITY STREET FIGHT FOR THE WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn(c) vs The Judgement Day (Finn Balor and Damien Priest)
MIKE: I would totally buy the idea of Owens and Zayn dropping the belts. Their story kind of climaxed when they defeated The Usos for the straps at WrestleMania. As is a common issue with babyface champions, once they climbed over the wall to be victorious, they’ve kind of had the feeling of, okay what now? However, with the tension in Judgement Day between Balor and Priest being such a dominant aspect of this story, I can’t see it happening here. If you’ll allow me a moment to fantasy book, I’d prefer the New Day to turn heel and take the belts off Owens and Zayn. One, it diverts from some expectations that the French canadiens’ reign will end with Owens once again turning on Zayn, and two, more importantly, it will provide a way to freshen up the chunky milk levels of stale New Day act.
KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN
ADAM: *Taps the no fantasy booking sign* Come on buddy we have rules for a reason.
There’s something to be gleamed from Zayn getting the win over Preist on Monday and then KO and Sami clearing the ring after the match but I’m not quite sure what it is to be gleamed.
I know it does make sense to put the belts on Judgement Day because Owens and Zayn have been in limbo and you can tell the Judgement Day break up with the Tag Belts caught in the middle, and since it makes sense and I’m like 0-40 on picking Finn to win a belt when it actually makes storyline sense for him to. So allow me to not learn my lesson.
THE JUDGEMENT DAY
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
Seth “Freakin” Rollins(c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura
ADAM: I hope Shinsuke comes out with “SETH” velcored onto his pants in felt letters. I love the idea of putting the top bely [NON-ROMAN CATEGORY] on Shinsuke for one more “the old guy’s still got it” run but I think it’s much more likely we see Seth run with the belt until he drops it to a different old guy who still has it.
SETH ROLLINS
MIKE: It only took three weeks of good booking, along with the help of some well-done pre-tapes and subtitled promos, to prove what all of us Nakamura fans have known all along. IF BOOKED CORRECTLY HE CAN COME ACROSS LIKE A STAR AND LEGIT THREAT!!!!! For Christ’s sake, it only took 6 years and a sexual misconduct controversy pushing away Vinnie Mac for it to finally happen.
Every logical part of my brain tells me Shinsuke isn’t going to beat Rollins for the belt, but unfortunately, all those parts are drowned out by Naks NJPW theme that’s constantly playing on repeat in my mind. They’ve told a great story about Seth’s back being broken in multiple places. It would give him an out for losing against the lethal Nakamura. So screw it, I’m sticking with my boy. King of Strong Style till I die. To quote the greatest ring announcer in the game today, Tasei Watanabe, “ Anata no shōsha to atarashī chanpion NAKAMURAAAAAA SHINSUKEEEEE!!!!!!
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
WOMEN’S WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
Rhea Riple(c) vs Raquel Rodriguez
MIKE: I have to give WWE props for putting in the effort to build up Rodriguez as a physical threat to Ripley. I personally don’t think it tracks, but I’m jaded by my simping for Rhea Ripley. I’ve heard the idea floated by others online of Dom Dom potentially turning on Rhea, and Rodriguez becoming his new “Mami”. I think it’s a fun idea, and Ripley would totally work as a babyface, but I doubt that it happens here. Ripley defeats Raquel while Twitter is flooded with horned-up tweets about Ripley. I love Ripley as much as the next person, but some people need to settle down.
RHEA RIPLEY
ADAM: How many title matches in history have consisted of only one initial letter? It’s RR vs RR and I’m taking RR easy in this one brother.
I feel like we see some turmoil in Judgment Day finally begin to spill out of containment, or I should say I hope we do, but I’m going to go against my gut and pick Judgement Day to walk out with all the gold despite everyone guessing that for months.
RHEA RIPLEY
WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP:
Rey Mysterio(c) vs Austin Theory
ADAM: Rey Mysterio is one of the all-time greats and I’m glad to see a belt on him. That being said, it sort of feels like we never really needed to take the belt off Theory. I don’t know if Creative initially wanted to put the belt on LA Knight and decided against it at the last second. I don’t know if the John Cena news screwed things up backstage. I don’t know if they’re using a predictive model to try and figure out how to get Austin Theory to be MJF but WWE. But what I do know is that I was more excited by Mysterio getting the belt than I have been about anything else to do with the US Championship in a minute. Too bad it’s almost over.
AUSTIN THEORY
MIKE: Too soon for a title change brother, too soon. I’m pretty sure on the rundown for shows WWE has Theory listed as “Bland smirking heel #2”. Good ole’ Rey Rey is going to dial up a 619 and kick him back to NXT.
REY MYSTERIO
STEEL CAGE MATCH:
Becky Lynch vs Trish Stratus
MIKE: This feud has gone on for a long time, part of which is because of WWE making late sudden changes to when matches were supposed to happen. Either way, I’m ready to see this one finally wrap up. The camera showing NXT Women’s champion, Tiffany Stratton, in the crowd on Monday Night Raw was interesting, but that could’ve just been as a way to tease Becky Lynch doing a run on NXT to go after the title she never one. I expect WWE to do the thing that a steel cage is meant to prevent by having Zoey Starks interfere. Doesn’t matter though, I’m confident The Man beats the odds and comes out victorious to put her feud with Stratus to bed. Whether it is Stratton or something else, I hope they have something in mind for what is next for Lynch. Having her face off with Rhea Ripley would be a bit premature in my opinion. Save that for Mania.
BECKY LYNCH
ADAM: The best part of the Stratus/Lynch feud has been the Lynch/Starks matches. It has kind of a feeling of the old Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins matches where, at the time, you feel like it’s just a little too much but then you look back and remember those matches with some fondness.
I think the best-case scenario for this match is Zoey Staks comes in one of those long flexible poles from Mad Max and launches herself into the cage. That would be worth the price of admission.
BECKY LYNCH
MIKE: Who does Stark look like? Katie Nageotte?
ADAM: How do you get good at pole vaulting? Is there like an exercise you can do for it?
LA Knight vs The Miz
ADAM: I’m initially feeling a compulsion to do a bunch of LA Knight phrases here but I’m figh-
LET ME TALK TO YAH
Oh no, I can’t hold them back much longer. The man is over as anyone can get and they’re putting him up against Mike “The Miz” Mizanin who was notably only on the last PLE to get eliminated in a battle royale that LA Knight won and then talk about alcoholic lemonade. If the king of cured meat loses this one then I might start believing WWE is suppressing him instead of just working us into thinking that.
LA KNIGHT
MIKE: It was a very WWE, and somewhat cheesy, segment when the Miz came out dressed up as LA Knight, but it worked. It was like when DX came out dressed up as the Nation of Domination minus the blackface. When I started writing this article I did not expect to find a place to mention that moment. Anyway, this build has been solid wrestling 101 and I don’t mean that in a negative way. When you have a baby face as hot as L-A-Knight, YEAH, and someone who can get heat like the miz, simple is often the best course of action. The slim Jim battle royal was the first win in what should be a long string of PPV wins to build up L-A-Knight, YEAH, to winning his first championship.
L-A-KNIGHT……..YEAH!!!
