WWE Payback 2017 


Pre-Show: 
Anderson & Gallows vs Enzo and Cass 

WWE Cruiserweight Championship​
(c) Neville vs Austin Aries 
At first I thought this feud would end with Neville winning and then moving to a feud with Kalisto, but after last Monday I don't see Kalisto coming back anytime soon. With that being the case I think it's possible then that Aries may get the win tonight to mix things up in the division even if he loses back to Neville at least it's something different. So I am going with my gut and picking Aries to win

WWE Tag Team Championship: 
(c) Hardy Boys vs Cesaro & Sheamus 
After last weeks Raw I am starting to think that they may start trying to turn Cesaro and Sheamus heel and prolong a feud with the Hardy's for a little while instead of just doing a one and done type of thing which I think would be a 100 times better. Since their return the Hardy's have been riding a wave of momentum and I don't think it will end tonight as they will retain the titles.

​WWE United States Championship: 
(c) Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho 
This is an easy prediction and though I have loved this feud especially since Jericho turned as I feel like everything has been done right with this one it is coming to an end. At this point it seems as though Jericho will be ending his longest run in quite a while to go on tour with Fozzy for a little while. This likely means that Kevin Owens will retain. 

Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe 
Though many think his feud with Triple H could have been done better as they took a 3 month hiatus from even mentioning the feud before talking about it again I am not one of them and it provided a good segway to this feud. When Joe took Rollins out that was the best thing that could've happened to him so early in his stay on the main roster as it guaranteed him a spot on the top of the card. I think this match could go either way but I will pick a draw in some way to keep the feud building. 

WWE Women's Championship 
(c) Bayley vs Alexa Bliss 
The build for this has been lackluster and though my outlook is more positive I think they should give this more time to build. Though I do believe that Alexa is capable to be champion at this point I don't think taking the title off Bayley is the right move at this point especially after last year. I think Bayley winning is the best idea.

House of Horrors Match: 
Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt 
Not sure at all what to expect from this match but if it's anything like the Wyatt Compound match from last year it is going to suck. I do have high hopes for this match though after their Wrestlemania match failed to deliver on the expectations that we had for it as it felt very rushed. For the last seven months these two have been feuding I hope that this match delivers on the build I don't even care who wins. But I think it's clear that Orton wins tonight.  

Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman 
Since the return to the Coliseum on April 10 they have been build Braun up to be an amazingly dangerous monster, but the next step for that is to have him beat Roman Reigns. I am not saying this because I don't like Roman, but if Braun is next in line for Brock then he needs to beat Roman to give the believability a boost. As right now how I feel is that if he can't beat Roman why should I believe he could beat Brock. For this reason he needs to win tonight to keep the push going and to become a "Real Challenger" for Brock. 

Recently we have been a part of the greatest runs in the history of the WWE with Chris Jericho. Since Chris Jericho started to leave and come back and would give up on an active wrestling career this will go down as his best run yet. Before this last run it was getting to the point that I for one was getting dissatisfied with Jericho as I felt like he wasn't bringing enough to the WWE anymore and would be better off staying away. Then he returned early last year and well reentered his prime and in my opinion had the best year of his career to date. For once Chris actually was winning and being booked very strong for the first time in a long time and it was a breath of fresh air.

​Once his run started you could tell it was unlike any of his past runs with the company and it was something special. To be fair since he went part time in 2005 and he really hasn't spent a this long with the company as he has spent a little over a year in the WWE thus far. From his long drawn out feud with Kevin Owens to his short feud with AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose we have seen a tremendous number of great moments and memories in the last year.

​Unfortunately, even the best things have to eventually come to an end as Chris Jericho will be heading on tour with Fozzy next month and will be off television for the time being. There has been a rumor going around the internet that Jericho could be returning in June while his tour is on break, but I don't think it will be a full return. Also plans could have changed at this point where Chris may not come back and may just stay away. Considering how successful this run has been I will be looking forward to the return of Jericho later this year or next year.   

Following the somewhat surprising departure of Simon Gotch many questions have arose about what the future holds for his former partner Aiden English. However, before we look at the future of Aiden English we must figure out what went wrong with Simon Gotch and why he left. First of all based on all the reports Gotch and the WWE seemed to have parted ways amicably and since then Simon has went on record saying he feels as though it was best for him to leave.

​Though his run with Gotch as The Vaudevillians on the main roster was very lackluster and it seemed like they spent most of the time losing. If you go back to their time in NXT and you could find them as both the top heel and face Tag Teams on separate occasions. For a short time prior to his run with Simon, they had Aiden under the gimmick of a drama king.

​Speaking of his drama background it seems as though the future for Aiden seems to be him moving back to his previous drama gimmick and working with that. As far as a singles push their is nothing going on with to my knowledge, but you never really know what is going to happen in the WWE or what they have planned. However, as far as the gimmick I was a big fan of the Aiden's drama gimmick down in NXT and think if they give him the opportunity to make it work it will be just as good.

According to a recent interview it seems like Big Show will be hanging up the boots within the next year or so. He likely has a little less than a year and that this WrestleMania will likely be his last one, this is very unfortunate because of how badly this year went for him. Following a poor showing at WrestleMania in the Battle Royal and after his match with Shaq was cancelled.

​Even though, his career has been anything but stable and logical as he never really got a big run as a monster and was more less looked at as a joke. From the start of his career he has always been very athletic and unlike most giants of the past. There is no doubt that Big Show has had an incredible Hall of Fame worthy career just including his time in the WWE. Show has been a part of a number of great moments with the company and has had some memorable matches, but I think it has reached the time for him to walk away.

​In my opinion their always comes a time when a wrestler needs to hang things up and retire especially if they can walk away on their own, because in pro-wrestling talent can't always chose when they walk away. Recently we have seen some legends hang up the boots and the list continues to grow with other veteran likely set to retire within the next couple of years. Though I would have thought that either Mark Henry or Kane would have retired first it doesn't look that way or at least from what the news stories have told us. Big Show seems to be the next name to join The Undertaker as he seems to be hanging up the boots at some point his year which likely means his contract will expire at a later point in this year. At this point the only thing we can do is wait and see what happens.

In the early part of this decade the championship titles didn't mean a damn thing with some titles meaning a lot less than other titles. Since then things have changed a little bit as a few of the titles have began to mean something more then they did, but unfortunately other titles really have not changed. Prestige and meaning are the most important aspects in the pro-wrestling business, because if the title doesn't have meaning then the fans will not care about the title.

​The title of this video is proof of the reason why things haven't changed, because comparing the two titles recent booking over the last two years it is a no contest that the United States title has been booked 100 times better. One thing I used to say is that there seemed to be a curse and this curse wore on anyone who would win the Intercontinental Title. Though this logic went the wayward way when Miz won the title, but to many names have suffered from the curse of the title.

​Though I do believe that Ambrose is a major talent, and has a future with the WWE on the top of the card. The booking of his title run so far hasn't been very good and is a very disappointing sight, because I am like most people when I say that I want to see the IC title mean even as much as it did back in the day otherwise it might be time to Unify the two mid-card titles and rid us of Intercontinental title even for a short time.

​On a recent edition of "Talking Smack" the feud between Miz and Daniel Bryan continued, but this time it ended with Daniel raising questions. Near the end of his confrontation with Miz, Daniel made a comment that raised questions and got people wondering if Daniel could return to the ring one more time. As it turns out Bryan's contract with the WWE next year and he might be leaving once the contract expires to return to the ring one more time for a short run elsewhere.

​Apparently, Daniel has devised a style that he could work that would protect his head while in the ring. If he does leave then he will likely head to either NJPW or CMLL as I would assume those would be the only two companies that could afford him with his price tag. However, I do think if Daniel did leave that would put Brie and the rest of the family in awkward place, because I don't think the WWE would take to kindly to Daniel leaving and putting himself at risk.

​It is hard to tell at this point if Daniel does leave or not because there is still a lot of time to go between now and when the contract expires. In my opinion I think it depends on one thing and that is if the concussion lawsuit has been settled by then or not, because I do think Daniel's ability to compete is affected by the suit. The reason I say that is because I believe that if Daniel is going to compete he would be best served to stay in the WWE and compete for them. Now I don't know the ability that medical personal can enter the ring in New Japan or CMLL, but I do know it in the WWE and I think that the WWE would keep Daniel the safest just in case something was to happen in the ring. As far as what will happen well we are going to have to wait and see, but I for one would love to see Daniel in the ring one more time against Miz at WrestleMania next year the scene of Daniel's greatest triumph.

The biggest week in the WWE's year has once again come and gone with another WrestleMania week in the rear view we now can look back at this last week. The reason I waited to do this is because over the last few years two more days have been added to WrestleMania Week and those two days are both the Raw and Smackdown following WrestleMania. Now I know there have been a number of great moments this past weekend, but I am going to handle this the same way to another post series by picking one good, bad, and average moment from this past weekend.

​I will start this by picking the one bad moment from this past week which includes Friday's Hall of Fame induction ceremony all the way up to last night's edition of Smackdown Live. If I am being honest it is tough for me not to pick a moment or two from the Hall of Fame this past Friday, but instead I am going with some Main Roster Debuts. Though Tye Dillinger, and The Revival debuted on Smackdown and Raw respectively, but one debut will stick out. Yesterday on Smackdown the fans in Orlando were treated with the debut of Japanese Wrestling Legend Shinsuke Nakamura. One of the most anticipated debuts of anyone to walk through the door of NXT it is crazy to think that a legend like Nakamura has become a WWE Roster member. His debut is also the stuff that legends are made of because it is anything but your typical debut and if you don't believe me take a look. Nakamura will become a major part of the WWE roster for years to come it's just a matter of time.  

​With this being as tough a choice as the previous selection, but I will be going back and choosing the Hall of Fame. This year's Hall of Fame class in my opinion was one of if not the most deserving Hall of Fame class in the history of the company. With names like Rick Rude, Rock n Roll Express, Kurt Angle, and others finally getting their deserving spot in the hallowed halls. The reason this class was so good is because it adds credibility to Hall as many people have disregarded the Hall of Fame for not including certain people before this year. For example, Kevin Nash went on record saying that the Hall of Fame wouldn't be credible without including Rick Rude in the Hall of Fame. Now it's worth looking forward to next year to see who will join the WWE Hall of Fame next year. This ceremony was a highlight of the top week for the WWE.

​Now onto the most highly disputed part of this post and I say that because I don't think the Main Event WrestleMania was that bad and yes even though Roman won that doesn't matter and I am okay with it. However, with all the talk of a "New Era" coming popping up since last July I felt as though this WrestleMania should have helped propel the company forward with some new top talent to embrace and lead the company for the future. It is possible that they could just move forward with names like Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, but with the Brand Split in full effect the WWE's needs depth to help prevent overexposure and running out of possible feuds in between "roster shake-ups." Even though I don't think the push of Baron Corbin is anywhere close to being over, but I do think that with the loss at Mania his push did take a step backward. Also I do believe that Mojo winning the Andre Battle Royal was a mistake as well due to the fact that he isn't ready for a singles push and needs to be kept relevant for when Zack Ryder returns, but his win will dilute the tournament after a strong boost in credibility the battle royal got from Corbin's push over the last year. With that being said it would be hard to believe how the idea of young talent not winning enough at the event wasn't the lowest point of this week.

WrestleMania 33:

​Cruiserweight Championship Match:
​(c) Neville vs Austin Aries
Neville will get the win with a dusty finish in some way.

​Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal:
​Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler, or Big Show will win

Smackdown Women's Title Match:
​(c) Alex Bliss vs All Available Women
This is the toughest match to predict, because as I said in the video with Billy Garcia it really depends on the type of match that it is; if it is a one fall match or a gauntlet match then that could decide the winner. No matter the names that are in the match it's pretty clear to me that I do believe there are only two or three possible winners those names are Mickie James, Naomi, or Alexa Bliss.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
(c) Dean Ambrose vs Baron Corbin
I have enjoyed Baron's push since last year's WrestleMania as it started really slow and lag in the middle, but he has been one of the many people to really benefit from the Brand Split returning. The build up for the match has been somewhat lackluster, but the bar has been set pretty low for this match and even though I feel like they should've had a stipulation or a gimmick in this match I still think it could be a good one. Either way though I think it's time to embrace the new age and give the title to Baron Corbin with a win.

WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Ladder Match:
(c) Gallows and Anderson vs Enzo & Cass vs Cesaro & Sheamus
​Without the New Day you have the entire Raw Tag Division in this one match. I don't know how or why the WWE chose to give Raw such a weak Tag Team division and Smackdown such as deep one and not give them both equal. Either way this is the night of Enzo and Cass, because if they don't get the gold tonight then they never will win it as a tag team. With that being said Enzo and Cass will get the win tonight and the Tag Team Gold.

John Cena and Nikki Bella vs Miz and Maryse
​Surprisingly the build up for this match has been really good in my opinion as The Miz continues to show how good he can be and has been since the split last July. I for one am surprised that Maryse is competing in the ring as I didn't think she would be returning to the ring even for one match. But there are two ways this match can go either: Miz and Maryse win via in a "Dusty Manner" or Cena and Nikki win clean. Due to the upcoming release of Cena's new movie coming out on May 12, I don't think they should give Cena the win if he is going away again. With that being said I would go with Miz and Maryse getting the big win tonight.

​WWE United States Championship Match:
​(c) Chris Jericho vs Kevin Owens
​It is pretty clear to me that if Jericho didn't hold the US Title then the championship likely wouldn't have been featured on the WrestleMania broadcast, because WWE cares more about music then featuring their championships on the big show of the year. This feud has been developing since last July or August following the brand split when JeriKO entered a feud with Enzo and Cass following the brand split. So the build for this match has been going on for almost 6 months which is amazing and made this feud even better. Considering certain rumors going around backstage I do believe that we maybe seeing another new champion this time around. I think that Kevin Owens will gain the win over Jericho tonight and secure another title to his resume.

​Shane McMahon vs AJ Styles
​The build for this one has been quite good and intriguing as they are planning into the possibility of AJ leaving Smackdown following WrestleMania which means he could head to Raw in some sort of trade or post WrestleMania draft type thing. Though most people hate the idea of Shane facing AJ and not seeing Cena instead I will tell you that this match will likely defy your expectations and be a lot better then you thought it'd be. But either way there is no doubt about the winner being AJ Styles.

​Raw Women's Championship Match:
​​(c) Bayley vs Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax
​A lot of people are mad about the fact that it is a fatal four way instead of a triple threat like it was last year. I think that is one of the reasons why they didn't do it this year as they wanted to do something different and the way they have booked Nia since her arrival on the Main Roster in my opinion warranted her being added to the match at WrestleMania. Though it may have been a dusty finish at Fast Lane it is official that Charlotte is no longer undefeated on PPV's this means that she doesn't need to win. After how the title has been booked since the brand split it's time to change things up and keep a long term champion. That is why I am picking Bayley to walk away the Women's Champion tonight.

​Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker
​This is one of the more anticipated matches on the card partially because it could be The Undertaker's last match in the WWE. Many people believe that tonight would be the best time to turn Roman heel even if they wanted to flip him back before Mania next year, but let the turn be more organic instead of forced. But I will tell you if the rumor of Roman passing Cena in merchandise sales then Roman will not be turning heel anytime soon, because of that reason no matter his reaction. Though I have said humanizing Roman is necessary to help him to not looked as a "superman" and be more likeable for the fans I am not sure if a loss to Taker would do that. If this is Undertaker's last match then their is only one way to go and that is Roman getting the win tonight.

​Unsanctioned Match:
​Seth Rollins vs Triple H
​Once again much like the Jericho/KO feud this has been building since last summer when Triple H turned on Seth and sided with Kevin Owens in the match to crown a new Universal Champion. Honestly, I think had Finn Balor not gotten injured then this feud would have started building closer to the end of the year rather than when it did, but either way it has been built up the right way and that's slow over the long term. At this point there is only one way to go with this match and that a win for the "Underdog" Seth Rollins and finally getting his revenge on "mentor" Triple H.

​WWE Championship Match:
​(c) Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
​Had this feud gone for more then 2 months in 2017 then I would have said it should be up for the feud of the year this year, but it was not to be. Either way Wyatt and Orton have done an amazing job with this feud and I believe Bray is entering the peak of his career at this point as he keeps adding even more layers to the deepest character in WWE. The WWE shocked the world at Elimination Chamber when they put the WWE Championship on Bray Wyatt finally doing something please the fans and giving a very deserving talent his chance to lead the brand. Though some believe Orton deserves one more run and I was one of those people I would prefer to see Bray hang on to the title tonight.  

​WWE Universal Championship Match:
​(c) Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
​A year ago I never would have thought that I would be predicting a WrestleMania match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg let alone for a championship. Over the last few weeks it seems like the fans have been turning against Goldberg due to his victory over Owens at Fast Lane. Though I don't agree with Bill getting the win I understand why they let him win the title as having a more known name hold the gold will only help the title. The other thing is the WWE didn't want to have the final meeting between these be just like the other two so they added something to it that being the Universal Title. I don't think the crowd will crap on this match as bad as they did back at WrestleMania 20 since Brock is staying even though he is a part-time talent; in my book not seeing the Universal Title all the time is a good thing. I think it's pretty clear that at this point either Brock will win or leave the WWE, because if they have Goldberg defeat him again their is no fixing Lesnar. With that being said Brock Lesnar will become the New WWE Universal Champion tonight.