The first post-WrestleMania 33 pay per view is almost upon us, and we now have complete clarity on all the matches upon offer at Payback 2017. The Monday Night Raw pay per view should be exciting as it ends some old rivalries and sets up the rest of the year.
We analyse the complete match card and give you our predictions as to who will walk away from Payback with their heads held high. Here is the full match card:
| Match Number | Match Participants | Match Stipulation |
| Preshow | Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows | Tag Team match |
| 1 | Neville (c) vs Austin Aries | Singles match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship |
| 2 | The Hardy Boyz (c) vs Cesaro and Sheamus | Tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship |
| 3 | Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe | Singles match |
| 4 | Kevin Owens (c) vs Chris Jericho | Singles match for the WWE United States Championship |
| 5 | Bayley (c) vs Alexa Bliss | Singles match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship |
| 6 | Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman | Singles match |
| 7 | Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt | House of Horrors match |
This PPV is a little bit strange as neither the WWE Universal Championship nor the WWE Championship is being defended, and there are also a few SmackDown LIVE superstars taking part due to the recently concluded Superstar Shakeup. It all makes for some interesting viewing.
So, without any further ado, let’s dive right into our predictions for WWE Payback 2017:
Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows (Kickoff Match)
The kickoff match for WWE Fastlane 2017 will pit former Raw Tag Team Champions The Club against Enzo and Cass. Both teams will be looking for a win in order to ascend the tag team ladder in what is becoming a pretty competitive division on Monday Night Raw.
Expect Anderson and Gallows to come away with the victory here through some underhanded tactics. With The Revival sidelined due to injury trouble, the division needs a top heel tag team, and The Club fits that bill perfectly.
Prediction: The Club win via shenanigans.
Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries (Singles match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Neville and Austin Aries put on an absolute cruiserweight classic during the Wrestlemania 33 kickoff show and have been rewarded with a spot on the main card this time around as their rivalry continues.
Neville has been a dominant champion but was pushed to the limit by Aries in their last encounter for the title. It is time for a change, and Aries deserves a run with the WWE Cruiserweight Championship for the foreseeable future. Expect him to pick up the victory with The Last Chancery.
Prediction: Austin Aries wins via submission to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
Also read: 5 things that should not happen at WWE Payback 2017
The Hardy Boyz (c) vs Cesaro and Sheamus (Tag team match for the WWE Raw Tag Team Titles)
The Hardyz and Cesaro & Sheamus have been embroiled in a feud ever since the Europeans won the No 1 Contendership for the Raw Tag Team titles after Wrestlemania 33. This comes to a head this Sunday as they clash for the gold.
The Hardyz should come out this one with their belts intact. They deserve a longer reign, and it’s most likely that they’ll drop the titles to The Revival further down the line.
Prediction: The Hardy Boyz win to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship.
Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe (Singles match)
Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe take their rivalry to the ring in a grudge match that has been a long time coming. This has been building to a head ever since Joe debuted on Raw to take out The Architect.
Despite Rollins’ victory over Triple H at Wrestlemania 33, Samoa Joe should win this to build him up as a legitimate threat on the main roster. It will probably be a dirty win in order to protect Rollins.
Prediction: Samoa Joe wins via underhanded tactics.
Kevin Owens (c) vs Chris Jericho (Singles match for the WWE United States Championship)
Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho prepare to pen the final chapter of their storied time together as they clash one last time at WWE Payback 2017, for the US Championship, with the stipulation that Jericho moves to SmackDown if he wins back the gold.
That’s highly unlikely, though, as Y2J has been rumoured to take a break to pursue his music career, and it makes sense to keep the belt on KO and capitalise on the foundations of his feud with AJ Styles over on SmackDown.
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins to retain the WWE United States Title.
Also read: 5 Possible endings for Owens vs Jericho
Bayley (c) vs Alexa Bliss (Singles match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship)
Bayley and Alexa Bliss clash for the Raw Women’s Championship at WWE Payback 2017 after the latter won the right to challenge The Hugger after her move from SmackDown LIVE.
Bayley should walk out of here as champion in our book. The Raw Women’s Title has been passed around too much over the past year between Bayley, Charlotte, and Sasha Banks; it deserves some stability.
Prediction: Bayley wins to retain the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
Also read: 5 twists that we could see at WWE Payback 2017
Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman (Singles match)
Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman clash at WWE Payback 2017 in what is a rematch of their encounter at WWE Fastlane 2017 when The Roman Empire conquered The Monster Among Men.
Expect the same result this around as well. The winner of this should get a WWE Universal Title opportunity against Brock Lesnar, and if the WWE’s record is anything to go by, that winner is going to be Reigns.
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.
Also read: 5 Potential returns that we could see at WWE Payback
Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt (House of Horrors match)
Randall Keith Orton prepares to face off against Bray Wyatt in a first of its kind House of Horrors match at WWE Payback 2017, in what is expected to be the main event. The odd thing here is that this match seems to not be for the WWE Championship, which Jinder Mahal stole from Orton on the latest episode of SmackDown LIVE.
With this being a non-title encounter and something that is right up Wyatt’s alley, I’m hoping they will give the win here to the leader of The Wyatt Family. They probably won’t, but I’m going with my heart rather than my head.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt wins.
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