What’s the story?
According to reports from Wrestlingnews.co, SmackDown Live has revealed the match line-up for WWE 'Payback'.
In the past...
This year’s edition of ‘Backlash’ will be the second one since the brand extension and the 13th edition of the PPV overall. It will also be the second time the event will be held at the All-State Arena in Chicago; the last time was Backlash 2001.
The heart of the matter
‘Backlash’ isn’t far away, so it comes as no surprise that the WWE have already started preparing for the event. All the title matches for the PPV have been scheduled; Jinder Mahal will face current WWE World Champion Randy Orton for the title, Kevin Owens or Chris Jericho will defend the United States Championship against AJ Styles, and Breezango will attempt to topple the current SmackDown Tag team Champions, The Usos.
News has also surfaced regarding the potential matchups that could be scheduled for the blue brand’s exclusive PPV. Shinsuke Nakamura is expected to have his first match on the main roster against Dolph Ziggler at ‘Backlash’. Other potential bouts include Baron Corbin vs Sami Zayn and Luke Harper vs Eric Rowan.
There may also be a match between the ‘Queen’ Charlotte Flair and Natalya, who along with her stable (Carmella and Tamina) attacked Flair and Naomi during their Women’s Championship match on Tuesday night.
What’s next?
Expect WWE to build towards these matches on subsequent editions of SmackDown LIVE. However, we are still three episodes removed from Backlash, so don’t be surprised if a few of the storylines are allowed to simmer.
Author’s take
’Backlash’ has given the WWE Universe some great matchups in the past and the booking this time around is looking really good. Fans will be hoping for an action packed PPV and will be looking forward to the build-up to the event over the next month.
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