It’s been a lame build for WWE Payback. The only two matches which have gotten a ton of hype are the confrontations between Shield and Evolution and the Last Man Standing Match with John Cena against Bray Wyatt. It is not that I am bored of seeing these matches, we have been proven these matches can be epic, but a pay-per-view has to be more than two big bouts. The last time Shield and Evolution had a full match, they nearly tore the roof off, and I mean it. The arena was nearly taken apart when they fought all over the place and Seth Rollins decided to leap off a balcony. John Cena and Bray Wyatt can have a spectacular match like the one at WrestleMania, however, it is the result of the match which matters.
Think about it. Shield vs. Evolution, Shield won last time, Evolution could win this time and no one would blink. Why? Shield kills it every single time they are in the ring in a main event situation. But if you switch over to Wyatt vs. Cena, more people talk about the repercussions of the result affecting storylines a momentum moving forward. However, Cena’s recent loss to Bray Wyatt in the Steel Cage had people talking. When Cena beat Wyatt at WrestleMania, people groaned. It was a great match, but it has been the overuse and constant “superCena” we have become accustomed to which causes this reflex.
I am going to focus on the undercard for a moment, because we could have some potential show-stealers.
United States Championship: Cesaro vs. Sheamus
This will be a great match. You have a guy like Cesaro who can throw big men like Sheamus around. You have Sheamus who can beat the snot of someone like Cesaro, who will then get up and ask for more. Put a camera on Paul Heyman, have a little second-screen view on the bottom right corner, and we can watch his facial expressions and reactions because this one will be a war. We will get suplexes and brawling tactics all rolled together. We know both men can put on a 30-minute clinic if they wanted to. There will be lots of bruising.
Intercontinental Championship: Rob Van Dam vs. Wade “Bad News” Barrett
Honestly, the match on SmackDown between BNB and Sheamus should have headlined the mid-card for Payback. This was an all out technical brawl. There is no such thing as a technical brawl but I think Sheamus and Barrett just invented it this past SmackDown. Again, Sheamus can wrestle and fight. Guess what, so can my man, Bad News Barrett. He will ‘plex the hell out of you and then bum rush you and give you a shellacking. I really do like RVD. I do, but they guy is all spots. He can bust out a few other tricks, but maybe the guy is just getting tired. He is average, the novelty has worn off. I can tell you there will be dueling fanchants of RVD vs. BNB and do not be shocked of BNB wins. Both the chants, and the match.
Divas Title Match – Alicia Fox vs. Paige
So, three weeks ago Fox goes bonkers and “quits” on the WWE App, only to show up the following week on RAW to wrestle again. She goes bonkers again post-match. Rinse and repeat. So since AJ Lee seems to have vanished from television, Fox is the new crazy broad? Paige better be up to the challenge of another PPV appearance, the last few matches have not been all that great. We see her get beaten senseless, then hits her big move or submission, both which are AWESOME, and gets the win. I had my hopes up, but then I saw Emma again on RAW and remembered there is no hope.
Hornswoggle vs. El Torito in a Hair vs. Mask match. Uhm, so it is weird the little Bull has been defeating members of 3MB prior to this altercation? Is it also weird this match is actually real? I may not want to live on this planet anymore.
We might get some more matches, we might not. Maybe Big E. Langston will face Alexander Rusev and lose. Maybe Jack Swagger will have a rematch against Adam Rose, having just lost to the party bus on SmackDown. While Rose has some popularity going, the “We The People” gimmick is still going quite strong. If you saw, or I should say heard on RAW, the crowd got behind Zeb Colter. Even though on SmackDown it was dubbed over with boos, you could still hear some chants.
Noticing a few strange things: Damien Sandow is going the way of Santino, Al Snow, even Big Show, who all suddenly dress up as other characters and show off their comedic side. In the case of Santino, it buried him. Just two weeks ago we were treated to “Angry Sandow” when he crashed the RAW pre-show, and we almost got “pipe-bomb” Sandow when he threatened to tirade on live TV. Seems this has all been forgotten, and now Mr. Sandow is dressing up as historical figures and rappers. He loses twice this week, to Adam Rose and then to R-Truth. Not sure which is more embarrassing.
I’m leaving it at that, because frankly this week in WWE has been downright confusing. I feel the Payback pay-per-view has been played down to petty levels, perhaps due to recent financial troubles with the company? If I was someone who did not have access to the WWE Network, I would NOT buy this one.
