This Sunday night, it's a night for vengeance as the WWE presents Payback live from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Md.
3 Best Matches In WWE Payback History
The third annual edition of this pay-per-view and WWE Network special will be headlined by a Fatal 4 Way main event pitting WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins against former Shield stablemates Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose and "The Viper" Randy Orton in an everyman for himself war.
Eight matches have been signed for the card and two titles will be up for grabs when the lights come up at the Royal Farms Arena for Payback.
Projected WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 Card
Here are Sports World News' predictions for Sunday's show in the projected order that the matches will occur:
Pre-Show Tag Team Match: The Meta Powers (Macho Mandow And Curtis Axel) vs. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor)
This is a bit of an ode to the late 1980s and early 1990s, though it's definitely on a lesser scale than The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan & "Macho Man" Randy Savage) against the Powers of Pain (Warlord & Barbarian).
The Ascension has fallen out of favor with WWE creative it would appear as they haven't been booked solid since their main roster debut. I guess if the WWE has nothing better to do with Damien Sandow while The Miz is off shooting a movie and since Curtis Axel happens to be on his Axelmania kick, this could be a fun comedy team for a little while.
The Pick: The Meta Powers.
Axel won the Intercontinental Championship at Payback 2013:
Singles Match: King Barrett vs. Neville
I could see this or the Tag Team Championship match opening up the proceedings and this bout should be a fun one to watch.
Neville has been a tremendous attraction since jumping up to the main roster from NXT and his Red Arrow finisher stands as one of the best moves in wrestling right now. Neville is must-see in the squared circle and every match he has is special to watch.
Barrett was a perfect choice for the King of the Ring as that gimmick always seems to work for heels and he has been solid since returning from injury, despite the WWE booking him terribly as Intercontinental Champion before he dropped the gold at WrestleMania 31.
As for a winner here, Neville could gain some revenge from losing the King of the Ring finals, but it makes sense that his fellow Englishman will go over to maintain momentum as the reigning royalty in the WWE.
The Pick: King Barrett
Barrett defeated Rob Van Dam to retain the IC Title at last year's event:
WWE Tag Team Championships 2-out-of-3 Falls Match: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) w/ Xavier Woods vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd w/ Natalya
This one should be a lot of fun as these teams put on a standout match at Extreme Rules last month with The New Day picking up a shocking victory to win the gold.
These two duos should once again put on a good show, especially if the WWE gives them enough time to tell a good story using the 2-out-of-3 falls stipulation. It will be fun to see if The New Day pulls a plan out of the Demolition playbook and rotates their trio in and out of the match.
The match will likely come down to the final fall with the teams tied 1-1, but rather than play hot potato with the titles, it makes sense for The New Day to retain and continue their run at the top of the division.
The Pick: The New Day.
The Shield defeated Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton to retain the Tag Team Championship at Payback 2013:
Singles Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
Thankfully, this is a one-on-one match following the ridiculous stipulation of a "Kiss Me Arse" match last month.
Sheamus' heel turn has actually made him a little better as he has a fresh personality and works well as a huge Irish bully. It's hard to ignore, however, how the WWE didn't bother to explain why he came back a changed man despite being beaten down by two heels before he left for surgery.
The WWE said the "Celtic Warrior" is tired of smaller Superstars getting the spotlight, but failed to address why he forgave two bigger Superstars -- Rusev and Mark Henry -- for taking him out and then set his sights on Ziggler just because he's small.
Both of these guys are tremendous workers, especially Ziggler, so this match should be fun to watch. As for a winner, I was surprised the "Showoff" won last month and I think Sheamus will get the rub this time around.
The Pick: Sheamus
Ziggler dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Alberto Del Rio at Payback 2013:
WWE United States Championship I Quit Match: John Cena (c) vs. Rusev
For the fourth straight time, these two Superstars are colliding on a WWE Network special and pay-per-view.
Rusev got a victory over Cena at Fastlane, but the Cenation leader has thwarted off the Bulgarian Brute at two straight events, defeating him at WrestleMania 31 to win the title and then again at Extreme Rules last month in a Russian Chain Match to retain.
This feud has been enjoyable and has helped the Super Athlete appear to be a huge threat in the WWE despite the fact that he's lost two out of the last three meetings between these two.
Lana has factored into each of Rusev's losses and it appears this may be the place where the WWE pulls the trigger on her face turn by having her either turn on the mighty Russian, or more likely, quit for him in what would mark the last straw for their relationship.
The Lana character has been fun, so if that does happen, it will be sad to see this shift in dynamic and interesting to see how Rusev fares moving on without his mouthpiece.
The WWE has made a big deal over the fact that Cena has never lost an I Quit Match and that he has never been defeated at Payback, though this is only the third installment of that event. While it is possible the WWE could put Rusev over to make him look huge by having Cena quit, the scenario with Lana quitting on his behalf is the likely route as it keeps him strong since he never quit himself and kick starts a major storyline.
Where Rusev goes from here remains to be seen.
The Pick: John Cena
Cena defeated Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing Match last year at this event:
Singles Match: Ryback vs. Bray Wyatt
This is a bit of an odd feud as after summoning The Undertaker through cryptic promos, the Eater of Worlds did the same thing with The Big Guy. Ryback and The Undertaker don't quite hold the same weight, so it was sort of a strange way for the feud to be initiated, though it is Wyatt's style to do that.
It'll be interesting to see what sort of chemistry these two have in the ring as the WWE seems to really want this feud to be a success as they're once again getting behind Ryback and Wyatt always brings an element of intrigue into the proceedings.
As for a winner, it would seem like Wyatt is due to get a win to avenge his loss to the Deadman in his last big match at WrestleMania, but the WWE seems to be pushing a lot of heels towards wins here, so Ryback may pull this one out.
It wouldn't be surprising if the newly reformed Luke Harper and Erick Rowan come down and either help Wyatt to victory in a Wyatt Family reunion or attack Ryback and get their former leader disqualified.
The Pick: Ryback
Ryback faced Cena in a Three Stages of Hell Match in 2013 at Payback:
Divas Tag Team Match: The Bella Twins (WWE Divas Champion Nikki & Brie) vs. Naomi and Tamina
In another annoying unexplained move by the WWE, The Bella Twins are now de facto babyfaces despite the fact that they built heel momentum and haven't explained a reason for their change in attitude. One upside is it erases the ridiculousness of the two top heel divas very publicly dating/being married to two of the top babyfaces in the WWE.
The reasons for the character change is obvious, the WWE had to write Paige off television via Naomi's heel turn so that she could film a movie and AJ Lee's abrupt retirement added to the lack of babyfaces in the Divas division. With Naomi now a villain and the top two babyface Divas missing, the WWE had to turn the twins. A better explanation would be appreciated, however.
As for this bout, the Bellas could surely go over to establish themselves as dominant faces, but with Tamina recently returning and Naomi being a brand new heel, the two could use some serious momentum, especially after Naomi fell to Nikki last month at Extreme Rules. A win for the heels is a victory for two potential threats to Nikki's title.
The Pick: Naomi and Tamina
Paige defeated Alicia Fox to retain the Divas Championship at the 2014 event:
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Fatal 4 Way Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton
This appears to have the potential to be a very fun main event with each man bringing something unique to the table amid the interesting backdrop of having the former Shield members all in the same match.
The WWE added the extra wrinkle that if Rollins fails to retain, Kane -- who has been a thorn in Rollins' side and allowed him to get attacked on Monday -- will be fired as the Director of Operations.
This seems to mean that Kane will factor into the decision in some capacity, whether it is to screw Rollins out of the gold and spark a feud or to reluctantly help Rollins win to save his job.
Is it possible the WWE is ready to write Kane off? Is it possible The Big Red Machine is ready to return to the squared circle full-time for a program with Rollins?
Before we delve into that further, let's look at other potential outcomes.
Ambrose is a wild-card as he was thrown into the match late, but should add another great element to the bout. While anything can happen, Ambrose's booking since the split of The Shield pales in comparison to his former running buddies, so it's doubtful the WWE is ready to put the strap on him despite his popularity. Sound familiar?
It seemed like Reigns was destined for his big moment when he faced Brock Lesnar in the main event at WrestleMania 31, but the WWE had cold feet and opted to have Rollins cash in his briefcase in arguably one of the greatest endings to the WWE's marquee event in history.
The WWE could pull the trigger on a Reigns run here, but he needs some seasoning on the microphone and in the ring before the company should consider giving him the richest prize in the game.
One win over Big Show in an admittedly solid Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules doesn't cut it. I have nothing personal against Reigns and believe his time will come, possibly at SummerSlam, but it shouldn't be this Sunday.
Then, there's Orton, one of the WWE's go-to guys when things get rough. It's no secret that the WWE has had a bit of a letdown since the momentum it built at WrestleMania 31 and the next night on Monday Night RAW. When Vince McMahon panics, he tends to turn to his go-to guys in veterans like Cena and Orton.
Those guys, however, won't be around forever, so sometimes it's good to see what you have in a title-holder like Rollins, especially in the down months between WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
It is highly conceivable that Orton walks out of Baltimore on top of the mountain again and he has claims to the belt after never being pinned to lose it at WrestleMania XXX, never getting his rematch with Daniel Bryan, pinning Rollins at WrestleMania 31 mere hours before he won the gold and then losing to Rollins at Extreme Rules in a cage match via the banned RKO.
Orton could very well win the gold again, though I personally believe the WWE shouldn't give up on Rollins' run at the top yet as it just needs to book him stronger.
As for "The Architect," he deserves a lengthy run after he revitalized the company in the closing moments at WrestleMania 31in a moment that will put that show on the map for many years to come. Rollins is great on the microphone and solid in the ring, despite the WWE neutering him by taking away his Curb Stomp finisher, something which I still can't wrap my head around.
The likely ending here will see Kane do right by The Authority by helping Rollins to victory, which may not do much for the credibility of the WWE Champion, but will at least play into his opportunistic heel character a la Edge.
There are also some rumors of a Shield reunion and while that faction was awesome and it could make for fun storylines with all three of them protecting the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, it's hard to see the WWE putting them back together after just one year apart and all three of them can continue to shine on their own.
The Pick: Seth Rollins
Last year, The Shield battled Evolution in a highly-entertaining No Holds Barred six-man tag match:
The WWE has a chance to pull itself out of the post-WrestleMania doldrums this Sunday night as several of its young up-and-coming stars will be on display live at Payback.
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