The WWE presents its Payback 2014 pay-per-view Sunday from the Allstate Arena in Illinois in a night where revenge will be a theme.
With Daniel Bryan's neck injury, there will be no WWE World Heavyweight Championship match as the rumored Buried Alive showdown against Kane was scrapped. Bryan is still slated to appear at the show in some capacity to confront Stephanie McMahon after she threatened him to forfeit the title or Brie Bella would be fired.
The show is headlined by two matches, Evolution battling The Shield in a six-man No Holds Barred elimination tag team match and John Cena taking on Bray Wyatt in a No Holds Barred match. There are rumors of a Luke Harper and Erick Rowan Tag Title match against The Usos and Adam Rose taking on Jack Swagger being added to the match, but it remains to be seen.
Here are the latest news, rumors, possible spoilers and predictions for Sunday's show in the order that the matches on the card are likely to be in.
Payback Pre-show Mask vs. Hair: El Torito vs. Hornswoggle:
This fun little feud will spill over into another pre-show and much like their WeeLC match it is likely to be entertaining while not a five-star classic. 3MB and Los Matadores will most likely get involved throughout this match as they did last month. In the end, El Torito will likely pick up another victory over Hornswoggle and Hornswoggle will get a haircut.
The Pick: El Torito defeats Hornswoggle.
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bad News Barrett (c) vs. Rob Van Dam:
This match should be solid and a good opener. Barrett has come into his own with the Bad News gimmick and while many perceive RVD to be a bit stale as he is getting older, he can still put on a quality match. Barrett will likely hang onto the title due to the fact that he recently won it and it seems like the WWE is looking to give him a lengthy reign.
The Pick: Bad News Barrett retains the Intercontinental Championship.
Barrett lost the IC Title at last year's event when Curtis Axel won a triple threat match against him and The Miz:
Singles Match: Big E vs. Rusev w/ Lana:
It seems as though the WWE doesn't have too much left for Big E to do now that he has lost the Intercontinental Championship to Barrett. Big E was expected to be a force to be reckoned with in the WWE, but it appears as though he'll be used here as fodder to Rusev. The WWE seems intent on pushing Rusev and Lana as they are still trying to get them over, so Rusev is the easy choice to win here.
The Pick: Rusev defeats Big E.
WWE United States Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Cesaro w/ Paul Heyman:
This has potential to be one of the best matches of the night as it should be an all-out brawl. The WWE has been very high on Cesaro and it's an interesting dynamic as Cesaro is rumored to eventually turn face while there has been speculation that Sheamus will soon be a heel.
For now, Cesaro seems to be a tweener as he has Heyman by his side but is also getting cheered by the majority of fans. The WWE has been so high on Cesaro lately ever since he built momentum from winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX, but given that Sheamus just won the belt, the company will likely keep the strap on him for the time being, though a false-finish is possible.
The Pick: Sheamus retains the United States Championship.
Sheamus defeated Damien Sandow at last year's event:
Dean Ambrose retained the United States Championship against Kane last year:
WWE Divas Championship: Paige (c) vs. Alicia Fox:
There have been reports that the WWE was hoping to have A.J. Lee back by this event to battle Paige, but she continues to take time off as she is now engaged to the departed CM Punk. Alicia Fox has had an interesting change of character in recent weeks, but it would be hard to see the WWE take the Divas Championship off of Paige when she only won it a month ago and has been built up strongly. Paige has been a solid in-ring competitor and it looks as though she will continue her reign as champion.
The Pick: Paige retains the Divas Championship.
A.J. Lee battled Kaitlyn last year for the Divas Championship:
Last Man Standing Match: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt:
This feud spills over into its third pay-per-view with Cena defeating Wyatt at WrestleMania XXX and Wyatt gaining revenge in a Steel Cage match victory at Extreme Rules. This will be the rubber match between these two.
Wyatt has been one of the more compelling characters on WWE television lately, and there have been reports that the WWE may actually turn him into a top babyface by the end of the year, which is interesting. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan may get involved in this match to try and help Wyatt win, and a victor in this one is hard to pick.
Cena losing at two pay-per-views in a row is almost unheard of, but the WWE is also trying to continue to establish Wyatt as a top heel in the company, so another high profile loss could be damaging. Still, losing to the face of the company wouldn't hurt Wyatt enough to destroy his momentum.
The Pick: John Cena stands tall.
Cena defeated Ryback in a Three Stages of Hell match at last year's event:
No Holds Barred Six-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins) vs. Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista):
This should be a solid six-man match as The Shield is always exciting to watch in the ring, especially during a wild brawl like this one is expected to be. The Shield defeated Evolution last month, so it will be interesting to see if the veteran group gets its revenge or if the young trio wins again.
Batista is expected to leave until August following this event to promote the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, so it will be interesting to see if Evolution gets a surprise new member as a placeholder or if they possibly implode during this match.
There are of course always rumors that The Shield may break up sometime soon, though it's hard to tell if that will actually happen as the trio has built up a lot of momentum feuding with Evolution and The Wyatt Family. Reigns is expected to be a monster babyface in the coming months and there were rumors of a match with Triple H at SummerSlam, but that remains to be seen.
Rollins recently said that a breakup of The Shield -- should it happen -- doesn't necessarily have to be a negative split while there was a Q&A in WWE Magazine where Ambrose referred to Rollins and Reigns as his "former partners."
Still, a split may not be coming. As far as a winner, unless Evolution implodes it wouldn't be much of a rivalry if the Hounds of Justice didn't lose to them at least once on pay-per-view.
The Pick: Evolution defeats The Shield.
Order of Elimination:
--Batista
--Ambrose
--Orton
--Rollins
--Reigns
Rollins and Reigns fought Orton and Bryan for the WWE Tag Titles last year:
As far as CM Punk return rumors go with this event being in her home state of Illinois, it is doubtful the "Best in the World" will show up, but it always remains an option in the back of fan's minds.
WWE Payback 2014 airs this Sunday live from the Allstate Arena in Illinois.
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