So with Wrestlemania 32 finished and in the books, it’s been a few big changes for WWE and Wrestling Betting. We started the Wrestling Betting Podcast last week, which is now on iTunes & Stitcher (so please subscribe!). And Wrestlemania 32 – whilst was good – didn’t see many changes.
However the Raw after Wrestlemania saw a few changes, as per usual. With debuts and new feuds beginning, the build to Payback has been particularly strong, probably even stronger than the build up to Wrestlemania. So without further ado, here are our WWE Payback Predictions.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles
Fun fact: In the last 3 Wrestlemanias, the loser of the second match on the main card challenges for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the PPV after.
AJ Styles, quite surprisingly, lost to Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania, which bust our bracket as well as saw a period of about 2 hours with some surprising results. But the next night on Raw the 50/50 booking saw AJ Styles beat Cesaro, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens to become the number one contender to Roman Reigns championship.
Whilst the heel could be Roman Reigns in this feud (considering his promos, as well as the fact it is in Chicago), the true heels are the debuting Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, the Raw after the Raw after Wrestlemania. Since then, the former Bullet Club members have been targeting Roman & his family, much to the dismay of AJ Styles.
This has been a watchable feud, largely due to the Bullet Club members. Roman Reigns has just became champions, so I cannot see Roman Reigns losing. However I can see some shenanigans somehow with the Gallows & Anderson team costing AJ somehow.
Which will mean that Roman will beat AJ, Anderson and Gallows clean.
Prediction: Roman Reigns Wins
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The Miz (c) (/w Maryse) vs. Cesaro
The night after Wrestlemania 32 saw the return of Cesaro, with a slightly different (albeit brilliant) gimmick: A Swiss Hitman gimmick, with a full on James Bond entrance. It’s well worth seeing, as it’s so good.
Zack Ryder’s Wrestlemania moment lasted 24 hours, as the night after Wrestlemania saw the return of Maryse to the WWE, and immediately joined with The Miz, causing him to win the Intercontinental Championship. Ryder has been immediately depushed and Cesaro appears to be the one who will benefit.
They do seem to be wanting to push Cesaro, so I think they will hot-potato the Intercontinental Championship for a bit to put the belt on Cesaro. I don’t think Zack Ryder’s feud with The Miz is quite done (yet). Cesaro to possibly win to get the strap.
Prediction: Cesaro Wins
Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho
One of the most depressing things from Wrestlemania was Dean Ambrose’s weak match against Brock Lesnar. It was short, it saw one F5, and it was a borderline squash match. It sucked immensely and really harmed Dean Ambrose, as it told the fans exactly what WWE thought of him.
Another surprising result was Chris Jericho beating AJ Styles above. On top of everything else, Jericho usually disappears after Wrestlemania to continue touring with his band. So he could do the jobs on the way out, and it would be great if he makes Dean looks strong.
I’m going to say Dean Ambrose will win. However I’m going to say I’m not sure.
Prediction: Dean Ambrose Wins
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
So the first Zayn vs. Owens on the main roster occur at a B-List PPV. It’s a bit of a shame, it would’ve been great at Wrestlemania, but it wasn’t to be.
Kevin Owens has taken a few TV losses recently, against Cesaro and Dean Ambrose, so I can see possibly Kevin Owens winning, to maybe challenge Roman Reigns in the next PPV or two. Sami can take a loss or two, his whole gimmick is losing, so yeah I can deal with that.
Prediction: Kevin Owens Wins
WWE Women’s Championship
Charlotte (c) (/w Ric Flair) vs. Natalya (/w Bret Hart)
Another of the surprising and slightly disappointing results from Wrestlemania was Charlotte retaining against the strong tandem of Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. It was a great match – possibly match of the night – but the result did seem to hurt.
Although the crowd were screaming for Bayley to debut the night after Wrestlemania, it wasn’t to be. Instead Natalya – who had a great match with Charlotte just before Wrestlemania – became the new number one contender to Charlotte.
Interestingly, the focus for this match is who is outside the ring, rather than in it. Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, who has made a great recovery after successful cancer treatment, will return to WWE in Natalya’s corner to counteract Flair in Charlotte’s corner. Whilst I can see Bret having a nice spot with Flair (who can take a bump), I can see Charlotte retaining.
Prediction: Charlotte Wins
#1 Contendership to the WWE Tag Team Championship
Enzo & Cass vs. The Vaudevillians
Two of the call ups to the main roster after Wrestlemania was Enzo & Cass on Raw and The Vaudevillians on Smackdown. Both teams have been treated with incredible respect and made to work to their strengths. Both teams have also got big wins (over The Dudleyz and The Uso’s respectively), and it’s putting The New Day over strong (after a disappointing Wrestlemania for them), as there has to be a tournament to face them.
I’m not sure what will happen and if the winner faces The New Day at the same night, but I can see The Vaudevillians winning, probably with shenanigans, probably involving The Dudley Boyz. If The Vaudevillians win, then they will probably be fed to The New Day pretty much straight away. If this happens, it would be a good way to hopefully raise all three teams.
Prediction: The Vaudevillians Win (and The New Day will win should there be a match the same night)
Anyway, those are my predictions. What are yours? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Categories: Predictions
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