WWE Payback 2017: 5 Bold Predictions

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With WWE Payback being the first PPV of the new fiscal year for WWE, will it have any genuine and positive surprises?

WWE Payback 2017 is just around the corner, and we now know what the card for the show resembles. It will feature nine matches, including one on the pre-show. Furthermore, at least three of the announced matches will actually live up to the Payback name. These three matches are all WrestleMania rematches, and in each match-up there is indeed a theme of ‘Payback’.

WWE need to do a lot to make Payback seem as important as possible. With each PPV they host after WrestleMania, they need to keep as many fans as possible still interested in the product. This is because there’s an annual ‘post-WrestleMania lull’ that causes a many viewers to stop watching.

They have tried to make this year’s post-WM period, including the Payback PPV, feel important through the recent ‘Superstar Shake-up’. Through this, they’ve made changes to the RAW and SmackDown rosters, thus giving us the potential for new feuds and match-ups.

Payback is going to be an interesting show for two notable reasons. First, it will be the first WWE PPV since 2015 to not feature a world championship being defended on it. Since Brock Lesnar defeated Goldberg at WrestleMania 33, WWE have allowed him to continue with his ‘limited appearances’ contractual clause.

The second reason is that there will be two inter-brand matches on a show that’s supposed to be RAW-exclusive. One of those will be Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho for the U.S. Championship, but an Owens victory there is pretty much a foregone conclusion. What’s more interesting is the so-called ‘House of Horrors’ match that will involve Bray and Orton at Payback.

So will this first show have any shocking twists and unpredictable turns? Here we propose five bold predictions for Payback 2017.

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