WWE Payback 2017 Predictions
By Tim Sherry
credit: wwe.com
United States Championship Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs Chris Jericho
When this match was announced for Wrestlemania, it seemed clear what was going on. There were rumors circulating from a number of different places that Jericho was going to take another leave of absence from the WWE to tour with his band, Fozzy. So the smart money was on Owens to win that match and move on to another program involving the United States title. Well, Wrestlemania came and went, Owens was victorious, but Jericho is still here and the rematch is Sunday at Payback.
It was recently reported by wrestlingworldnews.com that Jericho’s departure is actually slated for May, so this might be the last of “Y2J” we see for awhile. So in order for Chris to take an extended break, he might take a pretty severe beating so he can be written off television for awhile and “KO” is the perfect guy to do it. Their feud has been the most compelling story on WWE programming since it started in February and if their Wrestlemania tilt is any indication of what these two can produce together in the ring, fans may be in for a treat at Payback.
Unfortunately for Jericho, there is just too much going against him. He’s leaving soon and as mentioned in the introduction, the idea of him winning back the U.S. title just to bring it to RAW makes little, to no sense. Each show needs to have a secondary title and Owens will prove to be a perfect belt holder for Smackdown Live. Expect another classic from these two but this one will have an extra edge to it. Owens retains.
Winner and still champion: Kevin Owens