More Matches (And Bret Hart) Added To WWE Payback Lineup During Monday’s Raw
In less than two weeks time on Sunday, May 1 it’s the fourth annual WWE Payback pay-per-view event. It will be taking place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Payback will be the first WWE PPV post-WrestleMania 32.
During this week’s edition of Raw, three new matches were added to Payback as well as the addition of a legendary WWE Hall of Famer who will appear at ringside during a championship match. As always, the card is subject to change, but the following is your 2016 Payback lineup so far.
Please note that (c) refers to the champion/s heading into the match.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles
WWE Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) (w/Ric Flair) vs. Natalya (w/Bret Hart)
Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) (w/Maryse) vs. Cesaro
#1 Contender Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles (Tag Team Tournament Finals): Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. The Vaudevillains
Mark’s reaction: Two of the three matches added on tonight’s Raw I (and most people) expected. However, that doesn’t make it any less exciting. It’s nice to have the confirmation. Enzo & Cass vs. The Vaudevillains were a bit of a surprise to me as I thought The New Day would be fighting the winners of the Tag Tournament at Payback. Instead we’ve got a #1 contenders match, which is fine by me. This extends the next New Day feud longer and maybe The Dudley Boyz interfere in the match to extend their feud with Enzo & Cass. I could easily see Enzo & Cass vs. The Dudley Boyz at Extreme Rules (the next PPV after Payback) in a Tables Match and maybe The New Day vs. The Vaudevillains in a Ladder Match.
Bret Hart being added to the card is pretty cool and it makes sense in accordance with the current storyline. It’s a natural move for Natalya to want to even the odds and have someone in her corner. Bret recently battled prostate cancer after making it public knowledge a little over two months ago. He’s doing a lot better now, so it’ll be nice to see him back at a WWE event supporting his niece.
That’s six matches so far. We’ll likely see a few smaller matches announced as May 1 approaches. Emma vs. Becky Lynch has been rumored and alluded to on Smackdown. Maybe we see Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler, an Apollo Crews squash match, and The New Day in action too. It’s a shame, but Kalisto and his U.S. Title are not even a thought right now. That title has taken a huge hit. Hopefully when Cena returns he can take the U.S. Title back and build it up yet again.
What are you most looking forward to at WWE Payback? What other matches would you like to see WWE add to the card before May 1 rolls around? Leave any of your thoughts in the comment section below.
Picture used above is courtesy of WWE.com.