5 Things That Need To Happen At WWE Payback

Many WWE fans are understandably not excited about this Sunday’s Payback card. Following WrestleMania is a tough task for any event. Payback is essentially the guy asked to come on stage after Kendrick Lamar at an open mic night.

WWE knows it can’t possibly top 75,000 screaming fans, a John Cena marriage proposal, and the Undertaker’s final match, but they shouldn’t be expected to. We need peaks and valleys in our wrestling calendar. We need slow builds to bigger feuds and final blow-offs to feuds that didn’t quite feel resolved at WrestleMania 33.

Try not to just look at Payback as “not-WrestleMania.” The first pay per view after the Superstar Shake-Up has a lot to offer us and could end up being a sneaky good card. If nothing else, we can bank on the fact that we’ll get to see Braun Strowman and a match that we’ve literally never seen before in the House of Horrors.

You can see here everyone who is favored to win this Sunday, but there are 5 very important things that need to happen to not only make Payback a success but to move us forward into the coming months.

5. The House of Horrors match has to be insane

No one outside of the WWE has any clue what this match is going to be, and that is a good thing. 

Bray Wyatt, whose character created the match, has said “every step you take will be a dissent into madness. Every room you enter will be an endless nightmare. And the best part is, Randy, you can never leave. The house will be your purgatory.” 

So, according to Bray, it sounds like we’ll basically be wrestling in an amusement park fun house with lots of maggot projections and mirrored rooms. 

WWE’s Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer recently stated that the entire beginning of the match would be pre-taped, which should allow for the WWE’s video team to go all out and make this look amazing … or ridiculous … or both.

The whole angle is complete camp, and the WrestleMania match was a pretty big let down, so WWE needs to push the insanity to #Broken Hardy, Total Deletion levels for this pay off to be worth it. If someone with a chainsaw doesn’t chase Bray and Randy when they come out of the house, I’ll be totally bummed. 

4. Bray Wyatt has to win the House of Horrors match

Bray Wyatt’s stop and start push has taken so many hits over the years. We finally thought that he was getting the run he deserved when he scored clean pins over John Cena and AJ Styles to win his first WWE Championship. On top of his new Championship, Bray was given super-demon powers when Randy Orton burned down his dead sister/spirit shack.

However, at WrestleMania, Randy Orton easily thwarted Bray’s maggot projection powers and dropped him with one RKO. 

I understand WWE wanting Randy Orton to be the face of SmackDown. It gives whoever ultimately defeats him instant credibility, but Wyatt has now been tossed back into the Raw midcard for who knows how long. 

The WWE Championship is allegedly no longer at stake at WWE Payback, so Bray needs this win to give him any momentum heading into the post Shake-Up era.

And really, if Bray Wyatt can’t win a House of Horrors match, what can he win? 

3. Finn Balor finds some direction

Upon his main roster debut last summer, Finn Balor had a rocket strapped to his back. Within a month, he had defeated Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins cleanly on his way to becoming the very first WWE Universal Champion. A day later it was all over.

The Raw landscape has changed since Balor rehabbed the injured shoulder that forced him to relinquish the championship. Since Balor’s return, he has yet to say a word. We need to see what Balor’s motivation is now that he is healthy. We need to hear who his target is. We need to see if even cares about getting the Universal Championship back. 

While an immediate Universal Championship match would make the most sense, Balor has Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman sitting at the top of the card.

Even a revenge match with Seth Rollins would have made sense, but Rollins has just now finally become a full-fledged babyface. 

Miz TV is often just a vehicle to put someone in a feud with Miz, but we need more from Balor than that. 

2. Sasha Banks needs to finally turn on Bayley

I’m not saying Sasha Banks has to be a heel, even though she’s much better in that role, but I am saying we’ve heard the “she isn’t your real friend” story for too long now. 

It’s time to fish or cut bait on this whole Bayley/Sasha friendship.

The problem with Sasha turning on Bayley is it leaves the babyface side of the Raw roster really thin. But there’s an easy solution to that – turn Alexa Bliss babyface! She’s a great heel, but more importantly she’s the best promo on Raw. 

She could easily turn those bitchy promos into ones the crowd would cheer for and at her tiny size, she’s going to be the perfect underdog babyface to work opposite someone like Nia Jax. 

If WWE wants to keep Sasha and Bayley as BFF’s, please take all mentions of their crumbling friendship out of the storyline until you’re ready to do something with it.

1. Braun Strowman must win!

Braun Strowman is a monster. He can push over ambulances, dumpsters, humans, cows, buildings, etc… but he hasn’t actually won a match in a while. I know that according to Triple H, wins and losses “don’t matter” in the current WWE, but I do think it’s important that Strowman gets a win here.

At WWE Fastlane, Braun was defeated by Roman. At WrestleMania, Braun was an early elimination in the Andre the Giant battle royal. Last week on Raw, Kalisto kicked Braun into a dumpster. At some point, a character’s imposing qualities start to seem less imposing when they can’t win a match. 

With Roman dealing with storyline cracked ribs and a separated shoulder, Strowman has to win this match. All signs are pointing to a likely rubber match at Extreme Rules, so give Braun this one. 

Even a Monster needs a win every now and again.

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