Payback Predictions: Randy Orton VS Seth Rollins VS Roman Reigns VS Dean Ambrose

Hello everyone and welcome back to Talk Wrestling World, I hope you are doing very well! This Sunday the WWE will present the two thousand and fifteen Payback pay per view after just three weeks from Extreme Rules. The card has been set, the matches have been made official, and it's time for me to start my Payback prediction week. I know, it feels like only yesterday that my predictions ended. With it being Extreme Rules not that long ago it feels like it's prediction season forever; but I do like writing these posts at times and you guys do like reading them so I hope your not fussed at the fact there is another week and a half of predictions left. I say a week and a half because next week we have another NXT takeover live show witch means I will be uploading my NXT Takeover predictions this weekend also. But for now let's just keep our minds on Payback. If you are new to my blog then you may not know what prediction week is about. To be honest it's pretty self explanatory. From Monday to Saturday I will be uploading my predictions for every match on the Payback card. I will be talking a look at the action of the past couple of weeks, inserting what I wrote about the previous action between the two superstars at the past live show from my review and reactions post of that pay per view, then finally making my bold predictions for this Sunday's match, being spoken about in the blog post. I do this every month for every pay per view and they seem to go down pretty well. Prediction week does mean that I'm very busy with posts and so there are no Smackdown, NXT, Superstars, and Main event review and reactions and there is also no top five superstars of the week either. As usual I will be live tweeting throughout the show this Sunday using the hash tag "Payback" on twitter. Because I have such a busy month this month t does mean I will not be doing a dedicated month until June just because there would be no time to upload them all. Do please however let me know what you would like to see June dedicated to before the end of this month.  I will link bellow any recent posts including my top twenty matches of the month and my top fifteen superstars of the month. Finally, you can let me know what your predictions for this Sunday's pay per view by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.

This Sunday at the Payback pay per view Seth Rollins is facing he's toughest challenge yet as champion as he defends he's WWE World Heavyweight championship in a fatal four way against long term rivals Randy Orton and former Shield brothers, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. The build up for this match has not been done too bad at all and I have to admit that I am looking forward to the match a lot more than I was the previous pay per view main event, but who will be walking away as the champion this at the end of the weekend? Only time will tell but in today's blog post I will be taking you through what all three superstars were up to at the Extreme rules show, what they have all been up too since the previous pay per view and finally making my bold predictions for the show. With so much to get through let's get into the post.

Here is what I wrote in my Extreme Rules review and reactions post for the pay per view's main event.

"It was finally main event time as Seth Rollins had he's first championship defence on pay per view when he took on Randy Orton inside a steal cage. The standard and the expectations of this match were so so high. I personally was counting on this to be the match of the night and potential match of the month. It could also have very easily have been one of the greatest matches in Seth Rollins' career so far. Let's fact it, the odds were in Rollins favour when it came down to the fact that the RKO was banned and how comfortable he would be in a match with this stipulation. However, the Randy had the experience on he's side and then of course we had Kane as the gate keep and with the recent events there was no telling how he would shake things up. I thought the build up of this match was really strong and I was really looking forward to this match, It was the one match of the night where I put everything aside, whether it be my lap top or my food and paid serious attention to my TV screen. I think this was a serious match for Rollins and he's career and defying himself as the present and the future of the WWE. The audience was very team Orton but to be fair it was probably the most split crowd reaction of the night. I'm a pretty big steal cage match fan so that increased my interest in this match even more. At the start of the match we saw Rollins try to escape almost straight away witch grabbed my attention. I forgot to mention that Rollins did not come down to the ring with J&J Security so that kept me on edge a little. We saw Seth try and escape from the cage quite a thew times at the start of the match in hope for a quick exit and win. Talking of the start of the match, Orton spent most of the start in full control,dominating the champ. I will admit I was surprised to see how slow paced the match was. I thought it would of been a lot quicker and the action to be more intense. When J&J Security made their appearance of the night it was then thing started to speed up and things grew far more interesting. I was surprised to hear that the crowd was not as into the match as I excepted they would be and they seemed more quiet. Orton pulled out some nice little tricks sending a thew messages to the authority. In the end Kane ended up playing a vital role when he choke slammed both Randy Orton and Seth Rollins and then tried to help Rollins in winning the match by putting he's arm across Orton to make the cover but it didn't really work. It became clear at this point that Kane was out to help Rollins retain but in the end Rollins was able to escape the cage anyway and leave still the WWE World Heavyweight champion. I'll admit I was disappointed with this match with how it played out throughout and how it ended I think Rollins needed a stronger win like actually covering Orton but he was still able to retain anyway."

Since winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship back at Wrestlemania, Seth Rollins has not been booked very well at all. He's actual cash in and win at Wrestlemania was done really well. The surprise, strong cash in and outsmarting both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar was done so so well that I cannot fault it what so ever. I've even said that it was my favourite cash in of all time. When Rollins did win and become the champion I had very high expectations of what we were going to see from Rollins as the champ but I have been beyond disappointed with how the WWE have booked him since Wrestlemania. Creative have really struggled to portray Seth as a dangerous force on the roster. They have done a good job in making him come cross as devious, arrogant, a little deluded, and slimy but not as though he is a champion to be feared. With the Authority at he's very side at everything he does, Rollins has been coming across as the cowardly heel. He has been made a joke of at the hands of the man who is suppose to be on he's side, and only this week the arena gave Rollins a nice big "Justin Bieber" chant. The WWE have always attempted and succeeded in making their champion look a little foolish and embarrass him every now and then but he has always responded strongly and bounced back well. Rollins however isn't getting that. This is the man who put out a top veteran in Randy Orton out of action for months, a man who curb stomped he's former partner's head into cinder blocks, and broke the ribs of Brock Lesnar. Since becoming champion we haven't seen that rough, barbaric, dangerous side of Seth and as champion it's something we need to start seeing more of. A couple of weeks back on RAW, he was pushed out of the opening segment, we first saw Orton take over then Reigns and then Kane. Later on in the night he was still unable to pick himself back up after another poor performance. Not only did he lose the match but after being speared by Roman Reigns he didn't even end the night on a high. As champion we have seen him get pinned way too often. He is coming across as a man who needs to hide behind the Authority. Even at Extreme rules it took a choke slam from Kane and a banned RKO for Rollins to pick up the win over Orton and he didn't even pin him to get the win and simply walked out of the cage to win. I personally was expecting a bigger win. Something that would of left Orton needing medical attention after and maybe a little attack on Kane to teach him a lesson. What we need to see at Extreme Rules is a champion to fear. A simple win is not going to be enough. We need that Seth Rollins who stabs you in the back the moment you show weakness or take him for a fool. Before becoming champion the WWE did such a good job in portraying Rollins as serious heel who could cause serious damage. We need to see that again this weekend. 

Now something very strange is about to happen. I have just spend a long time moaning about Seth Rollins, a favourite of mine and now I'm about to sit here and praise Roman Reigns. A man that I almost always talk negativity about. I know something odd is happening. I mentioned a couple of weeks back that Reigns has somehow managed to turn me into a little fan of he's. I say little because you wont be seeing me buying Roman Reigns merch and jumping up down when he's on my TV any time soon, but he's improvements in the ring and on the mic have left me on team Roman and have changed some of my opinions on him. He's last man standing match against Big Show was much much better than I expected it to be and I was left almost speechless. I think in that one match Reigns proved a lot of people wrong, and I was actually proud of him. The past month or so we have seen him grow so much in ever area. He seems far more comfortable on the mic and with he's character and he's move set is getting stronger. He's selling better and he's learning how to tell a story in he's matches. All that being said I do still think the WWE have made a mistake putting Reigns in the title picture. For a while now the WWE have been portraying Roman Reigns as the next big thing. The next big baby face and the next face of the WWE. But the fans have made it more than clear that they don't believe in him just yet and that he is far from ready for the top spot. All year Roman has been trying to prove everyone wrong and he hasn't done a bad job at all.  The turning point being he's great match at Fastlane against Daniel Bryan. After Wrestlemania it looked as though the WWE were taking a seat back from Reigns and the title picture and give him time to grow and it was working. But the WWE clearly run out patients and instead of having Reigns feud with top heels in the company such Rusev and Sheamus, they threw him straight back in the title picture only a couple of months after Mania. I honestly believe that if they had spent another couple of months building him up more, working on he's move set, mic skills, and building he's fan base he could of had some great feuds with the likes of Sheamus and he would of been ready for top spot come Summer Slam. Once again the WWE are trying to hard to push him quickly and make him a star when he is clearly not ready. They should spent time on him gaining respect from the fans. Maybe even having him defeat Cena for the title at Summer Slam. The rushed approach failed before, it wont be any different a second time round. A loss at Payback would be hard to bounce back from and would leave him at a interesting position on the roster.

Orton is another superstar who has had a great thew months but has had some disappointing moments. I really enjoyed the early stages of he's one on one feud with Rollins. I loved how it was done and I thought they had a great match at Wrestlemania, but I did find the Extreme Rules main event match between the two disappointing. What I really liked with Orton's booking so far this year is the fact he didn't have a huge, quick face turn attacking Seth Rollins. Instead the WWE had a slow approach. A nice, solid, gripping build up witch kept us all on edge and waiting for the turn. I really really liked that. The build up tension allowed Orton to build momentum and popularity on the way. As a character we have seen Randy really develop and grow in momentum. He's bagged some strong matches of the past couple of months and he is walking into Payback strong.

Then there's Dean Ambrose. Last week on RAW Kane surprised us all when he put Ambrose in a one on one match against Champion Seth Rollins and if Ambrose won the match he would go one to compete at Payback, making the main event a fatal four way. After an outstanding match, the lunatic fringe earned he's spot at the Payback main event and the match was made a fatal four way. I think its more than safe to say that I expressed my joy for this news/development a heck of a lot last week so I wont put you all through that any more. I have spent months and months sitting here at my lap top complaining about how the WWE have used and booked have booked Dean. For months they had him in failed feuds and it took him almost a year to score he's first pay per view in as a singles competitor. It was clear I was growing seriously impatient and as a major Ambrose fan my anger with the WWE raised by the minuet. However, even though he was not being booked the strongest he made every second could and he managed to fit in some really strong matches on the way and has earned he's role in this championship match. I have always said that regardless of how the WWE book him they would have no choice but eventually put him in the main event picture because of he's popularity and he's pure talent. We all know that Dean Ambrose is just as good as the three guys competing this weekend. It has taken Ambrose sometime to get back on he's feet but the slow build up has allowed him to show off he's talents and build more and more. The turning point was of course he's huge win over Harper at Extreme Rules last month. What is important is the WWE don't destroy Ambrose's momentum. He has a great past month, having strong matches against the likes of Sheamus, Luke Harper, and the WWE World heavyweight champion himself, Seth Rollins. He's that unpredictable force in the WWE that they need and that we know and love and if they give him a weak performance this Sunday he could find himself in a real difficult position. Ambrose will be a huge stand out and will bring that level of unpredictability that we all love. 

I have high expectations of this match mainly because the last pay per view main event was so weak. I do think these guys will deliver to a high standard. I'm hoping this is a pretty long main event and one that is easy to get into and keeps me entertained. I want this to be the type of match that I go back to for weeks and can't stop talking about. I think Rollins is under a heck of pressure. We need to see that viscous side to him that I was talking about earlier. We need to see a more barbaric, dangerous side. I think we will see J&J security and Kane get involved  a couple of times but I don't think either

of them will be the reason Rollins walks away the winner. I'm expecting Reigns to be the underdog and the one that will surprise us the most. Orton will struggle to take centre stage but he's Randy freaking Orton and he will find away to get everyone talking about him. The addition of Ambrose is huge and makes a big difference. It means there's a sense of unpredictability that we didn't have before. This will be the first time all three Shield members will be competing against one another and so there is a lot of history and chemistry in this match. When it comes to stand outs I'm leaning towards Rollins and Ambrose. I think even if Ambrose looses he's going out strong and he's going to be the one that everyone is talking about by the end of the night. I believe this will be the night Ambrose truly cements himself as a top, main event, championship material superstar. I think the closing moments are likely to either see Orton hit the RKO on Reigns and Rollins pushes Orton out the ring allowing him to get the win or the other way around. I personally would like it to be the other way. So Reigns spears Orton but Seth kicks Reigns out of the ring to get the cheap win. That way Reigns manages to look strong while at the same time Rollins is able to retain. I'm not going to completely rule out a title change. The WWE are having this unpredictability factor right now and I'm loving it so anything could happen. Ambrose is going into this the underdog so if the title does change hands I think it's going to Dean. It would be a nice surprise and real twist, but in all honesty I doubt there will be a title change. I'm predicting a stand out performance from Rollins and one that

will truly define him as a top champion. I think another possibility is introducing Sheamus to the Authority. I will link bellow the post I did on this last week down bellow so you can check that out. I did mention in that post how I think Sheamus could be introduced to the Authority at Payback by costing either Randy or Reigns the match setting up a feud there for those two. In an ideal world I'd like to see a feud start between Sheamus and Reigns. Or we might see Kane go to attack Rollins after he wins but Sheamus comes out and attacks Kane, marking himself as the new muscle of the Authority. With Dean now in the picture it sets up a possible feud between Sheamus and Ambrose. If Sheamus cost Ambrose the match there would be a great feud set up right there to really go on and would go down a treat for the next thew months. Dean is the fave to win this week when it comes to fan votes so Sheamus taking out the fave would push him big time as a major heel. They are just a couple of dream scenarios. I don't think Rollins will be dropping the title at all this weekend. I don't think we will see a title change until Summer Slam maybe when Lesnar is likely to return and challenge Rollins.  I think this will be a good main event all round.

But what do you think? Let me know what your predictions are by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.