What’s the story?
The Superstar shake-up wasn’t the only highlight of the latest episode of WWE RAW, as two huge championship matches were made official for the next stop on the WWE pay-per-view calendar.
WWE Payback takes place in San Jose (California) on April 30, and on that night both Neville and Randy Orton will put their titles on the line against their WrestleMania 33 opponents, Austin Aries and Bray Wyatt.
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WWE Payback will be the fifth pay-per-view of 2017 for the promotion, and the first special event after pay-per-view traditionally represents something of a reset for the promotion.
The show usually features a number of rematches from the Show of Shows, and it seems as though 2017 will be no different on that front. The show is a RAW-exclusive pay-per-view and is expected to be headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman.
Also read: Brock Lesnar may not defend the WWE Universal Championship at Payback
The heart of the matter
Neville and Austin Aries will battle once again, with the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on the line. The two men opened the WrestleMania 33 Kickoff show with a bang as Neville barely escaped with his championship after attacking Aries’ previously injured eye.
Aries defeated TJ Perkins, Gentleman Jack Gallagher and Mustafa Ali in a fatal 4-way match to once again become the number one contender to the King of the Cruiserweights.
Bray Wyatt confirmed his move to RAW during the superstar shake-up, but The Eater of Worlds will still get his WWE Championship rematch against Randy Orton. The two put on a disappointing match at WrestleMania 33 and will be hoping to put on a much better showing in what is being billed as a ‘House of Horrors’ match.
What the match entails is still something of a mystery.
What’s next?
As of this writing, only four matches are official for WWE Payback, with Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho and The Hardy Boyz vs. Cesaro & Sheamus also booked along with the two announced last night. The Superstar shake-up will surely see a number of new RAW stars in action on April 30.
Author’s take
Austin Aries almost certainly deserves another crack at Neville’s Cruiserweight Championship, and the two will surely create magic within the purple ropes once more. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt have a lot of ground to make up, however, and Wyatt’s move to RAW all but gives away the result of that match.
After such a strong start to 2017, WWE ruined a lot of good work with Bray at WrestleMania 33, and the New Face of Fear finds himself with more ground to make up than ever before.
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