The Piledriver Report 5.29.14: Payback Preview

On June 1st, the All-State Arena will play host to the latest WWE pay per view called Payback. For the first time in a while, the WWE World Champion will not be defending his title on the card. Instead, Stephanie McMahon is giving Daniel Bryan the opportunity to surrender the title to her at the show. I understand why the WWE is milking the “will Daniel Bryan get stripped of the title” storyline. However, I am not a fan. Last fall, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon repeatedly found ways to strip Daniel of the WWE Championship or to screw him out of the title because it was “best for business.” Now, they are saying, “we aren’t going to strip you of the belt. Instead, you need to do the right thing and relinquish the title to us.” As reported last week, I think the best way to handle Bryan’s neck surgery is to create an interim WWE title. It gives the WWE an out, without stripping Bryan of the title, and it gives Bryan an instant feud upon his return. What will happy at the pay per view? I believe that nothing of significance will happen with the WWE title situation. When all is said and done, I think Daniel Bryan will leave the show still holding the championship.

HORNSWAGGLE VS. EL TORITO: HAIR VS. MASK

This is a rematch of last month’s pay per view pre-show match. This time there is a stipulation added to the match. It’s an old school hair vs. mask match. Last month, El Torito beat Hornswaggle in the pre-show match of Extreme Rules. I can’t see the results of their rematch being any different. El Torito’s bull gimmick would be dead if they had him lose the mask. Meanwhile, Hornswaggle’s character will not be affected if he lost his hair. With that being the case, I am going with El Torito to beat the smallest member of 3MB. WINNER: EL TORITO

PAIGE VS. ALICIA FOX: DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP

Paige vs. Alicia Fox is a very fresh match-up in the WWE Diva division. While I’m not sure if it will be a good bout from a work rate standpoint, I like the fact that this is something different. It’s not the same old Divas match featuring the Total Diva of the hour. Not only do I like the freshness of this match, but I also like what the WWE has been doing with Alicia Fox’s character. The mean streak that her character now has is different than what you see from the other cookie cutter Divas. Because I think the Alicia Fox character is a breath of fresh air, I would normally pick Alicia Fox to win the match. However, I think it’s too early to get the title off of Paige. Therefore, I see her retaining, at least until AJ Lee returns for her rematch. WINNER: PAIGE

RUSEV VS. BIG E

This match was just added this week. It’s a battle of the big men. Big E was recently the Intercontinental Champion. Rusev is the WWE’s latest muscle man flavor of the month. Watching both men work, I do not expect a five star classic. I don’t even expect a three star passable match between the two. What I expect is a six minute match where power moves will take precedence. If you were to ask me who would win this match last year, I would have said Big E as the WWE seemed to be thinking big things for him. However, a year later, and Rusev is the guy the WWE is now behind. For that reason, I’ll pick Rusev. WINNER: RUSEV

SHEAMUS VS. CESARO: UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP

If given enough time, I think Sheamus and Cesaro have a chance to either steal the show, or be the second best match on the card. This match is tough to call. The WWE seems to always be high on Sheamus. Plus, there has been a rumor for the past few months that Sheamus would be turning heel. A heel run as the United States champion would serve Sheamus well. That being said, Cesaro seems to be on the fast track as the next performer to break into the main event scene. Having Cesaro win the title, with Paul Heyman by his side, would solidify him as the next big star. That being said, I see bigger things in his future. I think Cesaro will win the Money in the Bank briefcase in July. By being the keeper of the contract, Cesaro would have the golden ticket to enter the WWE title scene. Thus, a lose to Sheamus will not hurt in the end. WINNER: SHEAMUS

BAD NEWS BARRETT VS. ROB VAN DAM: INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Like Sheamus, Bad News Barrett is a new singles’ champion. After being on the backburner for a while, it appears that the WWE is finally behind Wade Barrett. Why shouldn’t they be? After Barrett started the Bed News persona, he slowly built up enough momentum to where the WWE envisioned that he would be in during the Nexus days. His opponent, Rob Van Dam, never has the “back burner” problem, because even if he isn’t pushed as a top star, the fans cheer for him with such passion that he always has that main event presence. At this stage in his career, RVD is a part time performer. Wade Barrett is here for the long fall. Thus, I give the victory to the man with more upside potential. WINNER: BAD NEWS BARRETT

JOHN CENA VS. BRAY WYATT: LAST MAN STANDING MATCH

First, they fought at WrestleMania XXX. Next, they battled at Extreme Rules. Now, they are set for the rubber match at Payback. This has been a very strange feud to say the least. The reason I say this is because, Bray Wyatt seems more and more like the face in this feud. A John Cena match usually follows the same pattern in regards to the fans’ response. Half the crowd chants “Let’s Go Cena!” The other half responds “Cena Sucks!” However, with the Bray Wyatt promoms, it seems like Wyatt is getting a total face reaction. Whereas, John Cena is getting booed for the most part. It’s a role reversal without the WWE actually doing a double turn. At WrestleMania XXX, I felt Cena should have put Wyatt over. He didn’t, so I felt that Bray needed to get his win last month, which he did. Who should win the rubber match? While I would like to see Bray Wyatt win, I think that the WWE win have John Cena conclude this feud with another victory over Wyatt. WINNRER: Bray Wyatt

THE SHEILD VS. EVOLUTION

With Daniel Bryan out of action, The Shield vs. Evolution enters the pay per view in the main event slot. It’s a position that is well deserved, as their angle has been the best played angle in the WWE during the last month. All three Evolution veterans can deliver in this spot. The Shield has proven that they can hang with the big boys. The match should be good. The question is, “who should go over?” With Batista leaving the WWE for a short period of time, the “Animal” jobbing to the Shield is probably the most realistic ending. However, if you want to turn one of the Shield members to join Evolution during Batista’s absence, this would be the place to do it. I don’t expect a heel turn. What I expect is for The Shield to continue their dominance and beat Evolution. WINNERS: THE SHIELD.