WWE Payback premium live event is scheduled to take place tonight at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Six matches are confirmed for the event including four Championship bouts.
Payback is starting at 8 p.m. ET and the kickoff show is one hour before the main card at 7 p.m. Fans in the United States can watch the show on Peacock, and others can watch on WWE Network as usual.
John Cena will be the host for Payback. Cody Rhodes is scheduled to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect.
Here are the 2023 WWE Payback Predictions.
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus in a Steel Cage Match
The storyline between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus began four months ago. Both women fought multiple times on WWE television. However, Stratus couldn’t deliver a banger match. The feud didn’t help Becky Lynch whatsoever. Many fans have zero interest in this bout. Becky Lynch should be in the title picture after this storyline ends tonight. Our Prediction: Becky Lynch wins the match.
Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory for the United States Championship
Rey Mysterio became the United States Champion by dethroning Austin Theory on the August 11th episode of SmackDown. Rey wasn’t supposed to be the challenger for Theory in that show. Santos Escobar gave his title opportunity to Rey after he was ambushed by Theory. As of now, both Rey and Dominik are the US and North American Champions respectively. Austin Theory shouldn’t deserve another US title run. If the company booked him correctly he would be in the main event picture right now. Our Prediction: Rey Mysterio retains his United States Championship.
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. The Judgment Day in a Steel City Street Fight for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had faced Judgment Day countless times on WWE television. However, this time it’s a bit different. Rhea Ripley told Finn Balor and Damian Priest that if they didn’t win the title tonight, then she would make a decision. Therefore, the bout would be crucial for Balor and Priest. Our Prediction: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn retain their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships.
Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s World Championship
Night of Champions was the last time Rhea Ripley defended her Women’s World Championship in a premium live event. Ripley was supposed to have a match against Raquel Rodriguez at SummerSlam. However, it was postponed to Payback due to time constraints. Raquel is a tough challenger, but we don’t think she will defeat Rhea tonight. Our Prediction: Rhea Ripley retains her Women’s World Championship.
LA Knight vs. The Miz
In the past weeks, both men battled verbally on WWE television to determine who’s the best talker in the company. Last night on SmackDown, LA Knight and Miz came face to face and both stars insulted each other. Miz told Knight that if he lost tonight, then Knight’s character would be stale. Our Prediction: LA Knight wins the match.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Seth Rollins on the August 7th episode of Monday Night RAW to start the feud. Nakamura said in an interview with Michael Cole that it was the easiest way to get a title opportunity. Nakamura ambushed Rollins in the past few weeks as well. The storyline may continue for the next PLE. Our Prediction: Seth Rollins retains his World Heavyweight Championship.
These are our predictions for Payback. What is yours? Let us know in the comments.