What’s the story?
It was announced on the RAW after WrestleMania 33 that Chris Jericho won’t have to wait long for his rematch, as he will face his former best friend and new US Champion Kevin Owens at the RAW-exclusive pay-per-view, Payback. As of right now, Owens vs. Jericho II is the only match announced for the first pay-per-view of the post-WrestleMania season.
In case you didn’t know...
The partnership of Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens carried RAW for much of the second half of 2016 as the WWE’s flagship show floundered somewhat in the post-draft era. When the split eventually came, it did so in one of the best WWE television segments of the modern era.
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The break-up led to a match between the two Canadians at WrestleMania 33.
The heart of the matter
On last night’s episode of WWE RAW, Chris Jericho confirmed that his rematch against Kevin Owens would happen at the aptly-named Payback pay-per-view. Immediately after announcing the match, Jericho threatened to put Kevin Owens’ fingertip on the list, but Y2J was ambushed by the new US Champion and Samoa Joe.
Also read: Chris Jericho confirms upcoming departure from WWE
Owens and Joe decimated Jericho in an attack that ended with Y2J being put through a table in the backstage area. While Jericho is still expected to return in time for the RAW-exclusive pay-per-view on April 30, the attack has opened up a number of creative possibilities should WWE be interested in taking a different direction. Owens and Joe faced off against a returning Finn Balor and Seth Rollins in the main event.
Jericho is widely expected to leave WWE once again in the near future, with his band Fozzy already announcing a number of tour dates from the beginning of May. Payback will more than likely be Jericho’s final WWE appearance for a while.
What’s next?
Payback takes place in San Jose, California on April 30, and only Owens vs. Jericho has been announced for the card. More matches will begin to take shape following next week’s draft. With Balor also back, it will interesting to see is WWE slots him back into the Universal title scene with Lesnar and Strowman in the mix or would build something around his partnership with Rollins.
Author’s take
The first pay-per-view following WrestleMania traditionally contains a whole host of ‘Mania rematches, and Payback 2017 promises to be more of the same. Owens and Jericho put on a great show at WrestleMania 33, but the prevailing opinion is that they are capable of better. They’ll be looking to top that in San Jose at the end of the month.
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