WWE Payback 2017: Assessing The Potential Quality Of All 8 Matches

4. Bayley Vs. Alexa Bliss - WWE RAW Women's Championship Match

Randy Orton Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

The problem with long-term planning within the endless episodic TV model is that the destination is obviously telegraphed every step of the way.

And, when there is a swerve in the road, fans blast it. The long-running Charlotte-as-pay-per-view-queen-bee arc trundled on with despairing predictability. Everybody knew that Charlotte would win on pay-per-view - until she didn't at Fastlane. WWE couldn't have it either way, but it was as much an indictment of the schizophrenic creative process as it was the spoiled fandom.

Mercifully, the formula has been stripped of its anchoring variable. Bayley Vs. Alexa Bliss might be the most anticipated RAW Women's match in aeons because it's fresh; the combination hasn't been exhausted on NXT nor the main roster. Bliss isn't as talented as her Four Horsewomen counterparts, but she's less played out and far more relevant. As the recent diminished returns attest, that is a welcome compromise.

The setting should help. Bayley's home city crowd should furnish it with an atmosphere to die for. The emotion should carry it to a level beyond the relatively disappointing body of work Bayley has assembled since her main roster promotion.

It's that setting which also lends the match that sought-for unpredictability. WWE enjoys humiliating talents in front of their friends and family - while it maintains a pretence that bullying is an awful, terrible thing - so for once, the result isn't nailed on.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!