With WWE Payback only days away we can start to look ahead to the PPV and what we think is going to happen. For a long time I thought WWE was doing a bad job setting this pay per view up as only a couple matches had been confirmed up until Monday night. After a solid Raw though more matches were added and this isn't looking to be so bad. Unfortunately for all the Fandango fans out there, me included, we won't get to see him win the IC belt as he probably would have as he is out with a concussion. Injuries as a whole gave WWE scheduling problems with this event and they had to adjust accordingly.
Kickoff Show Match: Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow
Sheamus has become nothing more or less than a complete bore to me at the moment. I used to actually like Sheamus, as a-sheamed of myself as that makes me. (Awful.) He has become a corny, lame, and cheesy promo artist relying on hacky jokes to get a reaction from the crowd. Meanwhile Sandow has become one of the best in the business on the mic and is a great in-ring worker as well. As much as I like Sandow and his promos, Sheamus has almost single-handedly ruined any redeeming qualities this battle had. What makes the most sense here is for Sheamus to take one for the team and put Sandow over. Possibly establishing in the upper mid-card to maybe lower-main event scene that he belongs in. WWE creative however doesn't let Sheamus lose often but it ultimately ends up going nowhere. So much of me wants and thinks Damien Sandow could win the match, perhaps with interference from his best friend Cody Rhodes, but more of me thinks that the WWE won't let Sheamus lose. Especially coming off of a win over Mark Henry.
Winner: Sheamus