This is the current official card for the Monday Raw pay-per-view, Payback. It will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2017:
“House of Horrors” Match
Randy Orton (c) vs. Bray Wyatt
United States Championship Title Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs. Chris Jericho
Raw Tag Team Championship Title Match
The Hardy Boyz (c) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro
Cruiserweight Championship Title Match
Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries
Grudge Matches
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
Women’s Championship Title Match
Bayley (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
The man they call Vader (Leon White) collapsed in the ring Thursday Night during a six man tag team tribute match commemorating the 45th anniversary of the debut of Tatsumi Fujinami in Japan’s Korakuen Hall. Vader was dropped on his head during the match and was rendered unconscious after the match due to a concussion. The icon assured his fans on Twitter that he’s OK and that the incident had nothing to do with his heart. Vader made headlines this past November by disclosing that he was projected to have two years to live by doctors due to chronic heart problems. He has since began working with Diamond Dallas Page and has lost significant weight. He has stated that a doctor has given him a more positive diagnosis.
Matthew Anoa’I, best known to WWE fans as Rosey, passed away this past Monday. Matthew and his cousin, Eddie Fatu (Jamal), achieved fame as 3 Minute Warning. Eddie, who later became Umaga, preceded him in death in 2009. Matthew was the elder brother of Roman Reigns. He was also a cousin to The Rock and to WWE Hall of Famer, Rikishi. He was 47. An official statement regarding the cause of death has yet to be disclosed but family and friends have said it was due to congestive heart failure. Matthew was hospitalized in 2014 due to heart issues and had other health issues, such as erratic weight loss/gain and knee problems.
It’s being reported by various sources, such as Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Insider News, that the WWE has no plans to utilize Paige when she is cleared from her neck injury that has kept her on the shelf for the past nine months. It has been a trying time for the Diva as she has been one of a still growing list of celebs whose private pictures and videos were leaked online in a mass release that’s still being investigated. Her beau, Alberto Del Rio, has made a series of anti-WWE Periscope videos that also likely have factored in this direction.
Former WWE superstar, Mr. Anderson, will debut on Ring of Honor next Friday. He joins Bubba (Bully) Ray in the promotion going by Ken Anderson. Mr. Anderson was a rising star in the WWE but he was let go by the company after botching a move in a match against Randy Orton. Anderson says that he and John Cena met with Vince McMahon and had him fired from the company. He has since had a successful run in TNA and should do well in ROH.
Mauro Ranallo will be calling boxing on Showtime this weekend and is looking at again getting back into wrestling. New details regarding his disastrous WWE tenure continue to surface. While Bradshaw is the most egregious offender, Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler also hazed Mauro according to accounts told to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Insider News. Despite the backlash, it appears that JBL will not face any discipline, since he’s still on the air.
Former WWE Diva, AJ Mendez Brooks aka AJ Lee is on tour promoting her best-selling memoir, Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules. The book details her upbringing, her life in and out the WWE, her struggle with bipolar disorder that resulted in a suicide attempt and her management of it. Not resting on the book’s success, she is currently penning a follow up that looks to provide insight and coping advice for those suffering from mental illness.
