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The hangover of SummerSlam weekend isn't over, but the next pay-per-view, WWE Payback, is already approaching. Taking place just a week after "The Biggest Party of the Summer," the card for Payback appeared to be thrown together at the last minute. Still, it looks interesting enough.
As of now, WWE has announced seven matches for Payback. There are three titles on the line—Universal, United States, and WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. WWE will want to come out all guns blazing and continue their success from SummerSlam last weekend.
Let's take a look at five bold predictions for WWE Payback 2020.
#5. Roman Reigns cheats to win the Universal Championship at Payback
After months of absence, "The Big Dog" Roman Reigns is finally back and more than ever before he means business. He attacked "The Fiend," Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman at SummerSlam, and fans noticed a change in his character.
WWE quickly announced a massive No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match for the Universal Championship at Payback. Things got interesting this week on SmackDown as the show closed with Roman Reigns seemingly becoming the new "Paul Heyman Guy."
This alliance got the entire WWE Universe talking. Now, Roman Reigns is considered to be the favorite to walk out of Payback as the new Universal Champion. As amazing as this new Roman Reigns character might be now, having him pin The Fiend clean might lead to another massive fan outrage.
Now, WWE can go the safest route and let Roman pin "The Monster Among Men" to win the Universal title. If WWE wants to go all the way and cement his heel turn, a great way to do that would be to let him cheat in some way to win the title.
After seemingly being forced down the fan's throats all these years as a babyface, a full-blown heel Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman by his side has money written all over it. Though one has to wonder how could this affect the momentum of Bray Wyatt going forward?
#4. RETRIBUTION reveals its leader and calls out Vince McMahon at Payback
It has been over a month since the anonymous faction, RETRIBUTION, made their debut. Since then, they have just done one thing, create chaos. Many fans were surprised to see that RETRIBUTION weren't involved at SummerSlam but WWE should not make the same mistake at WWE Payback. Why would a faction like RETRIBUTION invade weekly shows likes RAW and SmackDown, but not a major pay-per-view event like Payback?
WWE Universe has been split on their judgment about RETRIBUTION. Many have compared them with The Nexus, but the ultimate question comes down to: what are they trying to achieve through all this? Who are behind those masks and what are their motives?
It is about time RETRIBUTION does something to make the fans take them seriously. Payback could be a great platform to deliver a solid message and reveal their motives. The leader of the faction might reveal themselves at Payback and go as far as to call out Vince McMahon.
Many names are being thrown around as the leader of RETRIBUTION, from Xavier Woods to Dominik Dijakovic. Who could it actually be? Fans will have to tune in to find out soon.
#3. Alexa Bliss gives more cryptic hints at Payback
The character development of Alexa Bliss in the last month or so has been intriguing. Just when the WWE Universe was starting to feel that her character was becoming stale, WWE pulled off several shocking twists. Now, everyone has been talking about "The Goddess of WWE." Could she be involved at Payback in some manner?
From being attacked by "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt to seemingly allying herself with him, many expected Alexa Bliss to interfere in the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam. However, that never happened. This past week on Friday Night SmackDown, WWE dropped a massive hint that Bliss is giving in to her darker side and transforming into something else.
Other than her new hairstyle, Alexa Bliss was wearing something very similar on her lower body to Abby the Witch from the Firefly Funhouse. At WWE Payback, we might see her drop more cryptic hints and possibly tease that she's joining Bray Wyatt. If The Fiend ends up dropping the Universal Championship to Roman Reigns, this could be the big storyline that could help continue Wyatt's momentum.
#2. Drew McIntyre costs Randy Orton his match at WWE Payback
This past week on Monday Night RAW, former NXT Champion Keith Lee joined the RAW roster. Straight away, he went up against Randy Orton. Their match didn't end with a proper finish, so the two will now clash at WWE Payback.
For those who don't watch NXT and aren't familiar with "The Limitless One," Keith Lee was one of the top stars of the brand. WWE management is high on him. As evident at last year's Survivor Series and the 2020 Royal Rumble, Keith Lee is set to be a top star on the main roster. Can he defeat Randy Orton at Payback?
"The Legend Killer" is in the middle of one of his best runs and WWE might not be willing to let him take the pin to Keith Lee. After punting the WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre three times on RAW, he will surely challenge him for the WWE title again. While McIntyre is not cleared, he might just interfere and cost Randy his match against Keith Lee at Payback. Picking up a win over Orton would kickstart Lee's main roster run in a huge way,
#1. Seth Rollins and Murphy badly injure Dominik Mysterio at Payback
The intense rivalry between the "Monday Night Messiah" and The Mysterios will continue at WWE Payback. Seth Rollins and Murphy will take on Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik. We saw the duo team up this week on Monday Night RAW and it was great to see them work together. Dominik impressed everyone with his debut match against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam but he was unable to win.
Notably, WWE has already announced that Rey Mysterio will have a one-on-one match against Seth Rollins on the RAW after Payback. After all these months, The Mysterios still haven't picked up a decisive win over Rollins and Murphy, thus continuing the feud. If the match on RAW is any indication, this rivalry is set to continue for a long time.
What could force Rey Mysterio to take on the guy who almost blinded him again? A great way to set this up would be for Seth Rollins and Murphy to badly injure Dominik at Payback, to an extent where he has to be taken to the local medical facility. This could ultimately lead to his heroic return and a subsequent big victory over the "Monday Night Messiah."
Be sure to comment down and let us know your predictions for the upcoming pay-per-view event, Payback.
