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Welcome to things WWE subtly told us on the SmackDown before Payback! Since it was the only episode to build to the PPV, WWE wasted no time on SmackDown. Here's what happened!
#5 What's happening with Alexa Bliss on SmackDown?
Well, things have certainly been getting interesting on SmackDown in terms of character work. RAW has been strong in its own right, but when it comes to the character work and progression, there's little doubt that SmackDown stars have been thriving.
One such example is Alexa Bliss, who never faced 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, but her involvement with him leading up to SummerSlam has resulted in her changing characters quite a bit.
In the case of Alexa Bliss, there's been a gradual but evident change in character on SmackDown. While it isn't an outright heel turn, it appears as though her friendship and alliance with Nikki Cross could be in jeopardy.
Nikki Cross pointed out how Alexa Bliss' hairstyle was reminiscent of 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt and it didn't take much for the 7-time Champion to snap at her tag team partner, even smashing the cup she gave her to the ground.
Both Nikki Cross and Tamina were visibly startled and this is another big indicator that no character who faces or gets involved with 'The Fiend' comes out the same. It makes sense that they seem to be building towards something with Alexa Bliss, especially since her last interaction with 'The Fiend' saw her somewhat embrace him rather than get frightened.
We'd be interested to see if Alexa Bliss changes directions entirely and aligns with Bray Wyatt. It would certainly mark a new phase in her character and a great way to refresh herself after a relatively "less successful" last year (which still involved winning two tag team titles).
#4 What was the meaning behind the post-SmackDown main event segment?
When WWE had the "You'll never see it coming" tagline for SummerSlam, it also applies to the final segment on the SmackDown before Payback. Roman Reigns was the last man to sign the contract for the No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match.
After the main event of SmackDown where Big E and Heavy Machinery defeated Sheamus, The Miz, and John Morrison, Adam Pearce finally managed to come to an agreement with Roman Reigns.
Roman Reigns vowed to win the Universal Championship and said "That's not a prediction, that's a spoiler" - a famous Paul Heyman catchphrase. He was seen sitting next to Paul Heyman as SmackDown ended, marking a stunning end to the show.
What does the alliance mean? For one, it seemingly guarantees that Roman Reigns is the favorite to walk out of Payback as the Universal Champion, so that's a possible spoiler.
However, we can only wonder what it means for Paul Heyman's alliance with Brock Lesnar. With Lesnar not expected to make a RAW or SmackDown return anytime soon, one can only speculate what his future with Paul Heyman could be.
#3 The Matt Riddle-King Corbin feud culminates on SmackDown
Matt Riddle faced Shorty G on SmackDown and defeated him. Shorty G, now aligned with King Corbin, tried to do the bidding of the former United States Champion.
Unfortunately for Shorty G, SmackDown's fastest-rising star defeated him with relative ease and avoided an attack by King Corbin. This was one of those matches that probably should have happened at the SummerSlam card, but didn't. Either way, the feud is seemingly culminating on Payback after over a month of build on SmackDown.
There's no question as to which SmackDown star needs the win more. While King Corbin shouldn't always be used as a stepping stone, that seems to be the role that he's in right now. Matt Riddle is the star who WWE should eventually become the face of SmackDown, so it only makes sense that he's the win who should win on his PPV debut at Payback 2020.
Will Matt Riddle manage to overcome his first feud and move on to more interesting things? Or will it keep dragging on?
#2 Sami Zayn's return to crown SmackDown's "true" Intercontinental Champion
Jeff Hardy overcame Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown, getting a measure of revenge for his United States title loss to the Japanese star over two years ago on PPV. While the US title match happened in a matter of seconds, Jeff Hardy had to win a hard-fought battle to retain the title on SmackDown.
Right after that, he was confronted by Sami Zayn - who returned for the first time in months to reclaim the Intercontinental title. Still having his version of the gold, it appears to be one of those Champion vs "Champion" feuds. That doesn't mean that AJ Styles is out of the picture by any means.
Sami Zayn may not officially be the Intercontinental Champion on SmackDown, but it's a valid argument to say that he never lost the title, in the first place. Sami Zayn slammed AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy, but he may have potentially lost his alliance with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, who sent him away to have a "private" discussion.
It looks like Sami Zayn is back, but he's on his own now. Cesaro defeated Kalisto and The Lucha House Party continued to tease a break-up.
#1 Adam Pearce's importance on SmackDown
Adam Pearce never had a significant run in the WWE, but his role as a backstage producer on SmackDown has been more prominent. After testing positive for COVID-19, he eventually returned to WWE TV and he's always a figure we see when brawls have to be broken up or injured Superstars need to be attended to.
However, his role on SmackDown was far more prominent. Upon Vince McMahon's instructions, he needed to get Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns to sign a contract for their No Holds Barred Match at Payback.
Surprisingly, getting Bray Wyatt to sign was the easiest and Adam Pearce appeared as a postman on the Firefly Fun House to deliver the contract to the Universal Champion and get it signed.
For Braun Strowman, it was a bit odd. Drew Gulak smashed Strowman's back with a steel chair for no good reason and handed the chair to Pearce. While Pearce convinced Strowman that it was Gulak who did that, Strowman said he'd only sign the contract after taking care of the former Cruiserweight Champion - which he did, with ease.
It was only at the end did he manage to get Roman Reigns to sign, which is when we saw his alliance with Paul Heyman form. What is the meaning of all of this? Why was Adam Pearce given such an important role? What's going to be the fallout of it all? Tune into our coverage of Payback, RAW, and SmackDown to find out!
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