'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/2gAIAQEAAAAAhgP/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAGf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDEAAAAF//xAAfEAADAAEEAwEAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMFAAQREiEiI1L/2gAIAQEAAT8Auq4J2ni/n0pOKuw5YK9ep5/XvMNq2bTcWe+4gDajF3IUcFj5Ov/EABkRAAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIRAAEDBP/aAAgBAgEBPwDgMqybn//EABgRAAMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwBB/9oACAEDAQE/AKTR7MCo5v/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome to a quick turnaround PPV edition of things WWE subtly told us at Payback 2020. As expected, the Payback 2020 PPV was short and crisp, not even reaching the standard runtime of 3 hours. (Full results here)
There were some upsets, debuts, title changes, and major shockers. With breakups teased and incredible victories and stunning upsets, these are the things that were subtly told to us at Payback 2020!
#7 Glory for the Mysterios, suffering for The Monday Night Messiah at Payback 2020?
The co-main event of Payback 2020 saw Rey Mysterio team up with his son Dominik Mysterio to take on Seth Rollins and Murphy - the two men that they've been feuding with for a while now.
While Dominik Mysterio may have lost his WWE debut match at SummerSlam 2020, he was not only victorious in the tag team match at Payback 2020, but he picked up the win for his team as well.
The Payback 2020 tag team match was essentially a display for the father-son chemistry that Rey and Dominik Mysterio had developed over time. Dominik Mysterio continued to prove what a natural he is in the ring, showcasing incredible athleticism and moves that we've not even seen from Rey Mysterio.
Dominik could essentially be the evolution of his father and there's little doubt that post-Payback 2020, WWE will be looking to push the young 23-year-old Superstar. As for Seth Rollins and Murphy, it could be dissent. Seth Rollins was visibly furious at the defeat after Dominik pinned Murphy and he walked away, leaving The Disciple all by himself.
With Austin Theory back in NXT, and The AoP out indefinitely, there's a possibility that the group itself could be entirely disbanded. It would be interesting to see what would be either men's direction if they split now.
#6 The Golden Role models crumble at Payback 2020
The Women's Tag Team title match at Payback 2020 not only had the best finish on the card by far, but it was one of the most unique finishes we've seen in WWE for a long time. The WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and Bayley aka The Golden Role Models were made to defend their titles at Payback 2020 against the unlikely duo of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.
Baszler and Jax have an interesting dynamic since they're both heels who dislike each other. Despite this, they united to face the common enemy and outwitted the most dominant female stars this year to capture the Women's Tag Team titles.
It was a fun match that saw an incredible finish where Shayna Baszler submitted both women to capture the gold for Nia Jax and herself. It was another break-up that was teased at Payback 2020 after they lost the title and Sasha Banks is now without a title. Bayley is not "Bayley dos Straps" anymore and it'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.
#5 Roman Reigns and the bizarre main event of Payback 2020
The Payback 2020 main event wasn't bad. The result was expected, but the way WWE executed it was a bit questionable. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt made his entrance first for the Payback 2020 main event before being blindsided by Braun Strowman. The match, which ended up going only 12 minutes, featured very little of Roman Reigns.
The Payback 2020 match - a Triple threat No Holds Barred Match for the Universal title was mostly contested between The Fiend and Braun Strowman, who brutalized each other. The ring even broke after The Fiend suplexed Braun Strowman down.
It was around then that Roman Reigns appeared with Paul Heyman, finally signing the contract and picking the two apart with some relatively easy work. Roman Reigns is once again the WWE Universal Champion and he's a heel who made both The Fiend and Braun Strowman look stupid.
It looks like Roman Reigns will, in fact, be the heel Champion going forward. We've waited for this day for a long time.
While the heel turn was fantastic, the fact that Roman Reigns appeared so late in the match was a mistake on WWE's part, especially since he was the main attraction of the Payback 2020 PPV.
#4 An inevitable triumph for Bobby Lashley at Payback 2020
In a solid opening match at Payback 2020, Bobby Lashley faced and defeated Apollo Crews to become the new United States Champion. While Apollo Crews has been involved with The Hurt Business right from the start of his title reign, he was busy defeating and overcoming MVP before finally going head-to-head with Bobby Lashley.
It was a good match at Payback 2020 and Bobby Lashley walked out as the new United States Champion. Does this mean the end of Apollo Crews in the US title picture? Not at all. Crews attacked Lashley after the match and stood tall at the end despite losing his title - indicating that he's coming back for it.
We can't see a scenario where he regains it anytime soon, but we should be happy that Apollo Crews finally got a good run with a title, even if it ended at Payback 2020.
It'll be interesting to see how WWE handles him after his title run and whether they'll continue to invest in him as they were before Payback 2020.
#3 Matt Riddle wins but doesn't end his feud with King Corbin at Payback 2020
Matt Riddle was victorious at Payback 2020 as expected. We're still not sure why WWE decided to remove AJ Styles from the SummerSlam card, or rather, simply not book him in it. Instead, they chose to go for an Intercontinental title change featuring Jeff Hardy just two days before the event.
Matt Riddle debuted on SmackDown and defeated AJ Styles in a non-title match before losing to him in an actual Intercontinental title match a few weeks later. While the rumored direction for SummerSlam 2020 was AJ Styles vs Matt Riddle, WWE delayed Riddle's PPV debut to Payback 2020 - where he faced King Corbin instead.
It was a relatively slow start to the show and this match was never going to be a classic. However, Matt Riddle made the best of what he could at Payback 2020. He defeated King Corbin but in the post-match interview, he was assaulted, unfortunately indicating that the feud isn't yet done. We wish it would have ended right there.
#2 Keith Lee made his arrival at Payback 2020
When talking about Superstars getting pushed right off the bat, look no further than Keith Lee in Payback 2020. When looking at all of Keith Lee's past appearances on the main roster, they've involved interactions and exchanges with Roman Reigns at Survivor Series, Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble, and now Randy Orton at Payback 2020.
Keith Lee has been set-up for success right from the start, but it's hard to say whether an instant push will work for him. He's clearly the evolution of the "big man" in WWE, as he's far more agile and athletic than those before him.
Exceptionally skilled, Keith Lee defeated Randy Orton clean on his singles PPV debut at Payback 2020 and it was undoubtedly the upset of the night. As for why WWE let him defeat a 13-time World Champion clean, we have a few theories.
But ultimately, Keith Lee is here to stay and he did great in beating Randy Orton at Payback 2020 to secure his first major win in WWE.
#1 Alexa Bliss' eerie appearance at Payback 2020
Are we seeing the evolution of Alexa Bliss? What was the implication of her cameo at Payback 2020? We know that ever since 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt returned to torment Braun Strowman, he first targeted Alexa Bliss.
That fear turned into something else and in her second confrontation with him, she put her hand over his face instead. Over the last few weeks, we've been seeing a stark change in character for Alexa Bliss, especially after Braun Strowman told her that he doesn't care about her.
What was most telling was this past week on SmackDown when Alexa Bliss interacted with Tamina and Nikki Cross. When Nikki Cross pointed out that her hairstyle was a little too reminiscent of The Fiend's influence, she smashed their mug merchandise and stormed away.
It's clear that a big character change is coming for Alexa Bliss and her eerie appearance where she carefully observed the Payback 2020 main event was quite telling in itself. Will Alexa Bliss be undergoing a major character change post-Payback 2020? That's what it looks like and we couldn't be more excited about it!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
