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It's not that WWE Payback 2020 was an underwhelming pay-per-view, because, for what it was worth, one can actually go so far as to say that it was a pretty solid show overall. It's just that WWE Payback 2020 aired one week after SummerSlam, and there's only so much of a good thing that one can take, and in the case of this reviewer particularly, there was a case of sensory overload.
That said, overall, there were far more positives than there were negatives, at WWE Payback 2020, which was actually a very top-heavy show. If you missed the opening matches, with the exception of the United States Championship match, you wouldn't really miss much.
So before you read the official 'Best and Worst' column for WWE Payback 2020, you are welcome to chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
#1 Best: Roman Reigns finally turns heel at WWE Payback 2020
No, Roman Reigns would not sign the contract for his big Universal Championship match at WWE Payback 2020 until midway through the contest when Braun Strowman and the former Universal Champion, The Fiend, had broken the ring in half. And yes, he would prove that he was a heel by cashing in his contract, in a sense, and then picking up a victory by nefarious means. Roman Reigns has done the unthinkable at long last, something John Cena would never do despite fans urging him. Roman Reigns has finally turned heel at WWE Payback 2020.
One has to assume that Paul Heyman has a role to play in all of this, and while he may not be a significant backstage figure, his interactions with Kayla Braxton through the course of WWE Payback 2020 were absolutely priceless.
#1 Worst: Heel Roman Reigns still has the same music, unfortunately
When someone undergoes a major shift in character, all the other elements of his/her personality need to change as well, in accordance with the big change. Roman Reigns needed new music because this is a song that has been around since the days of The Shield, and fans were disappointed to learn at WWE Payback 2020 that this was not going to be the case with the current incarnation of the Big Dog- Roman Reigns.
The biggest difference in Roman Reigns following his heel turn at WWE Payback 2020 is that he kept his t-shirt on during the course of the match, and let's be honest, it's not the most exciting change, is it?
People online are furious that he still has the same music, when he could have benefited with a change in music just as Seth Rollins did. Can you imagine him being a despised heel, if he was still coming out to 'Burn it Down?'
Let's hope that plans are in place for new music for Roman Reigns after WWE Payback 2020.
#2 Best: Murphy vs. Rollins teased at WWE Payback 2020
Heading into WWE Payback 2020, one had to admit that the current version of Seth Rollins wasn't his best version. Seth Rollins is a professional and he will do well with whatever role is given to him, but at WWE Payback 2020, the unthinkable happened when Murphy and Rollins had a miscommunication, leading to a pretty humiliating loss for the two heels. And from the way that Seth Rollins looked at Murphy after their match at WWE Payback 2020, it is clear that the two men are going to be feuding very soon indeed.
And this is a very exciting opportunity for Murphy to turn face and maybe ascend the ranks after WWE Payback 2020 where he can maybe upset Seth Rollins.
Honestly speaking, Seth Rollins and Murphy can tear down the house if they are given the opportunity to do so, and one has to wait to see what happens on the episode of RAW after WWE Payback 2020, between the two men.
#2 Best/Worst: Keith Lee defeats Randy Orton at WWE Payback 2020 in his first PPV match in the main roster
Very few people get an opportunity to debut against Randy Orton in their very first main roster pay-per-view. Fewer still have a chance to upset Randy Orton in the manner that Keith Lee did at WWE Payback 2020, considering that he is a heel with all the momentum in the world right now. And yet, one can't help but think that what WWE did with Randy Orton was a big mistake.
Randy Orton has been doing some of the best work of his career over the past few months, especially if you consider his segments with the likes of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels and for him to lose two of the biggest matches of his career in quick succession against Drew McIntyre and Keith Lee just shatters his aura completely at WWE Payback 2020.
However, this was completely WWE's fault for booking themselves into a corner with two men who needed big wins. One hopes Randy Orton can regain his momentum once again.
#3 Best: Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax win big at WWE Payback 2020
Just look at the image shared above from WWE Payback 2020 and just marvel at how dominantly Shayna Baszler has been booked for the first time in what seems like months. And not only does the big title change at WWE Payback 2020 freshen up the women's tag team division quite significantly indeed (lord knows that it was in need of a fresh coat of paint), it also sets the stage for Sasha Banks to turn on Bayley because she does not hold a title at present, or for Bayley to turn on Sasha Banks if the former 'hugger' blames The Boss for the loss.
One of the most interesting things to note after WWE Payback 2020 will be to note whether Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler remain heels after the match or indeed if they turn babyface considering that they were the babyfaces in this match. Maybe they remain heels and take on the reunited Riott Squad who won a big match on the WWE Payback Kickoff show.
#3 Worst: Why did RETRIBUTION choose not to crash the party at WWE Payback 2020?
RETRIBUTION is a weird group of vandals because they do not work on weekends. Yes, they did crash the party on RAW when they attacked Rey Mysterio and Dominik, but they did not show up at SummerSlam, SmackDown or even WWE Payback 2020. And their absence at WWE Payback 2020 was felt by the likes of Renee Young and CM Punk who had the following amusing conversation.
It really is odd that RETRIBUTION just chooses to vandalize the weekly shows and stays away from the building on pay-per-view days. From a storytelling perspective, this was a pretty big blow to WWE Payback 2020, since one of the synonyms for 'payback' is 'retribution' and there was a very big opportunity this weekend for the outlaw stable to make their presence felt and write the next chapter in their story.
Do check out an interview Sportskeeda conducted with Eric Bischoff prior to WWE Payback 2020 where he discussed, among other things, Roman Reigns.
