It feels like just a week ago we were settling down for WWE SummerSlam – oh, wait!
With fans still reeling from last Sunday’s blockbuster show, which saw Roman Reigns’ shocking return, Dominik Mysterio compete in his first ever match and Asuka claim the Raw Women’s Championship from Sasha Banks… it is already time for the next WWE pay-per-view – Payback!
Remember when everybody said Payback would be nothing more than SummerSlam 2.0, full of rematches with little importance? Wrong! We’re just 8 hours away from the event now, so let’s get into the nitty gritty and break down everything you need to know before settling in with snacks and drinks for tonight’s surprisingly stacked show!
The WWE ThunderDome filled up quickly for tonight’s event – and every other since it launched earlier this month – so your best bet of seeing the action will be via the usual avenues. The Payback Kickoff show will as usual be available on the WWE Network, WWE.com, WWE app, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Twitch one hour before the show.
Despite holding two pay-per-views within a week, WWE have to be given some credit for making both events feel important and unique, with no direct rematches from SummerSlam.
Of course, some of last weekends contests have now developed into tag team or triple threat matches but nothing tonight feels too much like a rehash, and there are even a couple of “first ever” matches on the card for good measure.
Here is the final card, barring any last minute additions…
- Universal Title: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
- Women’s Tag Team Titles: Golden Role Models (c) vs. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax
- Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton
- Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins and Murphy
- United States Title: Apollo Crews (c) vs. Bobby Lashley
- King Corbin vs. Matt Riddle
- Big E vs. Sheamus
- Kickoff: The Riott Squad vs. The IIconics
Not too shabby right? This could be a really eventful night that shapes the next few months, and every match looks like it should deliver on some level.
Without a doubt the biggest story going into WWE Payback is Roman Reigns and his apparent alliance with Brock Lesnar’s former advocate Paul Heyman. The duo teased a partnership just two nights ago in what was one of the most shocking endings in SmackDown history.
The alliance makes the Universal Title match tonight very hard to predict with the Big Dog seemingly lined up for a heel run right at the top of the card, but The Fiend can’t afford to have his momentum halted yet again after overcoming Braun Strowman in a 3 month long rivalry.
Similarly RAW new-boy Keith Lee taking on Randy Orton is a tough one to predict with the Viper at his absolute best right now, but the Limitless One needs to start off strong on his first main roster pay-per-view.
The Women’s Tag Team Title match is another intriguing one, as it seems though WWE may finally pull the trigger on Sasha Banks and Bayley’s inevitable breakup. There will obviously be major questions over whether Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax should be the team to take the tag belts away from the Golden Role Models when they likely won’t be together for long.
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