Payback 2020: 5 Mistakes WWE must avoid at the PPV

In what is the rarest of occurrences in WWE, the company has decided to hold two back-to-back pay-per-views with only a week separating SummerSlam and Payback, the latter coming to us this Sunday. The build-up for many of the matches is understandably half-cooked but some of the storylines heading into Payback have been running the course for some weeks now.

The headliner of the show will see Roman Reigns tough it out against Braun Strowman and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt for the latter's Universal Championship. There are other meaningful matches as well, such as Sasha Banks and Bayley defending their WWE Women's Tag Team Championships against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.

So what route will WWE take with Payback? That's certainly something to ponder about but there are some things that the company must absolutely avoid. On that note, here are five mistakes that WWE must not make at Payback 2020.

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#5 The Miz interferes in Big E vs Sheamus at Payback

Big E and The Miz have had a few altercations in the last couple of weeks

Big E and The Miz had that argument regarding the former's ability as a singles competitor during Talking Smack last week and it's all gone downhill since then between the two Superstars. Big E teamed up with Heavy Machinery on SmackDown to go against Sheamus and Miz & Morrison. The New Day member secured the win for his team by securing the pin on The Miz.

That too was tag team competition but Big E will finally have his chance to prove his worth as a one-on-one competitor against Sheamus at Payback. The Celtic Warrior is one of the best modern-day performers in WWE but he simply does not need the win as much as his opponent.

The Miz could very well get involved in this match but that would only undermine Big E's credibility as a singles star. WWE has the chance to let the former NXT Champion gain some momentum with a clean win before taking on The Miz in a follow-up feud and they should make the most of that.

#4 Bayley and Sasha Banks retain their titles at Payback

A feud between the two best friends might finally be on the cards

Sasha Banks and Bayley have the unenviable task of defending their tag titles against the unconventional team of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax at Payback. While the Golden Role Models will be the favorites in this match-up, WWE must ensure that they lose to further the storyline between the two best friends.

The cracks are finally starting to show between Banks and Bayley. The latter even took a sly dig at The Legit Boss by bringing up how she has never defended the RAW Women's Championship seriously. Dropping the tag titles at Payback will only add to the disarray between the two Superstars and move things closer to a storyline between them.

Sasha Banks and Bayley have done a fabulous job as the double champions in recent weeks but we know that they're at their best when squaring off against each other. A fallout between the duo would open up the possibility of more mouth-watering clashes between Banks and Bayley.

#3 King Corbin beats Matt Riddle at Payback

The Original Bro needs a win at Payback

Matt Riddle has had an impressive run on SmackDown ever since his debut over two months ago where he beat AJ Styles. After unsuccessfully challenging The Phenomenal One for his Intercontinental Championship, Riddle has been embroiled in a feud with King Corbin, one that should culminate at Payback.

The Original Bro is expected to move on to bigger things and eventually become a main-eventer on the Blue brand, so any result besides a win for Riddle will be a bad move by WWE. Corbin has had a string of losses of late as well, but once again, he can afford a loss on Sunday.

The nature of the match-up is something that WWE can experiment with. Shorty G could interfere once again to earn the King's ransom with Riddle overcoming both him and Corbin to get the pin. It could also be a conventional wrestling match with a clean finish. However, in no circumstance should King Corbin walk out of Payback as the victor.

#2 Keith Lee loses clean to Randy Orton at Payback

Keith Lee has been quickly thrown into the thick of things on RAW

Keith Lee has had a tough run since becoming the double champion at Great American Bash. He relinquished the North American Championship and recently lost the NXT title to Karrion Kross at TakeOver: XXX. Lee's debut on RAW wasn't too impactful either but he seems to have an even tougher ordeal scheduled for Payback.

Suddenly, The Limitless One finds himself set for a match against Randy Orton. He wants to teach Orton a lesson following The Viper's vicious attack on Drew McIntyre this week on RAW but it's hard to bet on him at this point.

Randy Orton has had a terrific year and his mic game is probably at an all-time high right now. He's also sent out a message by absolutely annihilating McIntyre earlier this week. So he'll be expected to overcome Keith Lee at Payback. However, WWE needs to ensure that they don't kill The Limitless One's momentum entirely and must save his reputation by ensuring that he doesn't lose clean.

#1 Otis cashes in the Money in the Bank briefcase at Payback

Roman Reigns seems like the favorite to win the Universal Championship at Payback

Roman Reigns has had a huge return to WWE. He punished "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman at SummerSlam and is now seemingly a Paul Heyman guy heading into Payback. He's got a lot of momentum on his side and seems likely to reclaim the Universal Championship that he relinquished back in 2018.

After rising to prominence following WrestleMania, Otis has fizzled out of late. The Heavy Machinery member hasn't got enough going for him on SmackDown in recent weeks and deciding to cash in his Money in the Bank contract this weekend wouldn't be the best of decisions.

Sure, it's expected that Reigns, Wyatt, and Strowman will give each other a good beating at Payback and that could open a window for Otis. But even after that, it's hard to envision him overshadow a potentially huge win for one of the three Superstars in the main event. Otis cashing in would add the surprise element to the PPV but if given that he's likely to fail, there's no point in wasting that briefcase.