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This has been a crazy week for WWE, with Payback taking place only seven days after SummerSlam. The main event of Sunday's event will see 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt defend the Universal Championship against both, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns, in a triple threat No Holds Barred Match.
While the build began at SummerSlam, there is a lot more to it than just one week of build. Reigns, Strowman, and Wyatt have been linked with each other for the past five years, with a sense of inevitability heading into Sunday's clash.
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The history shared between the three WWE megastars has made their Universal Title match even more monumental than it already is. Here some of the elements that make Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman a match that is five years in the making.
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#5 A monstrous debut
Five years ago on this very week, Braun Strowman made his WWE debut. And which two Superstars were in the ring when it happened? Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt.
An unknown monster at the time, Strowman was revealed as the newest member of the Wyatt Family. His presence rattled Reigns, and this was a sign of things to come, as Strowman's first night as a WWE Superstar saw him lay out both Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.
The 'Monster Among Men' found his footing as a menacing giant under the guidance of Wyatt, something that could be revisited down the line. Strowman enjoyed a solid start to his WWE career and eventually blossomed into a top star over the years.
It was an intense debut, one that laid down the marker for a career of destruction. Debuting in the middle of Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt's rivalry, Braun Strowman would eventually have storied angles with both Superstars. Five years later, he is set to go to war with both of them.
#4 Anyone but you, Roman
Braun Strowman debuted as a member of the Wyatt Family to help thwart Roman Reigns in 2015, who was at odds with Bray Wyatt. The two had a long and intense feud during the summer and fall, with the likes of Strowman, Dean Ambrose, and Luke Harper in the background of their battles. However, their history dates back to the start of 2014.
Wyatt and Reigns initially did battle in WWE as part of their respective factions. The Shield shared some classic wars with the Wyatt Family, most notably at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The 'Eater of Worlds' won that battle, but it was the Big Dog who emerged victorious in 2015.
Their feud culminated with a solid Hell in a Cell Match. Roman Reigns emerged victorious, prospectively making him a likely target of Wyatt.
Bray Wyatt's monstrous alter-ego first met the Big Dog when he got speared at SummerSlam.
They are now the two biggest stars on SmackDown, with the basis for an extended feud between the pair likely coming from 2015. Roman Reigns eventually had his own program against Wyatt's star follower. One that was definitely more brutal, one that made the Monster who he is.
#3 "I'm not finished with you"
Braun Strowman debuted in WWE by attacking Roman Reigns, and he became a star by destroying him. His singles career took off through a series of astonishing assaults on the 4-time World Champion. The 'Monster Among Men' actually got a clean victory over him in the headliner of the last Payback event in 2017.
Strowman was forever linked with Reigns at the top of RAW during that time, but he always played second fiddle to The Big Dog. The big man never got to win the Universal Championship, despite having all the momentum and support in the world. He even became Mr. Money in the Bank, but eventually failed his cash-in, which was against, you guessed it, Roman Reigns.
WWE's failure to crown Strowman as the Universal Champion in 2017 and 2018 seemed to indicate that he would never win a world title. However, fate struck earlier this year when Roman Reigns opted to withdraw from the WrestleMania tapings. He was set to face Goldberg in a Universal Title match which was due from when he had to vacate the belt to fight his leukaemia.
Funnily enough, Reigns was feuding against Strowman when that happened back in October 2018. The 'Monster Among Men' stepped up to face Goldberg at 'Mania. The man who may have won the title two years prior had WWE not been insistent on pushing the Big Dog as the top guy. Braun Strowman had won the Universal Championship, after replacing his eternal rival, Roman Reigns, at WrestleMania.
#2 A Family feud
With Roman Reigns replaced at WrestleMania, Braun Strowman won the Universal Championship and immediately started a feud with Bray Wyatt, the man who brought him to the dance. The two spent months at odds with each other, with The Monster Among Men facing all three of Wyatt's gimmicks.
Strowman defeated Firefly Fun House Wyatt at Money in the Bank, before engaging in a chaotic Swamp Fight against his former Wyatt Family leader, the 'Eater of Worlds'. SummerSlam saw 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt take the Universal Title from him in a Falls Count Anywhere Match.
There were a lot of layers to this story, as there were in Strowman and Wyatt's respective battles with Roman Reigns. Five years ago, WWE fans witnessed the birth of the Monster. It started alongside Wyatt and opposite Reigns. He faces both men on Sunday, with the opportunity to win back the Universal Championship.
Braun Strowman is unlikely to leave Payback with the belt, having just lost it. Roman Reigns' SummerSlam return has shifted the focus away from his rivalry with The Fiend. However, it could very well spark a new beginning, in the form of a poetic reunion between Strowman and Wyatt, just like in 2015.
#1 We never saw it coming
After 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt won the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns made his shocking return to WWE. He had been absent for over four months but was ready to make a huge impact. Reigns wasted no time in destroying both The Fiend and Braun Strowman while staking his claim for the Universal Title rematch he never had.
The Big Dog has adopted a brand new attitude, confirmed by his intriguing alliance with Paul Heyman on SmackDown. This is a much-needed character shift for Roman Reigns, who has been let down by some questionable booking in the past. WWE needs to ensure that isn't the case any more. He is now back and ready to take back what is seemingly rightfully his.
Roman Reigns will have to fight the two stars who held down the fort in his absence. Strowman and Wyatt, two of his biggest rivals, carried SmackDown's main event scene since WrestleMania. Reigns can claim his crown as the top dog by beating the two Superstars that were united against him back in 2015, on the very week their destructive alliance was born.
The ultimate showdown between these three megastars has been coming for five years. They have been linked with one another in many different ways since then, with everything set to culminate on Sunday at WWE Payback 2020. Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman could very well take the ThunderDome down.
