WWE Payback 2020 will take place just a week after this year's SummerSlam. Despite a slightly rushed buildup, the card for WWE Payback still looks quite exciting.
For most WWE fans, the Triple Threat Match for 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt's Universal Championship seems to be the most anticipated match on the WWE Payback card.
No Disqualification rules will be applicable for the Triple Threat Match, which means that there are multiple outcomes possible compared to a regular match. But in this particular case, the situation has become so combustible that the bout could most likely end up being quite unpredictable.
WWE has delivered some huge surprises in recent weeks, and the Triple Threat Match at Payback 2020 could be the ultimate surprise of them all.
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Here are six Possible finishes for The Fiend vs Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman's Universal Championship Match at WWE Payback 2020.
#6: Braun Strowman wins back the Universal Championship at WWE Payback
This outcome may be the least likely to occur compared to other clean finishes for this match.
In Triple Threat bouts, there is always a contender who is supposed to take the fall, and unfortunately, all signs point to Braun Strowman being that man in this case.
However, Strowman winning back the Universal Title he lost at SummerSlam is still a possibility, so it needs to be mentioned here.
The Fiend is a complex and intriguing character, but crowning him as the Universal Champion complicates matters for other top stars on SmackDown. So if a Fiend vs Reigns is set to go down after Payback, the feud certainly doesn't need the Universal Title to legitimize it.
In that case, Strowman could win the gold at WWE Payback. After all, he is comparatively the weakest contender in this match, so this might be his last shot at the Universal Title for a while.
#5: The Fiend retains the Universal Championship at WWE Payback
Most WWE fans wanted Bray Wyatt to become the new Universal Champion at SummerSlam, and that is what exactly happened. What people did not expect is for his title reign to be in serious jeopardy just a week later at WWE Payback. Roman Reigns' return at SummerSlam has changed the complexion of the title picture and SmackDown as a whole.
The Fiend winning back the Universal Title at WWE SummerSlam 2020 was a full-circle story, since he wasn't supposed to lose it to Goldberg in the first place.
As mentioned before, The Fiend is a fascinating character and another title loss in a major match could seriously affect his momentum.
Besides, Roman Reigns doesn't desperately need to win the Universal Championship so early after his return at WWE Payback, and Strowman was always considered to be a transitional champion during the pandemic era.
Wyatt's evil alter-ego could very well beat Strowman to retain his Universal Title, as Reigns taking the pin doesn't seem likely at this stage. Either way, The Fiend should remain the champion after WWE Payback.
#4: Roman Reigns wins back Universal Championship at WWE Payback
Although Roman Reigns is a three-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion, he only won the Universal Title once in his career. WWE Payback gives Reigns the chance to win the title he never lost in the first place as his first reign came to an unfortunate end when he had to relinquish the title in 2018 due to leukemia.
Even after Reigns came back and announced that he was in remission, it almost seemed as if WWE purposefully him kept away from winning top titles.
A long and tedious feud with King Corbin prevented Reigns from reclaiming his top status in WWE. When he finally got an opportunity to win a world title against Goldberg at WrestleMania 36, the pandemic forced Reigns to pull out of the event.
After sitting on the sidelines for a few months, Reigns is finally back with a mean streak on WWE SmackDown. This time, it doesn't look like The Big Dog wants to wait any longer to win back the title he never lost.
Most predictions heading into WWE Payback indicate that Roman Reigns may be the favorite to win here, so don't be surprised if The Big Dog becomes the new Universal Champion this Sunday.
#3: RETRIBUTION members interfere during the match at WWE Payback
WWE hasn't booked RETRIBUTION with a streamlined creative process in mind. Apart from being complete anarchists on WWE shows, RETRIBUTION's ultimate goal remains unclear. The group didn't interfere at SummerSlam, but they did make their presence felt in the main event of the final RAW episode before WWE Payback.
However, RETRIBUTION wasn't featured on the recent episode of SmackDown as well. Dominik Dijakovic is heavily rumored to be a part of this faction, and a few days ago, he tweeted something which may have revealed RETRIBUTION's next motive, as mentioned in the tweet above.
Perhaps the biggest way to shake things up would be for these miscreants to interfere in the Triple Threat Universal Match at WWE Payback.
Roman Reigns was rumored to be the leader of RETRIBUTION, but now that The Big Dog has aligned himself with Paul Heyman, that outcome seems unlikely. However, it's still not out of the question from a heel's perspective, as RETRIBUTION didn't show up in the two shows Roman Reigns has appeared on since making his WWE return.
If WWE wants to protect all the Superstars involved in the Universal Championship Triple Threat Match, they could have RETRIBUTION wreak havoc to end the match in a no contest. This way, Bray Wyatt will not have to lose his title at WWE Payback and neither of the two challengers would need to take the fall in the match.
#2: Otis cashes-in MITB contract during the match at WWE Payback
It has been widely debated whether or not Otis was the right pick made by WWE as this year's Money in the Bank briefcase winner. Currently, the Universal Title scenario is stacked with heavyweights like Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman contending for Bray Wyatt's Championship at WWE Payback.
Although Otis is one of the most entertaining WWE Superstars on SmackDown, his stock pales in comparison to the names mentioned above. No disrespect intended, but Otis seems like a mismatch when paired with stars like Reigns, Strowman, and Wyatt.
Even though Otis has plenty of time to cash in his MITB contract, it seems as if WWE may have booked themselves into a corner with Otis' status at the moment.
The most (arguably) memorable MITB cash-in probably belongs to Seth Rollins. Rollins cashed-in his MITB briefcase during Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar's main event contest at WrestleMania 31. Otis could do the same this Sunday at WWE Payback. After all, it would seem more plausible in a Triple Threat Match with all the chaos involved.
This doesn't necessarily mean that he should successfully cash-in the MITB briefcase since the unpredictability of a Tripe Threat contest means it could go either way.
But in the off-chance that Otis somehow becomes the new Universal Champion at WWE Payback, Bray Wyatt's character could be freed from the chains of being the titleholder without being pinned.
#1: Alexa Bliss influences the Universal Championship match at WWE Payback
Although Alexa Bliss didn't show up during Braun Strowman and The Fiend's bout at SummerSlam, there is a possibility that she may do so at WWE Payback.
Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue put forward a theory behind the transformation of Alexa Bliss' character on WWE SmackDown. It seems as if her storyline with The Fiend and Braun Strowman isn't over yet.
Also, there are conflicting reports from different sources for the Triple Threat Universal Title Match at Payback. Since all competitors involved here mostly lean towards being edgy characters or heels, one report stated that Bray Wyatt could turn into a babyface, while the other suggested that Strowman could be the one reverting to his babyface role.
While it is not easy to say which outcome is more likely to occur, there is a common link between both Wyatt and Strowman, and that is Alexa Bliss.
Perhaps her appearance at WWE Payback could cost either Strowman or Wyatt the Universal Title. Bliss could even act as the catalyst for the babyface turn of Wyatt or Strowman.
Whatever the case may be, it is unlikely that three of the biggest Superstars from WWE SmackDown will manage to co-exist on the same brand as heels. So a babyface turn might be imminent for one of them at WWE Payback 2020.