WWE Payback 2023 (September 2) Preview & Predictions

WWE PAYBACK 2023
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2023
PPG PAINTS ARENA
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Watch: Peacock

MEET YOUR PREVIEWER:

Suit Williams: I had no idea this show was happening until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, August 30. Follow me on Twitter/all Twitter variants @SuitWilliams.

THE GRAYSON WALLER EFFECT
GUEST: CODY RHODES

Suit: After Summerslam, I wondered what Cody Rhodes would do after putting the Brock Lesnar feud in the rear-view. The answer is a possible feud with Grayson Waller. Waller is fine as another Miz-like heel in the midcard, and I’m sure they can get something out of each other until Wrestlemania season.

WWE TAG TEAM TITLE STEEL CITY STREET FIGHT
KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN (C) VS. THE JUDGMENT DAY (DAMIAN PRIEST & FINN BALOR)

The Judgment Day are all over WWE TV, and they are falling apart. Balor and Priest specifically can’t get on the same page, as they repeatedly blow the briefcase interference spot in Balor’s matches. They’re getting a title match against Zayn & Owens here, with main character Rhea Ripley telling them to win “or else.” Or else what? I don’t know. This is a street fight, so expect plunder and interference. Owens and Zayn have been champs since Mania, so this feels like a decent time to do the title switch. Prediction: Judgment Day

THE MIZ VS. LA KNIGHT

The Spiderman pointing meme. The Doink spot from Mania 9. You get it. Asking me to care about Mike Mizanin in 2023 should be grounds for an arrest. Prediction: LA Knight

WWE UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH
REY MYSTERIO (C) VS. AUSTIN THEORY

Theory was supposed to defend the US Title against Santos Escobar on a recent Smackdown, but Theory jumped him backstage. Mysterio got the title shot and beat Theory, with Escobar putting on a fake smile during the celebration. I would much rather move on from the Theory portion of this story, but the Escobar thing is probably going to be a big match for Mania season. So we’ll deal with Mysterio, one of the most talented workers in WWE history, dragging Theory to a match of note on PPV. Prediction: Rey Mysterio

STEEL CAGE MATCH
TRISH STRATUS VS. BECKY LYNCH

With Roman Reigns not commanding an hour of PPV time, Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch can finally have their big PPV blowoff match. This feud has lost a good bit of juice after their crappy TV match that ended with a non-finish to get us here. The cage is meant to keep Zoey Stark from interfering, but with this promotion having blown that aspect of the stipulation some 25 years ago, I expect her to involve herself. Either way, Lynch will win. She’ll probably move on to a Rhea Ripley match, which is probably the biggest women’s match they have right now. Prediction: Becky Lynch

WWE WOMEN’S WORLD TITLE MATCH
RHEA RIPLEY (C) VS. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ

Ripley hurt Rodriguez’ knee a few months back, costing Rodriguez and Liv Morgan the women’s tag team titles. Ripley then hurt Morgan, pillmanizing her shoulder and taking her out of action. Now Rodriguez is back for…revenge. My hope is that Dominik takes the night off here, but hope is silly to have when you watch WWE. These two could probably have a good match, though. Prediction: Rhea Ripley

WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
SETH ROLLINS (C) VS. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

Nakamura turned heel a few weeks ago, hitting Rollins with a Kinshasa after a Raw main event. Nakamura’s plan is to go after Rollins’ back, which Rollins has had problems with dating back years and is now playing a role on TV. I don’t think Nakamura wins, but does Priest cash-in to give us the big Raw feud for the fall? That’s the only point of intrigue here, as I doubt Nakamura’s gonna give Tokyo Dome energy for this one. Prediction: Seth Rollins

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