Payback Predictions: What Can Make The Pay Per View Better Than NXT Takeover?

There is much talk around WWE that the wrestlers, nor the executives, want the positive-reviewed NXT Takeover event to upstage a WWE Pay Per View event. In this case, Payback. So, with the very rare instance of WWE having no world title match on the line, a big swerve must happen in order for this night to become more memorable than Thursday.

The card looks solid. WWE is finally spending much-needed time to showcase the midcard titles, slowly but surely reviving the importance of them in a superstar's ascension to the top. The scheduled Intercontinental and United States titles matches both are good, and have the potential to steal the show, but not to the point of making Payback leave an indelible mark in the history books.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match should culminate a feud that has lasted nearly half of the year, but still have not produced optimistic takeaways regarding the immediate future of Bray Wyatt being a main event superstar. Cena is in the time of his career that he should help build an uprising superstar, but the two has shown that there is no chemistry in the feud, and it is just not working.

So that leaves the Shield vs. Evolution. The six man match at Extreme Rules proved to be the total opposite of Cena/Wyatt. Exciting, intense, and a Match of the Year candidate the left spectators at the edge of their seats many times throughout the match. In fact, the feud overall has passed the proverbial torch to the young superstars of the Shield, giving each of them a better push from an individual standpoint.

I believe it is safe to say that this elimination match will close out the show. The weight will be on each member of the match's shoulders, with the objective to make this bout memorable. However, the match alone still will not make the PPV significantly upstage NXT Takeover. As a result, a major swerve would be the antidote to a PPV that will leave people talking for months.

So, the swerve can go as follows: in the elimination match, Roman Reigns does what he do best and dominate high-scale matches by eliminating both Orton and Batista. Rollins will have his moments by doing amazing spots, which would give him recognition throughout the match. So that leaves Dean Ambrose.

The final two people in the match are Roman Reigns and Triple H. In a shocking turn of events, Ambrose assists Triple H in defeating Reigns, and joins Evolution, becoming the newest member of the faction. Not only does this create a longer lifespan for the group, but it finally gives Ambrose the individual spotlight that has been lacking as a member of the Shield.

Could this work? Would this be enough to upstage NXT Takeover? Sound off with your thoughts.