The WWE has set up shop in the Keystone State this weekend with Payback coming live tonight from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The show will start at 8 p.m. ET and will be streamed on Peacock.
You will only be able to watch Payback via Peacock. The streaming service is $6 per month for its regular service and $12 a month for its premium plus service with no ads. You can access Peacock on Apple and Google devices, as well as the various Xbox One platforms, through Xfinity X1 and Flex and VIZIO and LG smart TVs.
The main event of Payback will most likely feature Seth Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Shinsuke Nakumura. This feud began early last month when Nakamura attacked Rollins at the end of an episode of Raw. In the following weeks, the challenger revealed that the champ’s weakness is a lingering back injury and that he would exploit it to win the title. Rollins confirmed that he had two fractures in his lumbar, but stated that it didn’t stop him from becoming the champ and would not stop him against Nakamura. We’ll see who walks out of Pittsburgh with the title tonight.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will put the undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships on the line when defending against Finn Balor and Damian Priest of the Judgement Day in a Steel City street fight. The tag champs have been battling the Judgement Day on Monday Night Raw for the past few months and the feud even involved KO being put on the shelf for several weeks. He made his return on a recent episode of Raw, re-joining the fight against the group. Meanwhile, tensions between Balor and Priest have continued since Balor lost his world title match at SummerSlam. In the weeks since, Balor’s protege JD McDonagh has become more involved in Judgement Day business and has even aided the group to the chagrin of Priest. We’ll see if these to can squash their beef to capture the belts here.
Speaking of Judgement Day, Rhea Ripley will defend her Women’s World Championship against Raquel Rodriguez. Back in July prior to SummerSlam, Ripley attacked both Rodriguez and Liv Morgan backstage and cost them the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship later in the evening. A few weeks later, the champ attacked challenger’s leg and put her out of action for the next few weeks. Rodriguez would return to attack Ripley, stating that she was medically clear to compete and would be coming after Ripley’s title. We’ll find out which one of these powerhouses can emerge triumphant this evening.
The summer feud between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus will come to an end tonight as the two will face off in a steel cage match. The two faced each other on Raw a few weeks back, but the match ended in a disappointing double-count out after they brawled to the outside. A furious Adam Pearce approached Stratus later on in the evening to inform her that she’d be facing Lynch inside of a steel cage at Payback, ensuring that Zoey Stark can’t get involved. We’ll see who wins the feud between the “Man” and the WWE Hall of Famer.
In the undercard, L.A. Knight will go one-on-one with the Miz. This feud stems back to SummerSlam, where Knight eliminated the Miz on his way to winning the Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal. The following night on Raw, the “A Lister” called Knight a flash in the pan and an Attitude Era wannabe with his popular catchphrases. Ever since then, the two have cost each other respective matches and have traded barbs on the mic. We’ll see if Knight can continue his rise to stardom by picking up another big victory.
Payback is lighter than recent WWE premium live events with just six matches announced for the show. To fill time, there will be an episode of the Grayson Waller Effect where Cody Rhodes will be the special guest. The “American Nightmare” has been feuding with the Judgement Day alongside KO and Zayn in recent weeks, but doesn’t have a clear singles feud heading into the fall. We’ll see how this interaction goes.
Also on the show, Rey Mysterio will put the United States Championship on the line against former champ Austin Theory.
Full list of matches*
World Heavyweight Championship – Seth Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Women’s World Championship – Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship – Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest/Finn Balor (Steel City street fight)
United States Championship – Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Austin Theory
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus (Steel cage match)
L.A. Knight vs. The Miz
*Card subject to change