WWE Payback 2015: Titles Most Likely to Change Hands at Event

WWE Payback is less than three weeks away, and as its name suggests, we’re likely to see a number of rematches from last weekend’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

That means we’ll see at least four title matches, as the Intercontinental Championship match was postponed due to champion Daniel Bryan not being medically cleared to compete.

Two matches have already been set for the card: John Cena will once again defend his United States Championship against Rusev, this time in an “I Quit” match. Meanwhile, it was announced on Monday Night Raw that Seth Rollins will face Roman Reigns and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

The likelihood of seeing Cena or Rollins suffer a loss is low. Rusev can look strong in defeat, freeing both men to tangle with others on the roster. Rollins’ title reign should remain intact until we see Brock Lesnar return to exact his revenge.

Randall Ortman at Cageside Seats suggests the Divas Championship is firmly around the waist of Nikki Bella, which leaves two titles—the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship—with the potential to change hands.

The Intercontinental Championship

It’s a safe bet that someone other than Bryan will be hoisting the IC title by the end of WWE Payback.

Bryan’s medical issues almost necessitate a change. Since coming back from neck surgery at the beginning of the year, Bryan has put himself through a litany of hard-fought matches. From the Royal Rumble to Fastlane to WrestleMania 31, he has gone toe-to-toe with the roster’s best and hasn’t backed down once.

Nick Paglino at Wrestle Zone reported Tuesday that Bryan has been removed from future event cards, but there remains no official announcement on his status. According to The Wrestling Observer, (h/t Wrestling Inc), Bryan will be out up to five weeks due to an assortment of injuries dating back to last month, while PWMania.com rumors suggest Bryan's return date is June 28. 

All signs suggest we won't see Bryan at Payback, leaving the WWE with a vacant title—one the company pushed Bryan to capture in an attempt to boost its sagging meaning. Heading into the next pay-per-view, the WWE once again needs to resurrect the IC brand from life support.

It appears the company has already come up with Plan B: The two-night King of the Ring tournament featured all seven of the players from WrestleMania 31’s IC title Ladder match, plus rising IC contenders Sheamus and Neville. While newly minted King of the Ring Bad News Barrett will likely figure prominently in any IC reboot, we could see the makings of another multiperson match at Payback to determine a new champion.

Another likely scenario: A Payback rubber match between Barrett and Neville could give both men a huge push, or it could be the start of an ongoing feud between King Barrett and Neville.

Tag Team Championship

There’s two prevailing thoughts when it comes to the WWE’s decision to give the tag team belts to The New Day.

It’s possible The New Day and Tyson Kidd and Cesaro could play hot potato with the belts throughout the summer until the return of The Usos following Jey’s shoulder surgery. We could also see the development of more tag teams, either from the main roster or those coming up through WWE NXT. If that’s the case, it’s likely Kidd and Cesaro will regain the belts at Payback.

Then there’s the second thought, one that fans of The Brass Ring Club will shudder to think about: These two are headed for a breakup.

Having Kidd and Cesaro lose a second time to The New Day would afford these two underutilized Superstars to forge new paths heading into the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, which could see them vie for singles titles. While that might seem to strip the tag division of its most popular tandem, it could afford other teams the chance to shine, including the current champions.

As Bleacher Report’s own Brad Jones points out, the potential use of the Freebird Rule would give this trio an added dynamic when facing a multitude of opponents.

Los Matadores, The Ascension and the Prime Time Players could all get a chance to take down some iteration of The New Day trio if Kidd and Cesaro were out of the tag team picture. While their gimmicks have all fallen flat in recent months, removing The Brass Ring Club from the tag division could be the reboot all of these teams need to get back on track and in the good graces of WWE Creative.

The most likely team, though, to take up the mantle as No. 1 contenders would have to be the Lucha Dragons. The former NXT tag team champs have captured audiences with their lucha libre style, entertaining crowds since their emergence from the developmental arm of WWE.