Most Likely Heel or Face Turns at WWE Payback and AEW All Out 2023

Finn Bálor and Damian Priest will be on the same side at Payback, but will they be by the end of the night?Credit: WWE.com.

It's rare that WWE and All Elite Wrestling have major events on the same weekend, but both companies will be looking to make a splash this weekend as the summer winds down.

WWE Payback 2023 on Saturday will feature Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Finn Bálor and Damian Priest, and Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura.

AEW All Out 2023 on Sunday will feature Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley, plus Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita.

The cards may not feature all of the top talent in each company, but both can tell stories that will change the complexion of the business.

The following are the most likely face and heel turns to come out of Payback and All Out.

The stage has been set for The Judgment Day to take over WWE before long. However, the current make-up of the group will need to change as they have not been able to win consistently together.

The main man on the verge of leaving the faction is Finn Bálor, who has been working more with JD McDonagh lately over his own stablemates. He could be planning to create another group of his own.

However, Damian Priest has shown more signs of turning face of the two. He has been respectful of Seth Rollins as champion and chosen not to cash in when he could have.

Bálor and The Archer of Infamy are tagging together with the hope of capturing tag team gold on Saturday, but it's unlikely Rhea Ripley will allow both to continue in The Judgment Day if they fail.

Whoever leaves seems set to become a babyface, as Dominik Mysterio is staying in the group and is still too hated by fans to become a face.

Priest should be the world champion soon, and The Judgment Day will be better off with him at the helm than Bálor, so The Prince is the more likely to turn at Payback.

A few weeks ago, Santos Escobar looked ready to become the United States champion. But an injury angle allowed Rey Mysterio to take his title shot and defeat Austin Theory.

The Master of the 619 and the former champion will fight again at Payback, leaving Escobar out of the title picture again.

That has to weigh on the former leader of Legado del Fantasma, who has become a follower of Mysterio in LWO. He has played the heel most of his WWE run so far and is a natural in that role.

Legado deserved a better fate than to simply fold into LWO, but Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro could choose to turn their backs on Mysterio and escape his shadow.

While the SmackDown women's division has no representation on the Payback card yet, there is space to add Iyo Sky vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair.

The Genius of the Sky deserves an opportunity to defend her WWE Women's Championship on a big stage, and The EST of WWE and The Queen are the top women on the blue brand and both would be worthy challengers.

More importantly, WWE continues its build toward Belair vs. Flair, but the feud cannot kick off until one of them turns heel.

This contest would be the perfect spotlight to build the rivalry of The EST and The Queen while giving Sky a memorable title win.

WWE also needs this Triple Threat match to round out the Payback card.

While Luchasaurus recently defeated Wardlow to become TNT champion, anyone who missed that match may assume it was Christian Cage who won the gold.

At every stage, Captain Charisma has acted like he is the true champion, and this has to be gnawing at the big man who stands behind him.

If Luchasaurus cannot defeat Darby Allin at All Out, Christian is certain to blame him for failing, even though he has lost to The Daredevil multiple times himself.

So far, the big man has accepted the abuse of Christian, but the possibility of Luchasaurus turning looks more likely with each passing day. The veteran is just asking for it.

FTR wanted to show respect to longtime rivals The Young Bucks after retaining the AEW World Tag Team Championship at All In, but Matt and Nick Jackson walked out on the handshakes they offered.

While the two teams have agreed to link up against Bullet Club Gold at All Out on Sunday, it seems like the feud between FTR and the Bucks is far from done.

Jay White, Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn have the ability to bring anyone together to fight them. Once the dust settles, though, the titles matter more to both teams.

It feels likely that The Young Bucks will turn on FTR when the time is right. It may be too soon at All Out, but Sunday's eight-man tag team contest could be a perfect place to start.

The Outcasts have fallen apart. After Toni Storm and Saraya's fight, Ruby Soho has been left struggling to find her place between her two friends.

In the long term, it looks like Saraya will be a babyface while Storm remains a heel. Soho has shown she can work in either role, but she has backed Saraya more often than Storm.

Soho will fight for the TBS Championship at All Out, hoping to capture her first AEW gold. Usually, both other members of The Outcasts would back her up, but she may be left on her own on Sunday night.

However, this is the perfect time for her to choose her own path. Will she show opponent Kris Statlander respect at the end of their match? Will she refuse the aid of Storm and/or Saraya?

The future of The Outcasts will be determined by Soho's choices this weekend.

The story of Adam Cole and MJF remains AEW's best. At any time, these two friends could turn on one another, but they have stayed together so far.

They will defend the ROH Tag Team Championship at All Out, hoping to build further dominance as a tandem. How long will they keep that gold, though?

MJF has protected himself in the ring for a long time, but his friendship with Cole has forced him to work more often than usual. This could turn against The Salt of the Earth when the former NXT star gets jealous of the world title around his waist.

Cole has shown he is more ready to turn on his friend than MJF is willing to hurt him. All Out is another chance for a shocking turn that will reverberate across the whole of AEW.