Final Picks for Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and WWE Payback 2023 Match Card

Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura will be front and center at WWE Payback with no one from The Bloodline currently set to appear.Credit: WWE.com

Following an exciting string of stadium shows and international events, WWE Payback this Saturday, Sept. 2 pales in comparison on paper but still boasts a promising lineup.

The World Heavyweight Championship will take center stage for the first time on pay-per-view for the first time since its inception when Seth Rollins defends against the rejuvenated Shinsuke Nakamura, whose new attitude makes him more of a threat to the title than some may think.

Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus will also settle their score once and for all when they collide for a final time. Despite their feud falling short of fan expectations, they have a chance to redeem themselves with a hot payoff inside of a steel cage.

The event doesn't have the same buzz behind it that others have this year but can exceed expectations if executed properly. If nothing else, it's virtually guaranteed to deliver from an in-ring standpoint.

The late addition of John Cena as host makes matters more intriguing as well.

Ahead of Payback 2023, these are the last-minute picks that matter most.

Fresh off winning SummerSlam's Slim Jim Battle Royal, LA Knight is being prominently featured on WWE TV week after week and rightfully so.

The Megastar is on the fast-track to super stardom and is receiving raucous crowd reactions to accompany his push. WWE has been wise to not rush him to the main-event scene and instead have him work his way through the ranks.

The Miz has been the perfect person for him to work with as Knight continues to establish himself with the audience and rack up wins. The former WWE champion is an easy opponent for him to beat and build credibility in the process.

It's possible Miz steals the victory to keep their bad blood alive for at least one more match where Knight can avenge the loss, but it makes more sense for Knight to win on the big stage and put their rivalry to rest.

From there, Knight can finally set his sights on championship gold, namely the United States Championship.

Prediction: LA Knight wins.

Despite being all over Raw for many months now with the rest of The Judgment Day, Rhea Ripley hasn't had the most memorable reign as Women's World champion due to her stunning lack of defenses in the past five months.

Part of the problem has been the lack of depth in Raw's women's division, but more can undoubtedly be done to create credible competition for Ripley. Her recent rivalry with Raquel Rodriguez has been a solid start.

Rodriguez hasn't been presented as anyone out of the ordinary on the main roster up to this point, but the story of Ripley facing someone physically larger and potentially stronger than her makes this match intriguing, especially given the history and chemistry they share from their NXT days.

This program is still in its early stages and thus it would be premature for Rodriguez to take the title at Payback. It's actually more likely Ripley remains champ through WrestleMania season as a storyline with Becky Lynch builds in the background.

Prediction: Rhea Ripley retains.

The United States Championship was largely treated like an afterthought during the reign of Austin Theory, and as a result, under no circumstance should it return to his possession.

Of course, Rey Mysterio hardly benefits from holding it at this stage of his storied career, but it's clear that there's a bigger endgame in mind with him and his LWO cohort Santos Escobar. It's the only explanation for why Mysterio filled in for Escobar against Theory last month when Escobar wasn't legitimately injured.

Theory is merely a placeholder opponent for Mysterio before it's time for Escobar to finally betray his mentor and embark on his own again. Saturday is too soon for him to cost Mysterio the title, so The Master of the 619 retaining is a safe bet.

If nothing else, the star-spangled prize being defended on its first pay-per-view since Backlash in May is an encouraging sign for its future. Mysterio can be the champ to restore value to the belt while Theory is rebuilt elsewhere on the card.

Prediction: Rey Mysterio retains.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn saw their hot momentum as Undisputed WWE Tag Team champions stalled at the end of July when Owens went down with an injury. However, this Steel City Street Fight is an excellent opportunity for them to get back on the right track.

Dissension has teased been within the ranks of The Judgment Day for months and all signs point to it finally coming to a head at Payback. Finn Bálor and Damian Priest unsuccessfully contending for the twin titles should be the catalyst for one turning on the other.

On Monday's Raw, Rhea Ripley claimed that whichever members of the group who don't walk out of Payback with gold will be at risk of being booted, which could hint at Priest cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on the World Heavyweight champion at the end of the night.

Either way, Bálor and Priest gain nothing from becoming champs together, whereas Owens and Zayn still have plenty of opponents waiting in the wings to defend against. That includes the newly-repackaged Street Profits, who they briefly crossed paths with on Friday's SmackDown.

Prediction: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens retain.

The highly-anticipated program between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus started off well enough with Stratus betraying Lynch to cement her heel turn, but the follow-up was far from stellar. In fact, a majority of their matches and promos so far have been lackluster, at least for two stars of their caliber.

They simply haven't clicked in any capacity. Zoey Stark has benefited from being involved and getting as much television time as she has alongside Stratus, but the feud itself hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations fans originally set for it.

That doesn't necessarily mean their Steel Cage clash at Payback will also fall flat, especially if they're determined to end their angle strong.

Regardless, Lynch winning is perhaps the most predictable outcome on the entire card–and the correct one. Stratus already got one over Lynch at Night of Champions and this is where Lynch will prove she's superior to Stratus by beating her decisively.

The Man needs the momentum heading into an eventual championship clash with Rhea Ripley.

Prediction: Becky Lynch wins.

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura hardly felt worthy of headlining a pay-per-view a month ago, but to the credit of WWE and the Superstars themselves, they've done a commendable job of generating genuine interest in this World Heavyweight Championship match.

The presentation of Nakamura as a heel has been picture-perfect and the vignettes WWE has produced for him have helped tremendously. Furthermore, Rollins has been a terrific foil for him as a babyface as well as a strong sympathetic figure with his legitimate back injury being the focal point of their program.

Nakamura targeting Rollins' wounded back will give him more of a chance than he would otherwise, but Rollins will retain his title in the end.

The seeds have been planted for Cody Rhodes vs. Rollins, and if Damian Priest is going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase sometime soon, it must be on Rollins. His time on top isn't over quite yet.

Prediction: Seth Rollins retains.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.