For the first time since he announced his battle with leukemia in October 2018, Roman Reigns captured the WWE Universal Championship in the main event of Sunday night’s Payback pay-per-view. Reigns sat out most of the No Holds Barred Match, opting to not sign the contract until “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt superplexed Braun Strowman off the top rope and broke the ring. After a few failed pin attempts and a few chair shots, Reigns dispatched Wyatt with a low blow before spearing Strowman for the victory. The show went off the air with “The Big Dog” celebrating with his new manager, Paul Heyman.
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Reigns took to social media moments after the show to reflect on taking back the championship he never truly lost. The five-time world champion wrote, “Back where it belongs,” posting a photo of himself standing on the turnbuckle of the destroyed ring.
Neither Reigns nor Heyman have yet to explain why they’ve joined forces or why Reigns has made his turn, though that will likely be explained on an upcoming episode of SmackDown.
#WWEPayback was HIS YARD.
Welcome to the @WWERomanReigns Era as #TheBigDog is your NEW #UniversalChampion! #AndNew #UniversalTitle @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/WNfms5q8HI
โ WWE (@WWE) August 31, 2020
The win is also a momentous occasion for Heyman, as Reigns is his fourth client to become a world champion.
Paul Heyman has now managed 4 World Champions in WWE #WWEPayback pic.twitter.com/ioDHbW2yx7
โ Alastair McKenzie๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ (@mckenzieas93V2) August 31, 2020
Check out the full results from Payback below:
- (Kickoff) The Riott Squad def. The IIconics
- United States Championship: Bobby Lashley def. Apollo Crews
- Big E def. Sheamus
- Matt Riddle def. King Corbin
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax def. Sasha Banks and Bayley
- Keith Lee def. Randy Orton
- Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio def. Seth Rollins and Murphy
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman
Wreck Everyone, Win the #UniversalTitle, & Leave. #AndNew #WWEPayback @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/iE39EyXWRs
โ WWE (@WWE) August 31, 2020