AJ Styles will get his first crack at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship this Sunday night.
The "Phenomenal One" is the No. 1 contender for Roman Reigns' gold at Payback live from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. There are plenty of potential outcomes that could occur during Sunday's main event.
Here are five possible booking endings to Reigns vs. Styles.
1) Reign(s) Continues
The most likely outcome is a win for Reigns, possibly even a clean finish since the leader of the Roman Empire is Vince McMahon's hand-picked top babyface. Reigns is already on his third run with the richest prize in the WWE and with the other two being short-lived, it's unlikely the company will once again take the belt off of him just one month after winning it at WrestleMania.
2) Winning In Style(s)
Styles has a highly-decorated career, but much like Sting before him, all of his career highlights have come elsewhere. The former TNA Heavyweight Champion was a star in Dixie Carter's organization, as well as in ROH and NJPW, but he has yet to win gold since making his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble in January. The WWE could truly show a changing of the guard by having Styles capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Payback.
3) Bullet Club
The arrival of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows certainly adds an intriguing element to this match. On-screen, Styles has reunited with his former NJPW buddies, and they could very well get involved come Sunday night. Anderson and Gallows could help their friend to the title, but they could also -- perhaps more intriguingly -- turn on Styles and formulate a new stable with a heel Reigns. The reigning champion always works better as a heel and in a group, so formulating The Shield 2.0 would be a complete game-changer for the WWE.
4) All In The Family
The Usos have joined up with their cousin Reigns to combat Styles, Anderson and Gallows, and it's very possible they make their presence felt at Payback. Jimmy and Jey may not necessarily help Reigns defeat Styles, but if Gallows and Anderson come out to impact the main event, The Usos are sure to follow to even up the odds and make sure Reigns leaves with the title.
5) Balor Barrage
Finn Balor losing the NXT Championship has opened up a lot of possibilities for him. It seems likely he'll be coming up to the main roster soon to join the myriad recent call ups from NXT. The former NXT Champion could make a huge impact on the main roster by attacking Reigns or Styles to give him his first high-profile feud. Balor could even team up with Anderson and Gallows to form the Balor Club, giving the WWE a formidable new stable on top of the card.
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