On the final SmackDown before Sunday's Payback pay-per-view, Vince McMahon had to get the contract signed for the Triple Threat No Holds Barred main event. Before Adam Pearce could get all three signatures, the show closed with an absolute bombshell.

Jeff Hardy opened the program as the new Intercontinental Champion and issued an open challenge. The show then moved at a decent pace, bringing back absent stars and dropping teases left and right until the final seconds of the show when the biggest cliffhanger left everyone asking the question, "What is Roman Reigns doing?'

Here are your winners for SmackDown, August 28, 2020:

Winner: Hardy's Open Challenge

AJ Styles gave a strong promo to open the show in claiming that Jeff Hardy purposely abused the system and WWE's medical staff to give him a weapon (his knee brace) to use in their match last week. Styles said it was the same medical team that wouldn't clear him for a rematch.

Hardy's challenge was answered by Shinsuke Nakamura while Styles stayed around to do commentary. Hardy did an excellent job selling his knee injury during the match and, shockingly, WWE didn't miss an opportunity at a storyline idea when they cut to Cesaro backstage a little miffed that Nakamura would accept the open challenge without consulting him first.

This was a strong match to open the show and that Sami Zayn returned with his own Intercontinental Championship that he never lost was a pleasant surprise. Zayn was a bright spot during the show and entertaining during every appearance.

Loser: Set-Up For Riddle vs. Corbin

WWE was going to need to add some blue brand action to Payback for this Sunday. They started with King Corbin vs. Matt Riddle. Unfortunately, how they got there was a bit dry and repetitive.

Riddle called out Corbin who walked to the ring and waited for Shorty G to attack. Gable tried to get one over on The King of Bros but was unsuccessful. When that didn't work, Corbin tried to sneak attack Riddle to no success. Backstage Corbin said he was going to prove Riddle didn't belong in his SmackDown kingdom at Payback.

There was nothing particularly wrong with the segment except that we've seen it before.

Winner: Banks Vows Vengeance

While the back-and-forth between the champions and the challengers was less than captivating, there was one clear takeaway from the segment that promoted the Women's Tag Title match for Payback. The Boss vowed to get her vengeance on Sunday and looked at Bayley when she said it.

Bayley doesn't know it but that the tease means fans should finally expect this pairing to crumble and WWE will be giving us Banks vs Bayley in the not too distant future and likely for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Related: Retribution Expected To Play Major Role In This Sunday's Payback PPV

Winner: Braun Destroys Drew Gulak

It didn't make much, but it was necessary for Braun Strowman to come back strong after SummerSlam. A chair shot that didn't phase him backstage to a squash match where he practically destroyed Drew Gulak was the right decision to get him back on track for this Sunday.

Strowman is the type of character that even after a loss where he didn't quite look like his typical monster self, a quick warpath of destruction makes you forget that he's beatable like everyone else.

Winner: Cesaro vs. Kalisto

Sometimes you see a Cesaro match and you wonder why WWE hasn't skyrocketed this guy to the moon. Then, when you see him with another great in-ring performer like Kalisto, it's hard not to wonder why WWE is wasting so much good talent.

Cesaro and Kalisto wasn't a long match, but it was a great representation of what WWE could do with two top-end performers if the company gets their heads on straight and continues to push both men. The tease that Kalisto will be breaking away from Lucha House Party continues and it will be interesting to see if he can make a run as a singles heel.

Winner: Alexa Bliss Shows "Fiend" Tendencies

It's good to know WWE hasn't simply dropped the idea of Alexa Bliss having been part of the Fiend and Strowman storyline. During a backstage segment with Nikki Cross and Tamina, Bliss seemed extremely cheery until Cross commented on her hair. Any mention of The Fiend seemed to send Bliss into a trance and flipped a switch causing her to snap. She's clearly affected by the time she spent with the monster and where this goes should be quite fun to watch.

Winner: Roman Reigns Aligns Himself With Paul Heyman

The biggest takeaway from SmackDown was the fact that it appears Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are in cahoots. Whether Reigns has hired Heyman or Heyman has worked his way into the Big Dog's yard, it's a genius move by WWE who can't afford to have fans be unaccepting of a Reigns return and ultimate push.

The argument has long been, if the fans won't accept the babyface Reigns, give them a heel version. And, there's no better way to do that than teaming him up with the best talker and most despising advocate in the business.

Next: Sami Zayn Returns To SmackDown And WWE With His Own Intercontinental Title