Becky Lynch VS Trish Stratus: Steel Cage Match
WWE Payback kicked off with Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus trying to end their chapter inside a Steel Cage. I really enjoyed this feud heading into Night of Champions and I really liked the ending of that match, but I haven’t been very interested in this feud since. However, I did enjoy this match and I thought there were some good moments in it. Trish getting her legs stuck at the top of the cage before Becky delivered a superplex back into the ring which was pretty mad whilst Zoey Stark also getting involved to break-up a pinfall was smart. In the end, though, Lynch took out Stark before she nailed Stratus with the Manhandle Slam from the top rope to pick up the victory. This was cool and what was even cooler was after the match, Trish got angry with Zoey before Stark left her “mentor” laying with the Z360. That could be a good feud going forward.
Grade: B (Match and Post-Angle Combined)
LA Knight VS The Miz
John Cena arrived and announced that due to his hosting powers, he’s making himself the Special Guest Referee for the next match between LA Knight and The Miz. The Miz then came out and the two cut a fun promo before LA Knight arrived meaning the match could get underway. This match was fine, it wasn’t anything special, but it did its job of getting both LA Knight and John Cena on the show. After Cena kept counting ridiculously slowly, Knight eventually picked up the win with the B.F.T. before John Cena “acknowledged” The Megastar on the ramp.
Grade: C+
United States Championship: Rey Mysterio VS Austin Theory
The United States Championship was the first title on the line at Payback as Austin Theory looked to reclaim his gold at the expense of Rey Mysterio. This match was fine, but I didn’t care about it much. The rest of The LWO played no part in this contest which is both a good and a bad thing, and after Rey reversed Theory’s attempt at the A-Town Down, Mysterio rolled up his rival to retain his Championship.
Grade: C
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships Steel City Street Fight: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn VS The Judgment Day
It was then time for Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to put their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships on the line against The Judgment Day in a Steel City Street Fight. This match was great and had some really bonkers spots. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn put on Pittsburgh Penguins’ gear whilst Kevin was bleeding like mad and that came just after Dominik Mysterio arrived. KO then jumped off of a Balcony onto Dominik through a table which was mad before Sami Zayn nailed Damian Priest with a Helluva Kick. However, that wasn’t enough to take the victory as JD McDonagh pulled Zayn out of the ring and threw Sami into the ring post. This didn’t work out too well for him as KO Powerbombed him onto the announce table before Rhea Ripley continued my favourite feud of the year by spearing Owens through the barricade! Sami then hit Balor with a Helluva Kick, but this pinfall was broken up by the NXT North American Champion “Dirty” Dom who nailed Zayn with the Money in the Bank Briefcase, allowing Finn to cover Sami to pick up the win meaning The Judgment Day are the brand-new Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions. This was a lot of fun and the visual of The JD having a total of 7 titles (including the MITB Briefcase) was awesome.
Grade: B+
The Grayson Waller Effect
Grayson Waller welcomed The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes to The Grayson Waller Effect as he wanted to hear about the “big news” that Cody’s been going on about. Cody put over Waller a little bit before he announced that he’s worked hard in the back to get a new star to Monday Night Raw. That star is none other than “Main Event” Jey Uso who returned to WWE after quitting just a few weeks ago. Jey got a massive pop before he Superkicked The Arrogant Aussie to end the segment. This was short and a little bit pointless, but Grayson Waller looked really good throughout whilst Jey Uso moving to Raw is a smart move. It’s also an easy way to get Cody Rhodes onto SmackDown down the line.
Grade: C+
Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley VS Raquel Rodriguez
Two of the most dominant WWE Superstars today collided for the Women’s World Championship as Rhea Ripley attempted to retain her gold against Raquel Rodriguez. These two had a great match back in NXT, but this unfortunately didn’t reach nearly the same level. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it also wasn’t particularly good. Ripley dominated for the most part, but she needed Dominik Mysterio’s help to eventually pick up the win with the Riptide.
Grade: C
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth “Freakin” Rollins VS Shinsuke Nakamura
The Main Event of this year’s Payback saw Seth “Freakin” Rollins put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Shinsuke Nakamura. This match was very story-driven and the focus was firmly on Seth Rollins’ back. Shinsuke continued to target Seth’s back, and you could tell that it was starting to affect the Champion. It’s important to note that Rollins was able to prevent Nakamura from properly connecting with a Kinshasa, and in the end, Seth nailed Shin with the Stomp to get the victory and retain his World Heavyweight Championship. Was this a slightly anticlimactic ending to the show, a little. Did this match hurt from not having a close near-fall off a Kinshasa, absolutely. However, it’s pretty clear that we’re going to get this match again at Fastlane, so the fact that Nakamura didn’t nail Rollins with his finisher actually adds a more interesting dynamic to that contest straight away.
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