WWE: Payback Review

Hours after the Payback PPV, the wrestling industry is abuzz about some of the things that took place on Sunday. WWE had the opportunity to put on a memorable show for the fans, and with the return of one of the hottest superstars in the industry, Payback had all the tools to leave a lasting impression on the WWE Universe. Was WWE successful in doing that? Let’s find out.

Pre – show:

Sheamus defeated Damien Sandow

The Payback pre-show kicked off with Sheamus taking on Sandow. What was the point of having this match after Sheamus convincingly defeated Sandow many times on Smackdown!? I’m not sure, but it was a decent pre-show match that warmed up the fans.

Rating: ** (Out of 5 stars)

Main show:

Curtis Axel defeated The Miz and Wade Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental championship

On father’s day, Curtis Axel paid homage to his legendary father, and it was a ‘perfect tribute’ by Joe Hennig. It was a fun match that went on for 11 minutes, and my only grievance is how Axel is being booked. It wouldn’t hurt for him to pick up a clean victory, rather than being made to look like a fluke time and again. Anyway, Axel took advantage of Miz locking in the figure four on Barrett, and held his shoulders down to pick up the victory, and to become the new WWE IC champion! Post match, he looked at the heavens, and the crowd popped big for that.

Rating: ** ½

AJ Lee defeated Kaitlyn for the WWE Divas championship

The next match on the card was for the Divas title, and Kaitlyn dominated for most of the match. Kaitlyn hit a spear on AJ, and instead of covering her, she mocked AJ, which usually means a ‘Took too long and lost the match’ excuse. AJ quickly turned things around and slapped on the Black Widow on Kaitlyn, and Kaitlyn tried to hang on, but eventually tapped out at the 10 minute mark to make AJ the new Divas champion! You could see that the fans loved AJ, as they cheered her on. Post match, Kaitlyn broke down and she was helped to the back by Layla. Finally something interesting in the Divas division. I’m happy for AJ, she deserved it.

Rating: **

Dean Ambrose defeated Kane via count out for the WWE United States championship

The next bout was between Ambrose and Kane. The Chicago crowd loved Ambrose more than Kane, so that gives you an idea about how over Ambrose is. The match was even-stevens until the very end, which saw Ambrose capitalizing on the opportunity. He spiked Kane face first on the outside, and got inside the ring before the 10 count to pick up the victory. This tells us how The Shield is resourceful, and Ambrose looked like a clever champion who’d find new ways to retain the title. A decent match that the crowd was into. I noticed a “I’m a Chris Benoit guy” shirt in the crowd. I marked out for it.

Rating: **

Plug – in time: After the match, a promo aired for the return of RVD at Money in the Bank PPV next month! RVD’s return and Daniel Bryan in the main event? Yes please!

The fans were chanting ‘RVD!’ as we rolled on.

Alberto Del Rio (With Ricardo) defeated Dolph Ziggler (With Big E and AJ) to become the new World Heavyweight champion.

ADR got a small pop, while Chicago loves Ziggler! The match was all about how Ziggler’s concussion played a huge part in him losing the title. Half way through the match, Ziggler showed effects of his concussion, and ADR took advantage of it. This was one of the rare ‘Double Switch’ moments in WWE history, something that happened between Bret Hart and Steve Austin. Ziggler made a valiant effort to win the match, even connecting with the Zig Zag but was unable to capitalize. ADR kept working on his head, and in the end he connected with a Shining Wizard (Yes, I still remember Hurricane) to cover Ziggler for the victory. Post match, AJ was in tears and Ziggler couldn’t stand up, but ADR and Ricardo celebrated. ADR then cut a promo about how he performed for the fans and he deserved to win, but the crowd booed him. Official heel turn? You have to believe so.

Rating: ***

CM Punk (With Paul Heyman) defeated Chris Jericho

This was the match everyone was waiting for. Jericho came out first to a decent reaction, but it was nothing compared to what Punk received from the fans. The place came unglued for the hometown hero, and loud ‘CM Punk’ chants echoed through the Allstate Arena. And the match lived up to all the expectations, as two great performers once again showed just why they call themselves ‘Best in the world’. At one point, Heyman distracted Punk which nearly cost him the match. Punk yelled ‘I don’t need your help! I’m the best in the world!’ at Heyman, and the match ended after 20 minutes when Punk gave two GTS’s to Jericho for the pin and the win. Although it was one of the best matches of the year, I was hoping for Heyman to turn on Punk.

Rating: **** ½

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton for the WWE tag team championships

This match wasn’t as great as I thought it would be, and The Shield proved once again how they’re a cohesive unit and the other team wasn’t. The crowd was hot for Bryan, and when Bryan got the hot tag, he took on both the members of The Shield single handedly, but inadvertently hit a Suicide Dive on Orton. Shield took control, and Orton threw Bryan in harm’s way when Reigns hit a spear on Bryan. Rollins took advantage with a foot stomp for the pin and the win. I was hoping for Orton to turn heel, but once again, that didn’t happen.

Rating: ** ¼

John Cena defeated Ryback in the Three Stages of Hell match for the WWE championship

The crowd wasn’t into the match when it began, as Ryback and Cena hit their signature moves on one another. Ryback surprisingly pinned Cena to win the first fall, while Cena came back to put Ryback through a table to get even-stevens on the falls. The third fall saw Ryback and Cena trading blows, and in the end, Cena delivered an AA to Ryback while on top of the ambulance, driving Ryback through the roof of the ambulance and into the vehicle, hence picking up the victory in the process. Payback went off the air with Cena holding the WWE title. One has to believe that this is the end of the feud between Cena and Ryback, and I’m happy about it. It was a surprisingly good bout, taking into account that it was Cena and Ryback as competitors.

Rating: ** ½

Rating of the PPV: **** (Out of 5 stars)

Yes, a four star rating, so I enjoyed what WWE put on. It was arguably one of the better PPVs in the past two years, and the return of Punk, along with some surprises victories made the PPV stand out from the rest. Hopefully, Daniel Bryan will be pushed for his scheduled feud against Cena, and the return of RVD next month would only mean that things will get interesting from now in the WWE. That’s it from us for now, as we wait for RAW to see what happens after the PPV.