WWE Payback Review 05/01/2016

Payback 2016 has come and gone, and the event was built up with the anticipation of the birth of a “New Era”. The build up for this event was more interesting then most of the build up for Wrestlemania, and there were a lot of questions fans had awaiting answers. The WWE Universe was hoping some of those questions would be answered at Payback. I was 3-3-1 with my Payback predictions. Lets get the ball rolling.

Dolph Ziggler def. Baron Corbin
in 7:46 via pin.
Corbin shook off Ziggler’s early attack, and then worked him over for about five minutes. Corbin was looking strong in charge. Ziggler made a comeback, and Corbin kicked out of the fame-asser. Corbin posted Ziggler with the alley-oop. Corbin then took forever to do anything, and just posed “showing his dominance,” which let Ziggler reagin energy and catch Corbin with a roll up. That result made absolutely no sense, when it comes to character progression. It made Corbin look like an idiot, and I know that they were going for the overconfident asshole deal,  but he still looked like an idiot.  God forbid we allow anyone to have momentum. Ziggler is beyond stale, and Corbin should have won. This almost reminds me of the Tyler Breeze/Dolph Ziggler feud. The match was ok, but nothing special. WWE has been really odd when booking winners and losers as of recent history. Regardless, sometimes it’s not all about wins and losses.
Rating – **

United States Championship
Kalisto (C) def. Ryback
in 8:40 via pin.
The Ryback mocked CM Punk’s entrance, which the Chicago crowd did not appreciate, however I found amusing. Considering the history between the two and Punks comments about The Ryback on Cabana’s podcast. His weight belt also says, “The Pre-Show Stopper”, another thing that I found interesting and would later find out led to more. They worked the obvious power vs. speed story. I personally enjoyed this match more than their match at Wrestlemania. There was a commercial break, because Camp WWE needed to be promoted. Once we came back to The Ryback was in charge. Kalisto made his comeback, even scoring with a springboard into a DDT on the apron, which was a pretty cool spot. The homestretch was filled with a lot of good ideas, but The Ryback trying to keep up and sell some of Kalisto’s stuff was a little off pace. The Ryback got cut off when he went up top, managed a big press slam but it was followed that with a missed splash. Kalisto then hit a Salida Del Sol to retain. Overall this was a good match, if the middle was smoother it could have been really good. It was the most entertaining for The Ryback that I have seen in a while. However, with his loss I was now 0-2 for my predictions.
Rating – ***

New Day came out for some promo fun, and to be honest, it would have felt weird without them on the show, so I am glad they did. The New Day sat at ringside in beanbag chairs eating pizza and various snacks. Enzo and Cass then came out and did their deal, watching New Day mark out for them was fun.

WWE Tag Team Tournament #1 Contenders’ Match
Enzo & Big Cass vs. Vaudvllians
ended in a no contest in 4:00 due to the match being stopped.
Enzo and Cass controlled the match early on, using some cool double team moves. The Vaudevillains took over, and when they tossed Enzo to the floor he clipped the middle rope and the match was called off as Enzo appeared to be out of it and not moving. Yeah, on the replay, that did not look good at all. That was just a freak accident that shows the risks and sacrifices wrestlers take with their bodies and health to entertain us. It was hard to find the vibe to get on with show without knowing the status at Enzo. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy at the worst time. Enzo was taken to a local medical facility, and he was talking and moving his extremities. It was later announced that he suffered a concussion. This put me at 0-3-1 with my predictions.
Rating – No Contest

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn
in 14:25 via pin.
Now onto a match I was really looking forward too, between good friends and better enemies Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Owens had fun mocking Zayn as the crowd did the OLE chant, so Zayn just attacked him and then hit a dive to the floor on Owens. They brawled on the floor for a bit, with Owens taking control and whipping Zayn to the steps. Once Owens was able to survive the outburst from Zayn, he slowed things down but kept brutality at the same level. Owens worked the crowd with his heel tactics; Zayn kept getting hope spots and then was able to slowly make his comeback. Both guys did a really nice job of showing the emotional aspect of the feud, whether it is Owens’ look when beating on Zayn or the looks from both when they were denied the count of three. It felt like both these guys not just wanted to beat the other, but needed too. Owens busted out the frog splash (which he’s been using a lot as of late) for a near fall, and then hit the cannonball twice. I personally am a fan of Owens frog splash. They kept building things so well, keeping the action at a good level and delivering some great exchanges and counters, telling the story of how well they knew each other. It was evident this wasn’t the first time these two have gone to war. Zayn would never give up fighting while Owens almost begged him to stop fighting, which was another great layer to the story of this match. Owens eventually cut off the Helluva kick with a superkick and finished Zayn with the pop up powerbomb.  These two are really something special when they face each other; they of course deliver a great wrestling match, but also do a great job of selling the emotion of their story while doing so. I have no issue with Owens beating Zayn clean; in the context of their feud it makes sense. I still think Zayn going over in the first match, would have given this feud a route for continuation if they didnt decide to involve the two in the Intercontinental picture. The match was excellent and exactly what I expected from the two, giving us a lot but not everything they had, because they re definitely going to revisit this feud. Also, I have to credit them in terms of delivering and getting the crowd back into things after Enzo’s injury.
Rating – ****

– Following the match, Owens invited Bryon into the ring to interview him after he beats and throws Zayn out of the ring. Owens wanted Saxton to ask him about beating Zayn, but Byron didn’t ask the way he wanted him to ask so he took the mic and ranted about beating Zayn just like he said he would. He then states that now that he is done with Zayn’s crap he can set his focus on regaining “his” IC Title.

Intercontinental Championship
The Miz w/ Maryse def. Cesaro
in 11:11 via pin.
They have busted out M&M’s old red carpet gimmick for Miz and Maryse. All they are missing is the paparazzi. Maryse has really rejuvenated the Miz’s character. Owens is on commentary for this match and was hilarious throughout the entire match. Cesaro controlled the opening portion of the match, using his power and also simply outwrestling the Miz. Maryse finally got involved long enough to allow Miz to out some offense together, work the shoulder of Cesaro and take the heat. Owens was great on commentary, “Miz is doing a good job of working the shoulder, but had it been me I would have ripped off Cesaro’s arm already.” Owens also put over Zayn, noting that he could beat Miz or Cesaro, which means that he will win the title back because he beat Zayn. The Miz has had more of an aggressive streak as of late. Cesaro hit the delayed vertical suplex, just pulling Miz from the mat into the air. Cesar’s strength never ceases to amaze me. He then went into the running uppercuts, and Owens was just making Cole and Saxton look like idiots on commentary while he slowly started to root for Miz because Cesaro was entering beast mode. Miz kept working on Cesaro’s shoulder, like every time he cut Cesaro off he kicked him in the shoulder to do so. Zayn returned and attacked Owens on commentary. Cesaro then got the swing for about 20 rotations while Owens and Zayn brawled to the apron and the ref was distracted as Miz tapped. Cesaro then knocked Zayn and Owens to the floor, allowing Miz to roll him up to retain. Finally getting one of my predictions right. Cesaro then hit Miz with the Neutralizer post match, while Owens then laid out Zayn with he power bomb. The closing stretch with the Zayn and Owens involvement came off well, and wasn’t a clusterfuck. Cesaro was defeated but protected with the screwy finish and I like the idea of four-way feud with these guys all clamouring for the title. The Miz has been having a great 2016 so far, I know it’s easy to pick on the guy because he was booked like shit and not doing anything for a while, but with his IC Title win and his wife returning to be his manager, this year is looking good for him. Cesaro will be IC Champion at least once before the end of this year and we will see Zayn vs. Owens again some point during this year as well. The Miz’s victory was my first correct prediction leaving me at 1-3-1.
Rating – ***

Dean Ambrose def. Chris Jericho
in 18:30 via pin.
 Ambrose was in charge at first and Jericho took over. This purpose of this feud hasn’t made sense to me yet, but I know I have always wanted to see these two wrestle one another. Jericho kept trying to get the crowd to react, mocking their chants for Ambrose, but their reaction was extremely mild. Regardless, I cant exaggerate how much I love heel Jericho. Ambrose got fired up and made his big comeback. I found myself getting distracted a lot during this match, and I think its because I was not as invested as I wanted to be in the feud. They started this feud over having a talk show, and they got it to where Jericho attacked Ambrose and did the Walls of Jericho on him, ontop of a table which Ambrose vowed revenge for, but that was it. Instead of feeling the hatred between the two they came out and worked a completely average and ordinary wresting match. It was not a bad match by no means, but it wasn’t great. If you go and watch Zayn vs. Owens and compare it to this and you’ll see the difference. Also, 2016 Jericho seems to go into a match with one plan, and when it doesn’t work, he refuses to chance gears or adapt like he used too. They brawled to the floor and then they did a poor catapult spot off of the announce table where Ambrose had to fling himself into the timekeeper’s area. Ambrose eventually countered the Jericho springboard dropkick and hit the wacky elbow drop for a near fall. This feels like it is going way too long, none of the other matches had that feeling tonight. Ambrose escaped the walls, and then Jericho kept working the offense. Ambrose countered the lionsault, and then hit dirty deeds for the win. That went about six-minutes to long, and was decent at best. They hit second gear and stayed there, never threatening 3rd, let alone 4th or 5th. I hope that they actually do continue this feud, so they can elaborate on more tension between the two, working off the fact that Ambrose beat Jericho clean. Extreme Rules is the next PPV and these two could possibly do better in a stipulation match. The good news is that Ambrose picked up the win, which also means I ended up with another win for my predictions. I’m now 2-3-1
Rating – **1/2

WWE Women’s Championship
Charlotte w/ Ric Flair def. Natalya w/ Bret Hart
in 13:07 via submission, sort of.
I’m a huge fan of both ladies and their matches. They always tell a great story, with a lot of great submission wrestling. I was hoping this would be the first time from their recent bouts, that we’d have a clean cut winner without any screwy finishes. Boy, was I wrong. The Hitman got a great ovation from the Chicago crowd and it was great to see him, after everything he had to deal with in the past year, such as overcoming cancer. Now, onto the match, they worked a basic back and forth match to start off with Natalya continually getting the better of Charlotte, which frustrated the champion. Charlotte cut her off, worked her over with chops and the knee drop, but Natalya came back with a German for a near fall. Charlotte then started to work the leg of Natalya, in dirty heel way and also taunted Bret Hart while doing so. I love when these two wrestle each other, they work on a body part, its just a throwback to classic wrestling when people would sell a beating in wrestling….times have changed. Charlotte continued to work the leg, and Natalya once again used her recent minor MMA training to work creative escapes. Charlotte headed to the top rope, but Natalya tossed her to the floor, which allowed things to get even when Charlotte started to sell an injury to her leg. They had an issue on the floor, it looked as if Natalya was to hit a Frankensteiner on Charlotte into the steps, but Charlotte almost lost the spot during the power bomb part. Natalya talked her through it and Charlotte did power her up, but it largely fell apart. It was a great effort and if it worked, would have been a memorable spot. Natalya kicked out of natural selection and the moonsault, and Charlotte began to show frustration. Charlotte then locked in the figure four and Natalya refused to tap, and rolled the hold forcing Charlotte to break. It seemed as if this match was really beginning to pick up. Charlotte then went for the sharpshooter, got it and Charles Robinson rang the bell… you know, because we can’t let go of the Montreal Screwjob from nearly 20 years ago! The match was clunky, but they were working hard, and they still had the potential to fix it to make it a classic. Yet they did the screwy finish and I stopped caring all together. I thought if anything, we would have Flair try to interfere but Bret throwing a punch at him to take him out, instead we get this played out Montreal Screwjob finish that has been rehashed so many times. The only thing I enjoyed about it, was the fact the referee was Charles Robinson aka Lil Naitch, a reference only us older or hardcore fans would get. I also can’t imagine Bret Hart was fond of this finish, not that he hasn’t gotten over the incident but the fact that he’d would most likely agree its played out. I love Charlotte/Natalya matches, (read my Roadblock review if you don’t believe me) but this one has to be my least favourite, mainly due to the finish. Bret and Natalya attacked Ric and Charlotte after the match, and I really loved the double sharpshooter spot. If I take anything away as a memory for this match, it would most likely be that spot.
Rating – **1/2

Vince McMahon announces who is going to run Raw.
Vince McMahon came out and worked the crowd. The crowd chanted for CM Punk, so Vince stopped talking and egged them on for a bit. I love how every time the crowd is chanting something Vince McMahon does not agree with, he calls the fans crazy and out of control. Vince then talked about the various eras of Raw, and said we’re entering a new era, and he needs to decide who will run Raw, Shane or Stephanie. Stephanie arrived, and Vince yelled at the crowd for how they reacted to her, you know because she’s Daddy’s Little Girl. Stephanie then took credit for investing in men, women, the animals, the sea, the sky, human life and the entire Universe while making sure to drop the phrase “best for business” a few times. It’s almost felt like she was truly trying to convince us, to appreciate her for everything she has done before Shane returned. However, it felt like she was talking FOREVER. Steph then claimed Shane thought he deserved to run things because he was a man, but he ran away for seven years and lost at Mania, also questioning our thoughts about how Shane is still running Raw even though he lost to the Undertaker. This led to the crowd chanting boring at her, as she claimed she was the only choice to run Raw. Glad, I was on the same page as the live audience. Here comes Shane, the crowd loved him. Shane then showed off a bunch of headlines that happened during his return to prove he was worthy of running Raw because Raw under his leadership has been creating a buzz. Shane indirectly took credit for the subscriber bump around Mania, and then addressed his departure. He said his voice wasn’t being heard, and he and Vince had a difference of opinion so he left to prove he could make it on his own, without being handed anything from his father. Claiming, HHH and Steph filled the void, but they poisoned the product with their ego. Shane wanted Vince to listen to his voice, which is the fans, because they speak for him. I love when Shane does that little spot where he puts his hand over his head to get the crowd to pop, and then over Stephanie’s to get them to boo. The fact that they’re siblings, brings a charm to it. It was funny when Vince then put his own hand over his head to a mixed reaction. Vince then said that Shane lost to Taker, and shouldn’t even be here. Well, yeah thanks for reminding us of that booking decision, but Vince allowed him to have a chance and he did OK, even better than OK. Vince doesn’t listen to anyone, just himself. Vince then said he wants blood, he wants to see them slit each other’s throats or even they could work together. He knows it will be entertaining, because they are both running Raw. So we got an 18-minute promo segment to say that they both get to run Raw. Ok. Shane and Stephanie shook hands, and that was it…for now. They tried to make this a hook for the PPV, but it was basically the same promo that they could have opened Raw with. I’m happy with the decision however it didnt need to be that long. Personally, I just think Stephanie’s part carried on for way to long. The performances were good, but it was just there, and did nothing to get me excited about Raw tomorrow because it was a copout results to build more “McMahon family drama.”  It kind of does but kind of doesn’t make it feel like a new era but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. It will for sure be entertaining to have a heel and face GM dynamic again. Something we haven’t had since the Bischoff/Austin era, nearly 13 years ago. I know I’m jumping ahead, but I’m curious how all this plays out once Triple H returns and if this will eventually lead to a brand split or something bigger.

WWE World Championship
Roman Reigns def. AJ Styles
in 23:10 via pin.
As you would guess, Roman Reigns was embraced by the ruckus Chicago crowd with boos. Reigns overpowered Styles early on, but Styles then used his speed and worked leg kicks and forearms, which angered Reigns. I would say this was a battle of power vs. speed but Reigns is a pretty speedy guy himself at times. Styles then tricked Reigns into chasing him around the ring, which allowed him to connect with kicks and strikes, which showcased Styles being more seasoned and experienced but Reigns sent him back to the floor with a shoulder block, frustrating Styles. Reigns then maintained control with strikes, and turned Styles inside out with a clothesline. Reigns connected with the single arm power bomb and then a sitout version for near falls, he had a bad no fucks given facial expression while dominating, which they should really play off of more. Styles then managed to counter the Superman punch with a leaping enziguri. This allowed Styles to string some offence together, and hit the ushigoroshi for a near fall. Reigns looked to put a stop to Styles’ offence, but Styles tried to get the calk killer, and Reigns bailed to the floor. Styles then hit a springboard forearm to the floor and both went crashing through the announce table, great spot there. I’d be lying if I said Styles and Reigns didn’t have great chemistry. Styles struggled and couldn’t get Reigns back into the ring, but beat the count and won via count-out.  BUT WAIT, Shane McMahon is out and says the match will not like this, and the match has been restarted and there are no count outs. Well doesn’t that make you appreciate the last segment a little bit more.
Round 2
The match restarts and Styles rolled Reigns back in, went to the top rope but Reigns rolled away. Styles unloaded with strikes and a PELE, headed up top and went for a 450, but Reigns got the knees up. They killed the momentum and crowd with that false count out finish, which was only done to “justify” the previous segment. It feels like overbooking for the sake of overbooking. So Reigns then “accidentally” low blows Styles, and we get a DQ. TURN REIGNS HEEL ALREADY. The match ends in DQ yet again, BUT WAIT, Stephanie arrives and says we’re restarted with no DQ either. Silly Shane McMahon forgot that little detail, but don’t worry his new partner was on top of it. If this is what having two owners is like, then nothing should go wrong and there should be no injustice, right?
Round 3
This is overbooking for the sake of overbooking and making the last segment seem important. For the record, Styles has won twice, but just not in a way to win the title. So they brawled to the floor, Styles took control and the crowd actually got back into this. Once again, Styles and Reigns surprisingly have great chemistry. Reigns countered the springboard forearm with a Superman punch, but Styles kicked out at 2. Reigns then hit another Superman punch, and set for the spear. Here come Doc and Karl, who pull Styles to safety. They attacked Reigns,  and hit him with the boot of doom, which is all legal now that the match is no DQ. They then told Styles to finish it and Styles then hit the forearm smash but Reigns got a foot on the ropes. They actually had me thinking Styles could have won at this point. The Usos then arrived to brawl with Doc and Karl, as Styles headed to the top rope and Reigns tossed him off onto all the humanity outside of the ring. Reigns then hit the big Taker dive onto everyone but Styles, who then hit the forearm on the floor. That Taker dive is like Roman’s go to high spot, and its getting kind of played out. Back in the ring Styles hit the springboard 450 and Reigns still kicked out. Reigns fought out of the clash, Styles countered the Superman but ate the spear and Reigns covered for the win. I really disliked the fact that Reigns kicked out of all of Styles signature and finishing moves, but Styles lost after one spear. Whatever, what can you do…Reigns is “the guy.” Regardless, I think that both guys worked very hard and were primed to deliver a really special match; the crowd was into it and they had instant chemistry. Unfortunately the issue the overbooking, which made the match feature in the new McMahon angle. Even with all off that I enjoyed it a lot, and I do want to see a rematch, I just hope its more about Styles, Reigns and the Bullet Club guys and less about the McMahons. I know a lot of people were disappointed because they expected a big reveal to Styles relationship with Gallows and Anderson or Balor to debut on the main roster for some reason. It’s way to soon for either of those things in my opinion, be patient everyone. WWE has no off season and nothing but show after show and time.
Rating – ***1/2

– Shane, Stephanie and Vince talk backstage; Vince praises them both for continuing the match. They then set up an Extreme Rules rematch between AJ and Roman (which takes place in three weeks). Shane and Stephanie play nice with each other as we see Roman celebrating to close the show.

Final Thoughts
I personally thought the show had its highs and lows. It started off with Enzo getting hurt, which really killed my vibe, but knowing that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been and that he is okay makes me feel way better about the show. From there on forward, the show was great. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn delivered a great match and Mr. Entertainment Kevin Owens really owned the first hour or so of the show. Cesaro/Miz was fun to watch and the finish really helped build a new four way feud for the next couple of months. Jericho and Ambrose fell a bit flat, but I hope this match enhances their feud and they bring more fire to their eventual rematch. Charlotte and Natalya started off great, got clunky and instead of being saved was given a horrible, horrible rehashed finish. The announcement of both McMahon siblings running Raw creates an expectation of chaos for the weeks to come, even though I wouldn’t have minded a little more time before Stephanie returned. The main event was great for what it was with all the over booking. Styles and Reigns have great chemistry and Im excited to see them go at it again. Yes a lot of questions were left unanswered but the show was good, and they got through another PPV event. It was your average PPV with the first few matches standing out until it went to being pretty average from Jericho/Ambrose up until the main event where things picked up again. If you haven’t watched it yet, I’d recommend watching Owens/Zayn, Cesaro/Miz and the main event. The rest of the show was decent at best.
Final Rating – 6.5/10