WWE Payback Review 04/30/2017

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my Payback review. I had a very busy weekend so I did’t watch Payback until this morning before Raw. The entire show was spoiled for me before watching it so I went in already knowing the outcome of every match but I was still super optimistic to watch it. There was a lot of outcomes that came to me as a surprise. I was 3-5 in my predictions which is pretty bad for me personally. I did mention before though that since Wrestlemania, my interest in the WWE has been kind of low. It usually picks back up around the June but I always find April and May as the dark months of the WWE’s year. I didn’t watch the pre-show with full attention because I was getting ready for a wedding reception but I did watch the Miz TV with Balor which I enjoyed. Other than that, I missed the tag match between The Club and Enzo and Cass but I heard it was a solid tag match to get the crowd hot going into the main show.

The 2017 edition of Payback comes from the SAP Centre in San Jose, California.

– The opening video package was actually pretty cool and then we get all the pryo and ballyhoo. The announce team tonight is Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Booker T, who is still filling in for Otunga who is out filming a movie.

United States Championship
Chris Jericho def. Kevin Owens (C)
in 14:10 by submission
I didnt expect anything less from these two. Two Canadians wrestling over the United States Championship to call themselves the “Face of America.” The two former best friends now bitter enemies having their Wrestlemania rematch and managed to make it just as entertaining or even better than their previous match. Jericho and Owens get each other and each others characters which makes it really easy to enjoy their matches against each other. I loved the fact that they brought back the finger on the rope spot that Owens used at Wrestlemania as throwback that match. I also loved that the attack on the hand played directly into the finish, with Owens not being able to extend the arm and get the ropes one last time. The finish was quite shocking to me with Jericho going over because from what we know Jericho only has a couple of appearances left before taking time off to release his new album and go on tour with his band Fozzy. Also the fact that Owens started running with this new “Face of America” gimmick and Styles has already been named the next number one contender. I imagine that Jericho will be defending the title against Owens either on Raw or Smackdown so Owens can win it back and Jericho can be written off TV. The really cool part about this is that when Jericho returns it’ll be to the blue brand. Overall, this match was built on a great storyline and the match itself told a great story. Definitely kicked the PPV off with the right momentum.
Rating – ***1/2

Cruiserweight Championship
Austin Aries def. Neville (C)
in 11:30 by DQ
Once again, I’m a huge fan of both go these guys so I didnt expect anything less than a solid technical wrasslin match with some cruiserweight flare. Personally I still believe their match at Wrestlemania was the best “wrestling” match on the card entire card even though it was featured on kick off show. This match was just as good and I really enjoyed it. Neville retains via DQ as many predicted, which keeps the feud going. Best guess is that their next match will have some sort of stipulation, possibly I Quit or No DQ, to play off of this finish and the established feud or as I predicted in my predictions they rivalry will grow to Neville defending the title in multi-man match such as a fatal-four way featuring TJP and someone else. I definitely don’t think this rivalry is over. Solid action in this match.
Rating – ***

Raw Tag Team Championships
The Hardy Boyz (C) def. Cesaro & Sheamus
in 12:50 by pinfall
This was exactly what it needed to be and told the story it needed to tell. It was a highly competitive match between four super talented competitors. The Sheamus and Cesaro team did start feeling stale so the heel turn was exactly what needed to happen. Sheamus and Cesaro are great but they needed that edge because they were lacking in character. Over the weeks we saw them showing respect to The Hardys but the post match beat down showed that edge with aggressiveness and brutality. I know you can’t plan things such as Jeff Hardy losing a tooth but it surely added to the situation. . It also worked well with the respectful babyfaces lose again and finally snap. The hits keep on coming with another quality match; Sheamus and Cesaro played the heel role in terms of taking the heat and controlling very well with the Hardys playing the resilient babyfaces as good as ever. I would think it would be hard for Cesaro to be a heel since he’s so over with the hardcore wrestling fan but against the Hardy Boys it may actually work.
Rating – ***

Raw Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss def. Bayley (C)
in 11:25 by pinfall
This was Bayley’s best match yet on the main roster in my opinion. Bliss portrays her character perfectly and because of that I really do enjoy her work. However, there are some flaws in her in ring work still but nothing to major to ruin the match. I mean you really have to critiquing the match to notice them which I felt like I was doing because I know Bayley is tremendous wrestler and I’m a big fan of Alexa’s so I saw potential here for a great match. This was a solid match and the fact it was Bayley’s hometown crowd meant that the crowd was loud and proud which really created a great atmosphere for this match. I love Bayley’s trash talking and facial expressions. Those nasty traits of hers plays off even better when its towards Bayley who is like the ultimate babyface. The hometown curse bites Bayley as she takes the L from Bliss following a DDT. I was quite disappointed with Bayley’s title reign and felt like it was too rushed for her character to even be champion, so I wasn’t disappointed in the outcome at all. Quite honestly, I was relieved her reign was over and excited that Bliss was on top again. It’s great to note that Alexa Bliss is the first woman to hold both the Raw and Smackdown Women’s Title. Ah…take that Charlotte.
Rating – ***

House of Horrors Match
Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton
in 16:55 by pinfall
It sounded intriguing. It may have looked good on paper. It suited this rivalry perfectly. Nobody knew what to expect. In the end though it was kind of a train wreck. I mean the stipulation that it started in the house and ended in the arena made close to no sense. Why would you announce that before the match? Why not just have the match start in the arena and head to the house? Or have it start in the house and without letting us know whats going to happen, allow it to make its way to the arena? I figure the house was the gimmick so why not finish it there? I think it would have been just as effective is Orton and Wyatt were fighting on the front lawn and Jinder Mahal along with the Singh Brothers showed up out of nowhere to attack Orton. The house stuff was over produced and looked like a WWE films production rather than a real-life brawl in a creepy house – which by the way wasn’t that creepy at all. The house had changing light colours to symbolize something from blue to red. It just seemed like an abandoned house. It also felt weird that Wyatt would just leave the house after throwing a fridge on Orton to head to the arena. If Wyatt got to the arena and Orton didn’t arrive, does that mean he won? There was so much to be confused about when it came to this match. I liked the creepiness of Wyatt singing as the limo drove off though. There were little details like that, which I really enjoyed but the concept overall seemed flawed. Back in the arena (without focusing that Orton somehow shaved on the way there) the final moments of the match weren’t that bad. The involvement of Jinder Mahal allowed the continuation to develop his current rivalry with Randy Orton since he is the new number one contender. Bray actually got to win the overall feud defeating Orton in their final battle for now. This wasn’t the best match but it definitely was good for storyline purposes.
Rating – *1/2

Seth Rollins def. Samoa Joe
in 15:55 by pinfall
I was really looking forward to this match as I’m a big fan of both guys. They had to bring the crowd back to life after the weird house portion of the house of horrors match. I loved how this wasn’t one sided for the most part but very back and forth. It was a highly competitive match and it really shows those casual fans who weren’t that familiar with Joe, how athletic and filled with stamina he is for a big guy. Joe focused on the knee which Rollins sold but at the end didn’t seem to matter much. The falcon arrow that Rollins hit was beautiful as well. Rollins picked up the victory by reversing the coquina clutch into a cradle. This was a solid match and highly competitive but it didn’t feel like a blow off to their feud but rather a stepping stone to continue it. I don’t Joe is going to just sit back after a loss like that and I feel like he’ll come back to try to redeem himself. Therefore, I see this rivalry going a couple of more months heading into the Summer and I don’t think we’ve seen their best match yet. This was just an appetizer before we get to the main course. I’m looking forward to the next one.
Rating – **1/2

Bruan Strowman def. Roman Reigns
in 11:45 by pinfall
This was the first time we were seeing Roman Reigns since Strowman destroyed him and flipped his ambulance a few weeks back. Reigns arrived with his shoulders all taped up. This was a straight out fight right off the start. Not even 5-10 minutes into the match and Strowman choke slammed Reigns onto the announce table. There is a mixed crowd reaction for Reigns similar to the old Cena treatment. The most amazing thing of this match was that Braun beat Roman clean. I understand we’re supposed to believe maybe its because Reigns was still “hurt” but its still a big deal for Braun. Roman who has been made to long super strong the past 4-5 years and just coming off beating The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, this is huge for Strowman. It was a very good main event and it was great to see Braun get the decisive win. It also had more heat than just about anything on the show. I know that the end game is Braun being built up as a killer to put Reigns or Lesnar over in the end, but I do feel that it won’t kill him when that happens due to how much credibility they’ve given Braun with these big wins. Following the match Bruan tosses the steps into the ring and looks to end Reigns. He sets them up to “THANK YOU STROWMAN!” chants and he slams Reigns onto them ribs furst. Bruan then slams the steps onto the ribs of Reigns and the monster stands tall with his arms raised. Reigns bites the blood capsule to simulate internal bleeding showing from his mouth. The crowd was behind Braun, even chanting you deserve it to Roman. After the show, Braun tries to attack Reigns who’s putting hauled into the ambulance but misses and rips off an ambulance door. Reigns then slams the other door onto him repeatedly and Bruan bails. Great stuff.
Rating – ****

Final Thoughts
This has to be Raw’s best PPV since the brand extension. There were some unpredictable finishes, interesting heel turns and development on storylines. Every match was worth watching with exemption of the Orton/Wyatt fiasco. Although, if you want to see something you’ve never seen before and makes no sense its worth a watch. Overall, the show exceeded my expectations. Although, I see the US Title changing this Tuesday since Jericho is going to be written off, I enjoyed the shock value in that because it made the show less predictable. Alexa Bliss winning the belt was a huge plus for me too. Alexa also made some history before the likes of one of the Four Horsewomen or Charlotte herself did by becoming the first woman to hold both the Raw and Smackdown Women’s Championship. It really feels like this could lead to a breathe of fresh air to the Raw Women’s Divison. Regardless how poor the House of Horrors match was and how the finish could make Bray look weak, in the end Bray won the war. He’s got to use the momentum moving forward on Raw to remain a threat with whoever he feuds with next, whether its Balor or someone else. Jinder and the Singh Brothers (Bollywood Boyz) made an appearance which is a plus for me as well. There were a lot storylines that progressed during the show such as the rivalries between Rollins/Joe, Neville/Aries and The Hardys/Sheamus & Cesaro. Also, Braun destroying Reigns is always entertaining to watch. Definitely an enjoyable show for the “”meh” months of the WWE.
Final Rating – 7/10

What were your final thoughts on Payback? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.