Let me begin by saying I didn’t know what to expect from WWE’s September Premium Live Event, Payback. I was pleasantly surprised, though. Let’s highlight the card first then we’ll get into each match.
- Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus in a steel cage match.
- LA Knight vs. The Miz with John Cena as special guest referee.
- Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Austin Theory for the United States championship.
- Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (c) vs. Finn Balor and Damian Priest for the undisputed WWE tag team championship.
- Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the women’s World championship.
- Seth Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the World heavyweight championship.
Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus
Kicking off the show we had Big Time Becks taking on Trish Stratus in a steel cage match. This was a solid match that set the tone for the rest of the night, featuring plenty of back and forth between Lynch and Stratus. Both superstars used the whole ring and steel cage to their advantage. Stratus had a few close escapes but Lynch was always right there to pull her back inside the cage. She wasn’t going to win that easily. It looked like Trish may have had the match won after hitting a Widow’s Peak on Becky, but Becky was determined, she was focused throughout the whole match.
The highlight came when Becky met Trish on top of the cage and after some back and forth, Becky got the upper hand and superplexed Trish back into the ring. This saw Trish make a quick recovery and head for the cage door while Becky was trying to make her escape over the top. Becky jumped down to stop Trish escaping and, of course, that’s when Zoey Stark inevitably showed up to help Trish through the door. This resulted in Trish being pulled in opposite directions by Zoey and Becky, but it was Becky who won the tug-of-war and pulled Trish back into the middle of the ring. Zoey and Becky went at it with Becky getting the upper hand. After a Manhandle Slam from the top rope, Becky was able to secure the win over Trish.
Following the match, Trish took out her frustrations on Zoey Stark, which ultimately backfired as Zoey laid her out.
LA Knight vs. The Miz
As guest host for the evening, John Cena came out to introduce this match. In doing so, Cena managed to rattle the cage of The Miz, who came out to confront the 16-time world champion. Cena asked The Miz for some advice on hosting, resulting in some back and forth before LA Knight (yeah!) made his way to the ring.
This was a good match, pretty straight forward with both LA and The Miz showcasing their in-ring abilities. Cena was also not afraid to assert his authority when needed as the special guest referee. In the end it was LA Knight who picked up the victory after hitting a Blunt Force Trauma.
After the match, Cena raised LA Knight’s hand at the top of the ramp in a sign of respect. It is undeniable that LA is one of the biggest stars in the WWE today and he is heading straight for the top.
Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory (Title Match)
This was the first title match of the night as Rey Mysterio put his United States championship on the line against a bitter Austin Theory.
Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio proved why he is one of the best to ever do it as he made his high flying agility and speed look easy while retaining his title. Rey’s LWO teammates were there to celebrate with him after the match just as they were there to accompany him down the ramp before the match.
There’s not much else to say about this match other than Rey was exciting to watch in action as always.
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor & Damian Priest (Title Match)
There’s been quite a lot of tension building between Kevin & Sami and The Judgment Day as of late (as well as some tension within The Judgment Day), so it was only a matter of time before we saw Kevin and Sami defend their undisputed WWE tag team titles against the team of Finn and Damian. This was probably my favorite match of the night.
This was a street fight match where nothing was off the table, no holds barred. Both teams definitely used this stipulation to their advantage. Early in the match, Kevin Owens tore off his signature KO shirt to reveal a Terry Funk shirt underneath. It was a nice touch and a nice pay of respect as Terry was a legend when it came to hardcore matches.
It was Kevin and Sami who had the upper hand in this match and took full control, pummeling Damian and Finn. This was until Dirty Dom showed up to lend a hand. The champs retreated for a minute before returning in Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys with hockey sticks in hand. After an onslaught from both teams, Kevin showed off his athletic abilities by delivering a Swanton Bomb to Dom from the balcony through a table.
As if that interference wasn’t enough, Finn’s pal JD McDonagh showed up in time to interrupt a three count that surely would’ve seen Kevin and Sami retain their belts. After this, Rhea Ripley showed up and put Kevin through the barricade. This allowed Finn to isolate Sami and, with a final assist from Dom, secure the victory. New tag team champs. Now all members of The Judgment Day have gold. It will be interesting to see where Damian goes from here being a tag team champ and Money in the Bank holder simultaneously.
I was unsure how Finn and Damian would operate in the ring together and what their chemistry would be like after recent events, but they put all that to the side and worked really well together.
The Grayson Waller Effect
The action paused for a minute for us to witness The Grayson Waller Effect, with special guest The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes announced that Jey Uso, who was assumed to have left the company two weeks earlier, was the newest superstar to join the Raw roster. Jey came out to a huge pop and entered the ring. Greyson poked Jey’s buttons by stating that Jey had only ever had glory with his twin brother Jimmy and as part of The Bloodline. He said Jey had accomplished nothing on his own.
This resulted in Jey Uso laying Grayson Waller out with a super kick in the middle of the ring.
Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez (Title Match)
I think we all knew how this match would turn out before it even began. As much as I love Rhea and her talent, her title run seems a little stale, for lack of a better word. It seems that when she defends, she squashes whoever is in the ring with her.
In any case, I feel like Raquel was a good opponent for Rhea. Physically, Raquel is the only female on the roster who is a match for Rhea Ripley. It was nice to see a match involving Rhea where she didn’t immediately dominate her challenger. Raquel held her own and put Rhea in her place for much of the match.
Once again, Dom showed up, this time to distract Raquel. This resulted in Dom getting slammed to the mat, which allowed Rhea to attack Raquel from behind, going after her injured knee. Rhea hit the Riptide and that’s all she wrote. Rhea retains the title.
Raquel did a hell of a job and put in the work and I could’ve easily seen her being the one to topple Rhea. Maybe next time.
Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Title Match)
After turning on him after their tag match a few weeks back, Shinsuke got himself a shot at the World heavyweight championship against Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
This was a very physical match as Shinsuke wasted no time going after the already-injured back of Seth Rollins. Shinsuke used the barricade and announce table to his advantage to inflict as much pain on Rollins as possible. Rollins punished Shinsuke early on, but the tables quickly turned and Seth took a beating the rest of the way. When Seth did manage to hit a move on Shin, he didn’t have the energy to follow through with a pin.
Rollins eventually pulled through though after a physically demanding match. He was able to hit the Curb Stomp and cover Shinsuke to retain his championship.
What did you guys think of Payback this year? What were the highlights for you? Favorite matches? Are you happy with the outcome? Let me know!
All images courtesy of WWE.com