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: ***