Payback: Judgement Day Takes Home The Gold
Image source: featuresofwrestling.com
September started with a bang in the PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh with the return of WWE’s PPV event: Payback on September 2nd. This year is the first Payback event since August 30th 2020, where “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns fought in a No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match for the WWE Universal Championship, and is the first time that it has streamed on Peacock following the American WWE Networks merge under Peacock in March 2021.
The event was hosted by “The Greatest of All Time”, the one and only John Cena, with a main event of Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight Championship. Although Intercontinental Champion Gunther, WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns were not defending their titles in the weekend's event, there were plenty of titles up for grabs. The undercard saw Rhea Ripley, Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn all defending their championship titles, as well as another instalment in the feud between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus, the return of “The Grayson Waller Effect”, and LA Knight taking on The Miz with their special guest referee, Payback host John Cena.
Fight 1: “The Man” Becky Lynch vs Trish Stratus - Steel Cage Match
The ongoing feud between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus came to its conclusion in the Steel Cage match, and saw tributes to the first women's steel cage match and Bret Hart vs Owen Hart from Summerslam 1994. A superplex from the top of the cage and an avalanche Manhandle Slam earned Lynch the victory by pinfall.
Fight 2: LA Knight vs The Miz with special guest referee John Cena
LA Knight vs The Miz saw the surprise introduction of former 16-time champion John Cena in a pre-match promotion segment between himself and The Miz. Although Cena primarily stayed out of the action, there were multiple occasions where he almost inadvertently cost Knight the match, an issue that was pointed out by Knight after the match ended. Despite the interference from Cena, LA Knight defeated The Miz, cementing to viewers that he is the here and now of the WWE.
Fight 3: Rey Mysterio vs Austin Theory for the United States Championship
The battle for the United States Championship saw Austin Theory take on United States Champion Rey Mysterio. Theory previously held the championship belt until August 11 2023, where he was defeated by Mysterio and ended his 258 day reign. Unfortunately the match once again did not go in Theory’s favour, with Mysterio countering A-Town Down to stack the heel up for a pinfall. Rey Mysterio has retained the title of United States Champion, leaving viewers questioning where Theory will go from here.
Fight 4: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs Damian Priest and Finn Bálor for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship - Steel City Street Fight
Payback saw yet another instalment in the 4 month long battle between Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and the Judgement Day. The match was filled with non-stop action, including a Swanton bomb from the balcony by Owens that put heel Dominik Mysterio through the table. Fans saw Priest and Bálor have assistance from JD McDonagh and Judgement Day members, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley and NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio, something that viewers are all too used to seeing from the group by now. A messy finish to the match has put the heat on Priest and Bálor, but has seen them finally take home the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship title. Although the match is over, it is unlikely that this is the last we will see of the feud between the groups.
“The Grayson Waller Effect” with “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes
The Grayson Waller Effect brought about one of the largest surprises of the night when Cody Rhodes took the ring to announce that he had brought a new superstar to Monday Night RAW: Jey Uso. The shock return comes following Uso’s announcement that he was quitting the Bloodline and WWE after SummerSlam on August 11th after losing the Tribal Combat match to Roman Reigns.
Fight 5: Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s World Championship
The battle for the Women’s World Championship saw one of the closest battles Ripley has faced since winning the title on April 1st 2023. Rodriguez took a dropkick to the face from Ripley, and drove the Women’s World Champion into the ring post with a powerbomb in a match that pushed both fighters to the edge. The match also saw the second set of interference of the night from heel Dominik Mysterio following his assistance to teammates Finn Bálor and Damien Priest and took a running powerslam from Rodriguez, allowing Ripley to follow through with a Riptide for the win. Rhea Ripley retains the Women’s World Championship title.
Main Event: Seth “Freakin” Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight Championship
The action packed main event did not see much storyline progression as title holder Rollins and Nakamura fought for the championship title. Challenger Nakamura targeted Rollins spine before almost taking the win with a Kinshasa to the back of the head. However, the attempt was unsuccessful with Rollins fighting through to deliver a Stomp and retaining the title. It is unlikely that this is the last that fans will see of this feud, and the moments following the match suggest that viewers may see Nakamura go further into darkness to attempt to defeat Rollins in the future.
Overall, the WWE truly delivered an action packed night with all four members of the Judgement Day now decked out with title belts at the end of the evening. Although the feud between Lynch and Stratus looks to be over, the night has made it clear that there is plenty more action to come with the feuds between Owens and Zayn against the Judgement Day and between Rollins and Nakamura still going strong. With Jay Uso’s arrival to RAW and the Money in the Bank case still to be cashed in, it is anyone’s guess as to what will happen next.
