Here are my Payback Thoughts:
Here's the Complete History of Payback:MY PICKS: Rollins, Ripley, Owens & Zayn, Mysterio, Lynch, Knight
The Kick Off was such a waste of time. They need to put matches back on it.
Good opening video.
Becky Lynch VS Trish Stratus was a fun Steel Cage Match. Both women worked hard. All of their bad promo segments was worth it. I love the call back to Lita & Victoria, the 1st Women to wrestle in a Cage Match. I love Zoey Stark turning on Trish afterwards. My Picks: 1 for 1.
Good Shinsuke Nakamura video package.
Fun promo exchange between John Cena & The Miz to set-up Cena as the Special Guest Referee. LA Knight VS The Miz was pretty good. Cena did a great job as Referee. Love the Dangerous Danny Davis Reference. Interesting post-match activities with Knight & Cena. My Picks: 2 for 2.
Good video package on Mysterio VS Theory.
Rey Mysterio VS Austin Theory was excellent. People say that Theory isn't that good, but he proved tonight that he can hang with one of the best wrestlers of All-Time. Also, I still think it's so stupid when Rey's opponents try to take off his mask & everyone says how disrespectful it is. OMG, we're going to see Rey's face. Shut up. My Picks: 3 for 3.
Great interaction with Becky Lynch & Tiffany Stratton. I would love to see Becky go back to NXT & get a shot at the NXT Women's Title.
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn VS The Judgment Day was an awesome Street Fight. I love the tribute to #TerryFunk & then the Hockey Jerseys. Owens really got busted open. I didn't like the finish with all of The Judgment Day getting involved.
Excellent Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes. I love the idea of Jey Usos being on Raw away from The Bloodline. Things got very interesting.
Raquel Rodriguez VS Rhea Ripley was an awful match. I'm very disappointed. I was looking forward to it, but I didn't enjoy it at all. Also, the crowd was sleeping during the match too. My Picks: 4 for 5.
John Cena looks hilarious. OK interview with The Judgment Day.
I watched the Kurt Angle Documentary earlier today. It was incredible.
Cool intro for Shinsuke Nakamura.
That's cool that they flew The Great Muta to Pittsburgh to be in the crowd for Seth Rollins & Shinsuke Nakamura. And they are right, besides Royal Rumbles & Survivor Series Matches, this is Nakamura's 1st ever 1-on-1 PPV Main Event.
Seth Rollins VS Shinsuke Nakamura was an excellent match. I love the story being told of Rollins' back. This might have been Nakamura's best match in a long time. I'm glad that he got the opportunity to wrestle in the main event. My Picks: 5 for 6.
Here are my Payback Match Rankings:
1) Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn VS The Judgment Day
2) Seth Rollins VS Shinsuke Nakamura
3) Becky Lynch VS Trish Stratus
4) Rey Mysterio VS Austin Theory
5) LA Knight VS The Miz
6) Raquel Rodriguez VS Rhea Ripley
Overall, Payback was another excellent WWE PPV. A lot of people said the card was underwhelming & B-Level Show, but besides 1 match, every match was great & everyone worked on. John Cena was great as host & it had storyline development with The Waller Effect.
PAYBACK FACTS & STATS
GENERAL FACTS: This was the 1st WWE Payback PPV since 2020, but if someone competed in consecutive events, I will mention it as back-to-back, even though there was no Payback in 2021 or 2022. Every match has at least 1 wrestler making their Payback PPV debut, making it the 1st PPV since Clash At The Castle on September 3, 2023, where each match had someone making their debut at that particular PPV. Seth Rollins is the only wrestler to wrestle on every PPV in 2023. This was the 1st Payback in History where Roman Reigns did not wrestle, ending his streak of being the only wrestler to wrestle at every Payback event. This was the 1st PPV since Money In The Bank on July 2 to not have a Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match & the 1st Payback since 2017 to not have one. This was the 1st PPV since Money In The Bank on July 2 to not have a Women’s Championship Match & the 2nd Payback in a row to not have one, & the 1st PPV since the Royal Rumble on January 28 to have only 1 Women’s Championship defended. This was the 1st PPV since Backlash on May 6 to not have an Intercontinental Championship Match & was the 3rd Payback in a row to not have one. This was the 1st Payback to not have a Women’s Tag Team Championship Match since the Championship was established in 2020 & 2nd PPV in a row to not have one in 2023. This was the 8th PPV in a row to not have a Kickoff Match & 1st Payback in History to not have one.
BECKY LYNCH VS TRISH STRATUS was the 6th Steel Cage Match of 2023, the 1st since NXT on August 29, the 1st for WWE proper since Raw on February 6, 1st on PPV in 2023, & 1st on PPV since Drew McIntyre VS Karrion Kross at Crown Jewel on November 5, 2022. It was the 7th Women’s Steel Cage Match in WWE & NXT after Lita VS Victoria (11/24/03 Raw), Becky Lynch VS Alexa Bliss (1/17/17 SD), Io Shirai VS Shayna Baszler (6/26/19 NXT), Tegan Nox VS Dakota Kai (3/4/20 NXT), Rhea Ripley VS Mercedes Martinez (9/8/20 NXT), & Becky Lynch VS Bayley (2/6/23 RAW), & 1st on PPV. It was the 1st Steel Cage Match in Payback History. This was Becky Lynch’s Payback debut & 1st Steel Cage Match at Payback. This was her 1st PPV since Money In The Bank on July 2 & her 1st 1-on-1 Match on PPV since she lost to Trish Stratus at Night of Champions on May 27. This was her 3rd Steel Cage Match in her Career after she lost to Alexa Bliss on Smackdown on January 17, 2017 & defeated Bayley on Raw on February 6, 2023, making her the only woman to wrestle in multiple Steel Cage Matches, giving her a Steel Cage Match Record of 2-1-0. This was Trish Stratus’ Payback debut & her 1st Steel Cage Match at Payback. This was her 1st PPV since Money In The Bank on July 2, & her 1st 1-on-1 Match on PPV since she defeated Becky Lynch at Night of Champions on May 27. It was the 1st time she wrestled 7 matches or more since she was an active wrestler in 2006. It was the 1st time that she wrestled the same opponent in 3 straight 1-on-1 Matches since she wrestled Mickie James at WrestleMania 22 (4/2/06), Backlash (4/30/06), & Raw (6/26/06). It was her 1st Steel Cage Match in her Career. This was the 4th 1-on-1 Match between them after Night of Champions (won by Stratus), Raw on July 31 (won by Lynch by DQ), & Raw on August 14 (ended in a Double Count Out), so Lynch won 2, Stratus won 1, & 1 match ended in a Double Count Out. This was the 1st Women's Match to open Payback, Becky Lynch & Trish Stratus' 1st Payback opener, the 1st Women's Match to open a PPV in 2023 since the Women's Elimination Chamber Match on February 18, & Lynch & Stratus' 1st PPV opener of 2023.
LA KNIGHT VS THE MIZ was LA Knight’s Payback debut. It was his 3rd PPV in a row in 2023 & 1st 1-on-1 Match on PPV since he lost to Bray Wyatt at the Royal Rumble on January 28. This was The Miz’s 2nd Payback & 1st since 2016. It was the 1st time that he’s wrestling in a regular Non-Title Match & not in an Intercontinental Championship Match. It was his 2nd PPV in a row in 2023 & his 1st 1-on-1 Match on PPV since he lost to Snoop Dogg at WrestleMania 39 on April 2 & the 1st time he wrestled an active member of the WWE Roster & not a celebrity since he lost to Edge at Day 1 on January 1, 2022. John Cena was the 1st ever Special Guest Referee at Payback, 1st since Mustafa Ali for Wes Lee VS Tyler Bate (6/20/23 NXT), 1st for WWE proper since Kurt Angle for Seth Rollins & The Street Profits VS Imperium (1/23/23 RAW), 1st for PPV since Daniel Cormier for Matt Riddle VS Seth Rollins (10/8/22 Extreme Rules), & was the 7th time that John Cena was Special Guest Referee after he was Special Guest Referee for Randy Orton VS Cody Rhodes (8/31/09 RAW), Triple H VS The Big Show (10/26/09 RAW), Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, The Miz, Randy Orton, & R-Truth VS The Nexus (11/8/10 RAW), Randy Orton VS Wade Barrett (11/21/10 Survivor Series), & CM Punk VS Wade Barrett (1/24/11 RAW).
REY MYSTERIO VS AUSTIN THEORY was the 11th United States Championship Match of 202, the 1st since Smackdown on August 11, & 1st on PPV since Backlash on May 6. This was the 7th United States Championship Match at Payback & 7th in a row, making it the only Championship to be defended at every Payback event. This was Rey Mysterio’s 2nd Payback in a row, but 1st 1-on-1 Match at Payback & 1st Championship Match at Payback. This was his 1st PPV & 1st 1-on-1 Match on PPV since WrestleMania 39 on April 1. This was Rey Mysterio’s 1st United States Championship Defense, so if he would have lost, he would have been the 1st since Finn Balor who lost to Austin Theory on Raw on April 18, 2022 to lose in his 1st Defense. As of Payback, Rey Mysterio’s United States Championship Reign has lasted 22 Days, so if he loses, he would have been the 1st to lose in 22 Days, which is the 12th Shortest Reign of All-Time, beating his 2nd Reign, which lasted 15 Days (5/19/19 – 6/3/19). This was Austin Theory’s Payback debut, making it the 2nd Payback in a row after Bobby Lashley in 2020 where someone made their Payback debut challenging for the United States Championship. If Austin Theory would have won, he would have been the 10th 3-time United States Champion after Chris Benoit, John Cena, Kofi Kingston, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, Kevin Owens, Rusev, Sheamus, AJ Styles, & Booker T & 2nd in a row, which was the 1st time in history that 2 3-time Champions were Champions back-to-back. This was the 3rd 1-on-1 Match between them after Smackdown on April 3 (won by Theory) & August 11 (won by Mysterio), so Mysterio won 1 & Theory won 1. The United States Championship has changed hands once in 2023 when Mysterio defeated Austin Theory on Smackdown on August 11. It has changed hands 82 times in History. The United States Championship has changed hands twice at Payback, with the last title changes taking place the last 2 times it was defended when Chris Jericho defeated Kevin Owens in 2017 & Bobby Lashley defeated Apollo Crews in 2020.
KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN VS THE JUDGMENT DAY was the 9th Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match of 2023, the 1st since Raw on July 17. & 1st on PPV since Night of Champions on May 27. This was the 4th Tag Team Championship Match at Payback & 1st since 2017. This was the 8th No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight of 2023, 1st since Smackdown on August 25, & 1st on PPV since Backlash on May 6. It was the 5th No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight at Payback & 4th event in a row. This was the 4th No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight for a Championship at Payback in a row, but 1st for the Tag Team Championship. It was the 8th No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight for the Tag Team Championship & 1st since The Usos defeated The New Day on Smackdown on January 7, 2022, 1st on PPV, & 1st at Payback. This was Kevin Owens’ 3rd Payback & 1st since 2017, 1st Tag Team Championship Match at Payback, & 1st No Holds Barred/No Disqualification/Street Fight at Payback. This was his 11th No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight of his Career & 1st since he lost to Solo Sikoa on Raw on March 13, giving him a No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight Record of 6-5-0. This was Sami Zayn’s 2nd Payback & 1st since 2016, his 1st Tag Team Championship Match, & 1st No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight at Payback. This was his 3rd No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight in his Career after he defeated Kevin Owens on Raw on March 27, 2017 & he & Kevin Owens lost to Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, & AJ Styles on January 9, 2018, which was the last time they teamed up in a No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight, giving him a No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight Record of 1-2-0. This was their 1st PPV since Night of Champions on May 27. They were the 3rd after Cesaro & Sheamus (2014 & 2017), & Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, & Seth Rollins (2014 & 2015) to be both opponents & partners at Payback. This was Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn’s 6th Raw Tag Team Championship Defense, so since they lost, they are the 1st since RK-Bro who lost to The Alpha Academy on Raw on January 10, 2022 to lose in their 6th Defense & was their 6th Smackdown Tag Team Championship Defense, so since they lost, they are the 1st since The Bludgeon Brothers who lost to The New Day on Smackdown on August 21, 2018 to lose in their 6th Defense. As of Payback, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn’s Raw Tag Team Championship Reign has lasted 151 Days, so if they would have lost, they would have been the 1st to lose in 154 Days, which is the 9th Longest Reign of All-Time & their Smackdown Tag Team Championship Reign has lasted 154 Days, so they are the 1st to lose in 154 Days, which is the 3rd Longest Reign of All-Time below The Usos’ 5th Reign (7/18/21 – 4/1/23, 622 Days) & The Usos’ 3rd Reign (10/8/17 – 4/8/18, 182 Days). This was Finn Balor’s Payback debut & 1st Tag Team Championship Match & No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight at Payback. It was his 3rd PPV in a row in 2023 & 1st ever Tag Team Championship Match in his Career. It was his 4th No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight in his Career & 1st since he & Damian Priest lost to The Mysterios at SummerSlam on July 30, 2022, giving him a No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight Match Record of 1-2-0. This was Damian Priest’s Payback debut & 1st Tag Team Championship Match & No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight at Payback. It was his 1st PPV since Money In The Bank & 1st Tag Team Championship Match on PPV. It was his 5th No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight in his Career & 1st since he lost to Bad Bunny at Backlash on May 6, giving him a No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight Record of 3-2-0. They were the 1st team in Payback History to both make their Payback debut challenging for the Tag Team Championship. This was their 1st Tag Team Match on PPV since they lost to Edge & Rey Mysterio at Clash of The Castle on September 3, 2022. Since they won, they are the 2nd 1st-time Raw & Smackdown Tag Team Champions in a row, Balor is the 39th former Intercontinental Champion to be Raw Tag Team Champions & 2nd in a row, the 12th former Intercontinental Champion to be Smackdown Tag Team Champions & 2nd in a row, the 28th former United States Champion to be Raw Tag Team Champion & 2nd in a row & the 12th former United States Champion to be Smackdown Tag Team Champion & 2nd in a row, the 8th former NXT Champion to be Raw Tag Team Champions after Bo Dallas, Big E, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Robert Roode, Sami Zayn, & Dolph Ziggler & 2nd in a row, the 6th former NXT Champion to be Smackdown Tag Team Champion after Big E, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, Robert Roode, Sami Zayn, & Dolph Ziggler, & 2nd in a row, the 6th former Universal Champion to be Raw Tag Team Champion after Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, & Bray Wyatt & 2nd in a row, & the 3rd former Universal Champion to be Smackdown Tag Team Champion after Kevin Owens & Bray Wyatt & 2nd in a row & Priest would have been the 2nd 1st-time Raw Tag Team Champions in a row, the 2nd 1st-time Smackdown Tag Team Champion in a row, the 29th former United States Champion to be Raw Tag Team Champions & 2nd in a row, making them the 1st Raw Tag Team Champions since RK-Bro where both were former United States Champions & the 1st Smackdown Tag Team Champions since The Dirty Dawgs where both were former United States Champions, the 1st Raw Tag Team Champion to be a former NXT North American Champion & the 2nd Smackdown Tag Team Champion to be a former NXT North American Champion after Dominik Mysterio, though Mysterio won the North American Championship after winning the Tag Team Championship. This was the 3rd 2-on-2 Tag Team Match between them after Raw on May 15 & August 21, with The Judgment Day winning all 3 matches. This was the 2nd Raw Tag Team Championship Title Change of 2023 & 1st since Owens & Zayn defeated The Usos at WrestleMania 39 on April 1. It was the 90th in History. This was the 2nd Smackdown Tag Team Title Change of 2023 & 1st since Owens & Zayn defeated The Usos at WrestleMania 39 on April 1. It was the 29th in WWE History. This was the 1st Tag Team Title Change at Payback. It was the 3rd Tag Team Title Change in a No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fights after The New Day defeated The Usos (9/12/17 Smackdown) & The New Day defeated The Bludgeon Brothers (8/21/18 Smackdown). It was the 2nd Title Change in a No Disqualification/No Holds Barred/Street Fight at Payback & 1st since Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman & Bray Wyatt in 2020.
RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ VS RHEA RIPLEY was the 7th Women’s World Championship Match of 2023, 1st since Raw on July 3, & 1st on PPV since Night of Champions on May 27. This was the 5th Women’s Championship Match at Payback & 1st since 2017. This was Raquel Rodriguez’s Payback debut, making her the 1st since Alexa Bliss in 2017 to make her Payback debut challenging for the Women’s Championship. This was her 1st PPV since Money In The Bank on July 2, her 1st 1-on-1 Match on WWE PPV in her Career, & her 1st 1-on-1 Match overall since she lost to Ronda Rousey on Raw on June 26. It was her 1st Championship Match since she lost to Ronda Rousey on Smackdown on December 30, 2022 & 1st on PPV. If she would have won, she would have been the 2nd 1st-time Champion in a row, the 11th to be a former Women’s Tag Team Champion & 2nd in a row, the 1st to be a former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, & the 6th to be a former NXT Women’s Champion after Asuka, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte Flair, & Rhea Ripley & 2nd in a row. This was Rhea Ripley’s 1st Payback, making her the 1st since Bayley in 2017 to make their Payback debut as defending Women’s Champion. This was her 1st PPV since Night of Champions on May 27. This was Rhea Ripley’s 4th Women’s World Championship Defense, so if she would have lost, she would have been the 1st since Ronda Rousey who lost to Charlotte Flair on Smackdown on December 30, 2022 to lose in her 4th Defense. As of Payback, Rhea Ripley’s Women’s World Championship Reign has lasted 154 Days, so if she would have lost, she would have been the 1st to lose in 154 Days, which is the 4th Longest of All-Time, below Bayley’s 2nd Reign (10/11/19 – 10/25/20, 380 Days), Charlotte Flair’s 6th Reign (10/22/21 – 5/8/22, 198 Days), & Sasha Banks (10/25/20 – 4/10/21, 167 Days). This was the 3rd 1-on-1 Match between them after NXT on October 28, 2020 (won by Ripley) & January 6, 2021 (won by Rodriguez), so Rodriguez won 1 & Ripley won 2. The Women’s World Championship changed hands once in 2023, when Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 on April 1. It has changed hands 27 times in History. Women’s Championships have changed hands twice at Payback with the last title change taking place in 2017, when Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley.
SETH ROLLINS VS SHINSUKE NAKAMURA was the 6th World Heavyweight Championship Match of 2023, 1st since SummerSlam on August 5, & 4th PPV in a row. It was the 6th WWE, Universal, or World Heavyweight Championship Match at Payback & 2nd event in a row. This was the 2nd Payback in a row to have only 1 WWE, Universal, or World Heavyweight Championship Match & the 1st PPV since Money In The Bank on July 2 to have only 1 WWE, Universal, or World Heavyweight Championship Match in 2023. This was Seth Rollins’ 6th Payback, tying Roman Reigns for the most Payback events of All-Time & 3rd Payback in a row. It was his 2nd World Heavyweight Championship Match at Payback & 1st since 2015. This was his 9th PPV in a row in 2023. This was Seth Rollins’ 5th World Heavyweight Championship Defense, so if he would have lost, he would have been the 1st to lose in his 5th Defense which is the Most Defenses of All-Time. As of Payback, Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship Reign has lasted 98 Days, so if he would have lost, he would have been the 1st to lose in 98 Days, which is both the Shortest & Longest Reign of All-Time. This was Shinsuke Nakamura’s Payback debut, making him the 1st wrestler since AJ Styles in 2016 to challenge for a World Championship in his 1st Payback event. This was his 3rd PPV in a row in 2023, making it the 1st time since Money In The Bank (June 17, 2018), Extreme Rules (July 15, 2018), & SummerSlam (August 19, 2018) that he wrestled 3 PPVs in a row in the same calendar year, his 1st 1-on-1 Match on PPV since he lost to Seth Rollins at Fastlane on March 21, 2021. It was his 1st WWE or World Championship Match on PPV & overall since he lost to AJ Styles at Money In The Bank on June 17, 2018. If he would have won, he would have been the 2nd 1st-time World Heavyweight Champion in a row, the 2nd in a row to be a former NXT Champion, but the 1st 2-time NXT Champion, the 2nd in a row to be a former Intercontinental Champion, the 2nd in a row to be a former United States Champion, & 1st to be a former Smackdown Tag Team Champion. This was the 5th 1-on-1 Match between them after Survivor Series on November 18, 2018 (won by Rollins), Smackdown on October 4, 2019 (ended in a No Contest), Fastlane on March 21, 2021 (won by Rollins), & Smackdown on March 26, 2021 (won by Rollins), so Rollins won 4, Nakamura won 0, & 1 match ended in a No Contest. This was the 5th time that a WWE, Universal, or World Heavyweight Championship main evented Payback & the 2nd event in a row, the 1st time since John Cena VS Ryback in 2013 that Roman Reigns was not in the Payback Main Event, Seth Rollins’ 3rd Payback Main Event after 2014 & 2015, giving him the 2nd most Payback Main Events after Roman Reigns (5), Shinsuke Nakamura’s 1st Payback Main Event, & both Rollins & Nakamura’s 1st PPV main event of 2023. The World Heavyweight Championship has changed hands once in 2023 when Rollins defeated AJ Styles to win the vacant title. It has changed hands 1 time in History. WWE, World, or Universal Championships have changed hands 2 times at Payback with the last title change taking place in 2020 when Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman & Bray Wyatt in a Triple Threat Match. The World Heavyweight Championship has never changed hands at Payback.