WWE Payback 2016 Review: Roman Reigns Is ‘The Guy’

Hi, I’m Justin Watry. You may remember me from such classic columns as March 2012’s “WWE WrestleMania 28: Sheamus Should Defeat Daniel Bryan in Less Than a Minute” and October 2015’s “WWE NXT: Bobby Roode, You’re Next.”

Before getting started, my buddy Matt is looking to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, so please take a second out of your day to check out all the information here:

http://fightcf.cff.org/site/TR/GreatStrides/38_Gateway_St_Louis?px=2424373&pg=personal&fr_id=4925

I made my donation two weeks ago (the deadline is late May). You should too.

Reader Feedback

Royberto: But a Chyna google search can bring up a ton of other stuff that has nothing to do with porn that is just as bad(public meltdowns, crashing a funeral, youtube shoots. Let’s not act like porn is the only bad thing that would come up in a search.

Exactly. All Triple H mentioned was bad things come up through a Google search. I actually did a quick Google search on Chyna, and as expected, a whole bunch of different negative articles came up. Mostly with all of her drug issues and erratic behavior. The adult films were simply there as a side note. Make no mistake, there were 101 reasons why she was not back in the WWE fold, with #101 being her movies.

Kill The King: So then what was HHH referring to about his 8 year old daughter typing Chyna on Google?…

I clearly outlined what Chyna has done the past fifteen years that warranted such comments from HHH. Seth Rollins, Vader, X-Pac, Scott Hall, Jake Roberts, and countless others have been in recent ‘controversial activities’ that come up through a Google search, yet they had their lives in order and were forgiven by WWE quickly. As Joe Hanson noted in the comment section – even Lana and Shawn Michaels have done some raunchy photo/video shoots in their past, which are readily available to find via Google. Seriously, the adult films are NOT the problem here. Far from it.

If you still don’t “get it,” re-read my column from last week one more time.

John: Good stuff

Thank you sir.

MattMez: It must be awesome to be Watry and know absolutely everything

Only sometimes. Other times…not so much.

GODZILLA: Watry, I completely give you my full support, as i feel this was extremely thought out and well written, which sometimes lack on this sites. All the Truth/Lies are spot on. and while fans love to hate Vince, Triple H, and steph, nobody but those three and Chyna know what happend. the fans, dirtsheets and other IWC columns can speculate, but the end of the day. Whatever happend, Happend. Just like nobody will ever really know what happend between Savage and Vince. just speculative

Appreciate that. Means a lot to me.

Benjamin J: “TNA being in financial trouble is clear as day to anybody paying attention.”

Everything is clear as day when you can look back at it in hindsight while crowing about how perceptive you are.

Except it isn’t hindsight. I have written about TNA Impact Wrestling every step of the way, and every step of the way, it gets worse and worse…as I said.

All in all, a solid and civil comment section last week. Kudos to all of you who participated in a sane conversation. For your reward, here is a video of a girl reacting to a MAJOR SPOILER FROM THE HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER SERIES FINALE back in 2014.

The fun starts at the 6:20 mark and again – major spoiler ahead…enjoy!

WWE Payback

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin – This was the ONE match prediction I got wrong all night. Unsurprisingly, this was the ONE match where the outcome made no sense. Coincidence? I think not. When I rag on and on and on about predictability being a good thing in professional wrestling, remember this bout where Dolph Ziggler beat Baron Corbin at WWE Payback 2016. You know, because um, UNPREDICTABLE SWERVES!!!!

Yay.

Kalisto vs. Ryback – Very entertaining. Big fan of these two. I normally do not even tune in for the Kickoff show for pay-per-view events, but this one had me intrigued. Would WWE continue with Kalisto or give the title belt to Ryback and jump start his heel run? Well, they stuck with the under dog champ, and that is fine. I loved the fact that Ryback went ‘all in’ on his antics in Chicago. Glad he did that, as his personality shows through more and more. Big thumbs up on this match. If you passed on watching, do yourself a favor and check it out.

The Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass – I predicted a victory for The Vaudevillains due to the Dudleyz interfering, but really, none of that mattered. What happened to Enzo was instantly scary, and you knew things had gone very, very wrong. His head smacked hard against the mat, and he was out. Knocked cold before he even hit the ground. Outcomes, fantasy booking, wrestling – throw that stuff out the window when an injury occurs. Positive thoughts and well wishes sent his way.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – Kudos to these two guys for getting the live crowd and viewing audience back into the show. Admittedly, there was a dark cloud hovering over this show for the remainder (Enzo’s injury), but credit to the performers who kept everything rolling. The show must go on, as they say.

As for Owens vs. Zayn? What is there to say? Incredible as expected. While I still feel they should have kick started their feud at the 2016 Royal Rumble and got a two-three month build towards WrestleMania 32, the consolation prize is they will battle many, many times in their WWE careers. Many times. This is just the beginning folks. Get used to it. Like John Cena vs. Randy Orton, they will never truly be “done” with each other.

That is why I had Kevin Owens winning and feel that was the right call. Sami Zayn is a natural born under dog. That is his current role on the roster. He is not the top guy who wins every single match and needs to be ‘protected’ by wins and losses. His heart, passion, and desire is more than enough to get the fans on his side when that time does come. Best of all? The talent is there! he will not need anything else out in that ring. With an opponent like Kevin Owens, that makes everything ten times easier to work with the crowd. Great stuff, correct finish, and excited for more in the future.

Cesaro vs. The Miz – Not much to note here. The Miz and Maryse play a perfect Hollywood couple (because they are one!), and fans love Cesaro right now. Easy to go with. The addition of Kevin Owens at the commentary table produced the predictable brawl with Sami Zayn, but that is okay. Keep in mind we have Extreme Rules to sell in three weeks. You knew things were not going to end here. For this feud or other feuds. Miz cheating to retain is the best option. His pairing with Maryse just started, no need to end that so soon, especially with the red carpet entrance. WWE can play that up for awhile.

Dean Ambrose vs. Chris Jericho – Eh, I don’t know. Good for Dean Ambrose finally getting a win on pay-per-view. That should happen once in a blue moon, right? I just…don’t know. Even though he was my prediction, the entire situation with Chris Jericho winning at WrestleMania 32, only to lose the following night AND at Payback now, it just makes even less sense than it did on April 3rd, 2016. If Jericho was going to be built up to battle Roman Reigns before he took another hiatus, I actually could have lived with the result a little bit more.

In hindsight though, the WM32 outcome is every bit as baffling as we (I) assumed at the time. It just goes back to my problem with SWERVES (!!!!) in professional wrestling. Really, do they ever make much sense minus the initial shock. Ambrose wins, Jericho teases another farewell (riiiiiight), and we are back to square one. I just don’t know.

Charlotte vs. Natalya – You know, if Bret Hart didn’t want to be there, then I wonder if he is going to cash that Payback check? I wonder. Sorry, but it bothers me he rips WWE to no end but has no problems going to the event and getting paid. Guaranteed he will be back on his podcast or whatever (I don’t listen) bashing Triple H and company within a week. Major props to everybody within WWE for basically just ignoring his negative comments and bringing him in when they need him but still – that check will still arrive. Bret Hart should donate his Payback payday to a charity or something if he truly isn’t doing it for WWE or if it was just to help out Natalya.

Just my two cents.

Honestly, as far as the match is concerned, I didn’t care much for the build. We already saw the Ric Flair/Bret Hart tease in NXT, and I know WWE wants to hold off on the big championship change, but get Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch back out there! This Chicago Screwjob junk was just that – junk. It almost makes me smile that they did that in front of Bret Hart. Almost a little “payback” if you will. Like it matters though – a rematch will probably occur, and Charlotte will retain.

McMahon drama – I have long said that if a promo/talking semgent occurs on pay-per-view, it had BETTER be worthwhile. Something major must go down. Otherwise, save it for RAW. Well, this ended up not being major or worth the 20 minutes wasted. As fun as the McMahons are and as wild as the fans are in Chicago, this 20 minutes could have gone to Emma vs. Becky Lynch, some League of Nations filler (save your laughs), or even more time for Owens vs. Zayn or the incredible main event.

If there was a big reveal or event, fine. Since there wasn’t, it was blah. Stephanie McMahon and her brother Shane will BOTH run Raw now! Ugh. The entire authority figure story line has gone on fifteen years too long. Thanks Attitude Era! It worked a grand total of ONE time, and now we will spent the rest of eternity trying to recreate that magic.

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles – Like I said above, incredible. Amazing. Spectacular. Phenomenal even! I was a huge fan of the hype for the Payback main event and enjoyed their bout immensely. Both played to their strengths, and the fans were right there with them from the word “Go!” A big fight feel indeed. As usual, all the pointless fantasy booking was a moot point because none of that stuff was in the cards. Reigns wins as clean as can be (as he should), and Styles will get a rematch in three weeks at Extreme Rules. I am not so sure we needed that announcement immediately afterwards, but it works. Both feel Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows got in their way, so they want to do it again. Hopefully, strictly one on one this time…in an Extreme Rules match…

…ha.

Bottom line: WWE has treated AJ Styles with nothing but respect – getting two ‘victories’ over the WWE World Champion during a PPV main event no less. Plus, he has already been set for yet another high profile showdown in three weeks. All the cynics and naysayers are awfully quiet right now. Unfortunately, nobody in their right mind thought he was winning the strap at Payback, and he shouldn’t have. Roman Reigns is THE GUY for WWE. That is not just a catchphrase or a slogan to put on merchandise. It’s the truth. He is not going anywhere ladies and gentlemen. I will repeat it for the next ten years if I must (John Cena garbage started in 2005/2006). He’s a main eventer, top champion, and all the loud booing and complaining online will not change the fact he is a big part of the future of the industry.

Believe THAT!

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Despite some of my snarky comments, I liked the show. Good stuff in the mid-card, better than anticipated United States Title bout, Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens, and a really intense main event that delivered the goods.

Column Tease For Next Week

Next week may be a bit of a ‘personal’ column for yours truly. I highly recommend truly giving it a chance and keeping an open mind. The death of Chyna has got me thinking about my wrestling fandom and future as well, so please give my column next week a read. You won’t want to miss it…

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