From The Network – WWE Payback 2016

WWE Payback 2016
5-1-16
Chicago, IL

Your hosts are Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton.

Preshow

Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler fires away and Corbin sends him sternum first into the corner hard to come back. Corbin works over Ziggler and he hot shots Ziggler onto the top rope. He continues work over Ziggler and again, Corbin sends sternum first into the corner to cut him off. Half nelson by Corbin but Ziggler fights out. Sleeper by Ziggler but Corbin rolls out of it. Fameasser by Ziggler gets 2. They head to the floor and Ziggler leaps off the steps but Corbin catches him with a big boot. Corbin ally-oops Ziggler into the post and back in, he takes too long to toy with Ziggler, allowing Ziggler to catch him with a roll-up for 3!!!
Winner- Dolph Ziggler **1/2 ( Surprisingly solid match to kick things off. Ziggler sold all of Corbin’s stuff extremely well and made him look like a dominant force. I had no problem with the finish either as Corbin is designed to be too cocky for his own good and it cost him in his big match on the main roster. )

WWE United States Championship- Kalisto © vs. Ryback
Ryback rams Kalisto into the mat a few times and Kalisto comes back with a monkey flip, forcing Ryback to bail. Suicide dive by Kalisto and he follows up with a springboard corkscrew plancha to the floor!!! Back in, Ryback blocks a Tornado DDT and he hits a suplex for 2 as we go to break.
Back and Ryback grabs a chin lock. Kalisto fights out but Ryback cuts him off with a back elbow for 2. Ryback sends Kalisto shoulder first into the post and Kalisto comes back with a springboard Tornado DDT. Enzuigiri by Kalisto and he catches Ryback with a DDT on the apron!!!! Springboard cross body by Kalisto gets 1 and he hits a springboard twisting battery ram for 2. Code Red by Kalisto gets 2. Spin kick by Kalisto and he hits the snap hurricanrana for 2. Kalisto rolls Ryback up for 2 and Ryback catches him with a spine buster for 2!!! Ryback goes up but Kalisto catches him with an enzuigiri and follows up. RYBACK TAKES HIM OFF THE TOP WITH A SUPER PRESS SLAM!!! Ryback goes back up for a flying splash but he misses. Solida Del Sol by Kalisto gets 3!!!
Winner and Still WWE United States Champion- Kalisto ***1/2 ( Man, Kalisto has been king of the preshow lately. This was even better than their WrestleMania outing, as Kalisto was a ball of fire, flying all over the place and hitting some spectacular maneuvers. Ryback was a great base for him and he kicked his intensity up another level as well. Crowd was molten hot throughout, which is a great sign for the rest of the show. )

Main Show

WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament Finals- Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch)
The New Day come out to watch the match at ringside in a makeshift living room. Gotch and Enzo start. Gotch overpowers Enzo to start but Enzo comes back with a dropkick. Tag to English and Cass. Cass works him over in the corner and Enzo tags in. Cass tosses him into both members of the Vaudevillians and he presses Enzo onto English for 2. Tag to Gotch and he goes to send Enzo to the floor but he lands in the ropes and takes a nasty spill to the floor!!!! The ref checks on Enzo and he’s out cold. The replay shows Enzo’s head snapping off the ropes and on the mat before crashing to the floor. The ref calls off the mat and they go to the announcers as the medical team checks on Enzo.
Match ends in a No-Contest NR ( Yeah, there’s no way to review this after what happened to Enzo. Luckily we found out that he was able to move his body and may have only suffered a concussion, which is good news considering it seemed way worse as it happened. )

Video package for Owens/Zayn airs.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
They slug it out and Zayn dumps Owens to the floor. Summersault plancha to the floor by Zayn!!! Zayn sends Owens into the barricade and back in, Owens snaps Zayn’s neck off the ropes. Leg lariat by Zayn gets 1. Tilt-a-whirl head scissors by Zayn and Owens pulls him off the apron to come back. He sends Zayn into the steps and back in, Owens covers for 2. Owens grabs a chin lock but Zayn fights out. Gordbuster on the top rope by Owens and he follows up with a back senton for 2. Zayn fires back but Owens comes him off with a back elbow. Zayn answers right back with a lariat. Another lariat by Zayn turns Owens inside out. Punches in the corner by Zayn and he catches Owens with the Michinoku Driver for 2. Blue Thunder Bomb by Zayn gets 2!!! Pump handle back breaker by Owens gets 2. Owens goes up and hits the Frog Splash for 2!!! Corner lariat by Owens and he follows up with the Cannonball in the corner. A second one by Owens and he goes for the Pop Up power bomb but Zayn catches him with a dropkick. Half and half suplex by Zayn but Owens comes right back with a lariat!!! They trade blows and Zayn catches him with a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2. Zayn goes for the assisted Tornado DDT but Owens blocks with a back breaker!!! They slug it out on the apron and Owens goes for a power bomb but Zayn counters with a backdrop on the apron!!!!! Zayn leaps through the ropes and hits the Tornado DDT onto the floor!!!! Back in, Owens catches Zayn with the super kick and he hits the Pop up Powerbomb for 3!!!
Winner- Kevin Owens ****1/4 ( Shocker, these two had a killer match. This was intense and physical right from the opening bell and you saw both men getting more desperate as the match progressed, throwing stuff at each other at a quicker pace to try and put the other away. The final stretch was phenomenal, playing off the apron power bomb from a year and a half ago and I loved the little touch of Zayn attempting the Helluva Kick once and not connecting, as they’re smart enough to play off that in a future match. Just tremendous stuff all around. )

Owens dumps Zayn to the floor after the match and Owens tells Byron Saxton to interview him. He orders Saxton to ask him about beating Zayn and Saxton asks if the rivalry is over. Owens celebrates his victory and declares he is officially the better man. Owens says he can now refocus on getting the WWE Intercontinental Championship back. Owens decides he’ll do commentary for the Intercontinental Championship match.

WWE Intercontinental Championship- The Miz w/Maryse © vs. Cesaro
Crucifix by Cesaro gets 2 and he hits a gut wrench suplex for 2. Tilt-a-whirl back breaker by Cesaro gets 2. Miz goes up but Cesaro catches him with a dropkick, knocking him to the apron. Maryse prevents the dead lift suplex and Miz catches him with a double axe handle off the top onto the bad shoulder of Cesaro for 2. Miz works over the shoulder of Cesaro and he hits a suplex for 2. Arm bar by Miz but Cesaro fights out. Back breaker into the neck breaker by Miz gets 2. Sunset flip by Cesaro gets 2 and Miz catches Cesaro in the sleeper. Cesaro powers out into a suplex to break!!! Uppercuts by Cesaro and he hits some running uppercuts into the corner. Running dropkick by Cesaro gets 2. Miz goes up but Cesaro catches him with an uppercut and brings him in with a dead lift suplex for 2. Cesaro rolls Miz up for 2 and he hits the springboard uppercut. Cesaro presses Miz into the European Uppercut for 2 as Miz gets his foot on the ropes. Backslide by Cesaro gets 2 and Miz sends him shoulder first into the post. Skull Crushing Finale by Miz gets 2!!! Sami Zayn comes out and attacks Owens at the commentary table!!!! Spinebuster by Cesaro and it’s time for the CESARO SWING~!!!! He catches Miz in the Crossface and he starts tapping but the ref deals with Owens and Zayn fighting on the apron. Cesaro knocks them off, allowing Miz to roll him up with the tights for 3!!! All four men continue to brawl after the match, with Owens standing tall.
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion- The Miz ***1/4 ( Fun match that showcased the freakish strength of Cesaro and put Owens and Zayn into the title picture without interrupting the flow of the match. Good set-up for the four way program and a great showing from Cesaro who continues his roll since he returned.)

Video package for Ambrose/Jericho airs.

Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose
Ambrose attacks to start and he chops away on Jericho. Jericho bails to regroup but Ambrose chases him back into the ring. Cross body by Ambrose and Jericho backdrops him to the floor. Baseball slide by Jericho and he tries to roll Ambrose back in but Ambrose catches him with the rebound lariat. Back in, Jericho gord busters Ambrose onto the top rope and follows up with a springboard dropkick knocking him off the apron. Back in, Jericho hits a suplex and he goes to the chin lock. Ambrose fights out but Jericho catches him with a dropkick for 2. Jericho slingshots Ambrose in the ropes and he grabs a standing surfboard. Ambrose fights out and blocks a bulldog, sending Jericho crashing into the corner. Ambrose cleans house and he catches Jericho with a Tornado DDT for 2. Jericho goes up and hits a double axe handle off the top onto Ambrose. Ambrose blocks the Walls of Jericho and he hits a swinging neck breaker for 2. Corner forearm into the bulldog by Ambrose gets 2. Ambrose goes up for the standing flying elbow but Jericho blocks. He catches Ambrose in the Walls of Jericho but Ambrose makes the ropes. Ambrose dumps Jericho to the floor and he catches Jericho with the suicide dive to the floor!!! Ambrose goes for Dirty Deeds on the announce table but Jericho blocks. He CATAPULTS AMBROSE INTO THE TIMEKEEPER’S AREA!!!! Ambrose makes it back in before the 10 count and Ambrose blocks the Codebreaker. Jawbreaker Lariat by Ambrose gets 2!!! Ambrose goes up but Jericho stops him and follows up. He knocks Ambrose down to the floor and Ambrose snaps Jericho’s neck off the ropes to block the springboard dropkick. Ambrose goes up and hits the standing flying elbow for 2. Ambrose puts Jericho on top and follows up. Jericho fights him off again and he leaps but Ambrose blocks. They trade counters and Jericho catches Ambrose in the Walls of Jericho again!!! Ambrose counters with a small package for 2 and Jericho hits an enzuigiri for 2. Butterfly back breaker by Ambrose gets 2. Ambrose fires back but Jericho cuts him off with a back elbow. Lionsault eats knees and he catches Jericho with the Dirty Deeds for 3!!!
Winner- Dean Ambrose ***3/4 ( This match played to Jericho’s current strengths more than the majority of the Styles matches and it made for one hell of a contest. They worked much stiffer than you would normally see, it worked a slower paced that was built on drawn out near falls and intensity rather than flashy sequences like Jericho tried to do in the Styles series. This was another great outing for Ambrose who has been the clear MVP of WWE PPVs so far this year. )

AJ Styles declares he will win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on his own.

WWE Women’s Championship- Charlotte w/Ric Flair © vs. Natalya w/Bret Hart
They grapple to start and Charlotte bails when Natalya attempts the Sharpshooter. Back in, Charlotte catches Natalya with a swinging neck breaker for 2. Cravat by Charlotte but Natalya starts to fight out so Charlotte drives her back down to the mat. Chops by Charlotte but Natalya comes back with a release German suplex for 2. Charlotte works over the leg of Natalya but Natalya catches her with a small package for 2. Half crab by Charlotte but Natalya counters with a cross arm breaker but Charlotte goes to the ropes to block. Suplex into the ropes by Charlotte and she goes up. Natalya shoves her to the floor to block and she attempt to catch Natalya with a power bomb on the floor but Natalya counters with a hurricanrana. Back in, Charlotte catches Natalya with a big boot for 2. Charlotte goes for the Figure-8 but Natalya blocks. Discus lariat by Natalya gets 2. Back breaker by Charlotte and she hits Natural Selection for 2. Charlotte goes up and hits the moonsault for 2!!! Figure-4 by Charlotte but Natalya turns it over, so Charlotte gets to the ropes to break. Charlotte grabs the Sharpshooter and the ref calls for the bell!!! He quickly grabs the championship and hands it to Charlotte before bailing. Bret nails Flair and he and Natalya grab Sharpshooters on the Flairs!!!
Winner and Still WWE Women’s Champion- Charlotte *** ( The match was solid. It wasn’t as good as their match from Roadblock as Natalya never really made a comeback and the idea was that she was almost too tough for Charlotte to put away, hence the need for the screw job. That being said, using the Montreal Screwjob for this finish was lame on so many levels. It’s one of the worst reused finishes in wrestling, it comes across as cheesy and incredibly lame. If this was the route they were going, then Bret didn’t need to be involved here, he would have been better suited for the rematch as a result of this as an equalizer to Flair in retaliation for the return of the screw job on his niece. The finish was incredibly stupid from a logical standpoint and it shows the laziness and lack of creativity from the creative team to get out of a finish here. )

Mr. McMahon comes out and plays off the crowd’s “CM Punk” chants. He brings out Stephanie McMahon who thanks everyone for their support when she was speared by Roman Reigns. She takes credit for the success of WrestleMania and the influx of new stars. She claims Shane will undo all the good things the Authority has done and business will go down under his watch. She says the years of experience leave Vince with one choice as to who should control Raw, and that’s Stephanie. Shane McMahon comes out and Shane shows off all the positive headlines the WWE has received since he took over in the last month. Shane says that his match at WrestleMania drew a ton of interest and helped the success of the show. Shane says the people speak for him and the crowd cheers for him. Vince says he doesn’t listen to anyone but himself and he declares that Shane and Stephanie will both have equal control of Raw. All of that just for that decision. Wonderful.

Video package for Reigns/Styles airs.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship- Roman Reigns © vs. AJ Styles
Reigns uses his power to block Styles’ offense early so Styles throws a kick to the leg to send a message. Styles uses his quickness to get the better of Reigns and he bails when Reigns goes after him in frustration. Back in, Reigns trucks Styles, sending him back to the floor. Back in, they catch each other with blows and Reigns DRILLS Styles with a clothesline!!! Reigns rolls Styles into a dead lift power bomb and he hits a sit-out power bomb for 2. Reigns goes for the Superman Punch but Styles blocks with an enzuigiri. Styles fires away and he catches Reigns with a basement forearm for 2. DVD back breaker by Styles gets 2. Styles looks to springboard but Reigns catches him. Styles escapes his clutches and grabs the Calf Crusher but Reigns quickly gets to the ropes to break. Reigns bails to the floor so STYLES HITS A PHENOMINAL FOREARM TO THE FLOOR THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!!!!!! Styles tries to roll Reigns back in but can’t do it, so he just rolls in and takes the count-out win!!!
BUT WAIT!!!! Shane McMahon comes out and says that this won’t fly in the New Era, so Shane wants the match to restart with no count-outs!!!! Styles rolls Reigns in and he goes up. Reigns rolls away from Styles, forcing Styles to come back down. Jaw breaker by Reigns and Styles comes back with the Pele. Styles goes up for the 450 splash but it eats knees and Reigns covers for 2. Styles leaps off the second rope but Reigns nails him low for the DQ!!!
BUT WAIT!!! Now Stephanie McMahon comes out and restarts the match with No DQ rules and there must be a winner!!! Styles fires back on Reigns but Reigns knocks him to the floor to cut him off. Reigns works Styles over on the floor and he dumps Styles into the front row. Reigns follows out so Styles catches him with a leaping clothesline knocks Reigns right back to ringside. Styles hits a guillotine knee drop onto the announce table on Reigns!!! Back in, STYLES GOES FOR THE PHENOMINAL FOREARM BUT REIGNS BLOCKS WITH THE SUPERMAN PUNCH~!!!!! Reigns covers for 2!!! SUPERMAN PUNCH~!!!! Anderson and Gallows come out and pull Styles to the floor to save him from the Spear. They attack Reigns and lay him out with the Boot of Doom. Styles catches Reigns with the Phenominal Forearm for 2 as Reigns gets his foot on the ropes!!! The Usos come out and they brawl with Anderson and Gallows. Styles goes up but Reigns shoves him off the top onto everyone on the floor!!!! SUICIDE PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR BY REIGNS!!!! Styles catches Reigns with a Phenomenal Forearm off the barricade and back in, Styles hits the springboard 450 splash for 2!!! Styles goes for the Styles Clash but Reigns backdrops him to the apron to block. Styles snaps his neck off the apron and he springboards in but Reigns moves. Spear by Reigns gets 3!!!
Winner and Still WWE World Heavyweight Champion- Roman Reigns **** ( I loved the in-ring action here. Styles was just flying all over the place and they had some exchanges where they caught each other off guard that just looked incredible. The Usos/Anderson/Gallows interference didn’t bug me at all, as it never played into the finish and continues to build that storyline without being a detriment to the match. However, I HATED the restarts and it was made even more annoying when we just sat through a boring segment literally minutes before with Shane and Stephanie and their angle shouldn’t have crossed passed with this match. That being said, the effort of Reigns and Styles overcame that and they had a great main event that should be even better next month when the overbooking is hopefully significantly reduced. )

The McMahons discuss how great the match was and Vince congrats Shane and Stephanie on their decisions. Vince thinks Styles should have a rematch and Shane says it should be an Extreme Rules Match at Extreme Rules. Stephanie supports the decision.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

This was probably my favorite WWE PPV in months. The entire card was filled with great wrestling, all the match-ups felt fresh and despite using the term over and over again throughout the show, it does feel like a new era in terms of what we are seeing in the ring from the promotion. They still can't help themselves from a creative standpoint, as they were really rolling prior to the women's title match but then they did yet another Montreal Screwjob finish and we had to sit through a dull segmeent that kept the McMahons in an authority role, which goes against everything they have been hyping with their "New Era" campaign. Thankfully, on this night the in-ring work overshadowed some of the poor booking decisions and I can easily recommend this show. Obviously they still have some work to do in creating true change in the company but this show was a rare positive sign for the future.