Kickoff Show:
Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler
This match was moved to the Kickoff show. For weeks, Corbin has been attacking Ziggler from behind and hitting the End of Days on him outside the ring. The general consensus was that Baron Corbin would dominate Ziggler and win this match. However, Ziggler stole a victory by rolling up Baron Corbin. I was expecting Corbin to flip out and attack Ziggler after the match, but that didn’t happen. He just stood in the ring shocked that he lost. The only possible way for this storyline to continue is for Corbin to attack Ziggler tomorrow night on Raw.
United States Championship Match: Ryback vs Kalisto(c)
Before the match, Ryback mocked CM Punk’s entrance, which the Chicago crowd absolutely hated. Ryback dominated the match early but came back and wound up getting the win via the Salida del Sol. This was surprising to me, I thought for sure Ryback would get the victory. It will be interesting to see who the WWE has in store to chase the United States Championship next. Ryback seems like a lost cause, unless the WWE puts him in the main-event scene. That seems like a long-shot right now.
Main Card:
Tag Team #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Enzo & Cass vs The Vaudevillians
The New Day took in this match outside the ring while enjoying pizza and popcorn. It quickly turned into a really serious situation where Enzo got injured. At first I thought it was part of the show because they cut to a camera that was extremely close to Enzo and they showed the replay several times. However, it became abundantly clear that this was a real injury and the match was declared over.
Never a good way to start off any event. Hope Enzo is okay #WWEPayback #1Contender
— Nick Fraser (@Nick_Fraser98) May 2, 2016
Couldn't have happened at a worse time for Enzo & Cass. Really hope Enzo is okay and not seriously injured
— Colt – WWE Coverage (@WWEColt) May 2, 2016
This makes me really sad. I really hope Enzo is okay. #WWEPayback
— Melanie Tettleton (@SportsQueen_5) May 2, 2016
Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn
This was a terrible spot to be put in because the crowd was pretty much taken out of the show for a bit due to the Enzo injury. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn completely saved the show and got the crowd back into it by putting on an incredible match. It was back and forth the entire time and the crowd broke out the “Yes!” chant when both performers were down just to show how much they were enjoying the match. Kevin Owens got the victory over Sami Zayn.
After the match, Kevin Owens says he wants his Intercontinental Championship back. He joined the announcer’s table for the Miz vs Cesaro match.
Does it get any better than Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens?? I don't think so! #WWEPayback
— Kenny McIntosh (@KennyMc1985) May 2, 2016
Intercontinental Championship Match: Cesaro vs The Miz (c)
While Kevin Owens was insulting Michael Cole and Byron Saxton, the Miz and Cesaro had a good match. The finish to the match was a wild one. Sami Zayn came back out to the ring and attacked Kevin Owens. Cesaro had the Miz in the swing for twenty rotations then locked him in the cross-face. The Miz tapped out but the referee was distracted due to Zayn and Owens fighting outside the ring. Cesaro jumped up to get the refs attention but the Miz rolled Cesaro up and held on to his tights for the victory. After the match, Cesaro attacked the Miz but was quickly kicked in the head by Owens. Kevin Owens then proceeded to beatdown everyone and then raised the Intercontinental Championship over his head.
After this match, one could assume that Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Kevin Owens will all be fighting to be the number one contender for the Miz’s belt.
.@FightOwensFight @iLikeSamiZayn @mikethemiz @WWECesaro
Got most of hour 1 at #WWEPayback. Nice. #MaximizeYourMinutes
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) May 2, 2016
Chris Jericho vs Dean Ambrose
Chris Jericho dominated a lot of this match but Dean Ambrose wouldn’t stay down. The previous two matches had worn the crowd out so they were quiet at the beginning at this match. However, the crowd got into the match towards the end. Dean Ambrose hit the Dirty Deeds on Jericho for the win. After the match, Jericho threw a fit and started kicking the steel stairs and throwing random things around.
Women’s Championship Match: Natalya vs Charlotte (c)
The crowd erupted when Bret Hart made his way to the ring. Natalya had made Charlotte tap out to the Sharpshooter a few times in previous weeks, but that was not the case tonight. Instead we had the 2016 version of the Montreal Screwjob, with referee Charles Robinson being the culprit. Charlotte got Natalya into the Sharpshooter and Charles Robinson called for the bell for no reason as Natalya did not tap out. Bret Hart locked the Sharpshooter in on Ric Flair and Natalya did the same on Charlotte. I’m sure on Monday Night Raw we will learn why Charles Robinson screwed the Harts over. The WWE Universe did not find out tonight as Charles Robinson quickly exited the arena. It is almost the fastest we’ve ever seen Charles Robinson move.
Vince McMahon Announces Who Will Be In Charge of Monday Night Raw
Before Vince could even say a word, the Chicago crowd greeted him with a very loud “CM Punk!” chant. Eventually, Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon joined Vince in the ring. The crowd clearly wanted Vince to announce Shane as the new Raw GM but that didn’t exactly happen. Instead, Vince said that they are both in charge from now on. There have been rumors of another brand-split but that doesn’t appear to be the case. They will both be in charge and I’m sure Monday Night Raw will be full of shenanigans tomorrow night.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns (c)
Chicago is not a fan of Roman Reigns. It seems like no crowd likes Roman Reigns nowadays. Tonight, the crowd was chanting “Roman sucks!” all throughout the match. AJ Styles was getting cheered loudly. The match ended with AJ Styles hitting the Phenomenal Forearm and Roman Reigns got counted out. Thankfully, Shane McMahon came out and ordered the match to restart, but with no count-outs. Then Roman Reigns accidentally hit AJ Styles with a low-blow and Reigns was disqualified, but retained his title. However, Stephanie McMahon came out and announced the match will restart and it is now a no disqualification match.
Now that it was no disqualification, it left the door open for Gallows and Anderson to interfere. They came down and laid a beatdown on Roman Reigns which led to AJ Styles hitting another Phenomenal Forearm. Roman Reigns was able to get his foot on the rope which saved him from being pinned. The Usos came out and leveled the playing field by attacking Gallows and Anderson. Several more false-finishes followed between Styles and Reigns. In the end, it was Roman Reigns getting victory via the Spear.
After the match, it is announced by Shane and Stephanie McMahon that AJ Styles will get a rematch at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules in three weeks.
What a battle! @WWERomanReigns retains the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in an incredible title match pic.twitter.com/w6zOIp7YNo
— WWE Australia (@WWEAustralia) May 2, 2016
"ROMAN REIGNS RETAINS THE WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE!"#wwepayback pic.twitter.com/2yI3aQxTyy
— What a Maneuver! (@WAManeuver) May 2, 2016
Final Thoughts: WWE Payback started out on a really scary note with Enzo getting injured. Later in the evening, it was revealed that he suffered a concussion and thankfully not something more severe. There were several great matches on the show and even though the main-event was clunky, it was still a very entertaining match. Once again, there was no Finn Balor debut, which has been speculated for the past week. What did you think of WWE Payback? Let us know in the comments below.
