WWE Payback 2015

RATING LEVELS:

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

Payback – May 2015

Baltimore, Maryland

COMMENTATORS: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Going into tonight's show, Seth Rollins is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, the Intercontinental Championship has been vacated, John Cena holds the United States Championship, and the Divas Title is held by Nikki Bella. The New Day are the Tag Team Champions.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus was our opening contest. From the get-go, this was lightning quick and high impact, with Sheamus eventually slowing things via a nicely worked headlock. These two have magnificent chemistry and its always good to see them get time to show what they can do, but paired up so many times over the years, I do feel like their matches bleed into each other to form a record of very good matches, but none that stand out specifically. The finish of this match will distinguish it, but only because of the gusher Ziggler suffered. (3/5)

The New Day vs. Cesaro and Kidd WWE Tag Team Championship contest was many peoples' "Match of the Night" at Extreme Rules. This time around it is a 2-out-of-3 falls match and the participants were given a few more minutes to showcase their abilities (though arguably not enough to give the 2-out-of-3 stip real meaning). In terms of filling the time they did get, they didn't disappoint either, putting together an array of excellent sequences and double-team maneuvers. The crowd was hot for the entire match, thanks in large part to some classic heel crowd-bashing before the bell, a nice and much-needed touch. Other highlights included Cesaro's' uppercut barrage, Big E tossing Tyson Kidd around with ease, and Xavier Woods providing ridiculous "commentary" from the outside, shouting "Freedbird Rule!" to get into the match and "We Are Aware" when the crowd started chanting "This is Awesome." Really fun match that I enjoyed more than their previous bout, but still wouldn't call an all-time classic. (3.5/5)

Ryback vs. Bray Wyatt was next and while I wouldn’t call this match “great,” it was definitely better than good considering the criticisms that I (and others) have lobbed against both guys’ in-ring work. Ryback and Wyatt played to their strengths, hitting each other with stiff clotheslines and tackles, not bothering with any technicality. I like when Wyatt pulls out more character work (as he did in his series with Cena), but I understand that there are those that find those details grating when done in excess. There were a few bright spots in the match – Wyatt’s senton onto a prone Ryback, the aforementioned clotheslines – but I didn’t adore the finish, which I thought was good in theory but just a bit undercooked in execution. Others have written that these two came out with something to prove and did that - I’d second that statement.  (3/5)

The United States Championship was on the line in the next bout – John Cena  defending against Rusev in an “I Quit” Match. Cena oversold a bit early for me, but one can’t say Rusev doesn’t come off as more impressive because of it. Rusev drew great heat through his interactions with Lana, enticing the already hot crowd to boo him despite 50% of the audience hating Cena passionately. Mike Chioda’s incessant questioning of Cena was a necessary evil, a reminder of the gimmick of the match but ludicrous when you consider how many of these bouts Chioda has reffed and how Cena, to my knowledge, has never lost one. The suspense of the match heightened once Rusev introduced the steel steps, both guys hitting signature moves onto the prop, but after that, the big spots were all a bit cliché. We saw Cena hit Rusev with a tackle through the barricade, Rusev tossed into a pyrotechnic display, and the turnbuckle itself used a weapon. Compared to a half dozen other I Quit matches from the past few years, this one didn’t offer too many innovations…but compared to the other Cena/Rusev matches, which mostly stayed inside the ring, I did like how Cena and Rusev changed things up by brawling in the crowd and utilizing multiple weapons (tables, ring ropes, the steel gate that Rusev suplexed Cena through). The finish was Lana, seeing her man in despair, throwing in the towel – an ending that many fans predicted – but even with the predictability of the conclusion, both men’s hard work throughout (and the hot crowd) helped elevate this one well above average. (3.5/5)

The Bellas took on Tamina and Naomi in the next contest. Nikki Bella was the best performer in the match by a good distance. This was nothing more than filler worthy of a TV show, not a Network special. The dead crowd didn’t help, but what could the WWE expect? Following Cena/Rusev would be difficult for just about any match. The bright spot of the match was the finish – if the Bellas are going to be babyfaces, it makes perfect sense that Nikki, distracted by seeing her sister taken out on the outside, would fall prey to a quick pin by Naomi. I am not hungry to see Naomi/Nikki one-on-one again, nor am I ultra-excited by the return of Paige, but by SummerSlam, I would not be surprised to see an NXT call-up come in to shake things up. It is certainly needed. (1.5/5)

King of the Ring Winner Bad News Barrett faced rival Neville in the next match. Like Ziggler/Sheamus and Rusev/Cena, this match’s strongest selling point is the chemistry these two have together. The crowd was not electric, but, to me, that's based more on neither guy being incredibly over than it is on a lack of effort. I didn’t mind the count-out/forfeit finish – especially if the WWE wisely let's Barrett play up his arrogance and belief that Neville is not worthy of wrestling him. What I didn’t like was the post-match shenanigans, an unnecessary add-on that didn’t further the rivalry in an interesting way. (2.5/5)

Main event time – Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose for Rollins’ WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I enjoyed this match from the outset, with Reigns looking more comfortable in the ring during this match than any since his Shield days. Coincidence that he was sharing the ring with his former partners? Not at all. This was Reigns in his element: multi-man matches where his big spots can be highlighted and others can take the attention away from him when necessary. I’ve read and heard criticism about Kane’s early involvement - that it took away from the “suspense” of seeing which side of the fence he was on - but I actually found his interference  immensely more interesting than the “Would He? Won’t He?” drama at Extreme Rules. Kane’s prominent role in this storyline has not been captivating (and ratings would indicate it hasn’t been intriguing to many others either), so the faster we got to the conclusion of his beef with Rollins the better. Kane was used as the match’s multi-time spoiler, a role that he got good heat from, but also put him far from the spotlight, allowing the actual participants an opportunity to shine. With everyone working hard and working well, this match was easily one of the best 4-ways I’ve ever seen, a match that might be a shocking finalist for Match of the Year honors when all is said and done. (4/5)

With an average match rating of 3-out-of-5, Payback was a a return to form for the WWE. While WrestleMania XXXI was great, as a whole, I wasn’t a huge fan of Extreme Rules, FastLane, or the Survivor Series. TLC (and Stairs) and the Rumble were mixed bags, their peaks surpassing anything we saw at Payback, but their lows fell far below those of this show. The main event and opener were strong bookends, while Cena/Rusev served as the perfect midcard anchor. Ryback/Wyatt exceeded my expectations and the tag title match delivered (again) in the time given. The worst matches of the night, Bellas/Naomi & Tamina and Neville/Barrett, were “TV matches,” but they wouldn’t be out of place on RAW or Smackdown – it’s not like these were purposeless Jakked-level throwaways like we saw in 2014 whenever Adam Rose or Bo Dallas appeared. Not an all-time classic, but certainly a respectable showing for a roster still smarting a bit from the post-Mania hangover.

FINAL RATING - Watch It…With Remote in Hand