Well, Payback is over and it is time to review the booking of various matches and their impact in the upcoming months. Payback was touted to be the first PPV in a new era (don’t ask me , WWE has always considered things in eras) and it had high expectations heading into the PPV. Did it deliver in the eyes of fans? Absolutely, but it also had its bad patches (that is what we here to do, aren’t we?)
Payback had an explosive main event, some surreal moments, invigorating matches, unexpected surprises and a nasty remembrance of the past. All things considered, Payback could be touted as a good first attempt in building something new. The emotions were high heading into Payback, but when we came out it was just volatile.
But, let’s keep the excitement aside for a few minutes and analyze what went down at Payback with an unbiased eye. The bookings of major stars and what would be their impact on WWE in the upcoming months are always a fun to analyze and speculate.
Also read: Analysis of WrestleMania booking decisions here.
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Let’s get the obvious one out first. Enzo Amore’s unexpected injury at Payback was huge setback, both to him and the whole division. It was rumoured that the plan was for the Dudley Boyz to interrupt the match and cause Enzo and Cass the match. That would set up a feud between the two.
Meanwhile, we have New Day, who are the hottest act in the company, going against The Vaudevillains, the coldest act in the company, who have freshly defeated a fan favorite team in a cowardly manner. This makes a good heel vs face dynamic and this feud will provide the opportunity for The Vaudevillains to establish themselves, something they desperately need to do.
If the rumours are true then it would have been a good decision, but Enzo’s injury ruled it out. WWE has used Enzo’s injury as an excuse to book The Vaudevillains vs The New Day for the Extreme Rules PPV. But this has disrupted the plans WWE had. Now Dudley Boyz don’t have an opponent to participate against in Extreme Rules where they would obviously thrive and also Cass is on his own.
Verdict: –
Dolph Ziggler defeats Baron Corbin
Heading into the match, everyone mostly expected Dolph Ziggler to get the proverbial shoe drop and lie low for Baron Corbin to walk over him. But, WWE sensibly steered clear of it. A loss at this stage would have made Dolph Ziggler an invalid as his main event history is not that great. WWE sensed it and did the right thing here.
As for Baron Corbin, to speak frankly he didn’t need that win. Corbin worked as the heel and this was his first PPV on the main roster. Though some would argue that Corbin needed that win to look strong, that would have been a disaster. Corbin is not your normal heel, he is a heel who is arrogant, egotistical and most of all he does’t care about what any one thinks about him. Corbin’s strength lies in his character and look not in his win-loss record.
Corbin is a big guy and he can come of as intimidating even if he is through a rough patch. Unlike other heel big guys, Corbin is naturally menacing. The only thing Corbin needed at that stage was to establish how dangerous he could be. Considering how WWE booked the match, Dolph Ziggler barely survived the Corbin onslaught. Corbin all but destroyed Ziggler and toyed around with him before Ziggler stole the victory.
Ziggler, on the other hand, is a face who was in desperate need for a victory. The only thing going for Ziggler in that match was his experience as Corbin outmatched him in all other senses. So when a vily veteran meets a brash rookie, the veteran should win or else he will come off as an invalid. And Dolph’s star is not that bright at this juncture to try something new. WWE booked this match sensibly.
Moreover, Corbin wouldn’t come off any more stronger than he is now however the match ends. Corbin beating Ziggler at his top game would make him come out stronger. For that to happen, Ziggler should have some wins behind him (ask Apollo Crews how’s the winning streak helping him.)
Verdict: 3.5/5
Kalisto retains the US Championship
Ryback desperately needed that win. He was dominating Kalisto in all the house shows and he was most importantly tossing him around like a rag doll. But, Ryback couldn’t get the job done when it mostly matters. It was making Ryback as sort of invalid and incompetent. Ryback was in desperate need of a win at that moment, period.
But, there were other factors to be considered. John Cena is returning. Ryback’s contract is nearing its end. And Kalisto is the fan favorite. Ryback’s contract is the most major contributor to this decision. If Ryback is not willing to extend his stay in WWE whatever may be the reason, then Ryback winning the match would make no sense.
In case if Ryback had won and refused to extend his contract (he did the second one, alright), then there is a new champion and soon he should lose his title to someone before John Cena returns that makes two new champions in a row and John Cena capturing it will be lame. John Cena needs a strong opponent, not some inexperienced one-shot winner.
Kalisto’s win over Ryback just does that. Kalisto retains the championship to lose it to another big guy (preferably a heel), who will then feud with the franchise player for the championship. Kalisto is just an intermediary title holder to pass it on to the next guy who could feud with John Cena. So, making a new intermediary title holder doesn’t make sense.
Hence the decision was perfectly logical and WWE have moved Rusev to be the next big guy who could win the championship to have a feud with John Cena over the title. The duo has a certain chemistry and heedless of what happens it might be a good feud.
Verdict: 3/5
Owens beats Zayn
Frankly the result of this match didn’t matter. Considering the star powers, the match could have gone any way and WWE could have progressed the feud to the next level in a believable manner. That is the advantage you get when you book a proper feud like Zayn-Owens.
Considering that the result didn’t matter, let’s analyze the match in itself. The match had ample time and both Zayn and Owens utilized the time to good effect. Owens established himself as the perfect heel all through the match and Zayn was the tenacious babyface fans had supported all along.
Owens victory was rather a surprise to be frank. If Zayn had won, Owens could have attacked him after the match without much cause and extended the feud. But by making Owens win, WWE had put themselves in a difficult position to explain why a babyface Zayn would attack Owens. If it had been anyother superstars in question then it would have bade a big plot hole.
But Zayn and Owens rivalry is as personal as it could get and frankly fans don’t want Zayn-Owens feud to be over and this gave WWE some options to play around with and they took a bold risk. And it looks like it paid off.
Verdict: 3.5/5
The Miz retains the IC Championship
If it had been done any other way, then it would have been the stupidest decision. Cesaro was red hot and Owens had just beat Zayn and will be coming for his IC title. Miz retaining the championship at that stage would have been a disaster.
But, WWE improvised and it paid off. Having Zayn attack Owens and inadvertently cause Cesaro the match was really brilliant. Cesaro now has a bone to pick with Zayn, another babyface like him, and Miz has a legitimate reason to despise Owens, who is coming after his title.
The interference would have been a hindrance to the story in any other situation, but here it was just brilliant booking and from the response the fans had, it was sure that they loved it. At the end, we now have a match with four potential main-eventers and the scene around the title is pretty hot and most importantly interesting.
WWE has also some sensible booking here. These superstars could not be left out of the card for any reason. By booking them all into the same match, WWE has ensured another match could be added to the card and thus create new opportunities.
Verdict: 4.5/5
Ambrose beats Jericho
This feud has a tremendous potential if booked correct. Ambrose and Jericho are two of the best superstars WWE has to offer and WWE has to make sure that both of them are not damaged by the feud. Ambrose’s credibility has taken a hit after a disappointing performance against Lesnar when this feud began.
So naturally, the booking should end with Ambrose looking more stronger than ever. Jericho is known for putting over younger superstars, and WWE should not make it that obvious that he is putting over Ambrose (even though it is what he is doing.) So WWE had a potential blockbuster feud in its hand only if booked correctly.
The rivalry needed some heat and the feud was lacking that when it went into Payback. That made this match one of the forgettable matches of the night. WWE should have given them more time to work out a great match. The match was good, but not great considering the time given to work with. It was all Jericho and very little Ambrose.
Ambrose surviving Jericho’s onslaught was a good decision as Ambrose desperately needed it. And by booking Ambrose to win WWE has ensured that the feud carries on to the next level. This slow burn approach is good, but the problem here is that Ambrose has not come off any better than he was before. The feud, like the match, is all Jericho. And for God’s sake, Ambrose is a lunatic and let’s hope he shows that side more often than not.
On a side note, inserting Ambrose Asylum and humiliating Jericho by taking his show off is a good plus.
Verdict: 3/5
Charlotte retains her Women’s Championship
WWE sometimes does the wrong things for the right reasons. And this is the best example of it. The Women’s Revolution in WWE (don’t fault me, I can’t call them divas any longer) needed something that turned every eye in the world to them. They needed the attention very simple and how WWE gets it – Chicago Screwjob.
But the problem with this screwjob is that it came as the lamest rip off one can perform. Even WWE thinks it is lame and that is why they haven’t included it in their “Anti-Wrestler Conspiracies” list in the recent video they released. And it has hurt the division more than anything else could.
Women’s Revolution is built upon the credibility of performers and not on the other aspects of wrestling. This was mainly aimed to bring heat on Women’s Champion Charlotte, but it didn’t succeed. The decision to make Natalya lose was a sound one, but WWE executed it poorly.
The execution has not only hurt the rivalry but also the entire women’s division as a whole. WWE should concentrate on building more simultaneous rivalries(though they are in process, nothing solid has come off it) rather than trying bring up the past. I mean, this is a new era, right?
Verdict: 2/5
Vince McMahon announces his decision
Vince McMahon had always made fool of the fans and this instance was not an exception. WWE has teased the brand split for too long and the right time for that to happen should have been at Payback. Not only did WWE didn’t do that, they thought they could get away with anything.
This sort of thinking is the reason why WWE is at this stage currently. They think they are omnipotent and take the fans for granted. Once the Monday Night Wars were over, there wasn’t any major competition to WWE and this has made them relaxed and a tad bit arrogant. Frankly, Vince’s decision was insulting the intelligence of fans.
Instead of creating an in-house friction over the entire roster, Vince has limited it to a power struggle, and we have seen a lot of power struggles over the period. This is going to end with one party on power at last and if I am not mistaken it would eventually be The Authority. Frankly, we don't know how long Shane is going to stick around and The Authority will prevail this like it always had. Vince should have chosen one or the other and invoked the brand split straight away.
The friction between Shane – Stephanie has potential though. WWE should employ it correctly and thus create something out of it. But all we can do is to wait and see how WWE goes with this.
Verdict: 2.5/5
Roman Reigns retains his WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Roman’s victory over AJ wasn’t unexpected, but WWE had executed it perfectly. And the decision to extend their feud to the next PPV has increased the interest in the fans after a long time. Now at last, we have a solid feud with explosive elements and lot of chance to groom the characters into a perfect mold. And that is best for business.
Roman’s new shade of character was built correctly leading to Payback. The problem was Styles and his association with Gallows and Anderson. WWE is hesitating to make them an official stable and Finn Balor’s potential main roster debut is not making it that simple. Lot of fans may be perplexed why WWE is not making them an official stable. Let me explain.
WWE can’t leave out Finn and make the stable. If they have to do, then it puts Balor and Styles under the same roof, but who will be the leading element. Turning Styles a heel this early is also not good and WWE can’t put all their eggs in one basket. My guess is that WWE will wait until Finn is ready to debut and will make Gallows and Anderson turn on Styles.
That would create a stellar feud for Styles to go on with, when Roman can get ahead with defending his championship against another opponent. That way everyone becomes the winner and it is my hope WWE is building this feud to that point. If my guess is correct than Extreme Rules is where Gallows and Anderson turn on Styles claiming he has become soft.
On the other hand, this decision and the execution has left a lot of opportunities for WWE to cement Reigns as a champion and eventually turn him into heel. WWE has booked this feud brilliantly and Shane and Stephanie interfering with the match to establish their power was a great way to start off their friction.
Verdict: 4/5
Overall PPV Verdict: 3.5/5
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