WWE Payback 2023 was the seventh edition in the Payback chronology. The event took place on Saturday, September 2, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania. It was the first Payback since the 2020 edition of the event and the first to be streamed on Peacock TV. The event was hosted by WWE Superstar John Cena, who also served as the special guest referee in the Miz vs. LA Knight match.
The inaugural edition of Payback was held in 2013. Payback replaced No Way Out in the mid-June slot of WWE's 2013 pay-per-view calendar. It was then moved to the May Slot in 2015. Then in 2016, WWE decided to swap the Payback with its Extreme Rules event. The 2017 edition of Payback was moved to the late-April slot of WWE's pay-per-view calendar. It was also made into a Raw-exclusive pay-per-view event.
The annual chronology of the event was quietly dropped following the 2017 event. The event was brought back three years later in 2020. At the event, Roman Reigns won the Universal Championship by pinning Braun Strowman in a match that also involved then-champion 'Fiend' Bray Wyatt. Payback was dropped again following the event and brought back three years later in 2023.
An impressive feat here is that Roman Reigns will walk into Payback 2023 as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion in a reign that has been uninterrupted since the previous time Payback event was held, that is, three years ago.
The 2023 edition of WWE Payback aired live from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania. It took place on Saturday, September 2, falling in line with WWE's practice of organizing its Premium Live Events on Saturdays, a pattern it has been following since last year.
It is the first Payback since 2020 and is the first event to take place in the PPG Paints Arena or in Pittsburgh since Extreme Rules 2018. The start timing of the event in different countries was as follows:
WWE Payback took place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburg, Pennslyvania. PPG Paints Arena has hosted various WWE pay-per-view events such as Royal Rumble 2014, Roadblock: End of Line in 2016, and Extreme Rules in 2018. Including the Payback 2023 event, the WWE Championship or the Universal Championship has not changed hands when the PPV has been held at the PPG Paints Arena.
The stadium is a multi-purpose stadium used for Ice Hockey, Basketball, Pro-Wrestling, Arena Football and concerts. It was opened in 2010 and had a construction cost of $321 Million at that time. PPG Paints Arena has a capacity of less than 20,000 fans.
For the fans of WWE in the USA, Payback, like any other WWE PPV, will not be available on the WWE Network as the service has stopped in the country since 2021. Fans can tune in to Peacock TV to stream the superstars seeking payback on each other.
Elsewhere, Payback has been streaming on PPV and on WWE Network since 2014 and will continue to do so. So, fans can watch Payback 2023 via WWE Network in most of countries. Payback 2023 is the first edition in event's chronology to stream on Binge in Australia. Indian fans can stream the event on Sony Sports Network or on SonyLIV app.
The WWE Payback 2023 results are as below:
| Match | Stipulation | Results |
| Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus | Steel Cage Match | Becky Lynch via pinfall |
| LA Knight vs. The Miz | Special referee - John Cena | LA Knight via pinfall |
| Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Austin Theory | United States Championship Match | Rey Mysterio via pinfall |
| Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor and Damian Priest | Steel City Street Fight for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship | Finn Balor and Damian Priest via pinfall |
| Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez | Women's World Championship Match | Rhea Ripley (c) by pinfall |
| Seth 'Freakin' Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura | World Heavyweight Championship Match | Seth 'Freakin' Rollins (c) by pinfall |
Seth Rollins won the World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions in 2023 becoming the first superstar to hold the title. He has since then defended the gold against Finn Balor at two major PPVs. Following defeating him at SummerSlam, Rollins, Rhodes, and Nakamura faced Judgment Day on the RAW next week. After the victory, Nakamura turned on Rollins and attacked him.
He then stated that he wanted the World Heavyweight Champion and demanded a match against the champion. His wish was eventually granted and now Nakamura and Rollins locked horns at Payback for the gold. This was the fifth time Seth Rollins and Nakamura face each other on WWE programming. Nakamura is yet to defeat Rollins in a singles match in WWE. His losing streak against Rollins continued at Payback.
Rhea Ripley won the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39 which was subsequently renamed to Women's World Championship when she was drafted to RAW. In July 2023, Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan won the Women's Tag Team Championship. During a brawl at that time, Ripley injured Rodriguez' knee which led to her losing the tag titles. Rodriguez made her return on the August 21 episode of RAW, demanding a shot at the title, which was granted. However, she failed to beat Ripley at the event.
Becky Lynch and Lita were the reigning Women's Tag Team Champions in early April 2023. Due to an injury, Lita was unable to defend her title and was replaced by her friend Trish Stratus. However, Trish Stratus turned on Lynch after the failed title defense, igniting a feud between the two. They faced at Night of Champions, where Stratus won, thanks to interference from her 'protege' Zoey Stark.
The three women qualified for Women's Money in the Bank but the match was won by Iyo Sky. Lynch demanded a rematch against Stratus but the latter rejected. She eventually earned the rematch after defeating Zoey Stark on RAW. Stratus and Lynch then squared off at Payback in a Steel Cage match which Lynch won.
Rey Mysterio was scheduled to face his stablemate Santos Escobar for a shot at Austin Theory's US title on SmackDown. However, Mysterio was injured and thus, Escobar punched his ticket to the match on the August 11 episode of SmackDown. On the night, Theory attacked Escobar before the match and he was left unable to compete. Mysterio took the place of his friend and defeated Theory for the belt, ending his 258-day title reign.
Theory asked for a rematch and defeated LA Knight on the next SmackDown to become the Number 1 contender for the championship. The two stars then faced each other at Payback for the US Championship. It is worth mentioning that the title has changed hands in the previous two editions of Payback, i.e, 2017 and 2020. However, Mysterio won the match and retained his gold at the 2023 event.
At SummerSlam, LA Knight won the Slim Jim Battle Royal and also eliminated The Miz on his way to victory. This, and the fact that Knight was being cheered loudly by the fans, enraged The Miz who let his thoughts out on the next RAW. While Knight is a SmackDown superstar, he decided to respond to Miz's disrespect. The two had a couple of confrontations and promo exchanges. Also, The A-Lister cost Knight a US title opportunity. All of their tensions led to an inter-brand match being announced for the event. John Cena served as the special guest referee at the event and LA Knight came out on top.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens won the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles at the main event of WrestleMania 39 Night One. Since then, they have been in a sporadic feud against The Judgment Day and often assisted their opponents such as Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins to take on the group. The two defeated Priest and Mysterio in July to defend their tag team gold, and later Mysterio beat Zayn to defend his NXT North American Championship, and the feud continued.
In August 2023, a match was announced between the two teams where Finn Balor and Damian Priest from the group will take on the champions at Payback 2023. It was later announced that the match will be Steel City Street Fight. At the event, The Judgment Day defeated the champions to become the new Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.
| Year | Main Event | Stipulation | Duration | Result |
| 2013 | John Cena vs Ryback | Three Stages of Hell match for WWE Championship | 24 minutes 50 seconds | John Cena won 2-1 |
| 2014 | The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) vs Evolution (Batista, Randy Orton and Triple H) | No Holds Barred Elimination match | 30 minutes 56 seconds | The Shield defeated Evolution |
| 2015 | Seth Rollins (c) (with Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury) vs Randy Orton Dean Ambrose vs Roman Reigns | Fatal Four way for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship | 21 minutes 6 seconds | Seth Rollins won |
| 2016 | Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles | Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship | 25 minutes 55 seconds | Roman Reigns defeated AJ Styles |
| 2017 | Braun Strowman vs Roman Reigns | Singles match | 11 minutes 50 seconds | Braun Strowman won |
| 2020 | "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman | Triple Threat Match for Universal Championship | 12 minutes 50 seconds | Roman Reigns becomes the Universal Champion |
WWE Payback 2023 will take place on Saturday, September 2.
Payback 2023 will air live from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania.
At Payback 2023, Becky Lynch defeated Trish Stratus. LA Knight beat The Miz. Rey Mysterio retained his title against Austin Theory. The Judgment Day became the new WWE Tag Team Champions. Rhea Ripley and Seth Rollins defended their titles against Raquel Rodriguez and Shinsuke Nakamura respectively.
John Cena was the host of WWE Payback 2023. He also served as the special guest referee for the LA Knight vs. The Miz match.
WWE Payback priority pass offers fans an unmatched ringside experience. As per WWE's partner website Onlocationexp, WWE Priority Pass packages offer unrivaled access, unmatched service, and unforgettable experiences.
John Cena is the host of WWE Payback 2023.
