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WWE Payback happened just one week after a very well-received WWE SummerSlam PPV. With such a short time between major shows, it did not leave a lot of fans with high expectations for this show. However, with that in mind, WWE Payback did have some surprising results and noteworthy moments to leave the fans satisfied with the night.
This show directly centered around the main event of the evening. Following his shock return and even more shocking alliance with Paul Heyman, the spotlight was directly on Roman Reigns for WWE Payback. The heel turn the WWE Universe has spent years begging for finally happened. Roman Reigns' association with Paul Heyman left plenty looking forward to how that played into the WWE Universal Title Triple Threat No Holds Barred main event.
Besides the big time main event, WWE Payback featured two other title matches, the first PPV appearances for NXT call-ups, and rivalries coming to a head. In this article, we will discuss the five takeaways from WWE Payback.
#5 Huge payoff for the Hurt Business at WWE Payback
Since aligning himself with MVP a few months back, Bobby Lashley has seen a career resurgence, looking more motivated than he has previously. The addition of Shelton Benjamin to their partnership has established the Hurt Business as one of the more formidable stables in WWE today. At WWE Payback, we saw the likely payoff of this stable with Bobby Lashley defeating Apollo Crews for the United States Championship.
Apollo Crews has been the main opposition to the Hurt Business. Crews was able to overcome MVP on many occasions, even wrestling away the United States Title that MVP introduced prior to SummerSlam. In the United States Championship match on WWE Payback, Crews and Lashley had a competitive contest that saw play to both men's strengths. The encounter started slow, but picked up nicely. In the end, Bobby Lashley overpowered Apollo with a chokeslam and the Full Lashley Lock to walk out of WWE Payback with the gold.
This was a solid affair from both men. Apollo attacking Lashley after the match likely leads to more encounters between the two for the US Title. However, the big takeaway here is Bobby Lashley finally winning gold. Lashley has been presented tremendously well during this Hurt Business run. It was nice to finally see this paid off with winning the United States Championship after the great buildup.
#4 New singles stars getting their first big PPV wins at WWE Payback
WWE Payback featured several new stars getting their first pay-per-view opportunities. New Day member Big E has seen a revitalized singles push since Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston are both taking time. WWE Payback marked his first singles PPV match against Sheamus since his push started. In a serviceable bout, Big E got his first big win on a major show defeating the former WWE Champion with the Big Ending.
Another Superstar who has seen a lot of attention on SmackDown is Matt Riddle. Riddle made a move from NXT to the main roster this past July, but WWE Payback was the first time we have seen the Original Bro on pay-per-view. In his first major match, he faced his rival, King Corbin. In a match that Corbin dominated for the most part, Matt Riddle gained the victory with a Bro 2 Sleep and Floating Bro combo. Although his off-the-screen transgression was brought up and a post-match beatdown by Corbin on the night, this was a massive win for Riddle.
In the final match featuring a Superstar's first PPV match at WWE Payback, we saw Keith Lee against the 13-time WWE Champion Randy Orton. This match was short yet effective, especially with its result. In a surprising six-minute encounter, Lee defeated Orton with a huge Spirit Bomb. This was classified on commentary as Keith Lee's biggest victory of his career. This win made quite the statement for what is in store for his main roster run.
#3 The next step in the Bayley and Sasha Banks storyline after WWE Payback
One of the more compelling stories heading into WWE Payback was concerning the ongoing drama between the Women's Tag Team Champions, Bayley and Sasha Banks. At WWE SummerSlam, both ladies walked into the event with two belts a piece. Following their matches with Asuka, Sasha Banks lost her RAW Women's Championship, while Bayley retained her SmackDown Women's Title.
The ladies teased further dissension during SmackDown this week, but they faced a duo with problems of their own. The team of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax have been feuding for weeks on WWE RAW. However, following this week's episode, the two ladies decided to put their issues to the side in an attempt at winning the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles at WWE Payback.
This title match at WWE Payback was a fun tag team encounter with Bayley and Banks performing at a high level as always. In the end, Shayna Baszler dominated to overcome the Golden Role Models. Shayna locked Sasha in an Indian Death Lock, while putting Bayley in the Kirifuda Clutch to make the SmackDown Women's Champion tap out.
While Shayna and Nia winning the titles will surely continue their own dissension, it brings a dramatic shift to the story involving Bayley and Sasha Banks. The two ladies who had all of the women's gold now are just in possession of one title after WWE Payback.
With Sasha feeling that Bayley has let her down by not helping her win against Asuka at SummerSlam, she now can blame the SmackDown Women's Champion for losing their WWE Women's Tag Team Titles as well. It adds another layer to WWE's best current long form storyline.
#2 Dominik and Rey Mysterio finally get one over Seth Rollins and Murphy at WWE Payback
The most heated feud heading into WWE Payback had to be Dominik and Rey Mysterio facing Seth Rollins and Murphy. After a brutal Street Fight where Seth Rollins beat Dominik Mysterio at SummerSlam, these two teams met on WWE RAW, which was interrupted by RETRIBUTION.
In this rematch, the four men put on a very entertaining tag team match that was one of the best of the entire WWE Payback show. Seth and Murphy make such an underrated team. They are both talented workers who have excellent timing in the ring. Their heel work are the perfect counterbalance to the exciting comebacks of the Mysterio's. Rey and Dominik are a lot of fun as a team in their own right.
Even though Dominik just had his debut match at SummerSlam, one can just see how much Dominik enjoys working with his father here at WWE Payback and the chemistry they have in the ring.
In the conclusion to this WWE Payback contest, Dominik and Rey Mysterio defeated Seth Rollins and Murphy after a miscommunication between the Monday Night Messiah and his disciple. This finish worked double fold on both sides.
The win allows a fantastic starting point for what may already be the WWE main roster's best tag team. Rey and Dominik have an interesting story and could make history by becoming the first father-son tag team champions in WWE history. For Seth and Murphy, it creates a new dynamic with the Messiah being disappointed in his disciple.
#1 Heel Roman Reigns climbs back to the top of the mountain at WWE Payback
The main event to WWE Payback was the Triple Threat No Holds Barred Match for the Universal Championship with "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defending against Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns. The story for the entire show was whether Roman had signed the contract for this match following his refusal on SmackDown this week. We would not get the answer to this question until minutes into the WWE Payback main event as Roman walked to the ring.
After a brawl between his opponents and a huge superplex which imploded the ring, Roman Reigns walked out with Paul Heyman and a steel chair in hand. Roman signed the WWE Payback main event contract while Heyman held it for him. Paul stood at the stage as Roman entered the ring and tried to take advantage of Bray and Braun. After several steel chair shots, a low blow to The Fiend and a spear to Braun, Roman Reigns became the WWE Universal Champion for the second time in his career.
The Big Dog proved his pre-match guarantee correct by wrecking everyone and leaving WWE Payback as Universal Champion. Roman also proved that his new character would do whatever necessary to get what he wants. His association with Paul Heyman has already paid off, and we now will see what is next for all three competitors in the main event.
Braun Strowman will have to recover from two major losses on WWE's last two PPVs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt will have to rebound from being pretty much a transitional champion, losing the title after one week here at WWE Payback. We will also see how he will respond now being the top babyface on SmackDown.
The most interesting of all will be what the future holds for the new WWE Universal Champion. With his new partnership with Paul Heyman and the way he won the title at WWE Payback, this has firmly established Roman Reigns as the top heel on not just SmackDown, but all of WWE.
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