WWE Payback Reactions

WWE hosted one of their biggest pay-per-views, Payback, on Sep. 2 in Pittsburgh, Pa. See what happened to the likes of the industry’s best:

LA Knight def. The Miz (John Cena as Special Guest Referee)

Joey: Everyone forgets how good The Miz truly is especially when he’s putting younger talent over. LA Knight (YEAH) is so incredibly over, and the crowd was white-hot for him. Cena added a great extra aspect to this match and even gave Knight his respect walking up the ramp. I’m excited to see where they go with Knight next (maybe a Cena feud because who wouldn’t want to see that promo battle). Small side note, if LA Knight is going to get a main event push or even a title run, he needs a better finisher than the BFT.

Adrianna: This was probably the match that meant the least (and was purely a crowd-hyper), but it was a great way to end the LA Knight/The Miz feud. There’s nobody in WWE right now who gets the crowd hyped like LA Knight, and he had the loudest pop of the night. With this win under his belt alongside Cena’s endorsement, LA Knight has a huge future as the megastar of WWE.

The Judgement Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in a Steel City Street Fight for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles

Joey: I am going to put my speculation hat on and say the ending of that match was changed during the match because there is no chance that Owen’s body is not broken in some way after the bumps and risks he took during that match. Otherwise, a very entertaining street fight and great to see the Tag Titles on a new team after Creative dropped the ball on Zayn and Owen’s reign.

Adrianna: How are Owens and Dom Mysterio alive right now? This was the best match of the night, with most of the crowd cheering for the Canadian boys, but it ended with every member of The Judgment Day holding gold. Damian Priest and Finn Balor becoming champions was something that nobody wanted to see but will be used as a great storyline down the road.

Rey Mysterio def. Austin Theory to Retain the US Title

Joey: It is obvious they are getting ready to set up Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar next, the question is in what capacity. This match was exactly what you expect from these two superstars. I want to see Theory with either a repackage or a slight attitude change because he is just too good to be squandered in the mid-card.

Adrianna: WWE fans are thanking scriptwriters everywhere for making sure Theory didn’t win back his title. Rey Mysterio has been captivating fans for three decades and hasn’t slowed down in his late forties. He’s the best wrestler to watch right now, but he will definitely be set up against his mentee Santos Escobar down the line.

Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus inside a Steel Cage

Joey: Absolutely such a great match! There is no reason for Stratus to do half the spots she did being the legend she is, and it shows her love for the business. Becky got her much-needed win to push her toward an eventual Rhea Ripley feud. Zoey Stark hit Stratus with a Z-360 after the match, hopefully to build up more character work on Stark.

Adrianna: For everyone online who complained about how this feud was apparently “boring,” they were clearly wrong. This was a brutal match with Becky Lynch coming out on top, but Trish Stratus proved she is still beloved by fans.

Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Gonzalez to retain the Women’s World Title

Joey: This was another match that went about as expected but nonetheless a good match. Both competitors are great performers, and I am just glad that Rhea Ripley finally had a long competitive match for once in this reign. Hopefully, this feud continues even with Liv Morgan’s eventual return.

Adrianna: No one on the main roster is defeating Rhea Ripley right now, no matter how strong Raquel Rodriguez is. Ripley proved her strength and resilience in matches once again, and she rightfully holds onto the Women’s World Title.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Joey: I will keep it short and simple to start, the wrong man won. Nakamura needed this way more than Rollins did and it was a great opportunity to elevate more stars to the main event. Rollins could have used that injury to take a break and then have a major return around Survivor Series. My fear after watching this match is that Nakamura just does not have the electricity he used to have in NXT and if he could not steal the show in a match with Rollins, it is alarming.

Adrianna: This was a great feud that had been building for weeks and rightfully earned the Main Event spot. However, there’s obvious concern for Rollins’s back, especially if what Nakamura said about Rollins needing help getting out of bed in the morning is true. If Rollins has to take a break to heal and relinquish the title, it could set up another storyline that will send the likes of Nakamura, Balor and others on a rampage.

The Grayson Waller Effect featuring Cody Rhodes

Joey: I at first thought Cody was going to jump to Smackdown to start getting ready for his eventual feud with everyone’s Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, but they went in a different direction by bringing Jey Uso not only back, but to Raw. Waller did great heel work there to show himself as the Aussie snob he is but did not take the spotlight from Rhodes and Uso who were the focal point.

Adrianna: It’s just him, Uce. This sets up Reigns vs. Rhodes again perfectly by Rhodes using Reigns’s own blood against him. It’ll be interesting to see what Uso does on RAW and if there could be any setup for Uso vs. Uso at Wrestlemania 40.

Joey David is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jtd5508@psu.edu.

Adrianna Gallucci is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.