The most recent WWE PPV which is called WWE Payback is in the Books and it followed the tradition of Triple H shows where the hype and the anticipation is low but the matches are bangers. WWE Payback was a show for which there was not a lot of anticipation from the WWE universe. Last night it was announced that John Cena will be the host of WWE Payback. And the show was one of the best in ring shows of WWE in a long time
Let’s look at the Results of WWE Payback 2023
Becky Lynch beat Trish Stratus in a Steel Cage Match
This is one of the matches of the year without a doubt and these 2 women made up for all the bad build they were given with this absolute barn burner of a match. This match was 20 minutes long and these women told such a compelling story. They used all of their experience and got extremely physical In this match and especially Trish Stratus who is in her late 40s to have such a brutal match, hats off. Becky Lynch was the aggressor and Zoey Stark tried her best to make Trish Stratus win but after an enthralling 20 minutes and the best women’s match since WrestleMania 39, it was Becky Lynch who won the Steel Cage Match. Now it looks like she will feud with NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Straton and thus will be a massive learning opportunity for the young NXT superstar.
LA Knight beat The Miz with John Cena as Special guest referee
John Cena came to the ring and the crowd cheered for him loudly and he announced that he will be the special guest referee for this match. The Miz had objections but the match started. This was a very important match for LA Knight and now the importance had increased because John Cena was watching him closely. This was a 16 minute match and it was a good match and John Cena was a fair referee and his confrontation with LA Knight was great. LA Knight won this match and more importantly the endorsement of John Cena which is very important in WWE. LA Knight proved that he is an incredible wrestler and he can have a long match.
Rey Mysterio beat Austin Theory for United States Championship
This was the Third match on the show and this was the shortest match in the show. Rey Mysterio vs Austin Theory was in a tough spot because the fans were not into this match but they still had a good match but it was only 10 minutes. Rey Mysterio showed that he is still one of the best in the world and he helped Austin Theory become a bigger star and it looks like a face turn is in store for Austin Theory.
The Judgement Day beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Steel City Street Fight
This match was the best Street Fight In quite some time and this is one of the very few matches in WWE where blood was spilt. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were in the attack in the start but Finn Balor and Damian Priest used everything they could to win the match. Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio helped their family members and Rhea Ripley even speared Kevin Owens through the table. It looked like The Judgement Day would lose but after 21 minutes of incredible tag team wrestling and a banger of a Street Fight The Judgement Day won the match and now they have all the Gold in WWE. And now they are the number 1 faction in WWE.
Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes
Next was the Grayson Waller effect with Cody Rhodes. Grayson Waller was at his best and he angered the crowd easily and Cody Rhodes came out to talk to him but Grayson Waller insulted him. Cody Rhodes then made the announcement that Jey Uso will return to WWE and he will be on Raw away from The Bloodline and this means that in the future Jey Uso will return the favor and Cody Rhodes would go to SmackDown. Then Grayson Waller tried to insult Jey Uso but he knocked him out and the crowd was cheering for the main event Jey Uso.
Rhea Ripley beat Raquel Rodriguez for Women’s World Championship
This was one of the most anticipated matches of the whole show. Rhea Ripley was facing her first real test since WrestleMania 39 and the fans also believed that Raquel Rodriguez was the one to beat her. The match was simply brilliant because these 2 women know each other so well and they have great chemistry. Raquel Rodriguez dominated Rhea Ripley at the start but with the help of Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley took control but it was a back and forth match. They had a 17 and a half minute banger and in the end it was Rhea Ripley who won the match and her reign continues. The 2 Women’s Matches on this show got a total of 37+ minutes of Wrestling.
Seth Rollins beat Shinsuke Nakamura for World Heavyweight Championship
This was the main event of the show and rightfully so. If WWE wants to make the World Heavyweight Championship in the same vein as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship then this title has to main event the shows where Roman Reigns is not there. This match against Shinsuke Nakamura was 26 minutes long which was the longest Seth Rollins match in a long time. Shinsuke Nakamura came with a perfect game plan and he attacked the back of Seth Rollins. He has the upper hand but he was not able to win and this allowed Seth Rollins to make his comeback in the match. After 26 minutes of some of the best wrestling by 2 greats, it was Seth Rollins who used all his experience to win the match. And now he moves ahead to the next challenger for his championship.
