WWE Payback
2015
Baltimore, Maryland 5/17/15
Pre-Show
1.) R-Truth vs. Stardust: *3/4
Yes, we actually have TWO pre-show matches.
Believe or not, from a match quality perspective, this was the better match of
the two. Pretty much a nothing match that sees R-Truth get the win. You can
easily skip this.
2.) The Ascension vs. The Mega Powers (Curtis
Axel & Macho Mandow): DUD
So they really went down the rabbit hole when it
came to Curtis Axel’s “AxelMania” Gimmick, to the point where Damien Sandow has
turned into Macho Mandow, and the two have formed their incarnation of The Mega
Powers. Here, they’re taking on The Ascension. We get comedy from The Mega
Powers, but The Ascension makes quick work of them, getting the win in just
under three minutes.
PPV
1.) Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler: ***1/4
These two met in a “Kiss Me Arse” Match back at Extreme Rules, and even though Ziggler
won, Sheamus had the last laugh, so the feud had to continue. A fine opening
match here. They’re not setting the world on fire, but this is the second show
in a row where these two had a sold match on the undercard. I actually think
Ziggler got busted open a little bit at one point. In the end, Sheamus would
get the win.
2.) WWE Tag Team Titles – 2/3 Falls – The New
Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods) vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd
(with Natalya): ***1/2
The New Day won the WWE Tag Team Titles from
Cesaro & Tyson Kidd back at Extreme
Rules. This is the rematch, but this time, it’s 2/3 Falls. Cesaro &
Kidd would score the first fall, but then The New Day would win two straight
falls to win the match and retain their WWE Tag Team Titles. The big thing with
the third, and final, fall is that Xavier Woods swapped places with Kofi
Kingston, and pinned Cesaro to win the match. Apparently Xavier Woods &
Kofi Kingston look so similar that, when in the small package, the referee
couldn’t tell the difference. Interesting finish, but as far as the match goes,
this was pretty good match. I’d say it was about on par with their match from Extreme Rules. Cesaro & Kidd are
just so awesome as a team, while The New Day are really starting to mature into
their role as heels.
3.) Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback: **3/4
After losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31, Wyatt decided to make
“The Big Guy” his next target. I thought this was a fine match. You would
think, given who was involved, that this would have turned out badly, but it
ended up being a little better than people anticipated. Again, it wasn’t
anything special, but it wasn’t that bad either. Wyatt would get the win here.
4.) WWE United States Title – I Quit Match –
John Cena vs. Rusev (with Lana): ***
From a match quality perspective, this feud has
been getting diminishing returns. Every match these two have had on PPV hasn’t
been as good as the match that came before it. The good news is that this I
Quit Match was better than the Russian Chain Match from Extreme Rules. At the same time, it really wasn’t that memorable.
The I Quit Match is a John Cena specialty, and while both guys were good here,
the match as a whole is pretty forgettable. The real story with this match is
that they have been teasing a babyface turn for Lana, and that story played a
big role in this match. Towards the end of the match, Cena had Rusev in the STF
(with a rope from a turnbuckle that had been undone by Rusev earlier), and
while Rusev didn’t say “I Quit” in English, he shouting something in Russian,
and Lana took the mic and said that Rusev quits. An interesting finish, to say
the least. It really sucks that they really wanted to break Rusev & Lana
up, because they’re a great pairing. Cena retains the United States Title,
firmly putting Rusev behind him.
5.) The Bella Twins vs. Naomi & Tamina: *3/4
So Nikki Bella successfully retain her WWE
Diva’s Title against Naomi back at Extreme Rules, but for some reason, this
feud is continuing. Also, just as a reminder, both sides are technically heels.
To be completely honest, this match is one you can definitely skip. Naomi would
score the win for their team, and their really isn’t much else to say.
6.) King Barrett vs. Neville: **1/4
This is actually a rematch from the Extreme Rules Kickoff Show. That match
was good. This match? Not so much. It was going along decently well, until
Barrett got himself intentionally counted out. Barrett then tried to attack
Neville, but the former NXT Champion was able to fight back and take out
Barrett with the Red Arrow. A pretty pointless finish, especially for a PPV.
7.) WWE World Heavyweight Title – Seth Rollins
vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton: ***3/4
So it’s The Shield….plus Randy Orton. The story
behind this one is that Corporate Kane made this title match, and The Authority
responded by saying that if Rollins lost the WWE World Heavyweight Title,
Corporate Kane could be fired. Even though this match saw a ton of interference
from J & J Security, as well as Corporate Kane himself, this was still a
pretty good Main Event. The action, for the most part, was solid throughout the
match, especially towards the end. There were some cool spots, including a
brief reunion of The Shield when Orton took a Triple Powerbomb through one of
the announcer’s tables. Through all of the chaos, Seth Rollins somehow emerged
victorious, retaining his WWE World Heavyweight Title. Rollins celebrates with
Triple H to close the show.
Overall:
7.25/10
Like a lot of B-Level WWE PPV’s over the last
few years, this was a mixed bag. There were some good matches on here, like the
Main Event (despite all of the interference), the WWE Tag Team Title Match, and
even Sheamus vs. Ziggler. The rest of the card, however, was not that good.
This is one of those PPV’s that would have made for a good episode of RAW, but as a PPV, it really didn’t
deliver.
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