WWE Payback (May 2016)

Original Airdate: May 1, 2016

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and John Bradshaw Layfield

Opening #1 Contender's Match: The Vaudevillians v Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady: WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day hang out at ringside to observe. Simon Gotch starts with Enzo, and a nice reversal sequence over a test-of-strength ends in Gotch holding a wristlock. Criss cross goes Enzo's way with a dropkick, however, so Simon passes out to Aiden English. He tries for a slam, so Enzo wisely passes out to his own big heavy - Cassady. Colin wins that showdown, as the New Day take photos and munch deep dish pizza. Who couldn't love the New Day? Colin and Enzo cut the ring in half on English, but Enzo misses a charge in the corner. Gotch gets the tag, and throws Amore out of the ring - mistiming the spot, with Enzo's head whiplashing against the rope in a nasty bump. Simon hops to the outside to pull him back in, but it becomes quickly obvious that he isn't just selling, and the referee calls for EMTs - stopping the match at 4:00. Luckily, current reports are that Amore suffered a concussion, but no paralysis. Still, a super scary moment - his eyes were like glass as he lay on the floor there. The match was going along fine before the injury, and while I wouldn't officially rate it due to incompletion, unofficially I'd call what was here at about *

Kevin Owens v Sami Zayn: Big slugfest to start, with Sami getting the best of it, then tossing Owens to the floor for a somersault plancha! Zayn goes after him for a few whips into the guardrail, but a leg lariat on the way back in only gets one. Why are there multiple people dressed up as clowns in the crowd? Creepy. This isn't Survivor Series '93, motherfuckers! Sami tries a slingshot, but ends up getting dumped to the floor, and Kevin throws him into the steps a few times out there. Back in, that gets two, and Owens adds a big knife-edge chop for two. Sami tries slugging back, but it doesn't go well for him this time, and Kevin grounds him with a chinlock. Sami fights up and tries a vertical suplex, but gets countered with a forward-falling version onto the ropes, and Kevin adds a senton splash for two. Man, that overly shaky camera work is getting annoying as fuck. You're not Paul Greengrass, Dunn! Sami may be Tom Brady, though, as he sends Owens spiraling through the air with a clothesline. Into the corner for a ten-punch, and a sitout scoop slam piledriver gets two. Owens tries to block the Blue Thunder Bomb, but Sami forces him into it anyway for two, so Kevin gets annoyed and counters a vertical suplex with a fisherman's buster for two. Flying frogsplash gets two, but it takes as much out of Kevin as Sami. Cross corner clothesline sets Sami up for a pair of somersault bodyblocks, but Zayn manages to counter the Pop-Up Powerbomb with a dropkick. Sami quickly adds a half-nelson suplex, but runs into a lariat as he tries following up on it - both men left looking up at the lights. The crowd is on their feet as both men fight back to a vertical base for another slugfest - this time won by Kevin, but the Pop-Up Powerbomb is again countered, this time with a victory cradle for two. Sami with a tornado DDT, but Owens counters with a scrapbuster across the knee, and they slug it out again on the apron - Zayn backdropping him to the floor. He follows with his swank through-the-turnbuckles tornado DDT out there - one of those wild and crazy spots that only existed with action figures when I was a kid. Back in, Zayn goes for the kill with the Helluva Kick, but gets countered with a superkick, and the Pop-Up Powerbomb kills him dead at 14:40. Helluva match! ****

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: The Miz v Cesaro: Owens decides to sit-in and do commentary, automatically raising the awesome level of this show by about ten points. I really dig Cesaro's James Bond entrance. That's a good gimmick for him. Miz goes right after Cesaro's injured shoulder, but gets out wrestled on the mat, and the challenger hooks a crucifix cradle for two. The always impressive karelin lift gets two, and a gorgeous tilt-a-whirl backbreaker is worth two. Cesaro is fucking incredible, and it's a damned crying shame he isn't getting pushed more. This is the type of guy you build an entire promotion around! Cesaro versus Owens could be a WrestleMania main event feud if properly built up. They've got the goods, they just need the chance to deliver! A cheap shot from Maryse turns the tide and allows Miz a snap suplex for two. The champion grounds him with an armbar to wrench the shoulder, but Cesaro fights to his feet, so Miz delivers a neckbreaker for two. Back to the shoulder, but Cesaro comes at him with a slingshot sunset flip for two, so Miz desperately grabs a sleeper to try and ground the challenger. This gives me a chance to stop and talk about Maryse. I honestly can't decide whether she's hot or not. There's definitely something about her that's very fuckable, but also off-putting at the same time. She's got, like, Sensational Sherri Syndrome, or something. Cesaro powers out of the sleeper with another incredible dead lift into a vertical suplex - though it aggravates the bad shoulder. How is this guy not everything Vince wants, and more? Cesaro unloads with European uppercuts galore, and a running dropkick is worth two, so Maryse gets involved again. Miz fails to capitalize this time when Cesaro busts out another incredible suplex - this time dead lifting Miz from the apron for a superplex. Fucking unbelievable! Giant swing, but Miz kicks the shoulder to block, so Cesaro delivers the Pop-Up European Uppercut instead - for two! Powerbomb, but Miz counters with a backdrop, so Cesaro LANDS ON HIS FEET, and hooks a backslide for two! FU-CK! Charge into the corner misses, however, and Miz grabs him with the Skull Crushing Finale - but only for two! Out of nowhere here comes Sami Zayn to brawl with Owens on the outside, as Cesaro catches Miz with a spinebuster to setup the giant swing! He shifts right into a crippler crossface, and Miz is tapping out, but the referee is caught up with Owens/Zayn, and misses it! Cesaro lets off to go get his attention, and Miz schoolboys him to retain at 11:11. I know I must sound like a broken record, but Cesaro is in-fucking-credible! Miz was little more than a warm body here - this was ALL Cesaro! ****

Chris Jericho v Dean Ambrose: Chris talks trash at the bell, and gets decked for his troubles. Dean beats him down in the corner until Jericho bails, and a chase ends in Dean hitting a bodypress on the way back in, but getting backdropped over the top. Jericho is right on him with a baseball slide, but runs into a lariat out there. Back in for the Dirty Deeds, but Chris counters with a forward-falling suplex across the top rope, then adds a springboard dropkick. Vertical suplex gets two, and Jericho grounds him with a chinlock. Dean headbutts free, but runs into a dropkick for two, and Jericho snaps his throat across the bottom rope with a slingshot. Bow-and-arrow, but Dean powers out, so Chris looks for a bulldog - only to get dumped crotch-first into the turnbuckles! Ambrose with a series of overhead elbowsmashes, but Jericho blocks a bulldog, so Dean reroutes with a tornado DDT for two. Vertical suplex is blocked, and a reversal sequence ends in Jericho hitting a flying axehandle to setup the Walls - Ambrose blocking, and hitting a swinging neckbreaker for two! Good sequence there. Dean successfully executes the bulldog for two, but a flying elbowsmash is countered into the Walls! Dean gets the ropes to escape, so Chris punishes him with a beating against them - only to miss a charge, and get tossed to the floor. Ambrose follows out with a tope, but an attempt at a suplex through the announce table is countered with a slingshot - Jericho sending him flying over the rail. That one probably sounded better on paper - it looked awkward. Chris leaves him out there for the countout, but Dean beats it in, so Chris tries for the Codebreaker, but Ambrose counters with the rebound clothesline for two! Ambrose with a flying elbowsmash for two, but Jericho blocks a superplex - triggering a reversal sequence that ends in Chris countering the Dirty Deeds back to the Walls again! Dean manages to escape with an inside cradle for two, so Chris smacks him back down with an enzuigiri for two to retain control. Butterfly backbreaker gets two, but the Lionsault hits the knees, and Dean does Deeds at 18:20. Wow, we're on quite a run of matches here! This is already a thumbs up show for me at this point, and if the main event delivers, we may have an all time classic! *** ¼

WWE Women's Title Match: Charlotte v Natalya: Charlotte has Ric Flair in her corner, while Natalya has Bret Hart in hers - ala their match back at the first NXT TakeOver show two years ago that drew rave reviews at the time. Good to see the Hitman back, following the cancer diagnosis. Charlotte gets cocky (A Flair? Cocky? No!) so Nattie sweeps her down for the Sharpshooter right away, but Charlotte blocks. They feel each other out (out, not up) for a bit, and Charlotte lures her into a chase to setup a neckbreaker for two. Charlotte holds her in a modified headlock, but walks into a release German suplex for two, and Nattie adds a seated dropkick to leave the champion begging off. Nattie falls for it and gets clobbered, and Charlotte goes to work on the leg. Figure Eight, but Nattie counters with a small package for two, so Charlotte punishes her with a nice half-crab. I see Charlotte has certainly inherited Ric's inability to keep a kneepad in place, if nothing else. Nattie counters to a cross-armbreaker, but Charlotte powers up, and vertical suplexes her challenger into the ropes to hurt the knee. She heads up for a moonsault, but Nattie pops up and shoves her down to the floor. Baseball slide, but Charlotte catches her in a powerbomb on the floor, so Nattie counters with a sloppy rana. In, Nattie tries a discus clothesline, but runs into a big boot for two. Figure Eight, but Nattie blocks again, and hits the discus for two. Sharpshooter, but Charlotte punches her in the face to block, and delivers an inverted somersault necksnap for two. Mounted punches get two, and a gorgeous flying moonsault is worth two. I'm glad Charlotte doesn't have implants, because those suckers would've popped on that one. And, speaking of plastic surgery, did Nattie recently have work done? Her face looks markedly different tonight. Figure Eight applied, but Nattie reverses, so Charlotte grabs the ropes. She decides to teach her a lesson by slapping on the sharpshooter, and the referee ('Lil Natch himself, Charles Robinson) bolts to the floor to ring the bell ring the fucking bell at 13:21. Really? The Montreal Screwjob? Of all the matches to waste a reference of that on, this one? And then we get the added bonus of watching Natalya reenact Bret's reactions from 1997. Nothing says 'get well from your cancer diagnosis' quite like making a guy relive one of the worst days of his life, nice. Besides, from a logistics standpoint, if the referee wanted to screw Nattie out of the title, couldn't he have simply done it when Charlotte had the Figure Eight on? Afterwards, the Hart's put the Flair's in stereo Sharpshooters – which shouldn't be watched by anyone feeling even remotely suicidal, because seeing Bret Hart barely able to apply his own signature hold anymore is enough to make you want to blow your brains out. **

Main Event: WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: Roman Reigns v AJ Styles: Roman toys with him a bit as they get started, so AJ swipes at the leg with swift kicks to show him he won't be pushed around. Styles grabs a standing armbar, but Reigns backdrops free, so AJ sends him to the floor with an armdrag. Roman stalls out there for a bit before coming in and cornering his challenger, but Styles pops him with a forearm, then frustrates the big dog by making him chase him to the floor. AJ puts the boots to him on the way back in, but Roman no-sells some chops (maybe don't chop a guy wearing a flak jacket, you think?), and shoulderblocks the challenger out of the ring. Back in, AJ tries more kicks to the knee, but Reigns fights him off, and takes his head off with a clothesline. If the goal of this feud is to make Roman look like a monster by gobbling up the much smaller Styles, they may be successful yet. Reigns with a schoolboy powerbomb followed by a sitout powerbomb for two. Superman Punch, but AJ nicely counters with an enzuigiri, and he snapmares Reigns over to setup a seated diving forearm for two. Death valley driver across the knee gets two, but Roman blocks the Phenomenal Forearm - only to get trapped in the Calf Crusher! He quickly gets the ropes and bails, so AJ dives after him with a Phenomenal Forearm through the announce table, in an awesome spot! That leaves both men in the rubble, and AJ tries to drag the heavier Reigns in, but fails - ultimately forced to roll in to beat the count (thus giving him cause for a rematch) at 11:54. Oh, but Shane McMahon shows up and decides he doesn't want a bullshit finish like that, and restarts the match - now making it no countouts. Okay. So AJ gets him back in, but Reigns has recovered enough to hit a jawbreaker, so Styles throws a pele kick to cutoff the comeback. 450 splash looks to finish, but Reigns lifts the knees to block for two. Ouch! Styles still retains control, but a 2^nd rope flying forearm is blocked via a lowblow, and the referee disqualifies Reigns over it at 14:00. Oh, so now Stephanie McMahon comes out to restart the match again, and waive the DQ rule. I get what they're going for here, but it's coming off badly. At least the countout finish was believable, but when was the last time a referee DQ'd someone in a main event match over a lowblow in the last twenty years? With the match back on and DQs/countouts off, they brawl out into the crowd, and AJ takes control again. Back in for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Reigns counters with the Superman for two! That was well timed and very visually impressive - especially in slo-mo. Another Superman hits, but the Bullet Club joins us to pull Styles out of the ring to avoid the Spear! They beat down Roman for AJ to finish with the Phenomenal, but Roman's in the ropes at two! That draws the Usos out to fight off the Bullet's, which Reigns solves by throwing AJ out of the ring onto all four guys! Well, that's one solution. Roman then dives onto the dog pile with a tope suicida, but manages to hit everyone BUT AJ! That allows Styles the Phenomenal Forearm off the rail, and he rolls Reigns in for a springboard 450 - for two! Clash, but Reigns backdrops him to setup the Superman - blocked by AJ. Phenomenal is blocked as well, however, and the Spear retains for Reigns at 22:30. I have mixed feelings about this one, as it was solid ring work throughout, but was marred by gross amounts of overbooking. ** ¾

BUExperience: Big thumbs up for this one! The main event was kind of a clusterfuck, but it was an entertaining clusterfuck – which is a lot more than you can say for the WWE in recent months. The only real disappointment came in the form of that letdown of a Women’s Title match, but the rest of the undercard was extremely good, with guys getting plenty of time and delivering strong matches

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