The World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line as WWE Payback takes place from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh tonight.

Shinsuke Nakamura is challenging Seth Rollins for the championship. The match was made after Nakamura turned heel by attacking Rollins last month. Since then, Nakamura has taunted Rollins about a secret back injury that Rollins is suffering from. Nakamura is promising to destroy Rollins’ back and leave him without a future.

Judgment Day will look to get back on the same page as Finn Balor & Damian Priest challenge Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles in a Steel City Street Fight. Rhea Ripley has warned Balor & Priest that changes are coming to Judgment Day if they lose.

Ripley herself has a title defense, facing off against Raquel Rodriguez. And Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus will finally settle their rivalry as they meet in a steel cage match.

Tonight’s event is being hosted by John Cena. Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory for the United States title, The Miz vs. LA Knight, and a Grayson Waller Effect talk show with Cody Rhodes are also set.

The Payback main card starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be an hour-long pre-show.

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KICKOFF SHOW

The pre-show hosts were Kayla Braxton, Jackie Redmond, Peter Rosenberg, Booker T and Wade Barrett. Video packages for all the Payback matches were shown. With no matches on these things anymore, the the pre-show feels even obsolete than it did before, when some unlucky wrestlers would perform in half an arena. Anyway, the panel gave various predictions for the matches and we moved into the main show. 

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MAIN SHOW

– Michael Cole welcomed everyone in and the cage lowered for the first match. The video package chronicling the Becky Lynch/Trish Stratus program aired. 

Becky Lynch defeated Trish Stratus [20:01]

A hot opener and the women worked harder than I’ve seen almost anyone work on WWE TV in recent memory. Everyone, including the participants in the feud, have voiced their frustration with the fact that the program has continued to drag on, so the expectations here were low, but boy, did they win the crowd (and me) over. I’m not a fan of outside interference in a cage match, so I could have done without the Stark involvement, but that was there to set up the Stark/Stratus post-match breakup, so I can live with it. All told, these women worked their asses off and I salute them both for getting every ounce out of it that they could despite the program overstaying its welcome. 

Tiffany Stratton was shown in the crowd before the match began. The two stood across from each other once the bell rang and it took them a little bit to lock up. Stratus tried to get out of the cage early, but Lynch caught her with a series of Exploders. Eventually, Stratus hit an elbow, slowed things down and took control. Stratus threw Lynch into the cage and posed. Stratus kicked Lynch in her back. Stratus went to escape, but Lynch stopped her. Stratus kept control with some strikes. Stratus worked a double fish-hook on Lynch’s face and grated Lynch’s face against the cage. 

Lynch eventually fired up and repeatedly threw Stratus into the walls of the cage. Lynch went for a Dis-Arm-Her, but Stratus countered and rammed Lynch into the cage. Stratus bridged her body for no real reason and Lynch hit double legs to take Stratus down. The two got to their feet and traded blows. Lynch and Stratus took turns ramming each other into the cage. Stratus was draped over the top rope and Lynch landed a leg drop from the top. 

Lynch was on the top turnbuckle and Stratus joined her. Stratus tried to climb out of the cage, but Lynch caught her and hit a power-bomb. A “This is awesome!” chant began in the crowd. Lynch went for another Dis-Arm-Her, but Stratus countered into a Widow’s Peak for a two-count. Stratus went for a bulldog, but Lynch countered that into a Twist of Fate for a good near-fall. Stratus popped up and landed a Stratus-Faction for another really good near-fall. 

Stratus stomped on Lynch and the two fought on the ropes while trying to climb the cage. Stratus landed a bulldog from the top rope for another very good near-fall. Stratus went to climb over the top of the cage, but Lynch cut her off. The two traded blows on top of the cage. Stratus kicked Lynch back to the ring, but Lynch popped up and grabbed Stratus by the hair and Lynch pulled Stratus back. Eventually, Stratus was hanging by her legs on the outside of the cage. Lynch lifted Stratus and hit a vertical superplex from the top onto the ring. Lynch went for a pin, but Stratus barely kicked out. 

Lynch started to climb over the top of the cage, but Stratus went to crawl her way out of the cage. Lynch hopped down to stop Stratus, but Zoey Stark showed up and tried to pull Stratus out. Stark slammed the door onto Lynch. Lynch came back and hit a Manhandle Slam on Stratus, but Stark broke up the pin. Stark took care of Lynch while Stratus climbed to the top. Lynch immediately came back, knocked Stark over, cut Stratus off and landed a Manhandle Slam on Stratus from the top for the win. After the match, Stark tried to help Stratus, but Stratus slapped Stark. Stratus told Stark to get out of the ring, but Stark instead closed the cage door and hit her finisher on Stratus. 

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The John Cena segment

Cena was introduced as “the greatest of all time” by the ring announcer while he posed in the ring. Cena welcomed everyone to Payback. Cena said the first match was awesome. Cena said he’s been a lot of things in his career, but he’s never been a host. Cena said his job as a host is to make the night special. Cena announced he’s going to be the special guest referee for the LA Knight vs. The Miz match. The Miz’s music hit and Miz walked to the ring. 

The Miz said he didn’t expect Cena to pander to this audience. Cena asked Miz how he could be better. Miz said Cena shouldn’t put himself as a special guest referee into Miz’s match. Cena asked asked for more advice and Miz told Cena that Cena should have turned down being in the Barbie movie. Cena asked again for advice. Miz said Cena has to be more involved. Miz referenced how he was in two matches at WrestleMania when he hosted it. Miz called Cena out for dressing like a Teletubbie, and it was funny. Miz used his “When my hand goes up, your mouth goes shut” line. Cena grabbed a referee shirt and reiterated that he’s going to be the referee of his match. LA Knight’s music hit and Knight made his way to the ring. The match then began. 

LA Knight defeated The Miz [15:46]

This probably overstayed its welcome by two or three minutes, between the pre-match verbal stuff and Miz getting a little too much offense, but this actually exceeded my mid-level expectations. For two guys who have gotten as far as they’ve gotten more on the account of their charisma than their in-ring work, the in-ring work here was solid. The addition of Cena added little to the proceedings, and I almost feared that this was put here to start a program between Miz and Cena, but it looks like both Cena and Miz are free to go from here. These were three A-level pro wrestling entertainers in today’s world of pro wrestling and they all did their jobs very well. 

Mix rolled to the outside as soon as the bell rang and stalled. Miz walked up the ramp, but Knight chased him. The two fought back into the ring and the Miz had control early before Knight worked his way back. The two went to the top and Miz dropped Knight from the top. Miz put the boots to Knight. Miz threw Knight into the ropes, but Knight caught Miz with a power-slam. The two traded finisher attempts and Miz rolled to the outside. 

Knight slammed Miz onto the top of the commentary table multiple times with the help of a bunch of “Yeah!” chants from the crowd. Miz eventually tripped Knight onto the top of the commentary table. Miz worked over Knight on the outside guardrail. Miz ran at Knight, but Knight back body-dropped Miz over the guardrail. Knight hit a clothesline and posed. The two made their way back into the ring and Miz tried to put the boots to Knight, but Cena pulled Miz off Knight. Knight got the upper hand before long and Cena pulled Knight off Miz. 

Miz took advantage of that and eventually grabbed a chin-lock. Knight punched his way out of it, but Miz ultimately kept control by sweeping Knight off his feet and to the outside. Back inside the ring, Miz landed a series of It Kicks. Miz went for a kick, but Knight countered with a high back suplex. They got to their feet and Knight kept control with a bulldog from the second rope. Knight stomped a mud hole in Miz, but Miz fired up and hit a series of DDTs for a two-count. 

Miz ran at Knight, but Knight moved and landed a swinging neck-breaker for a two-count. Miz came back and rolled Knight up, but held onto the ropes for leverage and Cena kicked his hand off the rope. Miz and Cena had words. Knight came at him, but Miz moved and hit the Skull Crushing Finale, but Miz only got a two-count out of it. Miz did the You Can’t See Me thing to mock Cena, but Knight popped up and slammed Miz. Knight then landed his elbow and BFT for the win. After the match, Knight and Cena walked up the ramp together and Cena extended his hand. Knight shook it and Cena raised Knight’s hand. 

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Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Austin Theory [9:48]

I know Hunter likes his long matches on these PLEs, but there’s always one that happens to go less than 10 minutes and this was my pick for it, if only because it felt too soon to switch the title again and Theory seems to be in the middle of a change (though that intuition could be wildly incorrect, so don’t quote me). For what it was, it worked. Theory showed good fire as he controlled the first half of the match and Mysterio played his role as the plucky babyface perfectly, which he has done for about one hundred thousand years at this point. It wasn’t offensive. It wasn’t mind-blowing. But being fine is better than being underwhelming. 

Theory attacked Mysterio to start the match and apparently, this match was sponsored by Cinnamon Toast Crunch, so there’s that. Theory landed a hard clothesline and a series of Fisherman’s Suplex. Theory hit a swinging head-lock slam for a two-count. Theory worked a chin-lock. Theory threw Mysterio into sternum-first into the top turnbuckle and punched Mysterio while jawing at him. Theory tried to rip off Mysterio’s mask, but Mysterio fought out of it with a series of elbows. 

Mysterio hit a pretty moonsault from the top and things evened out. With Theory on the outside, Mysterio landed a sliding tornado DDT. The action got back into the ring and Mysterio hit a springboard head-scissors before going for a 619, but Theory caught him and that led out to a spin-out power-bomb. Theory went for his finisher, but Mysterio countered into a step-up enziguri. The two hit dueling dropkicks and they were both down for a bit. 

The two got to their feet and Theory started to beat down Mysterio, but Mysterio came back with a 619. Theory got his knees up and lifted Mysterio for the A-Town Down, but Mysterio rolled Theory up for the win. 

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– Becky Lynch was interviewed backstage, but it was interrupted by Tiffany Stratton, who talked about how Lynch was never NXT Women’s Champion. Lynch said she might show up on Tuesday. 

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Damian Priest & Finn Balor defeated Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens to win the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Titles [20:45]

Holy hell, this was fun, and I’m not so sure Kevin Owens told anyone he was going to get color because as soon as he came up with the Penguins jersey on and his face covered in blood, it wasn’t long until someone cleaned that up and cleaned it up right quick. They did it so well that if you missed the first half of the match, you might not even know Owens bled. Anyway, this was the Terry Funk tribute WWE tried to do last week, and even if there wasn’t a lot of blood here, there sure was a lot of chaos. This was non-stop entertainment from front to back and everyone involved should be proud. This was as hardcore as WWE can get these days and there’s something to be said for that. I’m interested to see where Zayn and Owens go from here because they could both be major players … but they could also just be in need of a long break. Time will tell. 

Soon into the match, Zayn went for chairs, but Balor grabbed a kendo stick and a Terrible Towel and then stomped on the towel, which is very much a no-no in Pittsburgh. Priest joined the run and they beat down Owens until Zayn landed a splash over the top on the two heels on the outside. Owens and Zayn grabbed trash cans and beat the hell out of Priest and Balor. Owens took off his shirt to reveal a Terry Funk shirt. Zayn and Owens put a garbage can over Balor’s head and hit it repeatedly with kendo sticks. 

Priest came through and attacked Zayn and Owens and chairs. Balor regrouped and hopped on top of Zayn and Owens along with Priest. Owens ultimately fired up and hit Priest hard with a chair. Balor then hit Owens with a chair. Zayn then hit Balor with a chair. Priest and Balor tried to leave through the crowd, but Zayn and Owens followed them and the four fought in the crowd. Dominik Mysterio showed up and helped out Priest and Balor. Judgment Day posed, but Zayn and Owens popped up with Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys. Owens was bleeding from the head. 

Dom tried to take Owens’s hockey stick, but Zayn and Owens threw down their gloves and pummeled Dom. Zayn and Balor got back to the ring and a pile of chairs was there. Zayn landed a Blue Thunder Bomb on Balor on the pile of chairs for a two-count. Priest had a hockey stick, set up some chairs and suplexed Zayn onto the chairs. Priest got a two-count out of it because Owens threw a chair at Priest. Action spilled back outside and Balor and Priest beat up Owens through the crowd. 

Zayn showed up and the four fought near the pre-show set. Zayn stood on the pre-show table and landed a summersault senton onto Balor and Priest. Dom got back into the fold and put the boots to Zayn. Owens interrupted that and set up a table. Owens went into the crowd and jumped from the seats, but kind of missed a Senton, but the table still broke and Dom still went through it. Back in the ring, Zayn and Balor were going at it. Zayn went for the Helluva Kick, but Priest threw a garbage can at Zayn’s head. 

Zayn fired up and hit an Exploder on Priest and then Zayn put Balor through a table ont he outside. Zayn went for a Helluva Kick, but Priest cut him off. Owens showed up and hit a Stunner on Priest. Zayn hit the Helluva Kick and went for the pin, but JD McDonagh showed up and pulled Zayn off him. Owens slammed JD onto the commentary table, but Rhea Ripley speared Owens through the barricade. Balor landed a Slingblade on Zayn and went to the top, but Zayn moved when Balor went for the Coup De Gras. Zayn landed an Exploder and a Helluva Kick on Balor, but Dom hit Zayn with the MITB briefcase. Balor rolled onto Zayn and got the 1-2-3. 

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The Grayson Waller Effect

Waller insulted the city of Pittsburgh and introduced Cody Rhodes. Cody went for his “What do you want to talk about?” line, but Waller cut him off and said it’s about what Waller wants to talk about. Cody went through all the pro wrestling talk show gimmicks and laid out how those types of things usually go, including Waller and Rhodes fighting. Cody shouted out Carmelo Hayes and asked Waller if he watched SmackDown. Cody said he pulled some strings and he’s bringing Jey Uso to Raw. Jey then made his entrance. Uso pumped up the crowd and stood on the ropes while Cody left the ring. Waller interrupted Uso and said, “You’ve been gone, like, two weeks,” which was funny. 

Waller asked Jey how he felt to be the newest member of the Raw roster. Waller said Jey has done nothing with his career and mocked Jey for thinking he’ll be a big deal on Monday. While Waller mouthed off, Jey super-kicked Waller to put him down. Rhodes watched from the ramp in appreciation. 

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Rhea Ripley defeated Raquel Rodriguez [17:21]

This went way, way, way too long. I understand the women having a prominent role and God knows I’m rooting for these major wrestling companies giving the women more time, but this really wasn’t the match to be in that position. They worked hard and there were some fine moments, but the clunky spots will stick out far more than the good ones. I don’t know, guys. I like the idea of Ripley having someone stand up to her, size-wise, but I’m not so sure Raquel was or is able to hold up her end. There wasn’t much heat on this going in and there is virtually none coming out. I don’t know where either wrestler goes from here, but both journeys could be interesting. Do I have faith it will work out that way? No. But there’s always hope. 

The two locked up and Rhea slapped Raquel before grabbing a side head-lock. They went head to head and jawed at each other. Raquel landed a shoulder block and Rhea rolled to the outside. Rhea got back into the ring and Raquel hit another shoulder block. Ripley came back with a kick to the midsection of Raquel. Ripley tried a series of clotheslines, but Raquel didn’t move and Raquel clotheslined Ripley to the mat. Raquel landed a bodyslam, but Ripley dropkicked Raquel and went for the ground and pound. Ripley worked over Raquel with some kicks and blows to Raquel’s back. Rhea posed and she was bleeding from her nose. 

Ripley landed a snap-mare and a kick to Raquel’s back. Ripley applied an abdominal stretch. Raquel worked her way out of it and threw Ripley across the ring. Eventually, Ripley came back with a dropkick and a ton of hammer fists on Raquel’s back. Rodriguez fired up and landed a series of clotheslines before hitting a fallaway slam. Rodriguez went to the second rope, but Ripley cut Raquel off and kicked Rodriguez a bunch. Raquel returned the favor and hit a delayed vertical suplex and both women went down for a bit. 

Raquel hit a spinning corkscrew elbow from the second rope for a two-count. Ripley landed a running knee and pinned Riquel while posing for a two-count. Ripley went for the Riptide, but Raquel worked out of it and went for a power-bomb, but it didn’t work out and instead, Raquel hit a clothesline for a two-count. Raquel ran Ripley into a corner and placed Ripley on the top turnbuckle. Raquel punched Ripley off, but Ripley came back and hit a chop block on Raquel. Ripley sank in a submission, but Raquel got out of it. The two got to their feet and exchanged slaps. They then had a hockey fight as the crowd continued to be nearly silent. 

The action spilled outside. Raquel ran Ripley into the ring post and then awkwardly slammed Ripley into the barricade. Raquel again ran Ripley into the ring post, shoulder-first. Dom came to ringside and found his way into the ring. Raquel grabbed Dom and hit a powerslam on him. From there, Ripley kicked Raquel’s knee and head. Ripley landed the Riptide after that for the win. 

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– John Cena was shown backstage as an interviewer and he welcomed in Finn Balor and Damian Priest as the new WWE Universal Tag Team Champions. Cena asked them about their win and Priest said Judgment Day is all on the same page. Priest listed off all their titles. Cena, who was kind of kneeling in a very funny inside baseball moment, stood up as Balor and Priest ended the segment. 

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Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship [26:00]

Oh, man. The finish was flat. The crowd was flat. This was … unexpectedly flat. I came into this with all of the expectations in the world, thinking Seth and Nakamura could surprise some doubters, but man. There was no real crescendo, there was no real up and down, there was no real suspense. I love those guys as wrestlers and this came up so short of the expectation I had, that if I didn’t already have a Peacock subscription, I’d be wondering about how to ask for my money back. I liked the story of Seth’s bad back and I appreciate the slow storytelling, but this felt like WWE trying to work a New Japan style and instead coming up with something that felt more boring than intriguing. Umpf. I wanted to love this. I’m not sure that I even liked it. 

The two locked up and Rollins worked Nakamura’s arm. Nakamura stepped up and the two reset. The crowd had dueling chants. Nakamura rubbed Rollins’s back at one point and yelled “Come on!” Nakamura kicked Rollins’s back, but Rollins came back with some chops and punches. Nakamura rolled to the outside and Rollins followed with a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Rollins went for a Pedigree, but Nakamura landed a back body-drop to then take control. Nakamura draped Rollins over the top, but Rollins moved and after an exchange, Nakamura rolled to the outside and Rollins landed another tope. 

Nakamura was on the commentary table and he lured Rollins in. Ultimately, Nakamura threw Rollins onto the top of the commentary table and Rollins landed awkwardly on his back. The two returned to the ring and Nakamura landed a knee to Rollins’s midsection. Nakamura worked a camel clutch. Nakamura hit a back-breaker and then landed a running knee to Rollins’s head. Nakamura toyed with Rollins and worked a single-leg crab. Rollins kicked his way out of it. 

Nakamura went to the second rope, but Rollins cut him off with a series of chops. Rollins landed a Frankensteiner from the top rope and things slowed down. The two got to their feet and traded elbows. Rollins got the best of it and hit a clothesline and Slingblade to take Nakamura down. Rollings hit a high frog splash for a good near-fall. Rollins tried to lift Nakamura, which hurt Rollins and the sequence ended up with Rollins landing a clothesline. Rollins jawed at Nakamura while hitting the back of his head. 

Rollins went for a stomp, but Nakamura moved. Nakamura hit a knee from the second rope for a two-count. Nakamura slammed Rollins. Nakamura kicked Rollins’s back and then hit a rolling snap German Suplex for a two-count. Nakamura landed an Exploder and ran at Rollins, but Rollins countered with a super-kick and a two-count. Rollins hit a few strikes, but Nakamura rolled into an arm bar. Rollins powered up and lifted Nakamura for a sit-out power-bomb. That was enough to get Rollins a two-count. 

The two stood up together and went head to head. Rollins and Nakamura traded elbows. Nakamura lifted Rollins, but Rollins worked out of it and hit an enziguri. Seth went to the top, but Nakamura cut him off. Nakamura hit an F-5 from the second rope and got a good near-fall out of it. Nakamura landed a Kinshasha, but Rollins couldn’t get up after it. Nakamura kept kicking the hell out of Rollins. Rollins eventually hit a Pedigree. Rollins went for a Stomp, but Nakamura cut him off. It wasn’t long before Rollins actually hit the stomp and kind of/sort of out of nowhere to get the win.

The show ended with Rollins in the ring and Nakamura outside of it. While some may have thought a MITB cash-in would happen … well, it didn’t.