WWE Payback: Excitement from Beginning to End
For my birthday my lovely wife decided to give me sponsored tickets for WWE Payback, one of the WWE’s first pay-per-view events here in the Charm City in quite sometime. I decided to make it a guys night out with my Brother-in-law Irv, my nephew Sergio, and my son Steve III (Trey). I must say I haven’t followed professional wrestling in quite a while, but I was impressed with the plot of the show and the WWE’s newest bright stars. It was great action from start to finish and I was happy to see a couple of vets I remember for the last time I watched wrestling when I was a kid. Here’s a recap of some of my favorite matches from that night.
Disclosure: We received tickets to attend WWE Payback from WWE, any opinions expressed are my own.
Bray Wyatt vs Ryback
This guy Bray Wyatt is a character in every sense of the word. But the one thing I noticed that has greatly changed since I watched wrestling is that the fans love the heels (bad guys) now. They love Bray Wyatt more than all of them, the arena goes pitch black only to be lit up by thousands of cell phones and some music that belong’s in the intro to a horror movie. Enter Bray Wyatt a guy that reminds me of darker version of Cactus Jack, deceptively athletic and has very crazy aura about himself.
Image Credit: WWE Payback
Ryback, a guy that looks he could be Goldberg’s little brother enters the ring, and after looking at him I realize that I need to reevaluate my gym regimen!!! A massive guy that appears to eat people, he is very powerful and displays it often. I was impressed with this match but I new from the beginning that this would be one worth watching.
Image Credit: WWE Payback
This match seesawed back and forth but it would Bray Wyatt who in end would emerge victorious. I hoped Ryback would win, but the crowd in Royal Farms Arena got what they wanted, a victory for Bray Wyatt.
Image Credit: WWE Payback
John Cena Vs. Rusev
This plot took it back to cold war themes of the 80’s USA vs USSR. Rusev the big bad Russian against John Cena the newest WWE legend and this generation’s version of the Hulk Hogan. The match was “I Quit Match” which meant that one of the wrestlers had to quit in order for the other to win.
Image Credit: WWE Payback
Image Credit: WWE Payback
Image Credit: WWE Payback
This match in my opinion was the best of the night, nonstop extreme action throughout the whole matchup. There really were not any rules!!! Bashing each other with video equipment, using steel stairs and railing as weapons, the climax of the match had to be when John Cena tossed Rusev onto the intro fireworks and having them explode on his body.
This contest ended in a shocker when Rusev who dominated the majority of the competition, was forced to submit when his ring assistant and lady friend Lana threw in the towel for Rusev and John emerged the winner.
Image Credit: WWE Payback
Image Credit: WWE Payback
Fatal 4-Way title Match: Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns
Image Credit: WWE Payback
So this time last year apparently three of these guys (Ambrose, Reigns, and Rollins) comprised a super group called Shield, the rivals were Randy Orton and WWE President Triple H. They were dominating until Rollins double crossed the other two members for selfish gain and has been mentored by previous WWE superstar and current Director of Operations Cain. Cain has tried on numerous occasions to guide Rollins but Rollins has disrespected Cain and mocked him. Because of their rivalry Triple H told Cain that if Seth lost the match, he would lose his job.
Image Credit: WWE Payback
Now that the plot has been set we can address the action. They all came out swinging for the fences but Orton ruled the ring early in the match. That was until all the former members of Shield got together and took Orton out!
Image Credit: WWE Payback
However the reunion was shortly lived, once Reigns and Ambrose realize they were helping Rollins. They attacked him quickly which made Cain (pictured above in the suit) step in to insure victory for Rollins and that he kept his job. When it was over, Rollins retained the WWE Heavyweight title and the show ended in a surprisingly subtle climax.
Image Credit: WWE Payback
Overall is was a great show, a cool birthday gift, and I look forward to WWE returning to Baltimore! WWE returns to Baltimore on September 7th for a RAW show. Pre-sale had already ended but be sure to check the WWE website for tickets. Also check out their VIP Ticket experience the next time you plan on attending a show. For all my die-hard wrestling fans, have you subscribed to the WWE Network yet? IF not you should definitely check it out. For just $9.99 a month you get unlimited access to tons of WWE videos and shows. Learn more.
Steve Stephens II
My name is Steve and I am an early 30s family man from (you guessed it!) Tulsa, Oklahoma currently residing in a major metropolitan city on the east coast. I was born in Tulsa and lived there most of my early life then I moved to several cities in the south and mid-west and moved to the east coast after finishing undergrad. Moving around gave me an early view on different cities, regional cultures, styles, and taste that has always stuck with me and to this day I always notice the differences both major and subtle when I travel. I am truly excited to share my loves, dislikes, passions, memories, accomplishments, failures, and life with you. Look for my weekly updates and if you enjoy please tell others and drop me a line with some feedback.
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