Outside of Wrestlemania, this was the best PPV of the year thusfar. There was nothing bad on it, and both main events delivered in their own way. I know there's likely some dissatisfaction with regards to the booking decisions on the show, but it's hard to argue the quality of the matches.
Hits and Misses for Payback June 1st, 2014:
Sheamus vs. Cesaro: This was the match I was least expecting a clean finish toand while we did, it wasn't a definitive victory. Further, it looks like we haven't seen the last of the Sheamus/Cesaro feud if Heyman and Cesaro's antics after the match are any indication. I had no idea what finish they'ld deliver in this match, and I really liked the one that they did. Cesaro doing a fan favorite move in the Swing as a heel and getting caught immediately after in a small package costs him nothing, even in a clean loss. The physicality in the match was outstanding, and one could argue that Cesaro got in more offense than Sheamus did. This was a great choice for an opener and these two have tremendous chemistry together. They could have gone another 5-10 minutes and not overstayed their welcome.
***
The Rhodes Brothers vs. Rybaxel: I had no idea these two teams were feuding until they showed the confrontation between them before the match, and I wasn't expecting much. Call it a pleasant surprise, as Cody's offensive flurry towards the end of the match was outstanding. They've been building towards the break-up of the Rhodes for some time now, but I wasn't expecting Cody's actions following the match. I still think he turns heel eventually, but this was a pleasant deviation in terms of the typical turn.
**1/2.
Rusev vs. Big E.:Another match I expected little from, but both men showed a good deal of athleticism and power during this 4 minute match. Big E's spear to the floor was impressive, as was Rusev's huge kick towards the end of the match. They made Rusev seem dominant in the end while still giving E some decent offense. Well done.
**.
Bo Dallas: Finally, Bo acts like a heel. His pre-match promo had just the perfect amount of heel mic work, but his bailing to the floor when Kane came out followed by his faux concern over Kofi after Kane had destroyed him were both tremendous.Going forward, this is the Bo I'm looking forward to seeing.
Bad News Barrett vs. RVD: Other then the impassive look on RVD's face before the match that seemingly indicated he'ld rather be anywhere but there, this was another solid mid-card match. Barrett has really found a groove with this character and the Bullhammer is a much better finisher for him than Wasteland ever was. RVD got in enough evidence to stay credible and can still perform most of his big spots, but this match was exactly what he should be doing. Putting over younger heel talent, clean. **1/2.
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt: I'm generally not a fan of Last Man Standing matches, but Cena and Wyatt really delivered here. My only complaint was with the referee, whose only job is to count to ten, yet he ignored Bray on the floor when the Usos and Harper/Rowan were out there brawling. Usually that's a sign that the heel is going over when the referee makes such an egregious mistake, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. Bray got in enough offense on Cena that he doesn't lose anything in the loss, and he's really benefited overall from his feud with the top star in the company. I assume the two are done with each other at this point, which just leaves the question of "What's next?" for both men. A great brawl in which both men looked great, especially when it came down to just the two of them.
***3/4.
Shield vs. Evolution:The storyline to this match played out beautifully, and Evolution's plan of ending Roman Reigns career came back to haunt HHH and co. Instead of just pinning him when Ambrose and Rollins were out of it, they got cocky, as veteran heels tend to do. Rollins starting the comeback with the incredible dive off the set was impressive, and the way the Shield came back from there was impressive. The clean sweep was deceiving, as Evolution dominated much of the action and no one was eliminated for over 25 minutes, and was only occurred when the Shield got the numbers advantage in the ring. Instead of trying to hurt Evolution, they focused on beating them, and it worked. A solid main event that should put the Evolution/Shield feud to rest as well, which brings the "What's next?" question for both teams as well. It should make for an exciting Raw tonight.
***1/2.
Daniel Bryan's decision: Brie Bella certainly endeared herself to Daniel Bryan fans by calling Stephanie McMahon a B---- then slapping her, but Stephanie and Daniel were thoroughly engaging here as well. I am so thankful Stephanie has stopped pandering to the crowd and has become a full-blown heel, because she's perfected her character. Bryan turning Stephanie's words around on her was well done, as was Stephanie having to leave embarrassed. The logic hole is that Stephanie could simply strip Bryan of the title, but the mic work being done by her and Bryan has been so outstanding that it can be overlooked.
Overall Show:With only one match earning a miss, and three at *** and higher, it's hard to rate this show as anything but a success. Perhaps the Bray-Cena and Shield-Evolution matches should have been the ones held at Extreme Rules, as Payback was much more "extreme" then it was. Some chapters were seemingly closed on feuds in the right and definitive way, but nobody comes out of the PPV looking bad. It should make for an exciting Raw tonight, as the build towards Money In The Bank will begin. I don't know how much longer they can drag out the Bryan-Stephanie drama, but it was good stuff again at Payback. A very good show that delivered in-ring, with the evolution of a character in Bo Dallas, and a good segment over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with Bryan, Stephanie and even Brie Bella.
Payback Misses:
Paige vs. Alicia Fox: With the build given to the match coupled with the excellent Charlotte and Natalya match on NXT Takeover, I expected a good match here. This just felt like filler, and the 7 minute match felt like double that. Both are capable of more, as shown by their match in London. They just didn't deliver at Payback.
*