Payback 2014

Payback 2014 Review



Pre-Show



El Torito vs Hornswoggle
Torito's mask is on the line and Hornswoggle's hair is on the line. Their WeeLC match was surprisingly awesome, so I think this one was quite highly anticipated. Hell, it could have been a part of the actual show. I wish the mini-commentators had returned. It didn't take long for JBL to make a Game of Thrones reference. Like the first match this was a ton of fun and the involvement of the bigger guys was well done. They even had a nearfall and drama towards the end. Just for sheer entertainment I'm giving this  ***



Payback




Sheamus vs Cesaro
The US Title is on the line and what a way to kick off the show! This is probably the match I've been looking forward to the most because I wanted to see these guys beating the shit out of each other. That's exactly what they did as we got a damn stiff contest here. Some of Cesaro's uppercuts looked really painful. Both guys came out looking great and even with the loss, Cesaro still looks like a powerful force of nature. A great back and forth contest to open the show with. ***3/4



The Rhodes Brothers vs Rybaxel
When the hell was this match made? The pre-show showed Rhodes Brothers embracing as a team which seemed to signal a split. The match was entertaining enough but I couldn't help shake the feeling that I could easily see this on Raw. Still it was enjoyable as it was even with no buildup or anything on the line. Rybaxel gets the win. **1/4


After the match Cody tells Goldust that he would be better off finding himself a better tag partner. Well there's the split right there.



Big E vs Rusev
I was kind of looking forward to this one since Rusev was finally getting an opponent that could match up to him in terms of power and speed. The 'feud' did only get one week of build though. The spear to the outside area was awesome. A very short match as Rusev gets a decisive victory. Short but sweet  and Rusev is finally starting to look interesting. *1/4



Kofi Kingston vs Bo Dallas was meant to take place but Kane came out to beat up Kofi for some reason. Seems like a waste of PPV time, but at least Bo got some mic time.



Rob Van Dam vs Bad News Barrett
IC Title is on the line. This was another match I was looking forward to as Barrett has been awesome since his in-ring return. A solid match here that had its slow moments at the beginning and the middle but it definitely picked up towards the finish and Barrett got a big victory over an established star to give himself some momentum. Good stuff and I'd like to see a rematch at some point. **3/4



It's decision time for Daniel Bryan. If he doesn't surrender the Title, Brie Bella will lose her job. Long story short, Brie quit so that Stephanie couldn't fire her and so that Bryan could keep the Championship. She also gave Stephanie an awesome slap to the face. A fun segment overall and it wasn't too long either.



John Cena vs Bray Wyatt : Last Man Standing
I think a lot of people have been disappointed with this feud and the matches from it, but I don't think anyone in their right mind (aside from Cena haters) would be disappointed with this match. Bray was brilliantly creepy as usual and the exorcist-like stance while he was gettting up from the count looked amazing. This was surprisingly fast paced as there were never really any slow or dull moments even when the count was happening. The interference of the Wyatt Family and the Usos was well done and a lot of fun to watch. I did like the finish of Cena burying Bray under stage equipment. I think Bray still looks good in the end and we got an awesome match out of it. ****1/4



Paige vs Alicia Fox
The Divas Title is on the line.  Alicia seems to improved quite a lot over the last few weeks and she finally has a character. The crowd was almost dead for this thanks to the Last Man Standing match. A short match that was really dull until a small burst of energy appeared from Paige in the finish. 3/4*



The Shield vs Evolution : No Holds Barred Elimination Match
It was gonna be hard for these teams to top their fantastic match at Extreme Rules, but this was even better and felt like an absolute war. What the fuck was Batista wearing though? That's way too much blue for my eyes to take. By the way, Bluetista = the greatest Twitter trend ever. This started off as a chaotic brawl that was all over the place and then it turned into a normal tag match. Reigns and HHH staring each other down was a cool moment. The kendo stick shots that Reigns took looked brutal and you could see the painful looking marks on his back. Rollins just about stole the show with all of his high flying. I'm surprised that the Shield lost no members during the match, but it makes them look amazing and I would say that this is their biggest win yet. A fantastic match. ****1/2



8/10. That's four great shows in a row for the WWE. Keep it up guys! There was a lot to like in this show like Cesaro/Sheamus in the opener, the Last Man Standing match, a solid IC Title match and a war in the main event. A couple of things do let it down like the Kane segment or the mediocre TV-like matches but at least they were all kept short for the bigger matches. A recommended watch.