By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Zack Ryder def. D-Von Dudley

This was a weird pairing, but I'll take this match over something we've seen countless times in the past. Ryder hasn't received the television time I hoped he would coming out of WrestleMania, and The Dudley Boyz are once again directionless (though I hope they cost Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady their match at Payback), but this was a fun match for what it was. Ryder obviously still has that crowd support for whatever reason and that worked in his favor here. D-Von has never been the most credible singles competitor, so I was happy to see Ryder score the fluke victory.


United States Champion Kalisto def. Tyler Breeze (Non-title)

Has a United States Champion (or any champion for that matter) ever been as prominently featured on Superstars as Kalisto has been in recent months? It's a treat for regular viewers of the program such as myself, but it does nothing for Kalisto or the title he holds. Despite how many times he has gone up against Breeze before, this just might have been their best outing to date. Breeze worked on the leg of Kalisto throughout the bout, Kalisto sold the "injury" well, and it built to an exciting second half of the matchup. Now if only we could see more of these guys on Raw and SmackDown.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Intercontinental Champion The Miz Interrupted Roman Reigns

It's a shame that even though he's now in possession of the Intercontinental Championship, Miz is still a punching bag for the bigger stars on the roster. He plays his role really well and I enjoy his pairing with Maryse, but I was just complaining to someone the other day about how formulaic these opening segments feel sometimes. A babyface comes out and talks, a heel interrupts, and the face punches them out for no reason. AJ Styles did the same thing last week on SmackDown. It set up their match for later on in the night, but it was pretty paint-by-numbers otherwise.


United States Champion Kalisto, Sami Zayn and Cesaro def. League of Nations by Count-out

Kalisto, Zayn and Cesaro were a weird trio, and what was weirder was that two of the three of those guys will be involved in other matches at Payback, and their pay-per-view opponents were nowhere to be seen. It's hard to complain, though, because they worked well together and made for a fun tandem. Of course, the focus was mostly on League of Nations and their split. I know it had been rumored for weeks, but had it been teased on TV at all (I may have missed something)? If not, that came out of nowhere, but it was long overdue. It's been a failure from the start and all three guys are better off on their own. The count-out finish felt anticlimactic and they would have been better off with the babyfaces finishing off Sheamus for the victory. It's not like he has anything to lose at this point.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Cage def. Johnny Mundo in a Steel Cage Match For an Ancient Aztec Medallion

This was the perfect type of match for the slimy Mundo to try to escape the wrath of Cage, but as is usually the case with cage matches, Taya got involved more than I would have liked. Interference was expected (anyone else think cages invite interference instead of prevent it these days?), but it seemed as if she was helping Mundo at every turn, and it got to the point of ridiculousness when she eventually entered the ring. That said, it built nicely to the climax of the contest with Cage giving Mundo his comeuppance with the chair and her getting hit with it as well (albeit inadvertently). Some people might have cringed at that spot, but she has proven in the past she can take a (brutal) bump, so it didn't bother me too much. I don't know if all the close kickouts made it a very good match or too unrealistic (Cage kicked out of pretty much everything), but I thoroughly enjoyed it on the whole, and if this was the payoff to the program, it was well done.


Rey Mysterio, Dragon Azteca Jr. & Prince Puma def. Cortez Castro, Mr. Cisco & Joey Ryan, Ivelisse & Son of Havoc, and Fenix, Jack Evans & PJ Black in a Four Team Elimination Match in the Finals of the Trios Tournament to Win the Trios Championship

The early goings of the match weren't as exciting as I initially hoped, but that's not to say it was bad by any means. Granted, there was never a dull moment, but they hit all the spots you would assume they would (i.e. everyone jumping out to ringside one by one, etc.) and it was slow-paced at points. Once the first two teams were eliminated, that was when things got great and the remaining two trios kicked it up a notch. I would have liked to see them go at it a little longer, but those final few minutes were a ton of fun. Mysterio, Dragon Azteca and Puma are the ultimate dream team and I look forward to their eventual rematch with the former champs (if Angelico is healthy, that is).

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Women's Champion Asuka def. Eva Marie (Non-title)

I feared they would go back to Eva challenging for the title after Bayely received her rematch, but I assume that won't be the case since they gave the match away here. And that's a good thing. Rather, it looks like Nia Jax will be in line for a title shot sooner rather than later. She's not much better, but still a step up. I commend Eva for her improvement over the past year, but she remains barely passable in the ring. At the very least, Asuka carried her to a competent contest, though it lasted longer than I would have liked. Hopefully they keep Asuka vs. Jax on the back burner long enough so they can fully focus on Asuka vs. Bayley II at the next special.


The Revival def. Jeff Parker and Matt Lee

This was a squash match done right: short, sweet and effective. They're great old school heels and it's such a treat to watch. To their credit, the two local athletes sold their offense very well and were more animated than most jobbers. The match was kept brief as it should have been. I'll never get tired of seeing The Shatter Machine, either. I enjoyed Scott Dawson's post-match promo even more and I love how they'll be going on a tear until they get their title rematch with American Alpha.