 Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus in a Steel Cage MatchFor a feud that has largely fallen flat, Lynch and Stratus totally killed it here. They had the crowd throughout and put together an excellent opener. It just makes you wonder why they didn't click sooner, but at least they ended their feud on a high note. I've always hated that Steel Cage matches in WWE tend to invite interference instead of eliminate it, but at least Zoey Stark's failed interference led to her turning on Stratus afterward. If this was it for Stratus, she finished her career strong. LA Knight def. The Miz (John Cena Served as Special Guest Referee)Cena was the official host of Payback and announced before this bout that he'd be serving as the special guest referee as well. It wasn't a necessary move as it slightly took away from the great feud Knight and Miz have had (there were multiple moments where both Miz and Knight got in Cena's face), but at least Cena was able to endorse Knight afterward. This was a solid match that arguably could have been improved by being a bit shorter. There was nothing on the line and neither guy is exceptional in the ring, so 10 minutes would have sufficed instead of 15. United States Champion Rey Mysterio def. Austin TheoryThis was your average television match, and while that's not to say it was bad by any means, this crowd did not buy into the possibility of Theory getting the belt back and understandably so. Theory's been so damaged creatively that the crowd was quiet whenever he was on offense, but they put together a quality contest, nevertheless. Mysterio not winning decisively was weird as I have no desire to see this feud continue. I'd rather see him move onto other opponents while Theory potentially enters the tag team ranks with Grayson Waller. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in a Steel City Street Fight to Win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWhat a hell of a brawl this turned out to be. WWE's Street Fights tend to get only so hardcore, and I'm not advocating they do some of the stuff AEW or GCW do almost routinely, but this was refreshing because it was definitely more hardcore than what we normally get in this company. Owens getting color for a change was a nice touch, too. All four guys put forth a fantastic effort and the interference from Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh actually added to it. There were a ton of suspenseful nearfalls and I was genuinely shocked by the outcome. I'm not complaining, though, because Judgment Day have carried Raw for so long that they deserve this moment. I just have to assume this delays their demise even further, and potentially plants the seeds for a WarGames match before long. Grayson Waller Hosted The Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes and Was Attacked by Jey UsoComing into the event, there didn't seem to be a reason for this segment to exist beyond getting Rhodes on the pay-per-view, until it led to the return of Jey. He was only gone for a few weeks, but the crowd didn't mind one bit as they gave him a loud ovation. Rhodes being responsible for bringing Jey to Raw is interesting. Will Jey help Rhodes against Judgment Day and that's what keeps Jey busy until WrestleMania season? Does he challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship eventually? There's a few different directions they can go in and I'm excited to find out what's next for him, even if it's very reminiscent of what WWE did with the Mysterios last year (i.e. putting them on separate shows until it was time for them to rekindle their rivalry). Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley def. Raquel RodriguezThis paled in comparison to the two matches these two had in NXT. It was still a well-worked match for the most part despite a few unfortunate mistimed moments, but we know they're capable of better. Mysterio getting involved should've been expected, but it was a tad lame since he already made his presence felt in the Street Fight earlier on. That said, Ripley retaining was the right call. The feud should continue because I want them to redeem themselves in a rematch (a la Lynch and Stratus). World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins def. Shinsuke NakamuraI've offered WWE plenty of praise for how they've nailed the heel presentation of Nakamura leading into Payback. He's done a terrific job, but the crowd still did not see him as a legitimate threat to the title here. They had a really well-wrestled main event and told a story that made sense with Nakamura targeting Rollins' injured back, but it lacked a big fight feel and the finish was abrupt. The lack of post-match angle was underwhelming, too, though apparently Nakamura did attack Rollins when the show went off the air. Rollins won clean, so personally, I'm not super invested in the idea of this rivalry continuing past this point. Overall ShowPayback came off as a B-level pay-per-view on paper and it came off like a B-level pay-per-view in execution. However, that's not necessarily a negative thing as the three hours were entertaining enough, we got two above-average matches, and nothing was egregiously awful. Throw in Cena appearing, Jey Uso returning and a surprise title change and you have yourself a successful show. This wasn't on the same level as WrestleMania 39, Elimination Chamber or other events we've gotten this year, but it was far from a waste and I had fun with it.
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