WWE Payback 2023 *Spoilers*

JP Liz V1

On Saturday, September 2, 2023, the planned 2023 Payback event will be held at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, over the Labour Day holiday weekend

Confirmed PPV Card So Far:-

World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Women’s World Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch (Steel Cage Match)

The Miz vs. LA Knight

United States Championship — Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Austin Theory

Steel City Street Fight for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships - Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (C) VS Damian Priest & Finn Balor

The Grayson Waller Effect with Special Guest Cody Rhodes

CastorTroy

Hmm, forgot this was on this weekend.

Think of the matches announced, the US title is the only one that could change hands.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121040533#Comment_121040533

Dunno about that. I think the feedback from the Nakamura Monday promo may well give them the encouragement to give him the belt. They'll end up going another show or two then. Maybe it'll be a false finish. Can't see Rollins winning clean though.

Furious-Red

Might watch it on Sat evening or catch up after Collision

JP Liz V1

Cody a guest on Waller's show also

JP Liz V1

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1696313133864730701

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JP Liz V1

I think now on Twitter X there is a Seth emoji for #WWEPayback

JP Liz V1

Cena to host

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1697763801926357225

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121040533#Comment_121040533

Just updated the card there, I think the tag titles could change hands potentially. Judgement day all having titles at the end of the show would be a decent image

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121059240#Comment_121059240

I think McDonagh could cost Finn and Priest, Finn getting another bash of the briefcase

SD kinda teased Street Profits with Bobby going after Sami and KO titles

I'm not sure of any title changes unless Priest cashes in or Theory reclaims

PTH2009

Forgot this was tonight

Suppose I'll give it a watch

Agent Coulson

Brodus Clay backstage tonight after dropping the NWA title last.

It would be right up Vince's street to hire that nasty peice of work.

JP Liz V1

Great Muta and Tiffany Stratton are in Pittsburgh

callaway92

Think I’ll watch this. Midnight start?

Agent Coulson

How long into the PPV before Cole makes a reference to Punk being fired.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121061969#Comment_121061969

I wonder will there be Punk chants by the crowd

Waller with Cody might make reference

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121061718#Comment_121061718

Pre show midnight main card 1am.

JP Liz V1

John Cena will be the special guest referee for LA Knight v The Miz

Itssoeasy

Trish and Becky starting things off.

Itssoeasy

Really good opener between Becky and Trish. Great Suplex spot.

Angron

Eesh, that lump Trish got on her forehead looked nasty.

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062114#Comment_121062114

Yeah but added to the match. It was a cage match after all.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062111#Comment_121062111

That cage match was better than their feud 😄

Angron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062120#Comment_121062120

Oh definitely, it really helped sell the match.

Angron

Miz says "Zee", not "Zed". That bastard.

Angron

Solid match, and was great to see the fans invested.

Someone better being going off a bridge here...

Pittsburgh certainly has enough of them.

Itssoeasy

That tag title match was fun. Did Owen blade or what ?

Angron

Genuinely surprised the Judgement Day won, but they also needed some sort of win.

JP Liz V1

Well I didn't expect those tag title changes, will KO return the favour to Rhea in her title match

Who's the plonker in the brown zip-up hoody in the crowd that they keep giving airtime to?

JP Liz V1

Cody to SD now Jey to Raw?

Rhea dressing like Chyna

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062193#Comment_121062193

If Chyna had found MySpace.

WHAT????????

This is the first time Nakamura has main-evented a WWE PPV????

I know they made a b*llocks of him but still...

ThePott

Really solid PPV.

Lynch/Trish was excellent even if their feud has been up and down. If Trish is done she went out on a banger and think Zoey Starks is elevated too.

LA Knight and Miz was pretty good and I think it was good that Knight didn't just come off as a friend of Cena with them both being faces, I'd love at the very least a promo between Cena and Knight if not a programme.

Best match of the night for me was the tag match, delighted the Judgement Day won (and that Finn is a grand slam champ). The match was wild and I loved it, they really protected Owens and Zayn too. Their reign has been lacklustre and TJD is the right call imo.

Nakamura/Rollins was pretty good, damn I wish Nak won, ending was a bit meh too. Loved the anime intro and was expecting Muta to get involved. He attacked Rollins after so maybe a rematch at Fastlane (but he won cleanly so IDK), if nothing else please don't squander Nakamura after this.

Didn't expect the Jey return and man he is over as rover, hope they do something good with him and manage to make the Bloodline interesting again.

The less good stuff was the Theory/Rey match. It just wasn't anything special and Theory is pretty dull, he needs a new persona or something. Rhea/Raquel was okay but dragged, Raquel is another person that just hasn't managed to get the audience invested in her and it showed in this match.

callaway92

Thought the show really died a death after the Tag Team title match

Funny enough, there's often complaints about some matches not getting enough time, but tonight felt the opposite. Lot of long entrances/outros and filler.

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062794#Comment_121062794

But what reason is there to care about Raquel ? None that I could think of watching the match last night.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062794#Comment_121062794

I honestly don't think I could add or take away anything from that post.

Summed up the night perfectly for me.

hynesie08

Why does Kevin Owens hate his tailbone?

JP Liz V1

I worry for KO, he puts his body in some perilous situations

I assume KO and Sami are taking time off for injuries

Lord TSC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062884#Comment_121062884

I like Raquel a lot, but the issue is Rhea has become such a force of character and charisma, such a star, that she makes a lot of women look lesser. And while I think Raquel is good, she's nowhere near Rhea's level right now.

I hope they can transition into Rhea vs Becky at some point, cause I feel Becky might be able to actually provide a proper foil to Rhea.

Tag match was wonderful. So happy for Finn, and it keeps JD around a bit longer. Cage match was brilliant as well, and utmost respect for Trish to come back and have that level of a match. If that's her goodbye for a bit, she's gone out brilliantly.

Cena vs Knight felt the direction they were going to me, and if so, I'm looking forward to it.

ThePott

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121062884#Comment_121062884

You're absolutely right.

There's little reason to care about her. She has potential but there's nothing to her character at all. I think the fact she is a 3 time tag team champion says it all. They don't know what to do with her except stick her with a random woman to make a team.

She's a big woman who has ability but hasn't shown anything outside of that and the problem there is that Rhea while not as big already comes off as a bigger threat and more capable wrestler. She needs a character because being tall and showing your back muscles isn't enough. She's like Omos at the moment, outside of the height what is the appeal?

She did some decent stuff in NXT from memory but she has nothing going for her right now that Rhea isn't doing a better job of.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121063476#Comment_121063476

Talk that Becks is NXT bound for a bit so I reckon Mania might be her and Rhea

JP Liz V1

Have Raquel keep tossing Dom around to get her over with the crowd 😄 there is more to go in her Rhea feud but there match last night was a bit flat, they have had good matches in NXT and as said above Rhea's strong mami persona has taken her to the top it's difficult for other less stronger personality females to get the audience behind them even though she is heel

Rhea against Becky or Bianca has potential down the line

I'm surprised no DQ once Dom got involved

PTH2009

Just when you think the end is near for Judgement Day (pun not intended) they grow from strength to strength

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121064201#Comment_121064201

They were on the ppv poster and (Dom)inated it 😄

Agent Coulson

Sami was the most over babyface for a full year Wrestlemaina to Wrestlemania and wins the tag titles in the main event of Wrestlemania and then goes on 5 months of nothing before dropping the titles and back to what looks like mediocrity.

I see the future for LA Knight right there.

CastorTroy

What gave Trish the lump? Seemed to happen early enough.

Cody bringing Jey would make more sense if it had been an exchange for him to go to SD.

Was expecting a Punk-like name to tweet the Grayson Waller Effect so was watching the ticker.

Was just thinking as it was ending, when was the last time the next feud was set up at a PPV rather than the next weekly show? Like someone coming out to attack Seth.

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121064991#Comment_121064991

The cage I think. I was sure one of them might up bleeding.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121064726#Comment_121064726

I think injuries and no decent lengthy build feud for the tag titles hindered Sami and KO's momentum, kinda all went downhill, standstill after WM

I would like to see Sami get a world title singles reign

JP Liz V1

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1698191161385480372

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