Payback 2013: A Great Debut Built on Punk's Return and a Brilliant Double Turn

Curtis Axel's Intercontinental Championship win gives the inaugural Payback an efficient opening title change and an emotional connection to his late father, Mr. Perfect. Wade Barrett spends much of the match trying to survive two challengers, while The Miz repeatedly searches for the Figure Four and creates the most obvious submission threat. The three-way format keeps the pace moving and allows Axel to stay opportunistic without disappearing from the match. Miz eventually traps Barrett in the Figure Four and appears close to forcing the champion to submit. Axel recognizes the opening, dives onto Barrett and scores the pin while Miz still has the hold applied. The finish is clever and gives Axel the championship without requiring him to overpower either opponent.

AJ Lee and Kaitlyn turn a deeply personal storyline into one of the strongest Divas Championship matches of the period. Kaitlyn wrestles with obvious anger after AJ's secret-admirer humiliation, while AJ constantly looks for ways to redirect that emotion into mistakes. The champion's power gives her several believable chances to end the match quickly, and AJ survives by attacking at transitions rather than controlling long stretches. Kaitlyn finally appears ready to finish with the Spear, but AJ avoids the decisive impact and attacks the arm. She locks in the Black Widow and forces Kaitlyn to submit. The clean submission gives AJ her first Divas Championship and provides a satisfying payoff to weeks of psychological manipulation.

Dean Ambrose and Kane work a physical United States Championship match that gives Ambrose a credible test but ends before the rivalry receives a satisfying conclusion. Kane repeatedly forces the champion into defensive positions with power, while Ambrose uses movement and rougher offense to keep the pace from becoming too slow. The match becomes more competitive as Kane starts finding openings for the Chokeslam. Ambrose counters one attempt on the floor and drives Kane into the surface with a Snap DDT. Kane cannot return to the ring before the referee completes the count, so Ambrose retains by countout. The finish protects Kane and keeps the title on Ambrose, but it also leaves the championship program feeling unfinished.

Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler produce the night's most important character match by turning Ziggler's legitimate concussion into the center of a dramatic double turn. Del Rio repeatedly attacks the champion's head with kicks, becoming more vicious as the crowd grows increasingly sympathetic to Ziggler. Ziggler keeps trying to fight through the damage, and every comeback makes the physical imbalance more uncomfortable rather than heroic. The story changes both wrestlers in real time as Del Rio embraces the aggression and Ziggler becomes the resilient fan favorite. Del Rio finally catches the kneeling champion with another Superkick and scores the pin. The title change is decisive, emotionally effective and one of the clearest double turns WWE produced in the era.

CM Punk returns to WWE competition in Chicago and immediately works a long, high-level singles match with Chris Jericho. Jericho repeatedly tests whether Punk's time away has dulled his conditioning, while Punk gradually finds the rhythm that defined his championship run. The crowd treats every comeback as a major event, giving the match an atmosphere beyond its non-title status. Jericho counters a springboard clothesline into a Codebreaker for a major near-fall and later survives Punk's first Go to Sleep. Punk responds by landing another Go to Sleep and then a second one in succession. The clean pin gives Punk a strong return victory and sets up the next phase of his story with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar.

The Shield's tag-title defense against Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton benefits from the tension between the challengers and the champions' increasingly polished teamwork. Bryan supplies the fastest sequences and repeatedly creates openings for the No Lock, while Orton gives the team a heavier counterpoint with powerslams and RKO threats. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins survive by breaking up submissions and turning split-second miscommunication into opportunities. Bryan traps Rollins in the No Lock late, but Reigns breaks the hold. Orton stops a Spear and lands an RKO on Reigns, only for Rollins to attack before the challengers can capitalize. Rollins then hits the Blackout on Bryan and scores the pin, giving The Shield another strong defense.

John Cena and Ryback close Payback with a Three Stages of Hell match that uses three distinct stipulations to settle their WWE Championship rivalry. Ryback takes the first fall by surviving the lumberjack chaos and landing Shell Shocked, giving the challenger an early advantage. Cena answers in the Tables fall by driving Ryback through a table with an Attitude Adjustment, tying the score and sending the match to the Ambulance stage. The final fall becomes a prop-heavy fight around the vehicle, with both men tearing pieces from it and using them as weapons. Cena eventually climbs onto the ambulance with Ryback and delivers an Attitude Adjustment through the roof. That decisive third fall gives Cena the 2-1 victory and ends the feud cleanly.