Payback 2016: A Strong Wrestling Show Undercut by WWE's Old Habits

Owens and Zayn wrestle with the confidence of opponents who know each other's habits before the bell. Zayn counters the usual shortcuts, Owens anticipates the dives and corner attacks, and the match gradually shifts from familiarity into spite. Their exchanges never feel like generic move trading because every reversal suggests years of shared history. Zayn's Blue Thunder Bomb and tornado DDT create strong near falls, while Owens answers with increasingly violent strikes and a frog splash. The finish is decisive without feeling simple. Zayn charges for the Helluva Kick, Owens catches him with a superkick, and the Pop-up Powerbomb ends the match cleanly. Owens gets the official main-roster victory he needs, but the post-match confrontation and later brawl make it obvious that one pinfall will not settle anything between them.

Cesaro's return momentum makes the title feel unusually vulnerable, and Miz responds by wrestling like a champion who knows he cannot win a prolonged power contest. Cesaro controls through uppercuts, strength, and repeated attempts to trap Miz in the Sharpshooter, while Maryse creates just enough distraction to keep the champion alive. Kevin Owens joins commentary after beating Zayn, which turns the ringside area into a second story waiting to explode. Zayn eventually attacks Owens, their fight reaches the apron, and Cesaro knocks both men down. That moment costs him. Miz immediately rolls Cesaro up and escapes with the championship. The distraction finish is not ideal in isolation, but it effectively connects four wrestlers into the program that becomes the excellent Fatal Four-Way at Extreme Rules. Cesaro looks strong even in defeat.

Ambrose and Jericho work a methodical match centered on control rather than spectacle. Jericho repeatedly slows Ambrose and targets the back, while Ambrose relies on awkward movement and sudden bursts to escape the veteran's preferred pace. The crowd stays engaged, but the eighteen-minute runtime exposes a few stretches where the rivalry does not have enough urgency to support the deliberate structure. The closing section is much stronger. Jericho blocks Dirty Deeds, Ambrose survives the Walls of Jericho, and both men begin countering familiar finish sequences. Jericho eventually attempts the Lionsault, Ambrose gets his knees up, and Dirty Deeds finishes the match cleanly. The result gives Ambrose an important pay-per-view win and leaves enough resentment for the feud to escalate into the less successful Asylum match at Extreme Rules.

Charlotte and Natalya wrestle a technically sound championship match that is remembered almost entirely for the finish. Bret Hart and Ric Flair in the corners give the bout immediate historical framing, while Natalya and Charlotte exchange submission attempts and work toward the Sharpshooter and Figure Eight. The match has enough quality to support a decisive ending, which makes the chosen angle more frustrating. Charlotte applies the Sharpshooter, Natalya never submits, and referee Charles Robinson calls for the bell anyway in an explicit Montreal Screwjob recreation. Bret and Natalya then apply Sharpshooters to Flair and Charlotte after the match. The callback gets an instant reaction but overwhelms everything the wrestlers did before it. On a show branded around a new era, recreating a 1997 finish is especially self-defeating.

Reigns and Styles produce a strong main event despite WWE repeatedly interrupting their momentum. Styles targets the leg and uses the Calf Crusher before a Phenomenal Forearm sends both men through a broadcast table, producing a count-out win that would not change the title. Shane McMahon restarts the match without count-outs. Reigns then accidentally low blows Styles and loses by disqualification, prompting Stephanie McMahon to restart it again under no-disqualification rules. From there the match becomes excellent. Gallows and Anderson interfere, The Usos answer, Styles lands multiple Forearms and a springboard 450, and Reigns survives before finally catching another Phenomenal Forearm attempt with a Spear. Styles looks fully established at WWE's top level. The overbooking hurts the flow, but the wrestling underneath it is excellent.