Sean Ross Sapp's WWE Payback Podcast Notes And Match Ratings

Enzo & Cass defeated Anderson & Gallows
5/10

• Anderson & Gallows' knockoff Bullet Club shirts just work.
• Confusing spot where Anderson intercepts Enzo trying for a tag, but Cole calls it as a tag.
• With Big E off Raw and Titus way past his prime, Cass has the best hot tag on the brand. Unfortunately the paint-by-numbers Raw tag matches aren't a good thing
• Enzo gets the win.

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Backstage crappenings

• Matt Hardy is using some of the "broken" mannerisms. For some reason, Golden Truth challenges the winner of tonight's match.
• Golden Truth's last televised win was in October. Ok.
• Charly Caruso has become really good at her job. We have a kind of awkward Sheasaro segment where she interviews them.

Miz TV

• Miz is a really good indication that you don't have to win to be a big star.
• Miz makes fun of Balor for being too small, Balor says he'll beat Lesnar and get his title back.
• Balor gets the main event swear word.
• Balor tries to walk away because "Miz isn't worth it." Beats him up anyway.
• #StopFrontDropkicks2017.

United States Championship Match
Chris Jericho defeated Kevin Owens (c)
7.5/10

• This is an outstanding match with good heat from the crowd.
• Our dude Steve Muehlhausen had the scoop on the match order, btw.
• Wouldn't mind Jericho winning here, then dropping the title in the Tuesday main event.
• Chris Jericho out here at 46 years old hitting huracanranas.
• The deja vu of Owens surviving with a single finger is great.
• I hate Kevin Owens' "prize fighter" gimmick. They're all supposed to be prize fighters!
• Owens sold the finger on a Pop-up Powerbomb attempt. Wonderful!
• Jericho submits Kevin Owens!
• This poses an interesting situation, as Owens is owed a rematch, and AJ Styles is number one contender.
• Imagine having two storyline authority figures and not having either tweet about it being neat that they get a future HOF'er.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Austin Aries defeated Neville (c)
7.5/10

• Austin Aries is nice and over with the crowd.
• I like Booker T bringing the Demetrious Johnson analogy to Neville.
• Aries took an awesome spill off the top rope.
• Neville's front dropkick is way better than Rollins'.
• This match just flat out ruled. They worked snug and I believed them.
• Great crowd.
• Last Chancery. Wrestlers look foolish not sitting out of moves.
• Neville gets himself DQ'd. Clever. Turdy finish for a PPV.
• There's no reason the viewer should respect a ref's authority because the WWE rarely gives them reason to. 

Raw Tag Team Championship
Hardy Boyz (c) defeated Sheamus & Cesaro 
8/10

• We get some great "delete" chants, as well as "Brother Nero."
• Jesus, what a spill Jeff Hardy took to the outside.
• Jeff Hardy busted a tooth out. Jeez.
• That springboard uppercut from Cesaro is a work of art.
• Cesaro and Sheamus have beaten the Hardys to shit. They're like 20 years deep, dudes.
• Super White Noise from Sheamus!
• Cesaro catches Jeff outside but is sent over the barricade.
• What a cool finish, where Sheamus doesn't know who the legal man is. Great match.
• We get an excellent heel turn after the match with an assault on the Hardys.
• This first hour has been damn good.

Raw Women's Championship
Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley (c)
7/10

• This is a great place for a coming out party on Raw for Bliss.
• Bliss' skateboard stomp rules.
• Bayley scored with a bad ass Saito suplex.
• There was an awesome sequence where Alexa went 1-for-2 on knee attempts, then Bliss creamed her.
• Another good finish that ends with a DDT after a post bump. Good stuff again.

House of Horrors match
Bray Wyatt defeated Randy Orton
5.75/10

 

• When I was 9 I basically thought "WWF In Your House" was going to have a match in someone's house. It should have.
• LMAO at Randy Orton wearing his gear in the limo.
• House of Horrors is optimized for my surround sound system, I'll tell you that much.
• This is fine besides the zoomy camera shit.
• I hope "All-Star" by Smash Mouth starts playing and Bray says "GOD DAMMIT BO LEAVE MY PLAYLIST ALONE" 
• A fridge gets slammed on Randy Orton. This is phenomenal and terrible. I had a good time.
• Back in the arena, Wyatt is in the ring, but Orton is behind him.
• The Singh Brothers and Jinder Mahal jump Orton, and Wyatt wins.
• So Bray Wyatt won his non-title rematch and didn't get his title match.

Seth Rollins defeated Samoa Joe
6.75/10

• I don't envy these two -- the live crowd got taken out of things after they had to watch 15 minutes of the show on the tron.
• Joe works over Rollins' leg early. Wonder how many dives Rollins will do after.
• Samoa Joe sentons the knee. You don't see that every day.
• Dying at WWE cutting off the replay when Rollins screamed "MOTHERFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU"
• Joe has specialized his offense for Rollins' knee. Cool stuff.
• Joe hits a dangerous looking powerbomb.
• Rollins sells his knee, then doesn't, then does, then doesn't.
• Rollins scored the pin while in the Coquina clutch.

Braun Strowman defeated Roman Reigns
6.25/10

• Thunderous boos. 
• Reigns selling a beatdown from three weeks ago, good. 
• Strowman awkwardly runs in to Reigns in a really green spot.
• Strowman beats the brakes off of Reigns.
• I really fear the direction of the company if they try to force the "Reigns overcomes the odds valiantly, he's a babyface, but you guys think of him as a heel hehehahahahoho" narrative.
• Strowman posts off the shoulder every time he's going to kick out. 
• Strowman powerslams and wins!
• Huge stair attack after the match!
• Brock Lesnar got legitimacy by winning NCAA and UFC titles. Braun gets it by tearing up all kinds of shit and I'm super cool with that.