WWE Payback aired from the ThunderDome inside the Amway Center. The Fiend put his Universal Championship on the line against Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns in the main event.
Payback 2020 Results
- Riott Squad def. The IIconics (Kickoff Show)
- Bobby Lashley def. Apollo Crews to become the new United States Champion
- Big E def. Sheamus
- Matt Riddle def. King Corbin
- Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. Bayley & Sasha Banks to become the new Women\’s Tag Team Champions
- Keith Lee def. Randy Orton
- Rey & Dominik Mysterio def. Seth Rollins & Murphy
- Roman Reigns def. The Fiend, Braun Strowman to become the new Universal Champion
Here are the takeaways from WWE Payback 2020:
Bobby Lashley Captured The US Title
Apollo Crews defended the United States Championship against Bobby Lashley tonight at Payback. MVP and Shelton Benjamin were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Lashley and Crews locked up in the middle of the ring to start off the match. Lashley showed off his strength by slamming Crews to the mat. Apollo got back up but Lashley knocked him right back down with a shoulder tackle.
Crews connected with a Dropkick and then sent Lashley out of the ring. Apollo hit a Moonsault off the ring apron and started trash talking with Benjamin and MVP. Back in the ring, Lashley took back control and slammed Apollo across the top rope and Crews fell to the floor outside the ring.
Lashley lifted Crews up on his shoulders and slammed Apollo into the ring post. Lashley brought Crews back in the ring and planted him with a Fallaway Slam. Lashley followed it up with the Dominator and went for the cover but Crews kicked out at two. Crews battled back and connected with a Crossbody.
Apollo sent Lashley to the corner and hit him with a Splash. Crews followed it up with a Spinebuster and a Standing Moonsault for a one count. Crews then hit a Frog Splash and went for the cover but Lashley somehow was able to kick out at two.
Crews unloaded some strikes on Lashley in the corner but Lashley escaped and hit a massive Chokeslam. Lashley locked in the Full Nelston for the submission victory. Bobby Lashley is the new United States Champion. After the match, Apollo attacked Lashley and said he is getting his US Title back.
Big E Outlasted Sheamus
Big E squared off against Sheamus tonight at Payback.
Match Recap: Sheamus absolutely dominated the first several minutes of the match and focused on Big E\’ knee. Sheamus locked in the Cloverleaf but Big E was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold.
Big E sent Sheamus out of the ring with a Back Body Drop and followed it up with a Spear through the ropes. Back in the ring, Big E went for the Big Ending but Sheamus countered into a Heel Hook in the middle of the ring. Big E broke the hold with a few punches but Sheamus caught him with a knee to the face for a near fall. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick but Big E countered with a Powerbomb. Big E followed it up with the Big Ending for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Payback is off to a very good with back to back solid matches. I thought Sheamus and Big E had a great match tonight. It was physical and Big E got his ass kicked for a lot of it but still was able to come through at the end. I hope this is just the beginning for Big E and we get to see an awesome singles run in the near future.
Matt Riddle Conquered King Corbin
Matt Riddle faced King Corbin in the third match of the night. Corbin leveled Riddle with a Clothesline before the match officially started.
Match Recap: The bell rang and Corbin stomped the hell out of Riddle in the corner of the ring. Riddle battled back and applied a Kimura Lock in the middle of the ring. Corbin countered into a Body Slam and rested against the ropes for a moment. Riddle capitalized and locked in a Sleeper Hold.
Corbin escaped and hit a Side Slam for a two count. Matt Riddle caught Corbin with a kick to the side of the head that sent the King out of the ring. Back in the ring, Riddle hit the Broton and followed it up with a running knee to the face for a two count. Matt hit Corbin with a shot to the midsection and the King fell to the ropes. Corbin connected with an awesome Deep Six and went for the cover but Riddle was able to kick out at the last moment.
King Corbin hit Riddle with several strikes to the back but Matt caught him in a Triangle submission. Riddle then hit the Bro to Sleep and made his way to the top rope. Riddle hit the Floating Bro for the pinfall victory. After the match, King Corbin attacked Matt Riddle backstage and beat him down before referees broke it up.
Opinion: I thought the build to this match was bad but Riddle and Corbin delivered a solid match tonight. Corbin\’s tweet right before the match was more entertaining that this entire feud.
Baszler & Jax Are The New Women\’s Tag Team Champions
Sasha Banks & Bayley defended the Women\’s Tag Team Championships against Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler tonight at WWE Payback.
Match Recap: Jax told Shayna to follow her lead and Baszler immediately tagged herself in. Banks and Baszler locked up and Sasha booted Shayna in the leg. Banks followed it up with a Dropkick and went for a Splash in the corner. Baszler got out of the way and booted Banks in the face several times. Banks went for an Abdominal Stretch but Baszler blocked it. Banks sent Shayna towards the ropes and she accidentally knocked Jax to the floor.
Sasha then locked in the Abdominal Stretch on Shayna in the middle of the ring. Baszler broke free but Banks planted her with two Suplexes before tagging in Bayley. The SmackDown Women\’s Champion leveled Shayna with a Clothesline and went for the cover but Jax broke it.
Bayley got out of the ring and Nia sent her into the barricade. Jax then bashed Banks into the barricade several times before finally tagging in. Jax hit Bayley with a Splash in the corner and followed it up with an Elbow to the midsection for a near fall. Bayley knocked Baszler off the ring apron and Sasha hit Nia with a chop block to the knee. Banks then tagged in and hit Jax with Double Knees in the corner.
Bayley tagged back in and Jax planted her with a Body Slam. Banks got into the ring and Nia hit her with Samoan Drop. Nia went for a Leg Drop but Bayley applied a Heel Hook. Jax got back to her feet and dragged her across the ring to tag in Shayna. Baszler hit a running knee and followed it up with a Gutwrench Suplex to Bayley. Sasha tagged in and Baszler greeted her with a Gutwrench Suplex as well.
Shayna sent Banks & Bayley to the corner and Nia hit them with a Double Splash. Jax went for a Powerbomb but Banks countered into a Facebuster. Bayley hit an Elbow Drop off the top rope and tagged in Banks. Sasha hit a Frog Splash as Bayley hit Baszler with the Bayley to Belly. Nia kicked out at two and got planted with a double Back Body Drop. Baszler tagged in and locked in the Kirifuda Clutch on Banks and Bayley. Shayna used Banks\’ arm under Bayley\’s throat and the SmackDown Women\’s Champion tapped out. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are the new Women\’s Tag Team Champions.
Opinion: This match was better than I thought it was going to be. I thought the finish to this match was great and it was good to see Shayna have a good moment on the main roster.
Keith Lee Picked Up A Huge Win Over Randy Orton
Keith Lee faced Randy Orton tonight at Payback.
Match Recap: Orton went for a shoulder tackle but Keith Lee didn\’t go down. Lee leveled Orton with a Crossbody and Randy rolled out of the ring to regroup. Orton got back into the ring and shouted at Lee to show him respect. Orton unloaded s few chops ot Keith\’s face and Lee got pissed off. Keith Lee responded with \”Grizzly Magnum\” (double chop to Orton\’s chest).
Randy took back control of the match and applied a Headlock. Lee broke free and laucnhed Orton out of the ring with a Pounce. Lee slammed Orton on the announce table and brought him back into the ring. Orton sent Lee to the mat with the Draping DDT and set up for the RKO. Lee blocked it and planted Orton with a massive Spirit Bomb for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Keith Lee is a star and this was a massive win for him. I still don\’t understand why they changed his theme music but Lee will easily overcome that because he is incredibly talented. I was pretty surprised at how easily he defeated Orton tonight. I was expecting a longer match but that makes it even more impressive.
Rey & Dominik Defeated Rollins & Murphy In A Great Match
Seth Rollins and Murphy faced Rey Mysterio and Dominik tonight. They had a match this past Monday on RAW but it was interrupted by RETRIBUTION.
Match Recap: Dominik went right after Rollins and knocked him out of the ring. Dominik booted Murphy in the face and Murphy got pissed off. Rollins smacked Murphy in the face and said he wanted Murphy to leave Dominik to him. Seth tagged in and walked into an Arm Drag from Dominik.
Murphy tagged in and Dominik hit him with an Arm Drag as well. Dominik brought Murphy to the corner and tagged in Rey. Dominik hit Murphy with a Russian Leg Sweep and Rey followed it up with a Dropkick for a near fall. Mysterio shouted at Rollins to get his
\”punk ass\” in the ring and Seth tagged in.
Seth and Murphy took control and isolated Rey in the corner. Rey battled back and tagged in Dominik. Dominik went for a Crossbody but Rollins caught him. Seth connected with the Falcon Arrow and went for the cover but Dominik kicked out at two.
Murphy tagged in and locked in an Abdominal Stretch in the middle of the ring. Dominik battled through the pain and escaped. Rollins tagged in and prevented Dominik from getting to Rey\’s corner. Dominik sent Murphy and Rollins to the floor outside the ring and tagged in Rey.
Mysterio bounced Seth\’s face off the top turnbuckle and followed it up with a Moonsault for a two count. Rey went for the 619 but Rollins dodged it. Mysterio hit a Dropkick and went for the cover but Murphy broke it up. Dominik planted Murphy with a DDT but turned around into a Slingblade from Rollins.
Seth connected with a Backbreaker to Mysterio and both superstars fell to the canvas. Seth and Rey traded punches as Murphy and Dominik battled outside the ring. Rey took out Murphy with a Suicide Dive and made his way to the top rope. Mysterio went for a Crossbody but Rollins countered with Double Knees to the ribs.
Rollins followed it up with a Superkick and went for the cover but Rey was able to kick out at two. Seth went for the Stomp but Rey got out of the way. Rollins caught Mysterio with a Facebuster and went for the cover but Dominik broke it up. Rollins and Murphy launched Dominik into the barricade surrounding the ring.
Seth shouted at Rey \”where is your son now?!\” and \”where is Angie?!\” before tagging in Murphy. Seth told Murphy to kick Rey in the head but it backfired and Murphy accidentally hit Rollins. Rey hit Rollins with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb into the barricade and Dominik hit Murphy with a Frog Splash for the pinfall victory. After the match, Rollins stared down Murphy on the entrance ramp.
Opinion: I thought this was an excellent tag team match. Dominik once again was impressive and Mysterio and Rollins have ridiculous chemistry in the ring (when they are not trying to rip each other\’s eye out). It will be interesting to see where the Monday Night Messiah goes from here.
Roman Reigns Captured The Universal Championship
The Fiend defended the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat No Holds Barred Match.
Match Recap: Strowman attacked The Fiend during his entrance and the match started without Roman Reigns. The Fiend hit Strowman with Sister Abigail and went for the cover but Braun kicked out at two.
Strowman rolled out of the ring and The Fiend went after him. The Fiend connnected with a Uranage that sent Strowman through the announce table. Alexa Bliss was shown backstage twirling her hair watching The Fiend.
The Fiend brought out the ridiculously huge mallet from under the ring but Strowman knocked him down. The Fiend battled back and hit Strowman in the chest with the mallet. The Fiend grabbed the steel steps and bashed Strowman with them.
Alexa Bliss was shown again as The Fiend brought Strowman up the entrance ramp. Strowman battled back and hit The Fiend with a shoulder tackle that sent both men off the stage and through a table.
Braun brought The Fiend back to the ring and made his way to the top rope. The Fiend got up and joined Strowman on the turnbuckle. The Fiend planted Strowman with a Superplex and the ring imploded.
Roman Reigns\’ music hit and he came to the entrance ramp with Heyman. Roman just signed the contract and marched to the ring with a steel chair. Reigns demanded that a referee come to the ring and Reigns tried to pin The Fiend & Strowman but they both kicked out.
Reigns grabbed the chair and hit Strowman several times with it for a two count. The Fiend applied the Mandible Claw on Roman but Reigns broke it up with a low blow. Reigns then hit Strowman with a Spear for the pinfall victory. Roman Reigns is the new Universal Champion.
Opinion: I thought Reigns signing the contract well into the match was pretty dumb. What is the point of having contract signing segments on TV if you can just do that? However, I\’m looking forward to Reigns as a heel champion alongside Paul Heyman. I\’m assuming that Roman\’s first feud will be with The Fiend, as he hit him with a low blow tonight and he wasn\’t pinned to lose the title. I was actually hoping that Reigns had new theme music and gear but that wasn\’t the case. Overall, WWE Payback 2020 was a great show that absolutely flew by. The main event was the worst match of the night but it still contained the ring impoding and a new direction for Roman Reigns.
